Shark Attack Triathlon Race Report

Official Time - 1:19:58

Swim - 7:33

T1 - 1:59

Bike - 39:42

T2 - 1:34

Run - 29:08

Overall Place - 76/218

Gender Place - 19/89

Age Group Place - 1

So, today was my first triathlon of the season and I have to say that I'm incredibly pleased with the results. Yes, I did win my age group and I'm totally doing the happy dance inside my tired body. I figured that I needed to get the race report down before I forget how incredible this feels.

I had all intentions of doing my pre-race mental cooldown last night, but my brother and his family came over and I was trying to pack and not forget anything and I ended up just going to bed, hoping to get a good night sleep. I was in bed by 10pm, and ended up waking up around 1:30am because I was hot. So, I opened the window and read for a few minutes and tried to go back to sleep. I ended up mentally going through the race, the transitions, the different events, scenarios, etc. I fell back to sleep around 2:30am, and absolutely did not want to wake up at 5am. However, I got up, put on my new tri-clothes (Here's an aside for you... I somehow managed to leave all of my tri-clothes back in IL, so I had to order new ones this week, and I wore them in the race without ever training in them, since they arrived yesterday afternoon), packed up the car, and was ready to go. My mom ended up riding with me, while my dad hopped on his bike and we were off. My dad decided to ride over to the race venue and was planning on meeting us there for the race.

On the way to Honeyville, I ate my pop-tart, sneezed alot, and tried to make myself wake up. It was chilly and breezy, so I was somewhat worried about whether I was going to be cold on the bike or the water temperature or whatever. I didn't take my wetsuit, so I was wondering about how that would all work out. I also wondered about how the bike would go, since that is really my big limiter. Anyways, we arrived at the race site, I grabbed my bike, headed to packet pick-up, did the body marking thing, and then made my way to transition. I set up my transition area exactly the way I've been practicing and grabbed my timing chip and headed back to the car to warm up. I was surprisingly not nervous, and was actually feeling pretty good.

We had the pre-race meeting and then headed down to the pool. The 400 yd. swim took place in a pool that was 40 yd. long. There were 10 lanes and the racers started every 10 sec. I got in the 8 min and under group, got my goggles wet, put on my swim cap, and watched as the pool became a huge washing machine. Finally, it was my turn and I started my watch, stepped into the water and started swimming. I think the water temperature was around 70 and I experienced the whole cold water shock thing for the first lap. Then, I finally got into my groove and started swimming. I got passed once, but then passed a couple of people. The swim was pretty turbulent and the lane lines weren't tight, so I kept running into them with my stroke, as well as running into other people. I accidentally slapped the woman in front of me on the butt because she was swimming slower than me. I kinda lost track of the laps/lengths so I was surprised when I reached the end of the pool. I hopped out, stripped off my swim cap, and goggles and started running up to transition. I forgot to look at my watch and didn't keep track of my splits, so I wasn't really sure where I was timewise, other than my overall time. My goal for the swim was 8 min, and I came out of the water in 7:33, so I'm definitely pleased with that.

T1 went okay. I had lots of gravel on my feet from the run up from the pool and from the transition area. I rubbed most of it on my towel, put on my sunglasses, strapped on my helmet, put on my shoes, grabbed my bike, and started running. I actually had the fastest T1 time in my age group by over a minute(1:59), and I beat my goal by 31 sec. I racked my bike close to the swim out and had to run through the entire transition area to get to the bike out, but the good thing was that I found my bike very easily because it was at the end of the rack.

Once I got out of transition area, I had to run up a little hill of gravel and then hopped on the bike and started going. Before the race, I made sure that my bike was in an easy gear, so pedaling and clipping in was no problem. In fact, for only my second outside ride with the clipless pedals, I did great. My mental goal for the bike was to keep it over 18 mph, so I started off right away working hard. The bike course was hilly, but I managed the hills pretty well. I was even passing people and actually watched the backs of people's legs to see what age group they were in. I didn't want to get passed by anyone in my age group. The turnaround was a little tricky, because it was at the bottom of the hill, so you had to slow down and then turn right around to go back up the hill. On the way back in, I decided to push myself even harder, and worked hard on the hills and on passing people. I think I only got passed twice, both were guys, and one was a guy I had passed a couple of times. I forgot to reset my bike computer, so I really didn't know how far I had left to go, and I'm notorious for forgetting courses, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the transition area. I clipped out with no problems (hooray!) and ran, VERY wobbly into transition. Oh, I forgot to mention that the end of my metal cable thingy (nice technical term) came off at some point during the first half of the bike, so I ended up with a wire thingy scratching my leg for about 9 miles or so. I had blood running down my leg and into my shoe and actually have a nice big sore to remember it by. My goal for the bike was to finish in 40 min and my actual time was 39:42. I actually carried an 18.1 mph pace and I feel really really good about that. One more thing on the bike...I forgot to open my water bottle before the race, so I didn't take in any fluids. I'm still not so good...actually, I'm awful at riding and drinking or doing anything else at the same time.

T2 was a little shaky because my legs were really wobbly from the bike. I also struggled a little to get my running shoes on. I grabbed my visor, my race number, and headed out with blood still running down my leg, for the 5K. My goal for T2 was 1:30, but I ended up taking 1:34, so I took a little longer (4 sec.) longer than I thought.

