when i was younger and sillier, i wanted to engrave that on my ipod. in the typical esther fashion of not thinking through consequences, i used to set out for hours-long runs with just an ipod and maybe some cash to buy water, no warm-up, no stretching, no sense of direction, usually under-dressed, bouncing rather than moving forward, and had the time of my life. for yesterday's long run of 20 miles, A and i ran the first 10 together and then he decided to be responsible and get some work done, so i put on the ipod and set out on my own, this time having warmed up, stretched, focusing on better posture and the "moonwalk" running style that A taught me, and had a fantastic time. autumn is gorgeous, new yorkers don't know what they're missing out on. i noticed that my energy level for the 2nd 10 miles was relatively high, meaning that: a) my 1:30 runs should really be faster than i had thought and/or b) sleeping all day does a lot for one's energy levels. i was focusing on keeping the arms moving forward rather than across, since that has been a pattern in my race pictures, so i did a silly thing and kept my index fingers pointed forward for most of the run. i'm not sure if A noticed b/c i was behind him most of the time. finally, i felt like i was moving forward. i looked/felt like a cowboy drawing his gun all the time so it is a good thing i didn't find that too embarrassing.. in fact i just may do that for philly. "who's that retard who keeps pointing in front of her? does she not know where she's going?"
speaking of philly, i'm not quite sure what the goal is. since first marathon time was 4:28 and second was 3:37, i would be happy w/anything in between. under 4 would be great, 3:45 would be really great, between 3:37 and 3:45 would be even better, under 3:37 would be awesome and under 3:30 would be endorphins for the next week. i'm not sure how the run will go. for ny, i had decided to shoot for under 4:00 so picked a pacer for 3:45 and was worried that that was too ambitious. the pacer disappeared after mile 6 and i luckily had made a friend by then (interestingly named) armand, a tall dutchman in a tracksuit sweating and turning red but had a good pace. i remember worrying that we were going "too fast" on our mile pace for 3:45 but just kept hanging on to our pace and ended up being glad that the pacer got lost. so i wonder what will happen this time if i just hang on.
a lot of running this week, and i'm enjoying it immensely although sitting on the trainer last wednesday did a number on my sit-bones...such an old lady! hills on saturday w/ A, sb and todd was more tolerable than the week before although i need to remember not to eat breakfast before hard runs. todd's homemade oatmeal chocolate granola something cookies were a welcome treat. i missed fb (and actually had worn warm CLOTHES so "mom" wouldn't nag me) but she was too busy being a party animal! swim the friday before w/ sb, fb and claudia was also nice and relaxing. our pool is quite nice, hairball and all.
today i gave TNYA a try- they swim at baruch college on Mon/Wed and it's actually a 25m pool rather than 25y so it feels better. the people at tnya today were friendly, not cranky-competitive (as opposed to fun-competitive which is ok) and on top of that i get a whole free week! i'm tempted to ditch the running thing and just swim until thursday. hooray for a.d.d.!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Running in the Dark
During triathlon season, I reached the conclusion that the best time for me to swim was early in the mornings. And while it is debatable whether that helped me or not, given my crappy swimming times, I felt good during my early morning swims.
However, that deprived me of my favorite training activity: running early. Running at 4AM in the morning was my favorite thing to do last year, when I posted PR's in every single running race that I entered. Now that I'm back to marathon training, it feels good to run in the dark. It feels good to scare away the deer, to avoid being run over by the newspaper delivery drivers, and to see the same people go to work at the same times every morning.
Track workout today was good. The track close to E's place is on an elevation of about 20ft above street level. E failed to mention that besides being cold, it was really windy in Fort Lee this morning. And because the track was elevated, there is nothing on the way of the wind up there. So those times that she posted, were times with considerable crosswind. She did really good!
However, that deprived me of my favorite training activity: running early. Running at 4AM in the morning was my favorite thing to do last year, when I posted PR's in every single running race that I entered. Now that I'm back to marathon training, it feels good to run in the dark. It feels good to scare away the deer, to avoid being run over by the newspaper delivery drivers, and to see the same people go to work at the same times every morning.
