It's almost the end of January, marking about a month since I've been back to serious training. Overall it has been a great month. Not perfect, but getting back into training and fitting in all the swimbikerun has been easier than I anticipated. I think there are a few reasons why things have been off to a better start than previous years.
- Combine workouts and commuting. I've made no secret of my dislike of Metro and its incompetence (90 minute commute home last night. Please note that I live 7 miles from work). I'd prefer to avoid the bus and the train as often as possible. Since purchasing Blue Seventy's brick bag from Tri360, I've been run commuting, either from home or the pool, as often as my schedule allows. When I run from home, it's about 8 miles (it would be a few miles shorter if the Pentagon wasn't in the way) and just over an hour - a beautiful run down the Mall and past the Smithsonian. When I ran from the pool today, it was less than 6.5 miles and substantially quicker than when I take public transportation. By combining the run with my commute, I'm saving time and money and sanity - it also makes it easier not to skip out on my run.
- Do not put off until later what you can do right now. I've made an effort to get in at least one of my workouts, if not both, before going into the office, whenever possible. I'm not exactly great when it comes to waking up early, but having my dog stomp all over me when he comes back upstairs after breakfast is usually helpful in getting me out of bed. If I get home late from work, it's alot easier to push off the workout to another day when I'm less tired/have more time/in the mood to sweat. But if I get it done in the morning, I have more energy during the day, my mood is better, and it's rather satisfying to fill out my Training Peaks entry first thing in the AM.
- Buddy system. I've been doing a fair amount of running and biking on my own, but I've been meeting Kendra during the week for some swimming. Knowing that she will be at the pool, waiting for me at 6:30am, is the motivation I need to get myself to the pool at a decent time. This, in turn, ensures I have enough time to do the entire swim set rather than cut it short the way I have in the past.
- Plan ahead. In the past I've looked at my next workout as I was lacing up my shoes or grabbing my swim goggles as I headed out the door. Not a whole lot of thinking ahead. This was definitely poor planning on my part - sometimes I'd find out at the last minute that the workout was longer than I had expected or it was a brick instead of just a bike ride. I'm making the effort to look at my workouts for the week on Sunday and then check my next day's workouts the day before. I haven't had to cut a swim, bike, or run short yet because of poor planning.
- No excuses. There have been plenty of nights that I've gone to bed later than I wanted and morning rolls around earlier than I'd like. Or I'm at my desk at work and suddenly it's 6pm and I still have to do TRX in the gym downstairs at the office. Or I overslept and if I do my run before work, I'm not going to make it to the office until some embarrassingly late hour. I'm not allowing myself to make excuses due to surrounding circumstances. Ninety-nine percent of the time, if I want something badly enough, I can make it happen. This applies to training as well - Overslept? Run commute and kill two birds with one stone. Wake up feeling tired? Go to the pool anyway, it will help with your energy level and you can go to bed earlier tonight because you won't need to swim after dinner. No excuses, just put your head down and do the work.
- Get excited. It is almost February which means March isn't far away and April follows shortly thereafter - and so does triathlon season. It's hitting me that I get to race in just a few short months and I'M EXCITED! I can't wait! I still have a few races to sign up for, but I'm super happy with my schedule, especially when I find out about which of my friends are racing with me.
So that's that. My motivation level is high and training doesn't feel like drudgery. I find that I'm in a better mood when I get up and get my workout done - because after all, I don't think I've ever finished a training session filled with regret. But I know I've always regretted skipping or postponing one.
30 January 2013
27 January 2013
Hill Repeats
Today was a hill repeat day for my run. I always do this workout on the same hill - Walter Reed Drive - from the same Point A at the bottom of the hill to the same No Parking sign at the top. It's a good way to compare my splits from each time I do these hill repeats.
Biggest lesson learned from today - it is January and there is NO winning in January. And even if there was winning, it doesn't count because it is JANUARY. I shouldn't expect my fitness to be what it is during the summer. Even knowing this didn't make it any easier during the repeats when my mind was absolutely convinced that the Walter Reed Drive hill had somehow gotten steeper since the last time I ran it. Or that the No Parking sign at the top had been moved back a good ten yards since the last time.