My legs felt awful and wobbly and were cramping up, so the first mile took FOREVER. I was also looking forward to getting a drink at the aid station at mile 1. I ran with a girl for a little while, but at some point after the first mile, I found my legs and took off. I didn't see anyone from my age group around me, but I figured that they were probably ahead of me, so I decided to just gut it out and run. At mile 2, I was feeling good, and by the time I got to mile 3, which was at the top of the hill, I was feeling great. I turned into the park and headed for the finish line. I looked at my watch and saw 1:18:?? and while I couldn't see the finish line, I was hoping that I could make it before my 1:20 goal. I finally saw the finish line, picked up the pace (I was already running at puke pace) and finished at 1:59 on my watch. My run time ended up being 29:08 and my pace was 9:24. I was hoping for a little faster, and my goal was under 28, but I think I wasn't expecting my legs to feel so rotten after the run.

After the race, I met up with my parents and decided to stay for the awards ceremony because I thought that maybe I might have placed in my age group. My dad decided to ride back to Logan, so he took off into a roaring headwind, and my mom and I went back to the car to get my warm, dry clothes. I changed clothes, packed up my transition area, took everything back to the car, and then checked the results. My mom saw my name first and then I saw it and I couldn't believe it. How did I place first? I knew that I could if I had a good race, based on last year's results, but I didn't know who would show up today and I wasn't really sure who was ahead of me on any of the events. My official time ended up being 1:19:58, so I met my 1:20 goal by 2 sec. We stayed for awards and I got a cool "gold" medal for my first place finish. I was totally excited and am still doing the happy dance.

So, what did I learn from this race. I learned that training really works. I knew that, but this was a nice surprise because I haven't been performing as well in my running races, but apparently triathlon training does help you improve your triathlon performance. I learned that i can push myself on the bike and feel rotten and still run okay. I'm anxious to see how I do on a longer run course because it does seem to take me awhile to get into my running groove. I learned that pop-tarts are truly the breakfast of champions because I had absolutely NO nutrition problems during this race. I felt great energy-wise, and while I could have used a drink on the bike, I never felt totally drained or bonked. I learned that I can actually be good at triathlon. I learned that I really do need to get my running speed down, so that means more brick workouts. I learned to trust in my swimming abilities and to know that I can actually hang with the swimmers okay.

What can I do to prepare myself better for the next race? Well, I need to ride more outside, so my dad and I are going for a ride on Monday and Wednesday of next week. I also need to work on my bricks and getting into my running groove quicker. I need to keep practicing my transitions so that they go smoothly, with minimal hangups. Oh, and I need to learn to drink/eat on the bike.

Overall, this was an awesome experience. I feel like I had one of those perfect race days where everything clicks and falls into place. I hope that this happens on August 9, when I do the Utah 1/2 IM.

Week 10 Utah 1/2 IM Training

The goal this week is to find my running groove quickly during the race. My TIME GOAL for the race on Saturday is: Swim - 8 min.~T1 - 2:30 min.~Bike - 40 min.~T2 - 1:30 min.~Run - 28 min.~Total - 1:20 This may be ambitious, but we'll see how it goes.

May 26, 2008

BIKE - I did this workout today, although I did cut it short about 15 min. I've found that I have a hard time with the whole 25 min. cooldown on the bike. The lactate intervals were tough, but not as tough as I thought they'd be, which means I probably need to work harder. My average HR was 136 and I burned 784 calories.

Lactate intervals 5x3 m. (1 h. 20 m.) - 3 m. intervals at VO2 max intensity with 3 m. active recoveries; warm-up and cool down long enough to reach total time.

May 27, 2008

SWIM - Well, I just got back from the pool and I think I got a great workout. The pool was crowded and for some reason, the swimmers aren't used to spliting lanes, so I kinda had to wait. I also had to move my drill set to the end because the people around me were already nervous about sharing lanes. The lactate intervals were tough, but I did them in consistent times. My sprint intervals were also consistent, but felt slow, probably because I was starting to get tired. I finished the workout in 49:23. I thought about trying a 400 yd. time trial to see how the race might go, but I think I might want to be surprised on Saturday morning.

warm-up (300), drill set (8x25), base intervals (6x100), lactate intervals (8x75, 45 s. rest), sprint intervals (6x25, 20 s. rest), kick set (8x25), cooldown (300) - Total 2350 yds.

RUN - I did this workout this morning after my swim and I really struggled. I hadn't eaten anything so that could have been part of the problem. My average HR was 162 and I burned 711 calories. I did my intervals at 8 mph on the treadmill and was running at puke pace for the last few, when my HR was over 180. I'm just glad I don't have to do this workout more than once a week.

lactate intervals 20x30s. (40 m.) - 30 s. intervals run at VO2 max intensity with active recoveries equal to intervals in duration

May 28, 2008

BIKE - I've been struggling with some really tight sore legs from my run yesterday morning and from working 7 hours straight on my feet for two days in a row. I thought that getting on the bike might help them, but they're still pretty tight and sore, which means I need to do some good long stretching and get out the stick. I made it on the bike for 53 min, burned 602 calories, and my average HR was127. This was one of those really hard to get motivated rides and I really struggled to stay on the bike. I think I was also dehydrated, because I was through one water bottle in the first 20 min. I'm hoping that this is not an indicator of how Saturday is going to go.

Foundation ride (1 h. 30 m.) - steady ride at moderate aerobic intensity

May 29, 2008

SWIM - I had a great swim this morning. I got to the pool at 5am and it was empty. There ended up being only 4 swimmers the whole time I was there. I struggled with the threshold intervals and was hating every minute of them. The sprints following the thresholds were tough as well. However, I did the whole workout in 53:14, and I decided to try a short time trial to kind of gauge how Saturday will go. I did my cooldown in 4:51, which made me feel good.

