July saw me compete in my first duathlon and another sprint triathlon. Both were great fun, and I performed well. The Disco Duathlon was supposed to be our TNT group's Olympic-distance tri to make up for the cancelled CapTexTri. Due to the 40 days/40 nights weather we'd had, Lake Ray Roberts was closed to recreational activities, and the 1 mile swim was replaced with a 2 mile run. I was ecstatic, to say the least. I've been running for over 20 years (off and on), but not until this year's training did I discover that it's my best (and favorite) of the triathlon sports. Good thing, because I need something to makeup for my slow swimming. I'd succumbed to a cold the week before the race, and had to take a couple Sudafed so I could breathe the morning of the race, so, I was only running at 80%. Still, I placed second in my age group, and had a really fun time.
The following week, I raced in the Couple's Tri with one of my TNT friends. It's a fun format - both members of the team do the sprint tri course, then they combine your ages and times for your final score. We were in the over 80 age group, a tough category, and placed 11th. Once again, I had an open water swim to face. This one was 800 meters, slightly longer than the Danskin swim distance. I followed my strategy of hanging back at the start so I didn't have the added anxiety of being jostled by other swimmers. I was the very last person to start the swim in my wave. Slow and steady is my swim pace, but I was past the first buoy before any swimmers from the next wave passed me. I think I even passed one or two swimmers from my wave. Most importantly, I felt confident and strong throughout the swim. No panic, no anxiety, no thoughts that I couldn't or wouldn't make it. Since that was the second time to feel that good swimming the half mile, I take it that I've crossed the mental barrier I've had about open water swimming. That is definitely a triumph for me. I am exceedingly grateful to the TNT swim coaches and everyone who's told me I could do it. I'm a swimmer.
I finished in less than 1.5 hours, which was a course record for me. I've raced the Decker Lake sprint tri course four times, plus twice as a relay, and am ready to experience a new triathlon course. I'll get that opportunity Monday in the Austin Tri. I'm nervous about the swim again, since it's twice the distance I'm comfortable with. I did a mile at Quarry Lake last Friday, just to make sure I could do the distance, and that second half mile was tough. I've considered renting a shorty wetsuit for the weekend, but I'm really wanting the challenge of this swim, on my own, unaided by the extra buoyancy of neoprene. My swim coach mentioned Dorie from "Finding Nemo" at practice last week and I'll have to "just keep swimming...just keep swimming..."
Showing posts with label triathlon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label triathlon. Show all posts
31 August 2007
18 March 2007
Training Recap Week 2
I survived the second week of training, and added some new workouts to the mix, which meant whole new realms of soreness. The week began with a brick workout early Saturday morning. We were rerouted to the Veloway because of fog, which also meant (blessedly!) a slightly shorter workout than originally planned. 18 miles (6 laps) on the veloway, followed by a 2 mile run, then another 2 laps of the velowaty, and a one mile run. It's been so long since I've done this much endurance training, that I've forgotten the importance of eating during the workout. Thus, it wasn't until I'd finished the last mile of the run that I realized I should've eaten something before the second leg of the bike. Lesson learned.
The Sunday morning run was great - weather was not too cold for shorts, and I surprised myself by finishing the 6.9 mile Mopac to I-35 loop in just under an hour. The drills following were a challenge, though, because I'd worn the wrong socks, and felt a blister developing on my big toe.
Monday night's swim practice, I noticed some improvement on my kick drills on my back, as in, less water up my nose. The lesson there is to relax, one of the biggest challenges for me in the water. By the fourth length, I was actually able to focus on my kick, as opposed to not getting water up my nose. Tuesday morning swim workout involved an incremental mile swim. Swimming just wears me out, but the coaching is helping.
Tuesday's track practice was canceled due to rain, so Gracie & I took to the track on our own Wednesday morning. Six 800's at 5k pace. I have no idea what my 5k pace is, so we guessed. Apparently it was fast enough to wear Gracie out. By number four, she was lagging almost a leash length behind, so I put her in the car to rest while I finished the last two 800's. I don't think there's a marathon in Gracie's future.
Wednesday I checked out the core workout. From the start I thought. this must be what marine basic training is like. I have never been so sore, and so aware of my lack of strength, than I was after this workout. It was by far the most challenging workout I've ever experienced. Will I go back? Probably.
I started coming down with a cold or sinus infection Thursday, and it's no fun to cough and sneeze when you're sore to the core. In an attempt to sweat out the sinus toxins, I went to my first spin class Thursday night. I was pleasantly surprised that we had class on the second story deck overlooking a lake. I'd much rather be out moving, whether running or biking, than on a treadmill or stationary bike, so it helped to have scenery and a breeze. It was also good because I don't usually vary my workout on the bike, and there was a lot of variation to the spin class. On my bike, I tend to shift to an easier gear anytime resistance increases, say on a hill, because I like to keep a high cadence. Biking is a lot like running to me, an aerobic exercise, more about cardiovascular endurance, not strength. So I was "feeling the burn," as Jane Fonda used to say, as we cranked up the resistance and pushed through some "hills" on the spin bikes. Still, I couldn't tell if the cold felt better or worse after the workout
Friday, I rested. I'd planned to bike to work, but thought the better of it since I was under the weather, and still sore from Wednesday.
So, that's week 2. More soreness, some sickness, some newness, and I keep showing up and hoping that my body will adjust to the demands I keep making on it.
The Sunday morning run was great - weather was not too cold for shorts, and I surprised myself by finishing the 6.9 mile Mopac to I-35 loop in just under an hour. The drills following were a challenge, though, because I'd worn the wrong socks, and felt a blister developing on my big toe.
Monday night's swim practice, I noticed some improvement on my kick drills on my back, as in, less water up my nose. The lesson there is to relax, one of the biggest challenges for me in the water. By the fourth length, I was actually able to focus on my kick, as opposed to not getting water up my nose. Tuesday morning swim workout involved an incremental mile swim. Swimming just wears me out, but the coaching is helping.
Tuesday's track practice was canceled due to rain, so Gracie & I took to the track on our own Wednesday morning. Six 800's at 5k pace. I have no idea what my 5k pace is, so we guessed. Apparently it was fast enough to wear Gracie out. By number four, she was lagging almost a leash length behind, so I put her in the car to rest while I finished the last two 800's. I don't think there's a marathon in Gracie's future.
Wednesday I checked out the core workout. From the start I thought. this must be what marine basic training is like. I have never been so sore, and so aware of my lack of strength, than I was after this workout. It was by far the most challenging workout I've ever experienced. Will I go back? Probably.
I started coming down with a cold or sinus infection Thursday, and it's no fun to cough and sneeze when you're sore to the core. In an attempt to sweat out the sinus toxins, I went to my first spin class Thursday night. I was pleasantly surprised that we had class on the second story deck overlooking a lake. I'd much rather be out moving, whether running or biking, than on a treadmill or stationary bike, so it helped to have scenery and a breeze. It was also good because I don't usually vary my workout on the bike, and there was a lot of variation to the spin class. On my bike, I tend to shift to an easier gear anytime resistance increases, say on a hill, because I like to keep a high cadence. Biking is a lot like running to me, an aerobic exercise, more about cardiovascular endurance, not strength. So I was "feeling the burn," as Jane Fonda used to say, as we cranked up the resistance and pushed through some "hills" on the spin bikes. Still, I couldn't tell if the cold felt better or worse after the workout
Friday, I rested. I'd planned to bike to work, but thought the better of it since I was under the weather, and still sore from Wednesday.
So, that's week 2. More soreness, some sickness, some newness, and I keep showing up and hoping that my body will adjust to the demands I keep making on it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