Every time I do hill repeats it is a battle between my mind (the hill is steeper, the sign is further away, your legs feel terrible, why don't you cut this one short, so what if you only do 6 of the 8 repeats) and my body (quads on fire, glutes burning, you hate this workout, your form is falling apart). Fortunately there was a little tiny corner of my mind that had a louder voice which kept reminding me how crummy I would feel if I gave up, cut things short, or stopped trying. It's that whole saying pain is temporary, pride is forever. Not that there is a ton of pride in hill repeats, but you know what I mean. I hate how I feel after a workout where I mentally or physically gave up. Usually remembering that crummy feeling is enough to keep me going when I'd physically like to pull the plug.
Today wasn't any different. In fact, I felt my legs were made of lead and picking up my knees and hustling up the hill became a chore. I felt winded after the first two - how was I going to do six more? My splits were relatively consistent - as in, they were staying exactly the same, not getting any faster - even though I felt like I was working 10x harder with each one. By the middle of the last one I felt like I was going to implode and I thought for sure I had slowed down by at least 5 seconds. So close to giving up. But when I clicked the lap off at the top, it was two seconds faster than any of the ones I did previously. And when I looked back at all of my splits for the 8 laps, I didn't yo-yo up and down with my times, they either stayed the same or got faster. And when I got home and looked at Training Peaks from when I did these repeats last January, I found that I executed the workout MUCH better today than I did a year ago. Last year I was all over the map, several times I got slower on some of the repeats rather than consistently faster like what I managed to do today.
All in all, I initially arrived home with my tail between my legs, feeling defeated by how tired today's repeats made me feel and how sluggish I felt throughout the workout. But after mulling it over this afternoon and seeing my splits, I feel better about things. And besides, it is just a workout (not a race) and it is JANUARY for crying out loud.
Biggest lesson learned from today - it is January and there is NO winning in January. And even if there was winning, it doesn't count because it is JANUARY. I shouldn't expect my fitness to be what it is during the summer. Even knowing this didn't make it any easier during the repeats when my mind was absolutely convinced that the Walter Reed Drive hill had somehow gotten steeper since the last time I ran it. Or that the No Parking sign at the top had been moved back a good ten yards since the last time.
Every time I do hill repeats it is a battle between my mind (the hill is steeper, the sign is further away, your legs feel terrible, why don't you cut this one short, so what if you only do 6 of the 8 repeats) and my body (quads on fire, glutes burning, you hate this workout, your form is falling apart). Fortunately there was a little tiny corner of my mind that had a louder voice which kept reminding me how crummy I would feel if I gave up, cut things short, or stopped trying. It's that whole saying pain is temporary, pride is forever. Not that there is a ton of pride in hill repeats, but you know what I mean. I hate how I feel after a workout where I mentally or physically gave up. Usually remembering that crummy feeling is enough to keep me going when I'd physically like to pull the plug.
Today wasn't any different. In fact, I felt my legs were made of lead and picking up my knees and hustling up the hill became a chore. I felt winded after the first two - how was I going to do six more? My splits were relatively consistent - as in, they were staying exactly the same, not getting any faster - even though I felt like I was working 10x harder with each one. By the middle of the last one I felt like I was going to implode and I thought for sure I had slowed down by at least 5 seconds. So close to giving up. But when I clicked the lap off at the top, it was two seconds faster than any of the ones I did previously. And when I looked back at all of my splits for the 8 laps, I didn't yo-yo up and down with my times, they either stayed the same or got faster. And when I got home and looked at Training Peaks from when I did these repeats last January, I found that I executed the workout MUCH better today than I did a year ago. Last year I was all over the map, several times I got slower on some of the repeats rather than consistently faster like what I managed to do today.
All in all, I initially arrived home with my tail between my legs, feeling defeated by how tired today's repeats made me feel and how sluggish I felt throughout the workout. But after mulling it over this afternoon and seeing my splits, I feel better about things. And besides, it is just a workout (not a race) and it is JANUARY for crying out loud.