Warm-up (300), Drill set (8x25), Threshold intervals (5x200, 45 s. rest), Sprint intervals (4x50, 20 s. rest), Kick set (8x25), Cooldown (300) - Total 2200 yds.

RUN - I was planning on getting this run done right after I finished swimming, but it was pouring down rain and I couldn't bear to hop on the treadmill. I did go on a 40 min walk with my mom this morning. I'm thinking that I may try to fit a short run tomorrow morning after my swim, just to get my legs cleared out.

Foundation run (55 m.) + Strides (6x20 s.)

May 30, 2008

SWIM - Apparently, the pool is packed on MWF, because today it was totally full. I ended up swimming circles with a guy who was alot slower than me. I finally passed him after about 500 yds. I forgot my watch, but I think (according to the clock on the wall) I did the swim in 53 min.

Warm-up (300), Base intervals (2000), Cooldown (300) - Total 2600 yds.

May 31, 2008

SHARK ATTACK TRIATHLON - Swim 400 yds. - Bike 12 m. - Run 3.1 m. (This will take the place of my brick workout this week.)

I met my time goal today and finished the race in 1:19:58. I'll be working on my race report a little later.

June 1, 2008

REST, STRETCH, CORE

Becoming an Endurance Athlete

In September 2005, I completed my first marathon. After the race, I was pretty dehydrated and was actually pretty sick. My dad had to work that day and wasn't able to see me race, but when he got home and saw how sick I was, he said, "Why in the world would you do that to yourself?"

One year later, I was running that same marathon and my mom had signed up for the Walt Disney World 1/2 marathon, so she decided to run the last half of the marathon with me to see if she could do it. My dad was at the race and met us at a variety of places to take pictures. Around mile 17 or 18, we ran into him and he said, "I just saw a woman run by who had crapped herself. Why would you do this to yourself?" My dad was completely and totally baffled and was apparently really doing some thinking about why people compete in endurance types of events.

A few months later, my family went to Orlando, Florida for Marathon weekend. I was doing my first Goofy Challenge and my mom was running her first 1/2 marathon. My dad met us at the finish line and was very proud of my mom. He thought it was pretty cool that she would train for an event and then complete it. He also realized that she was hooked. That spring, she signed up for the Goofy Challenge. In June 2007, she completed her first marathon and my dad (with some prodding from me) made a big deal about it. He bought my mom flowers, put a big sign up on the garage, and made her some strawberries and whipped cream.

Somewhere in all of this, he decided to start riding his mountain bike for exercise. My dad has several friends at work who race road bikes and he started talking with them about some of the issues surrounding cycling. He also signed up for a group ride/event and rode 50 miles. He really enjoyed it, except that he was on a mountain bike and couldn't really keep up with the other riders. In fact, the cyclists were not very friendly when he stopped for lunch and joined them at a table. He also mentioned that there were a couple of girls on the ride and one of them had a flat tire. Apparently, several cyclists blew by and didn't stop to offer any assistance to the girls. My dad, being the great guy that he is, stopped and changed the tire.

In January 2008, my family headed to Orlando again for marathon weekend. Both my mom and I were doing the Goofy Challenge and my dad was volunteering at a water station for both the half and full marathon. It was truly a family event. Here's the funny thing...when he got back to Utah after the trip, he signed up for the Walt Disney World half marathon in January 2009. He signed up before my mom even knew what he was doing. My dad then went on to purchase a road bike and signed up for two century rides.

On Saturday, May 17, my dad completed the Salt Lake City Century ride. My mom and I were running the Ogden 1/2 Marathon, so my dad dropped us off in Ogden and continued on to Salt Lake. The race started at the State Fair Grounds and headed north to Antelope Island and then back. My dad made a few mistakes...eating only a blueberry muffin for breakfast...eating all of his snacks before mile 30...riding in a peloton with a bunch of guys going 27 mph...not drinking enough water...doing a 40 mile ride for his longest training ride...etc. However, he had a blast. Het got home and was so excited to talk about the event. He was all fired up to talk with a friend from church about what he could do before his next race. Did I mention that he's doing another century ride on June 14, the same day I'm doing my first Olympic triathlon?

So, apparently, the Hansens have become an endurance race family.

Week 9 Utah 1/2 IM Training

This week marks the beginning of my 6 week build phase, which adds some challenging high-intensity workouts, like lactate threshold intervals. These workouts will maximize my aerobic capacity and enhance my speed. The goal this week is to climb hard but stay relaxed and in the saddle in the long cycling hill climbs (8-9 RPE).

May 18, 2008

BRICK - Well, I ended up taking the day off today, which means that I'll try to throw in a short run after tomorrow's hill ride.

(1 h. 15 m./20 m.) - bike ride followed by immediate run, both at moderate aerobic intensity

May 19, 2008

BIKE - I just finished this workout and it feels good to be training again. I actually cut it short by 7 min, mostly because I needed a drink and my water bottles were dry. My average HR was 128, which is lower than I'd like, but hey, I got the workout done. I burned 777 calories.