Track workout today was good. The track close to E's place is on an elevation of about 20ft above street level. E failed to mention that besides being cold, it was really windy in Fort Lee this morning. And because the track was elevated, there is nothing on the way of the wind up there. So those times that she posted, were times with considerable crosswind. She did really good!
my non-non imaginary friend
tuesday's swim was much better than last week, after i realized that i was feeling like i was dragging b/c i was literally dragging wearing a kid-sized swim suit that was too big. my legs were not too sore and i had some time to kill since swim ends so early so i did a relaxing 5 mile job meandering around central park. autumn is gorgeous!
A and i did a track workout together this morning. if my life was a movie, i would have heard ominous music playing in the background on our way to the track. i felt like i was going to my punishment, since i knew i'd be dragging behind A, and imaginary sb for that matter, regardless of how hard i pushed it. but then, doing track workout w/ A was my idea.
sb and i had gotten into an interesting conversation earlier this week about how you need to "not be afraid to fail" when you try to run fast; supposedly you should discover that your limits are not what you think. i have a hard time pushing it on short distances, partly b/c i keep thinking that i may need to use my energy reserves say, if a monster chases me on my way home. anyway, i decided to give it a try, but primarily for the 400s.
1200m: my time 5:02 (sb's 5:23, 4:53 2 weeks ago) i think i can catch imaginary s.b. on his C- or D game days!
800m: my time 3:22 (sb's 3:16, 3:06 2 weeks ago)
400m: my time 1:32 (sb's 1:23, same 2 weeks ago)
1200m: my time 5:09 (sb's 4:51, 4:53 2 weeks ago)
800m: 3:21. funny story here! i saw a bunny hopping across the track and thought, "look, there's maija!"
400m: 1:27. my fastest 400 time EVER!
on the 400's i decided to let myself try to run w/o being afraid of failing. i imagined my heart literally jumping out of my throat onto the floor, and me puking on the side but thought, if that is the worst that can happen then that is not so bad and it will have to be after i finish the 400. my quads were burning on the last 400 and i thought, what an odd sensation to have while running! i was really happy about the last 400 b/c my first timed track workout, i was 1:50. hooray for baby steps!
i conveniently did not get to sb's last 200 so didn't believe A when he wanted to do it at the end. A was a fantastic running buddy, not letting me talk down to myself and cheering for me and saying "nice job!" while he waited (...and waited..and waited) for me to get to the finish line. it was so nice to chase after someone real instead of imaginary!
then we jogged home and A went to the fitness center- i wouldn't call it a "gym"- and i went to spin "no room for slackers." a cadence meter & basic HR monitor would be a fantastic birthday gift, hint hint, in 69 days.
A and i did a track workout together this morning. if my life was a movie, i would have heard ominous music playing in the background on our way to the track. i felt like i was going to my punishment, since i knew i'd be dragging behind A, and imaginary sb for that matter, regardless of how hard i pushed it. but then, doing track workout w/ A was my idea.
sb and i had gotten into an interesting conversation earlier this week about how you need to "not be afraid to fail" when you try to run fast; supposedly you should discover that your limits are not what you think. i have a hard time pushing it on short distances, partly b/c i keep thinking that i may need to use my energy reserves say, if a monster chases me on my way home. anyway, i decided to give it a try, but primarily for the 400s.
1200m: my time 5:02 (sb's 5:23, 4:53 2 weeks ago) i think i can catch imaginary s.b. on his C- or D game days!
800m: my time 3:22 (sb's 3:16, 3:06 2 weeks ago)
400m: my time 1:32 (sb's 1:23, same 2 weeks ago)
1200m: my time 5:09 (sb's 4:51, 4:53 2 weeks ago)
800m: 3:21. funny story here! i saw a bunny hopping across the track and thought, "look, there's maija!"