25 January 2013
Random Friday Facts
- I have zero files in my filing cabinet at work. Instead there is peanut butter, oatmeal, shampoo, conditioner, and gold high heels.
- I hated wearing dresses and skirts as a kid. Now they are all I wear (thank you biking).
- Fresh (and homemade) pasta for dinner tonight, hey-oh!!
- I thought Kendra and I were both going to implode during one of those "looks easy on paper but kicks your booty" swim sets this AM. We did not implode AND we made the intervals.
- That sign in the kitchen - about chocolate chips - that we wrote on the chalkboard a year ago? Still there. Deterrent? Not really.
- My cats have taken over my pillows at night so I've learned to sleep without them (the pillows, not the cats).
- The whole one-space-after-a-period really bothers me, even though it is correct. Terribly hard habit to break.
- When I was 10 I was convinced I would become an Olympic swimmer and gymnast, completely overlooking the fact that I quit both sports at age 6.
- I closed down the bar scene last weekend when my friend Kim came into town for a visit. I don't remember the last time I did that, good times. Social hangover the next day, for sure.
- I miss riding my bike outside. But I don't miss it enough that I'm willing to freeze my face off.
- I had the best conversation with my best friend tonight. So much laughter.
- The leg lamp is STILL IN OUR FRONT WINDOW.
- DC is rubbing off on me. I know it is completely irrational to let an inch of snow rule me, but the large-scale DC Metro Area freakout about any snow event, including minor ones, is like a social contagion. I think I need to cure this by taking the car and joyriding down our unplowed (and icy) driveway tomorrow morning to reconvince myself that I do, in fact, know how to handle winter.
- I hated wearing dresses and skirts as a kid. Now they are all I wear (thank you biking).
- Fresh (and homemade) pasta for dinner tonight, hey-oh!!
- I thought Kendra and I were both going to implode during one of those "looks easy on paper but kicks your booty" swim sets this AM. We did not implode AND we made the intervals.
- That sign in the kitchen - about chocolate chips - that we wrote on the chalkboard a year ago? Still there. Deterrent? Not really.
- My cats have taken over my pillows at night so I've learned to sleep without them (the pillows, not the cats).
- The whole one-space-after-a-period really bothers me, even though it is correct. Terribly hard habit to break.
- When I was 10 I was convinced I would become an Olympic swimmer and gymnast, completely overlooking the fact that I quit both sports at age 6.
- I closed down the bar scene last weekend when my friend Kim came into town for a visit. I don't remember the last time I did that, good times. Social hangover the next day, for sure.
- I miss riding my bike outside. But I don't miss it enough that I'm willing to freeze my face off.
- I had the best conversation with my best friend tonight. So much laughter.
- The leg lamp is STILL IN OUR FRONT WINDOW.
- DC is rubbing off on me. I know it is completely irrational to let an inch of snow rule me, but the large-scale DC Metro Area freakout about any snow event, including minor ones, is like a social contagion. I think I need to cure this by taking the car and joyriding down our unplowed (and icy) driveway tomorrow morning to reconvince myself that I do, in fact, know how to handle winter.
24 January 2013
Snowy Run Commute
DC received its first semi-decent snowfall late last night/early this morning. It was only about an inch, but it was light, fluffy, and enough to pretty up the trees and the ground. I had a run on my schedule this morning and decided to use it as an excuse to run commute into work. I didn't have a whole lot of faith in Metro delivering trouble-free transportation in the snow and figured running would be the fastest way into the office.
While I'm not a huge fan of the cold weather or running in it, this morning's run commute was fantastic. The sidewalks were a little slippery, but nothing that slowing down a little couldn't fix. I initially thought that I would just run to the metro station three miles away, but as I got close, I decided I'd just run all the way to work and take in the sights along the National Mall. Much more scenic than the Metro tunnels.