Long hill intervals 5x5 min. (1 h. 15 m.) - 5 min climbing intervals at threshold/VO2 max intensity with 3 min active recoveries; warm-up and cooldown long enough to reach total time

May 20, 2008

SWIM - Apparently, my swim has slowed down a bit, which is a little scary to me. I had to cut my workout short because lap swim was ending. I cut out 100 yds of kicking, which I'm okay with. I guess I really do need to get to the pool at 5am in order to get everything done, especially since it looks like I'll be ramping up my yardage soon. I did 2200 yds in 56:04. The lactate intervals were TOUGH, but I should mention the small victory...I was consistent through every single one. I did the 75 yds in 1:15 or 1:14 (the last 3 were at 1:14), so at least I can say that I'm being consistent.

Warm-up (300), Drill set (8x25), Base intervals (6x100), Lactate intervals (7x75, 45 s. rest), Sprint intervals (6x25, 20 s.), Kick set (8x25), Cooldown (300) Total - 2275 yds.

RUN - I did this workout on the treadmill at the gym, which allowed me to really push myself. I did my intervals at 8 mph and I ended up completing 4.15 miles. My average HR was 168. I burned 698 calories.

Lactate intervals - 18x30s. (38 m.) - 30 s. intervals run at VO2 max intensity with active recoveries equal to intervals in duration; warm-up and cooldown long enough to reach total time

May 21, 2008

BIKE - I got 45 min. of this ride done before my dad called me to dinner. He had made buffalo steaks and had them all ready to eat, so I ate dinner and then headed off to the store with my mom. My average HR was 121 and I burned 462 calories.

Foundation ride (1 h. 30 m.) - steady ride at moderate aerobic intensity

May 22, 2008

SWIM - I made it to the pool this morning and I got my entire workout done with 10-12 min to spare. I forgot to stop my watch, but I think I finished in 56 min. The threshold intervals were tough, and the sprints after the threshold intervals were even harder. I did them all though, even though I thought about being done early. I did get to the pool early and watched a few people swim and was noticing form, which reminded me to keep my elbows high, my head and chest down and to extend and glide a bit. This was definitely a good workout.

Warmup (300), Drill set (8x25), Threshold intervals (4x200, 45 s. rest), Sprint intervals (6x50, 20 s. rest), Kick set (8x25), Cooldown (300) - Total - 2100 yds.

RUN - Well, I ran out of time today to get this workout done. I should have just done it this morning when I finished swimming, but I was feeling pretty wiped out. I may see if I can fit it in on Sunday morning, but we'll see.

Foundation run (50 m.) + Strides (6x20s.)

May 23, 2008

SWIM - This workout was interesting. I got to the pool and it was packed, so I got to wait about 5 min or so before a space to spin opened up. Once I got going, I felt like I was swimming well, but I got off on my count and started counting 25 yds instead of 50 yds each lap, so while I'm sure that I got my 2500 yds in, but I probably did a few extra laps. Around 2100 yds, the fire alarm went off, but the lifeguard said to keep swimming, so I did. I forgot to start my watch, but I'm pretty sure I did the workout in 54 min. I think this was my longest swim workout to date.

Warmup (250), Base intervals (2000), Cooldown (250) - Total 2500 yds.

BIKE - Well, my dad and I went out for a ride this morning in the 51 degree misting weather. This was my first ride outside since the tri-camp ride in April and I was a little apprehensive. We did 32 miles in 2:10, but that included a stop to pay a bill. There were a couple of good hills, one short one, one longer steep one, and while I struggled, I gutted them out. I forgot to start my HR monitor and timer, but every time I looked at my HR it was over 140 and during the long hill, it was over 160. Definitely a good workout, but it made me realize that I'm a really weak cyclist. I haven't figured out how to drink and ride, I'm not so great at the hills, I feel like I'm all over the road and that I don't have good control of the bike, etc. I did have one small victory. This was the first time that I've rode my bike outside with the big girl pedals that I haven't crashed. This was my dad's first ride in clipless pedals and he only tipped over once. I guess this means that I really need to get on the stick with my cycling skills.

Long ride (2 h. 45 m.) - Long steady ride at moderate aerobic intensity

May 24, 2008

RUN - I didn't get to this run yesterday, mostly because I slept in and then worked hard all day and was feeling fairly exhausted. I may try to fit it in today, but we'll see. I'm kinda fighting a cold/allergies and am hoping to keep it away.

Long run (1 h. 20 m.) - long steady pace run at moderate aerobic intensity

May 25, 2008

My run didn't happen today, which I think I'm okay with. I'm hoping to hit all of my workouts next week, so we'll see how it goes.

REST, STRETCH, CORE

Ogden 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Back in January, I decided to do this race and was thinking I would run it for time because I think it's a pretty fast course. However, after some thought I decided to run this one with my mom, which definitely took any stress away from the race.

On Friday afternoon, my parents and I took my niece and nephew to Ogden with us to pick up race packets and to stop off at the bike shop for my dad to pick up some stuff for his first century ride. The expo was small, but there was an ice cream truck there that made their ice cream with an old John Deere engine and so John, Kate, and I certainly enjoyed that. I also found a new pair of racing sunglasses.

Saturday morning, the alarm went off at 3:42am. I got up, got dressed, grabbed a PopTart, and jumped in the car with my parents. My dad dropped my mom and I off in Ogden and he headed off to Salt Lake for his ride. My mom and I hopped on a bus, rode up the canyon, and found a campfire and then waited for about 90 minutes for the race to start.