400m: 1:27. my fastest 400 time EVER!
on the 400's i decided to let myself try to run w/o being afraid of failing. i imagined my heart literally jumping out of my throat onto the floor, and me puking on the side but thought, if that is the worst that can happen then that is not so bad and it will have to be after i finish the 400. my quads were burning on the last 400 and i thought, what an odd sensation to have while running! i was really happy about the last 400 b/c my first timed track workout, i was 1:50. hooray for baby steps!
i conveniently did not get to sb's last 200 so didn't believe A when he wanted to do it at the end. A was a fantastic running buddy, not letting me talk down to myself and cheering for me and saying "nice job!" while he waited (...and waited..and waited) for me to get to the finish line. it was so nice to chase after someone real instead of imaginary!
then we jogged home and A went to the fitness center- i wouldn't call it a "gym"- and i went to spin "no room for slackers." a cadence meter & basic HR monitor would be a fantastic birthday gift, hint hint, in 69 days.
Monday, October 20, 2008
no more naked running
running with clothes on is overrated, but i GUESS it must be done as the weather cools down.
marathon training has started! which means for humans like me (as compared to energizer bunnies like A), more running and only 2x/week each of biking and swimming. this week's mileage is about 50, and even working in biking/swimming, works out to take up significantly less time than triathlon training. which means (and cm will be proud to read this) more rest and stretching. i feel like i'm dragging a bit on the swim and am not worried so much about my bike skills atrophying (not a lot of skill in the first place), but have to remind myself that on marathon day i won't wish i had biked/swum more. the spinnervals that sb lent are fun although i can't stand up on the trainer w/o feeling wobbly. aerobuilders are a little less fun, esp when the guy likes to yell out every one, two, five and ten minute interval.
when i showed up for hill repeats early last saturday, i got a lecture from fb who pulled out a fleece and two right-hand gloves for me, all of which i took off after the warmup despite "mom's" protests. being hot makes me cranky! the hill workout was fun, although not in the sense that i'd do it every day and can't wait for next week. i dragged behind fb, todd and sb, no surprise, and the ever-motivational todd would give us a 1,2,3 "go" with inspirational words like "cardiac arrest" and "super suffer." practicing running downhill was definitely my favourite part of that workout. then an attempt to swim afterwards, followed by a day of girliness and ticklish feet (on my part. oh man!) at the spa with G and fb. i believe all 3 of us have chipped our nails already.
yesterday morning, my quads were still sore from the hill workout but there was a 12-miler on my schedule. it was such an awesome day, and after attempting to sprint up hills on saturday, running rather leisurely up the hills was no longer scary. i finished strong and think i made 14 miles. after working out my schedule for this week, i noticed that i could get all the mileage in if i do 10 today although my legs were still tired, but that's what i get for planning too late! it was the first morning i ran with more than a sports bra and shorts, but i did admire my pretty pink nail polish quite often.
btw bassman half pictures are up (bib #554) and i look like such a happy idiot in most of them.
marathon training has started! which means for humans like me (as compared to energizer bunnies like A), more running and only 2x/week each of biking and swimming. this week's mileage is about 50, and even working in biking/swimming, works out to take up significantly less time than triathlon training. which means (and cm will be proud to read this) more rest and stretching. i feel like i'm dragging a bit on the swim and am not worried so much about my bike skills atrophying (not a lot of skill in the first place), but have to remind myself that on marathon day i won't wish i had biked/swum more. the spinnervals that sb lent are fun although i can't stand up on the trainer w/o feeling wobbly. aerobuilders are a little less fun, esp when the guy likes to yell out every one, two, five and ten minute interval.
when i showed up for hill repeats early last saturday, i got a lecture from fb who pulled out a fleece and two right-hand gloves for me, all of which i took off after the warmup despite "mom's" protests. being hot makes me cranky! the hill workout was fun, although not in the sense that i'd do it every day and can't wait for next week. i dragged behind fb, todd and sb, no surprise, and the ever-motivational todd would give us a 1,2,3 "go" with inspirational words like "cardiac arrest" and "super suffer." practicing running downhill was definitely my favourite part of that workout. then an attempt to swim afterwards, followed by a day of girliness and ticklish feet (on my part. oh man!) at the spa with G and fb. i believe all 3 of us have chipped our nails already.