Best decision ever. As I crossed over the Memorial Bridge, I could see that the sun was trying to shine over the DC side of the Potomac and the clouds and snow were still hovering over the Virginia side. When I arrived in front of the Lincoln Memorial, I tried to take a photo with the morning light hitting the memorial that was surrounded by snow. Sadly, my iPhone doesn't like the cold and the battery had run out, shutting it down. No photos, womp womp. Now that the construction around the Reflecting Pool is done, the pathways alongside the Pool have reopened and I ran along those, down to the WWII Memorial. This part of the Mall is my favorite - in the summer it is shrouded by trees and the views of the monuments can't be beat. And this morning it was really quiet, you couldn't really hear the traffic in the distance, just the snow crunching underfoot. I passed by the WWII Memorial and then up the slight incline to the Washington Monument. Then I continued past the Smithsonian Museums and where crews were dismantling all of the set-ups from the Inauguration. I swung by the Capitol and then up Louisiana Ave to Union Station before cooling down on the last quarter mile to the office.
There were times during this commute that I temporarily forgot that I was even on my way to work - much of my route was where I typically run during a weekend long run. This was absolutely one of my favorite AM commutes and I hope DC gets more snow this winter so I can do it again. It was totally worth the freezing cold legs (even with long pants on) and the 5 cups of tea I needed to drink to warm up post-run.
While I'm not a huge fan of the cold weather or running in it, this morning's run commute was fantastic. The sidewalks were a little slippery, but nothing that slowing down a little couldn't fix. I initially thought that I would just run to the metro station three miles away, but as I got close, I decided I'd just run all the way to work and take in the sights along the National Mall. Much more scenic than the Metro tunnels.
Best decision ever. As I crossed over the Memorial Bridge, I could see that the sun was trying to shine over the DC side of the Potomac and the clouds and snow were still hovering over the Virginia side. When I arrived in front of the Lincoln Memorial, I tried to take a photo with the morning light hitting the memorial that was surrounded by snow. Sadly, my iPhone doesn't like the cold and the battery had run out, shutting it down. No photos, womp womp. Now that the construction around the Reflecting Pool is done, the pathways alongside the Pool have reopened and I ran along those, down to the WWII Memorial. This part of the Mall is my favorite - in the summer it is shrouded by trees and the views of the monuments can't be beat. And this morning it was really quiet, you couldn't really hear the traffic in the distance, just the snow crunching underfoot. I passed by the WWII Memorial and then up the slight incline to the Washington Monument. Then I continued past the Smithsonian Museums and where crews were dismantling all of the set-ups from the Inauguration. I swung by the Capitol and then up Louisiana Ave to Union Station before cooling down on the last quarter mile to the office.
There were times during this commute that I temporarily forgot that I was even on my way to work - much of my route was where I typically run during a weekend long run. This was absolutely one of my favorite AM commutes and I hope DC gets more snow this winter so I can do it again. It was totally worth the freezing cold legs (even with long pants on) and the 5 cups of tea I needed to drink to warm up post-run.
23 January 2013
This and That
This morning was the first morning in awhile where I woke up and thought hmmm, staying in bed sounds much more appealing than going to the pool. I considered pushing my swim to the evening and just sleeping in a bit more. But I knew if I did that, it would force me to move the run I also had scheduled for the evening to another day. And so begins the delicate dance of trying to fit everything in as a result of one morning's laziness. A domino effect. I always regret the domino effect and chide myself for giving in to the allure of my comfortable bed and fluffy comforter. Rarely is it ever worth it. But I never regret getting out of bed and getting the workout done. This AM turned out to be no different, and when I was getting my run done at 6:30pm after work, I was really glad I didn't have to fit in a trip to the pool afterwards.
Can we celebrate some little victories? In my swim workout this AM, I did a combined 1,000 yards of IM and I didn't wimp out on any of it, including fly.