The first mile went fine and then we started up the 1/2 mile hill that makes up part of mile 2. I love this hill and felt great, so I got up to the top and waited for my mom (she hates hills...like seriously hates them). While I was waiting a woman trudged by with her husband saying she wanted to quit and this was dumb. I met up with my mom and then ran ahead on the next hill. The husband of the crying wife ran by talking to his friend about how that hill really scared her and that she really wanted to do this race, but wasn't sure if she could. Mile 3 has an incredible view of Pineview Reservoir and we actually crossed the dam at mile 4. The next several miles are a really fast downhill and at one of the aid stations, there was RedVines licorice, which tasted fantastic. At another aid station there was watermelon which might be one of the best foods I've ever had during a race. Miles 9-12 are run along the Ogden River Parkway which is a great little trail with lots and lots of shade. The last mile of the course was run on Grant Avenue in downtown Ogden. We ran past the temple and you could actually see the finish line for most of the mile. I actually sprinted through the finishing chute and felt great.

I ran all of the hills and actually strided down the hills as well. My mom ran the course pretty well, but she really struggled around mile 6 and didn't like running on the parkway at all. She also struggled alot during the last mile. I tried to help her out by picking "targets" for her to pick off, but that didn't work too well. She finished this race faster than the Indy Mini, so I think she was happy about that.

After the race, we got our super cool medals, grabbed our gear check, and changed clothes. The post-race tent was awesome. They had uncrustables (my favorite), Jamba Juice smoothies, Creamies, fruit, Great Harvest Bread, ice bags for everyone, water, powerade, etc. They definitely have the best postrace that I've experienced. We grabbed our stuff and then headed back out on the course to cheer. The plan was for us to wait for my dad, so we figured we could cheer the marathoners in. The crowd was actually pretty dead, so I made sure and yelled, rang my cowbell, and clapped for all of the runners. I even got some smiles and a high-five. The woman standing next to me said, "I want you to run with me during my next marathon. You're so encouraging and inspiring." It was definitely a good thing to hear because I was wondering if the people around me were thinking, "I wish that loud person would just shut up!"

I also forgot to mention that at the beginning of the race, while standing in the port-a-potty lines, I saw an older man, pushing a homemade racing wheelchair with a handicapped guy named Bart. The wheelchair had flags that said "The BartMobile" and I got all teary eyed. We passed them on the course and the dad was telling someone that he pulled his hamstring trying to adjust the wheel while running so he was really struggling. We were in the finishers area when they crossed the finish line. The dad stopped about 5-6 feet from the line and Bart walked across the line. It was so inspiring...even the announcer was a little emotional.

I love this course and will definitely run this race again. I'm thinking that I might have to run for time next year to see what happens. Now, I get to start focusing on my next race, which is in 2 weeks. It will be my first triathlon of the season, so that should be fun and interesting...

Mile 1 - 10:54 HR - 144
Mile 2 - 12:31 HR - 152
Mile 3 - 10:58 HR - 151
Mile 4 - 11:06 HR - 150
Mile 5 - 11:26 HR - 151
Mile 6 - 12:19 HR - 147
Mile 7 - 12:24 HR - 149
Mile 8 - 11:43 HR - 153
Mile 9 - 11:23 HR - 155
Mile 10 - 11:45 HR - 151
Mile 11 - 12:19 HR - 155
Mile 12 - 12:37 HR - 156
Mile 13 - 13:09 HR - 163

Total Time - 2:34:39
Average HR - 152, Calories Burned - 2454

Week 8 Utah 1/2 IM Training

The goal this week is to absorb my recent training and finish the week feeling rested and ready to return to harder training next week. Next week starts the beginning of the build phase so I'd better be ready to start working harder. This is my first week in UT, so my training may get flipped around depending on a variety of factors. I'm front loading the week again in preparation for the Ogden 1/2 Marathon.

May 12, 2008

SWIM - I made it to the pool this morning, but apparently I got the hours wrong, so I only made it through about 1/2 of my workout. My shoulder is still a little sore, so it's probably okay to keep resting it for a few days. I do have a 2 hour massage scheduled for today, so hopefully that will help me to work out some of this soreness and knots.

Warm-up (300), Drill set (8x25), Base intervals (6x100), Sprint intervals (9x25), Cooldown (300), Total 1625 yds.

BIKE - Well, I thought I might go for this ride, but after my 2 hour massage, where I discovered that my body is seriously in knots, I decided to take the evening off and let some healing take place. This is a recovery week after all, so I figure I should let my body get back to some sort of normal. Also, the massage worked really well for my shoulder pain, so I'm thinking I may have to remember that.

Foundation ride (1 h. 15 m.) steady ride at moderate aerobic intensity

May 13, 2008

BIKE - I had to talk myself into doing this workout tonight. When I woke up this morning, I felt like I had been beaten with a baseball bat. Apparently, the massage worked. I decided to do this workout, but I skipped out on the last 10 min. My average HR was 143 and I burned 824 calories.

Short hill climbs 9x1 min. (1 h. 10 m.) 1 min. hill climbs at VO2 max/speed intensity with 2 min. active recoveries; warm-up and cooldown long enough to reach total time

May 14, 2008

Well, I was lazy today and didn't do either of my workouts today. I did do a core workout, but after working at the nursery, I was pretty tired. I guess this means that I need to get my workouts done in the morning before I go to work. I may try to get a bike ride in tomorrow evening.

RUN - Speed intervals 11x30s. (47 m.) 30 s. intervals run at speed intensity with 2 m. active recovery; warm-up and cooldown long enough to reach total time

BIKE - Foundation ride (1 h. 45 m.) steady ride at moderate aerobic intensity

May 15, 2008

Alright, these lazy days are starting to bug me. I set my alarm, woke up, but couldn't talk myself into going swimming. I'm not sure what my problem is, but I need to get back into my routine. I think that part of the problem is that I'm still trying to figure out how to do this whole UT life again. I'm thinking that after my race on Saturday and after I plant my vegetable garden and hang out with my dogs, I'll sit down and really make a plan on how to fit in my workouts in the morning before I head to the nursery to work. I do want to make sure that I get my swim done tomorrow morning and maybe even a short quick run on the track when I finish my swim.