yesterday morning, my quads were still sore from the hill workout but there was a 12-miler on my schedule. it was such an awesome day, and after attempting to sprint up hills on saturday, running rather leisurely up the hills was no longer scary. i finished strong and think i made 14 miles. after working out my schedule for this week, i noticed that i could get all the mileage in if i do 10 today although my legs were still tired, but that's what i get for planning too late! it was the first morning i ran with more than a sports bra and shorts, but i did admire my pretty pink nail polish quite often.
btw bassman half pictures are up (bib #554) and i look like such a happy idiot in most of them.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Case of the Galloping Heart Rate
A few postings ago, I said that my maximum heart rate was 195 bpm. Since then, I have recorded maximum heart rates of 199 twice, and this morning I recorded 202 bpm during the track workout. So I guess that I'll need to expand my sample size, in order to determine what my sport zones are. Or I could go and pay to get all this info measured by people that actually know what they are doing. But that would not be fun. Trying to figure stuff out gives me something to do.
So I'm officially training for the marathon now. I'm kind of following my plan from last year, which includes a long run (3+ hrs), a kind of long run (2+ hrs), a track workout, and two tempo runs (45 min and 1.5hrs). For the time being, I'll swim 3 times and do a long spinning session per week.
I'm also kind of obsessed with cooking using the microwave zip bags. I'm trying all my go to recipes to see which ones work and which ones don't. So far, sausage and peppers, steamed salmon, garlic shrimp, chicken stir fry (or is it shake steam) work. Meats don't work at all. I'll have to try pork, and maybe roasted potatoes. What I love the most is how easily the flavors of the seasonings are absorbed by the steaming process. Once I have all figured out, I'll write my 12 minute recipe cookbook.
And why not? E and I bought this cooking book for her place from the bargain bin for $1 that has to be read to be believed. For example, their chili recipe calls for you to open a can of chili and follow the can instructions. Now, if somebody published that, why not my 12min cookbook? And you think that I'm kidding...
So I'm officially training for the marathon now. I'm kind of following my plan from last year, which includes a long run (3+ hrs), a kind of long run (2+ hrs), a track workout, and two tempo runs (45 min and 1.5hrs). For the time being, I'll swim 3 times and do a long spinning session per week.
I'm also kind of obsessed with cooking using the microwave zip bags. I'm trying all my go to recipes to see which ones work and which ones don't. So far, sausage and peppers, steamed salmon, garlic shrimp, chicken stir fry (or is it shake steam) work. Meats don't work at all. I'll have to try pork, and maybe roasted potatoes. What I love the most is how easily the flavors of the seasonings are absorbed by the steaming process. Once I have all figured out, I'll write my 12 minute recipe cookbook.
And why not? E and I bought this cooking book for her place from the bargain bin for $1 that has to be read to be believed. For example, their chili recipe calls for you to open a can of chili and follow the can instructions. Now, if somebody published that, why not my 12min cookbook? And you think that I'm kidding...
Monday, October 13, 2008
Looking Ahead
I have not posted anything lately because I have been in a rut. I had a terrible race at the Fall Bassman. This is my abbreviated race report, and then I wont talk about it anymore.
Basically I had an awful swim. It was not a matter of lack of training. It was a combination of a very queasy stomach from that smelly water, a bad sighting and open water technique, and a missed turn at the center buoy (lifeguard had to track me down and tell me to turn). When I came out of the water, I looked at my watch and saw the anti PR I had just done. I got to the transition, and lets say that I had no problems spotting my bike. I was so deflated that I had a super slow transition. So my bad segment was snowballing into a bad race.