Can we talk about how much I dislike this cold weather? It's cold (for Virginia) and I've become a weather weenie, unable to handle much of anything below 32 degrees. How I survived living in Burlington, VT for four years, I have no idea. I'm want summer to get here FAST - I miss riding my bike to work after swim practice at Hains Point, dressed in my swimsuit and bike shorts. I miss it being light out until after 8pm. I miss going for a run outside in shorts and a t-shirt on a daily basis. I miss complaining about it being too hot. It's even too cold for smoothies and ice cream (though Mr. Sweetie would beg to differ about the ice cream part).
I'm guessing Facebook does some sort of analysis of the posts you put on your wall, etc to figure out which advertisements are most appropriate. Today I noticed an ad on my page for the Sharkbrace - "a shark repellent bracelet - www.sharkbrace.com." I have NO idea what I have been writing to give FB any ideas that I plan on going swimming with sharks anytime soon. And I highly doubt a multi-ton shark is going to give a rat's booty whether or not I am wearing a repellent bracelet if he is hungry and I am on the menu for dinner.
Can we celebrate some little victories? In my swim workout this AM, I did a combined 1,000 yards of IM and I didn't wimp out on any of it, including fly.
Can we talk about how much I dislike this cold weather? It's cold (for Virginia) and I've become a weather weenie, unable to handle much of anything below 32 degrees. How I survived living in Burlington, VT for four years, I have no idea. I'm want summer to get here FAST - I miss riding my bike to work after swim practice at Hains Point, dressed in my swimsuit and bike shorts. I miss it being light out until after 8pm. I miss going for a run outside in shorts and a t-shirt on a daily basis. I miss complaining about it being too hot. It's even too cold for smoothies and ice cream (though Mr. Sweetie would beg to differ about the ice cream part).
I'm guessing Facebook does some sort of analysis of the posts you put on your wall, etc to figure out which advertisements are most appropriate. Today I noticed an ad on my page for the Sharkbrace - "a shark repellent bracelet - www.sharkbrace.com." I have NO idea what I have been writing to give FB any ideas that I plan on going swimming with sharks anytime soon. And I highly doubt a multi-ton shark is going to give a rat's booty whether or not I am wearing a repellent bracelet if he is hungry and I am on the menu for dinner.
18 January 2013
Swim stroke rate - who is right?
I had a moment in the pool today; an epiphany, if you will. Maybe epiphany is too strong a word (according to Wikipedia it is a relatively rare occurrence, generally following a process of significant thought about a problem... A leap of understanding). Maybe trying to get across the pool with the fewest number of strokes is NOT the most efficient way for me to swim.
Let me back up. I learned to swim properly as an adult and I operated under the assumption that fewer strokes = faster/better/more efficient swim. This is why I beat the "catch up drill" into the ground at every opportunity. I was going to get across that pool in 16 strokes if it killed me, but I was always a little disappointed to see that my stroke rate tended to be upwards of 20. I had to really try to get it down to 16.
Today I was watching a girl in the lane next to me swim. She was swimming at a high cadence, definitely taking more than 16 strokes per pool length, and she was hauling. She had good form as well, high elbows, and her catch looked great (I am not an expert, but you didn't have to be super smart to see that she was grabbing the water efficiently). So I started to try to grab the water like she was and instead of trying to lengthen my stroke, I focused on swimming with a turnover that felt more natural. I wasn't timing myself to know for sure, but I certainly felt like I was moving faster through the water with less of an effort.
About a month ago I measured my ape index - the difference between your arm length and your height - and I'm about a -2 (my armspan is two inches smaller than my height). According to the Feel for the Water website, those with a 0 or negative ape index are very unlikely to have much luck in having long strokes in the pool be very efficient. Faster turnover is the way to go for those of us with short arms. And then tonight I did a little bit more reading on swim stroke (online reading, so take this with a grain of salt). The Swim Smooth website claims that swimmers are realizing an overly-long stroke can be less efficient because it introduces dead spots and pauses into your freestyle. Those pauses are exactly what I was feeling when I was trying to stretch out my stroke. And while there is a danger of having too high a stroke rate (too much windmilling, not enough glide), I think that increasing my turnover just a bit in the pool, like I was doing today, will put me on the path to a happy medium. This is what is so fun about swimming, there are so many little pieces to pay attention to and small changes and tweaks that can end up making a big difference. I'm curious, especially from you swimmers, on what people think about their swim stroke and how they've improved it.