SWIM - Warm-up (300), Drill set (8x25), Fartlek intervals (6x150), Kick set (8x25), Cooldown (300), Total 1900 yds.

RUN - 35 m. Foundation run with 4x20 s. running strides

May 16, 2008

I did make it to the pool this morning. I completely lost count of my yardage and I went way too fast, but I swam for about 30 min. The pool was packed and for whatever reason, I felt like I wanted to race the other women in my lane, so I was swimming fast. I also noticed the altitude difference.

SWIM - Warm-up (250), Base intervals (1500), Cooldown (250), Total 2000 yds.

May 17, 2008

RUN - Ogden 1/2 Marathon

May 18, 2008

REST & STRETCH & CORE

Expectations vs. Reality

As most of you know, I haven't been too pleased with my running races lately. In fact, I've really been struggling with the fact that my times are slower than they've ever been. I've been trying to wrap my head around this phenomenon and while there are several different factors contributing to this, I think it all boils down to my expectations.

For the past 11 weeks, I've been training diligently for the Utah 1/2 IM. It is my A priority race this year and in order to accomplish that goal, I need to focus my training on that race. When you look at training for an "A" race, the training plan involves three phases: the base phase, the build phase, and the peak phase. The base phase revolves around increasing the volume of moderate intensity training to build aerobic fitness and endurance. The build phase uses doses of high intensity training to develop specific strength and power. The peak phase relies on highly race specific demands. Currently, I'm in week 7 of the base phase. Next week is a recovery week and then I start the build phase, which is going to be tough.

My training is tough and I've been working hard. I've been trying to rearrange my workouts a bit in order to race, but I'm going into my races fatigued, which means that I'm not going to perform to my usual expectations. This means that I've got to change my expectations to meet the reality of my situation.

In the June issue of Triathlete magazine, there was an article titled, "More than just numbers," by Amanda McCracken. The author talks about returning home from an event feeling disappointed in her results. Her roommate shouted "Hail to the conqueror!" when she got home and in tears, the author responded, "Thanks, but I sucked! I croaked on the run and was nine minutes off my best time on that course." The roommate said, "But you finished." The author goes on to discuss the issues that surraound expectations. She said, "my perspective had changed and I was at a loss to know how to measure my success...to me, success was measured solely by the extent to which I was able (or in this case unable) to better my previous finishing time."

She offers some suggestions considering your potential in the moment. One example she mentioned was an athlete who was suffering from severe depression, who said that "not giving up" is his definition of success. Another definition of success is doing your best with the potential you have on any given day. She stated that measuring success in triathlon is difficult because of all of the uncontrollable factors.

Finally, she said that we need to step outside our athletic world and remember our athletic identity (the who) and appreciate the benefits of the sport (the why). I've been thinking alot about this and I think that sometimes, I forget about why I love to race and why I am training for the Utah 1/2 IM. I need to trust my training and know that while my earlier season races may not be meeting my expectations, that I will peak at the "right" time for my "A" race.

For now, I just need to remind myself that I'm training for the Utah 1/2 IM. I'm working on accomplishing something different than a 1/2 marathon. The races I'm doing now will definitely add to my fitness, but may not be meeting my expectations. I just need to shift my expectations to meet the reality of training and racing. My "A" race will go well, because I'm putting in the time and effort now to make sure that I'm completely prepared. I just have to remember how to define my terms of success and failure.

One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Race Report

Time - 2:13:27
Pace - 10:12 per mile
Average HR - 165
Total calories burned - 2430
Photos - http://tinyurl.com/6lvmyv

Well, I've been processing this race for a couple of days now and I think I'm ready to write up the report. On Friday afternoon, Tiz (a TNTer) and I drove over to Indianapolis. We headed to packet pick up and cruised around the expo. The expo seemed less cool than usual and we were both starving, so we headed off to grab a late lunch. The TNT Pasta Party was great, as usual, and emotional, as usual. After the dinner, I headed up to my room to hangout with my parents. We talked for a bit and then turned out the lights. My dad snored all night long and my mom joined in, as well. I don't think I slept at all.

We woke up at 5:45am and I got ready for the race. I wore my TNT purple jersey, my running skirt, and my TNT hat. I also ate a PopTart and grabbed some water. We headed down to the TNT meeting and then walked to the start. I grabbed my mom's gear bag and headed to the gear check. I hit the portapotty and then went to my start corral. I was in Corral D this year and was hoping to use that to do well. The gun went off and I crossed the start after a couple of minutes, which was nice.

The first few miles were faster than I thought (my splits are at the end) and I tried to back off from my speed a bit. Around mile 5, my foot started to bother me and I wasn't sure if it was my Yankz shoe laces or what was going on. By the time I got to the track, I was struggling a little. My body was hurting and I was losing focus. I took my Gu right before mile 9, stopped at the portapotty again, and then headed back towards downtown. I met up with one of the TNT coaches around mile 10 and he reminded me that I only had a 5k left. I tried to pick up the pace, and I think that I did, but my feet were really hurting, especially the balls of my feet.