I got on the bike, and started picking up other people. A lot of them. 10mi into the bike segment, I really started feeling good about the race. I told myself to forget about the swim, and to to the best I could on the bike and run. And I was doing really well on the bike. Looking at my HR/GPS results, I was doing 20.3MPH up to mile 39... And then, I had a flat. As per my HR/GPS monitor, it took me 12 minutes to get moving again. But I checked off mentally. I was going to finish the bike and hand in my chip.
By the time I reached the transition area, I had decided to run anyway, but I had no motivation. I was pleased that I had no problems with the brick, but I did not push the run in any way. And my legs were ready for a faster pace, but I just went slow, on purpose. I finished the race, but I quit mentally, and that was terrible.
So this is the last time I'm ever bringing this race up. I'm moving on.
Last week I took Monday off, even though I was not tired or sore at all. On Tuesday morning, I went to the pool, and I was not very motivated. Also, because the high school team was practicing, I ended sharing the lane with the super fast early swimmer. Not what I needed at the moment, so I only swam for 30min. Other than that, I did two spinning classes, and did two long runs (2.5+ hrs), and two tempo runs.
Today I did a swim workout, followed by a 45min hilly run, and then lifted some weights. Mentally, these were the best workouts that I had in about 3 weeks.
Next up is the Philly Marathon. I doubt that I'll do a Boston Qualifying time for my age group (3:10:59), but I'll set a goal of 3:30. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish stronger than last year's Marine Corps Marathon, when I was on pace for 3:15, threw up at mile 20 due to some energy beans, and barely hanged up to finish in 3:38.
And also, I'll try to learn how to swim!!!!!!!!!!!
Basically I had an awful swim. It was not a matter of lack of training. It was a combination of a very queasy stomach from that smelly water, a bad sighting and open water technique, and a missed turn at the center buoy (lifeguard had to track me down and tell me to turn). When I came out of the water, I looked at my watch and saw the anti PR I had just done. I got to the transition, and lets say that I had no problems spotting my bike. I was so deflated that I had a super slow transition. So my bad segment was snowballing into a bad race.
I got on the bike, and started picking up other people. A lot of them. 10mi into the bike segment, I really started feeling good about the race. I told myself to forget about the swim, and to to the best I could on the bike and run. And I was doing really well on the bike. Looking at my HR/GPS results, I was doing 20.3MPH up to mile 39... And then, I had a flat. As per my HR/GPS monitor, it took me 12 minutes to get moving again. But I checked off mentally. I was going to finish the bike and hand in my chip.
By the time I reached the transition area, I had decided to run anyway, but I had no motivation. I was pleased that I had no problems with the brick, but I did not push the run in any way. And my legs were ready for a faster pace, but I just went slow, on purpose. I finished the race, but I quit mentally, and that was terrible.
So this is the last time I'm ever bringing this race up. I'm moving on.
Last week I took Monday off, even though I was not tired or sore at all. On Tuesday morning, I went to the pool, and I was not very motivated. Also, because the high school team was practicing, I ended sharing the lane with the super fast early swimmer. Not what I needed at the moment, so I only swam for 30min. Other than that, I did two spinning classes, and did two long runs (2.5+ hrs), and two tempo runs.
Today I did a swim workout, followed by a 45min hilly run, and then lifted some weights. Mentally, these were the best workouts that I had in about 3 weeks.
Next up is the Philly Marathon. I doubt that I'll do a Boston Qualifying time for my age group (3:10:59), but I'll set a goal of 3:30. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish stronger than last year's Marine Corps Marathon, when I was on pace for 3:15, threw up at mile 20 due to some energy beans, and barely hanged up to finish in 3:38.
And also, I'll try to learn how to swim!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
lazy week
my original plan to jump immediately into marathon training post-bassman was discouraged by various veteran triathletes who recommended a period of “rest” in between. Rest? What is that? I argued with cm that swimming and running slowly was considered “active rest” but she did not buy my excuse and in fact caught me doing such “active rest” at the pool on Tuesday.