Let me back up. I learned to swim properly as an adult and I operated under the assumption that fewer strokes = faster/better/more efficient swim. This is why I beat the "catch up drill" into the ground at every opportunity. I was going to get across that pool in 16 strokes if it killed me, but I was always a little disappointed to see that my stroke rate tended to be upwards of 20. I had to really try to get it down to 16.
Today I was watching a girl in the lane next to me swim. She was swimming at a high cadence, definitely taking more than 16 strokes per pool length, and she was hauling. She had good form as well, high elbows, and her catch looked great (I am not an expert, but you didn't have to be super smart to see that she was grabbing the water efficiently). So I started to try to grab the water like she was and instead of trying to lengthen my stroke, I focused on swimming with a turnover that felt more natural. I wasn't timing myself to know for sure, but I certainly felt like I was moving faster through the water with less of an effort.
About a month ago I measured my ape index - the difference between your arm length and your height - and I'm about a -2 (my armspan is two inches smaller than my height). According to the Feel for the Water website, those with a 0 or negative ape index are very unlikely to have much luck in having long strokes in the pool be very efficient. Faster turnover is the way to go for those of us with short arms. And then tonight I did a little bit more reading on swim stroke (online reading, so take this with a grain of salt). The Swim Smooth website claims that swimmers are realizing an overly-long stroke can be less efficient because it introduces dead spots and pauses into your freestyle. Those pauses are exactly what I was feeling when I was trying to stretch out my stroke. And while there is a danger of having too high a stroke rate (too much windmilling, not enough glide), I think that increasing my turnover just a bit in the pool, like I was doing today, will put me on the path to a happy medium. This is what is so fun about swimming, there are so many little pieces to pay attention to and small changes and tweaks that can end up making a big difference. I'm curious, especially from you swimmers, on what people think about their swim stroke and how they've improved it.
16 January 2013
It hit me like a ton of breasts!
Senior year of college, my roommates and I had a quote wall in our townhouse. Erin was the author of that gem in the subject line. She meant to say "it hit me like a ton of bricks" but somehow a slip of tongue resulted in something much funnier. Before we packed up and shipped out after graduation, one of my other roommates, Melissa, took the time to transcribe what was on the quote wall and gave us each a copy. I still have mine somewhere and it cracks me up every time I come across it.
So where am I going with this? Sadly, not back to college.
 |
| Strawberry Daiquiris were the bomb back in the day. Obviously. |
Training. This morning TRAINING hit me like a ton of breasts. I was walking up to my office from the gym and all I wanted was a NAP. It was 9:30am and I wanted a nap. And during my informal 10am meeting in one of the common area booths, I found myself thinking gee, this bench is awfully comfortable. I wonder how long I could nap for before someone noticed. I didn't take a nap, but wow was it tempting. And I am not a napper, I rarely even nap when I am sick.
So what gives? My body has that I'm in the middle of Ironman training feeling but I've done no workout lasting over 90 minutes this week. A couple runs, a few swims, a bike ride, a TRX session (that literally whooped my sorry glutes). While I've been doing all of my prescribed workouts over the past month or so, I've really made it a point to focus and do everything the workout says this week - every interval, hit the right intensity level, no cutting swims short, and FOCUS during TRX. My body is probably in a bit of shock right now and thinks I'm being super mean to it (don't worry, I feed it chocolate every night to placate it. Best idea ever.). I've also been total crap in the sleep department this week and I think that is catching up to me. However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying this tired feeling. When I do finally go to bed, I'm asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow - the kind of falling asleep where you are so tired you find yourself drooling (or is that just me?) and you can actually see the previous day slip further and further into oblivion as you fall deeper into sleep. I feel like I'm EARNING that jar of peanut butter that has sat on my desk all week (opened on Monday, mostly gone by COB today). So happy to be training again.
And with that, I'm off to bed!
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