The last mile felt good, except for my feet, and while I was totally bummed about my time being almost exactly the same as the race in St. Louis (2:13:25), I was actually pretty glad to be done. The finish line was incredibly crowded and didn't flow very well, so I was a little irritated. I mostly just wanted to sit down. I finally got to the TNT tent, grabbed some water, took off my shoes, and sat down in the grass.

I guess I'm feeling sort of resigned to the fact that I'm not having a great running season. I think most of that is due to my focus on the 1/2 IM training. I'm not tapering at all and I have had a tough couple of training weeks. I apparently had a much better race in St. Louis than I thought because that is a much tougher course than Indy's. I really didn't have a goal time for this race, but I was hoping to finish under 2:10. Perhaps someday I'll actually get back to running faster, but for now, I'll just have to deal with running slower. I am planning on focusing on my speed workouts over the next few months and am hoping that will pay off.

The positives of this race were that my nutrition seemed to work well. The PopTarts sat really well in my stomach and I think that I worked the water stops really well. I think I may have stopped at 6 out of the 17 stops. The Gu went down great and I didn't get that awful feeling that usually comes when the gel hits my stomach. I felt okay after the race stomach wise, which was nice. Another positive was that I did run a faster last mile, so I'll take that. The weather was also gorgeous and it felt wonderful to be running in the sunshine.

I think what I'm struggling with the most is knowing how to pace myself so that I'm leaving everything out on the course. I need to learn the best way to approach the race and to know exactly how to run my best for the entire race. I'm hoping that all of this will come together over the next couple of months, so that I'll have a great 1/2 IM.



Splits
Mile 1 - 9:40 (161)
Mile 2 - 9:32 (167)
Mile 3 - 9:55 (165)
Mile 4 - 9:54 (164)
Mile 5 - 10:13 (164)
Mile 6 - 10:14 (165)
Mile 7 - 10:33 (162)
Mile 8 - 10:07 (164)
Mile 9 - 11:56 (162) - pit stop
Mile 10 - 10:03 (167)
Mile 11 - 10:11 (167)
Mile 12 - 10:23 (167)
Mile 13 - 9:52 (170)
Mile 0.1 - 46:64 (176)

Week 7 Utah 1/2 IM Training

The goal this week is to pace myself through the week's workouts, which is the third consecutive week of hard training. Next week is a recovery week, before I start my build phase.

May 5, 2008

SWIM - I swam at lunchtime today, which was a little different than what I've been doing for the last several weeks. I've decided that I would rather start my day off with swimming than do it in the middle of the day. I did get the workout in, but it was a little slow (47:57). I think I can attribue that to fatigue from the race, but also I did some TI drills and took my time on them. I think it was mostly fatigue though, because I could feel my form trying to slip.

Warm-up (300), Drill set (8x25), Base intervals (8x100), Sprint intervals (11x25), Kick set (8x25), Cooldown (300) - Total 2075 yds.

BIKE - I decided to do this workout this morning, since the pool was closed and I was already up. I put on my Ipod, hopped on the trainer and started pedaling. I struggled through the warm-up and kept talking myself into staying on the trainer and just getting through the workout. Once the intervals started I felt great. I put my bike into the big ring on front and the smallest ring on back, stood up, and pedaled like a crazy woman. I think I might have got an extra "hill" in there too. My average HR was 140, my highest HR was 167, and I burned 1098 calories. It was actually a great workout.

Short hill climbs 11x1 min. (1 h. 20 m.) - 1 min. hill climbs at VO2max/speed intensity with 2 min. active recoveries; warm-up and cooldown long enough to reach total time

May 6, 2008

SWIM - I really struggled to get out of bed this morning for this workout. I think my lack of sleep in Indy is catching up with me. I got to the pool at 6am (after lying in bed half-asleep for 45 min.) and hopped in. Apparently, my training has caught the interest of several of the other people I swim with, so I had alot of questions this morning about the drills I do and how fast/far I swim, etc. Anyways, I did the workout in 45:29, and I'm not sure how I feel about the 200s. I think they'll be good for me, as far as speed/intensity goes, but doing them for the first time was a little weird. Also, I felt like I was struggling to get up to intensity during the intervals, but I was consistent with my times, so I guess it worked.

Warm-up (300), Drill set (8x25), Fartlek intervals (5x200), Kick set (8x25), Cooldown (300) - Total 2000 yds.

RUN - I got home this morning from my swim, through on my running clothes and headed out the door for this workout, so it was a brick, sort of. The first 10 min. were tough and I was thinking that maybe I should just quit because I might not be recovered from Indy and maybe I'm not ready to be running, but I kept going. I actually ran a negative split during the workout and made it all the way to the silos and back, so I guess that it went well. I think I ran a few more intervals than I was supposed to, but mostly because my math was off. I'm fairly certain that throwing extra speed intervals into my workouts will not hurt me. My average HR was 160, which wasn't a surprise since I really struggled to get going at the beginning, and I burned 895 calories.

Speed intervals 13x30 sec. (52 m.) - 30 sec. intervals at speed intensity with 2 min. active recoveries; warm-up and cooldown long enough to reach total time

May 7, 2008

RUN - I was planning on doing my bike workout first thing this morning, but I couldn't talk myself into it. I ended up talking myself into heading out for the run, but I have to say, it was certainly not a pleasant run. I struggled through the entire run and was wishing it was over for about 65 min out of the 1:08 that I ran. I think my HR monitor needs a new battery because my HR was 87 for the first 10 min. or so. I ran south on the trail, into the wind, and had a good tailwind on the way home, hence the negative split. I think the highlights of the run were seeing a teeny tiny baby possum that could have fit in the palm of my hand sitting in someone's driveway (it was SO cute) and seeing a woodchuck run across the trail in front of me. I think my average HR ended up being 148 (not accurate I'm sure) and I burned 1046 calories.