I joined sb, fb, Claudia and bob at the pool on Monday and, after chatting excitedly about the race for about 10 minutes, proceeded to feel my legs deteriorating throughout the short swim. I thought to myself that Monday would be considered my “rest” day and a massage would take care of everything. The next day, I was enjoying myself immensely at the pool doing lap after lap of technique workouts that I had put off during the season until I saw fb’s shadow over the edge of the pool. She had brought a stack of triathlon magazines and instructed me to read them, take a walk or a nap if I felt like working out, but did acquiesce to letting me swim 10 more minutes (which turned into 15…but she was gone). Wednesday was a day of easy biking on the trainer while watching reviews of the presidential debate from the night before, then a highly enjoyable slow jog. My brothers and sister-in-law then flew to Dallas to visit my parents and surprise my mom for her 29th-plus-x birthday, so it was 60 mins easy jog on both Thursday and Friday. After finding myself antsy and munching a little too generously on these off days, I was eagerly anticipating my long run on Saturday which I was “allowed” to do so long as I rested completely on Sunday. After consulting with maggs, Gatorade bob, maija and sb who all suggested not suddenly increasing mileage and subbing short runs for swims and bikes, I decided it may not be a bad idea to follow someone’s advice once in a while, especially if I ask for it! So my long run would be 2:20, which I believe is an “average” run for A.
Saturday’s long run was definitely a huge lesson in the need to hydrate during a run. Out of sheer laziness, I did not bring a water bottle or money, thinking that the weather was not too warm so I would not sweat much, anyway. The run was gorgeous save the first and last 30 minutes that felt like jogging down Route 1 (wide streets, plenty of cars, not much scenery and on the dirty side). I had been reading up on Hal Higdon’s marathon training guide, which suggested that if you normally find yourself with extra energy at the end of the run, try to increase your pace every third. Everything was going as expected until the last 45 minutes on a very long uphill slope, when I felt my heart rate beating faster than it usually would for a long run although I felt like my feet were slowing down. I stopped at the 2:20 mark although I did not reach my starting point, walked for about 1 minute and then got annoyed at myself so tried to sprint home. When I got home, I gulped down 2 glasses of water and lay on the floor, my heart rate still going at about 150 to 160 although I wasn’t moving. What was going on? I was lightheaded and feeling a little sick but felt better as I stayed hydrated throughout the day. Silly e, has to learn from experience most of the time.
Good thing that I conveniently scheduled a long-run to be on the same day that my family wanted to go trail-walking and shopping. My anonymous big brother severely kicked my butt in an impromptu sprint on the trail and to the car; in fact, he beat me, got into the car and picked me up! This was rather humbling for the overly competitive younger sister who has never beat her big brother in a race. My adorable younger brother, inspired, challenged me to a 1/3-mile sprint race a few hours later, and I am not one to say no to many challenges that require physical activity. He would have won if the distance was shorter but was baffled afterwards that he had lost to a girl. After all of this time on my feet, a rest day on Sunday is a treat!
Also, huge congratulations to Maggs Morriss who did an amazing job at Ironman Kona yesterday! Way to go, hope you got yourself a huge carrot cake (not just a slice) and I’m excited to see you at lake placid!
I joined sb, fb, Claudia and bob at the pool on Monday and, after chatting excitedly about the race for about 10 minutes, proceeded to feel my legs deteriorating throughout the short swim. I thought to myself that Monday would be considered my “rest” day and a massage would take care of everything. The next day, I was enjoying myself immensely at the pool doing lap after lap of technique workouts that I had put off during the season until I saw fb’s shadow over the edge of the pool. She had brought a stack of triathlon magazines and instructed me to read them, take a walk or a nap if I felt like working out, but did acquiesce to letting me swim 10 more minutes (which turned into 15…but she was gone). Wednesday was a day of easy biking on the trainer while watching reviews of the presidential debate from the night before, then a highly enjoyable slow jog. My brothers and sister-in-law then flew to Dallas to visit my parents and surprise my mom for her 29th-plus-x birthday, so it was 60 mins easy jog on both Thursday and Friday. After finding myself antsy and munching a little too generously on these off days, I was eagerly anticipating my long run on Saturday which I was “allowed” to do so long as I rested completely on Sunday. After consulting with maggs, Gatorade bob, maija and sb who all suggested not suddenly increasing mileage and subbing short runs for swims and bikes, I decided it may not be a bad idea to follow someone’s advice once in a while, especially if I ask for it! So my long run would be 2:20, which I believe is an “average” run for A.