Long run (1 h. 10 m.) - steady pace run at moderate aerobic intensity

BIKE - I had the best of intentions to do my long ride tonight, but I ran out of energy. I decided to flip flop my workouts and do the shorter ride, but I ended up only making it for 47:30. My average HR was 120 and I burned 481 calories.

Foundation bike (1 h. 30 m.) - steady ride at moderate aerobic intensity

YOGA - Yoga was tough tonight. Both Sherry and I are still recovering from races, so we were both not as flexible as usual. I struggled with the balance poses ALOT. This was my last yoga session until the fall, so I'm going to have to make sure I keep up on my yoga this summer.

May 8, 2008

SWIM - I think this is the longest swim workout that I've ever done. I wasn't swimming fast today and really didn't push myself, although I'm not sure why. I'll have to give that some thought. I did the workout in 49:23, which I'll take. My swim workouts are getting ready to pick up in yardage and intensity, so it was nice to see if I'm prepared. I think I am.

Warm-up (300), Base intervals (1800), Cooldown (300) - Total 2400 yds.

BIKE - I went to Blockbuster and picked up a couple of movies in preparation for this ride. However, I ended up not doing it for a variety of reasons. Instead, I packed up and cleaned my apartment, with the intention of waking up Friday morning at 4am to get it done then. However, when I woke up in the middle of the night and realized how tired I've been, I decided that my sleep is more important, so I set the alarm for 6am, and felt no guilt about skipping this one. I am hoping to get it done on Sunday when I get to UT, but we'll see.

Long ride (2 h. 30 m.) - steady ride at moderate aerobic intensity

May 9, 2008

RUN - I haven't done this workout yet, but I'm hoping to get to it on Sunday or maybe at one of the hotels along the way to UT. We'll see how it goes. I think I would rather get my long ride in if I have to choose between these two.

Foundation run (45 m.) - steady run at moderate aerobic intensity, Running strides 6x20 s. - 20 sec. relaxed sprints at speed intensity with 40 sec. active recoveries

May 10, 2008

REST & DRIVING ACROSS IOWA AND NEBRASKA

May 11, 2008

REST & DRIVING ACROSS WYOMING TO UTAH

April Training

Today is the first day of May, and I've been training pretty diligently for the past 9 weeks, so I decided to look back over the month of April and evaluate my training to see how it's going and to see what I need to improve on.

Total Training Time = 36 hours and 50 minutes.
# of Training Days = 27
# of Planned Workouts = 46
# of Skipped Workouts = 11 (1 Swim, 3 Bike, 7 Run)

Improvements
- My swim times seem to be improving. On April 1, I swam 1800 yds in 38 min. On April 8, I swam the same distance in 36:22. On April 17, I swam 1700 yds in 31:33. My yardage increased over the last two weeks, so it was tricky finding a time that was comparable. Also, I've been taking my time on the kicking and TI drills. However, on April 29, I swam 2000 yds in 44:44.
-My brick workouts have improved. The first one I did felt great, but I wasn't able to run as far as I did on the one on April 30. I'm loving the brick workouts and will probably start incorporating more of them into my training.
-My cycling has improved, I think. It's hard to judge this because I've been on the trainer so much, but I feel like I'm able to sit in the saddle for longer and that I'm able to push myself and work on my HR a little more. This is definitely my limiter, so I'll have to keep pushing myself on these workouts.

Things I Need to Work On:
- I skipped way too many running workouts. I think because I've been running and have a pretty good base, I feel less guilty about skipping the runs. However, I know that if I want to improve as a triathlete and as a runner, that I need to be getting in the speed work on my runs. I have 2 half-marathons this month, so I think once I'm done with those, I won't worry about my longer runs, and I can focus on my speed work. Also, it seems like spring might actually be here, so I should be able to get outside more to get those workouts in.

-Cycling outside. I absolutely need to get outside to ride. Because of work, I've been mostly trying to get my rides done in the early morning, but now that work is almost done, I'll have plenty of time to get out and get my rides in outside. I also need to really push myself on the bike to make myself stronger, especially with the hills.

-Stretching and core work. I haven't done a good job of making these a priority, and while I'm fairly flexible, I do need to keep working on that flexibility. I absolutely need to get my core work in because I know it will help me in all three sports. Also, it's almost summer and I would like to look good in a bathing suit by the time I head to Hawaii.

-Nutrition. I feel like I need to drop about 10 lbs to be at my "racing" weight. I've been working on a nutrition plan and hope to get that in place by the middle of May. My schedule will settle down a little, and I will be able to make more time to work on the fueling part of triathlon. Also, I'll be at my parents house, so I'll be able to cook to my heart's content.

Goals:
-Do my speed workouts each week. Right now, they are scheduled for May 6, May 13, May 18, and May 27.

-Ride outside at least once a week, preferably on my long rides.

-Continue to work on breathing on both sides during my swim.

-Add 1 workout per week dedicated to stretching and core work.

-Lose 5 lbs.

So, I think I've reflected enough on my training for the month of April. There are definitely some good things that have come out of all of that training, but there are still things that I need to continue to work on. I feel like I'm well on my way to building a great foundation for the Utah 1/2 IM, and I'm looking forward to continuing to see improvements in my training.