Saturday’s long run was definitely a huge lesson in the need to hydrate during a run. Out of sheer laziness, I did not bring a water bottle or money, thinking that the weather was not too warm so I would not sweat much, anyway. The run was gorgeous save the first and last 30 minutes that felt like jogging down Route 1 (wide streets, plenty of cars, not much scenery and on the dirty side). I had been reading up on Hal Higdon’s marathon training guide, which suggested that if you normally find yourself with extra energy at the end of the run, try to increase your pace every third. Everything was going as expected until the last 45 minutes on a very long uphill slope, when I felt my heart rate beating faster than it usually would for a long run although I felt like my feet were slowing down. I stopped at the 2:20 mark although I did not reach my starting point, walked for about 1 minute and then got annoyed at myself so tried to sprint home. When I got home, I gulped down 2 glasses of water and lay on the floor, my heart rate still going at about 150 to 160 although I wasn’t moving. What was going on? I was lightheaded and feeling a little sick but felt better as I stayed hydrated throughout the day. Silly e, has to learn from experience most of the time.
Good thing that I conveniently scheduled a long-run to be on the same day that my family wanted to go trail-walking and shopping. My anonymous big brother severely kicked my butt in an impromptu sprint on the trail and to the car; in fact, he beat me, got into the car and picked me up! This was rather humbling for the overly competitive younger sister who has never beat her big brother in a race. My adorable younger brother, inspired, challenged me to a 1/3-mile sprint race a few hours later, and I am not one to say no to many challenges that require physical activity. He would have won if the distance was shorter but was baffled afterwards that he had lost to a girl. After all of this time on my feet, a rest day on Sunday is a treat!
Also, huge congratulations to Maggs Morriss who did an amazing job at Ironman Kona yesterday! Way to go, hope you got yourself a huge carrot cake (not just a slice) and I’m excited to see you at lake placid!
Monday, October 6, 2008
i <3 bassman (e's last tri race report of the season)
this has been the most fun race of the season, but i am definitely relieved to be done with triathlons until next year. race report:
pre-race: since we had opted out of quakerman about a month ago, i had gotten my nervousness out of the way. i felt like i had been sitting at the doctor's office forever, just waiting to get it over with. nonetheless, carbo loading is still my favourite part of race-prep! the day before the race, i did a pre-race workout under the direction of fb, who gave me some swim tips and helped me to pick 3 mantras to repeat on the swim: "just keep swimming", "cool as a cucumber", and "i am relaxed." then fb, sb, G, fb's friend fred, and xue li and her friend louie helped A and me carbo load with pumpkin pancakes from the diner. afterwards, A and i were still hungry so we had dinner part 2, veal w/ pasta and garlic bread.
race morning: up at 4, and of course i fell asleep right up until we arrived at bass river state park. the scenery was surreal as the sky was still pitch dark, music was playing out of a sound system and people were shivering and shuffling around with flashlights setting up their bikes. A and i set up as close to the bike transition as possible, and since we were so early, we got a good spot. i remembered my first tri, when fb helped me triple check that i had brought everything and then taught me exactly how to set up (e.g., put your helmet on top of your bike shoes, upside down in a way that you make one quick movement to put your helmet on). and no gloves this time..gloves are for pansies! j/k, i was just too lazy to put them on. i figured, if i fall and scratch my hands, i'll just deal with it.
then we went to the pre-race mandatory meeting where all of us were utterly confused by the instructions for the swim, bike and run by the race director. apparently someone had stolen his bike mile markers that morning, so he wanted to make sure we had some sense of direction. during the singing of the national anthem, i was reminded of how my college professors (at a christian school) had prayed for us before we took our exams. then off we went into the 60 degree water in 3 waves: 2 guys, 1 girls.
swim: this is always the most exciting, as we shiver in the water and wait as the race director counts down the minutes. normally, when i am nervous at this point, i'll try to strike up conversation with another nervous-looking swimmer. i was pretty calm this time, as i figured, no point in being nervous for 1.2 miles. i had overheard some girls telling each other they were going to relax and take it slow, so i put myself in the row in front of them. when the foghorn went off and we all started, the girls behind me totally bowled me over, a rather humbling moment. i started to breathe really quickly and get nervous, so i slowed down and stopped for one breath, thought i could quit right now but said a quick prayer, then got back into it. i didn't feel like i was moving very far at all, but told myself, just keep rotating and your wet suit will swim for you. about 10 minutes into the swim, i was suddenly having the time of my life! i was feeling smooth and streamlined, i passed A but figured now would not be a good time to say hello, and stayed a good 10m away from the buoys to avoid traffic. the course was 2 loops, and when i reached the end of the 1st loop, i was glad to go again. i started to tell myself, "i am strong. i am relaxed" but for some reason, i already knew that! so i had a lot of fun chasing down the waves in front of me, focusing on rotation and fb's last-minute technique tips. whenever i passed someone i thought ruefully, no worries, you'll probably catch me on the bike but at least i get a head start. i was a little disappointed b/c i thought a lot of the girls were still in front of me, but didn't really care b/c i was having so much fun. when i reached the end of the 2nd loop, i thought to myself "one more time!" but resisted the urge. since fb had her straitjacket story from a previous tri, my very first thought upon standing was, "unzip!!" another girl had come out at the same time as i, and we exchanged a few breathless words about how we were dizzy and we were both dreading the bike. i checked my watch and was happy to see that it was around 37:00. swim time: 36:16!
t1: felt a little longer than usual b/c i gave myself a chance to breathe and b/c i was not so excited about the bike. t1 time: 1:47
bike: ugh. biking is currently my least favourite event of the tri and i was very glad that the course was pretty flat. i had debated taking the cateye off b/c it would make me angry at my pace, but decided to leave it on. since A had suggested not counting cadence, i spent the first 30 minutes with a pleasant song in my head and enjoying the weather. i hadn't expected to go more than 17 to 18 mph given how awesome i am at pedaling at high cadence but was firm in my mind about having a strong run. during the first loop, i was feeling good and strong and averaged 18.2, but then i believe right into the 2nd loop, i mentally relaxed and thought, "i'm already halfway done" and suddenly had a very difficult time keeping the same pace. nonetheless i was stubborn about having a strong run and just kept pedaling fast, but moving ever so slowly... my legs were starting to hurt and i was starting to become frustrated again but decided there was not much i could do but get the ride over with and give myself 10 months to become a monster biker for imlp. i was still having a good time and remembering to thank all the policemen and volunteers who were pointing us the right way, and smiling w/ a thumbs up to the camera guy. i was a little bummed when i saw that a ton of bikes were already in transition area by the time i arrived. bike time: 3:16:24, 17.7 mph. oh well. btw, A kicked butt in this segment.
t2: fastest rest break ever when i sat down to change my shoes. t1: 1:21. here we go...
run: i must say, i have never felt stronger on a brick than yesterday. still smiling, i relaxed into a decent pace and decided not to be miserable trying to push it for 13.2 miles. what a great day! the weather was awesome, most of the run was in the shade, and the volunteers were from brooklyn, cheering us on in their brooklyn accents. i felt a little guilty about being rude to the volunteers on the run at nj state so i made it a point to be polite w/ these volunteers. the run felt like mile after mile of loops and my mental map was severly jumbled by mile 5. i high-fived a few of the people giving directions, smiled at the camera guy, asked a volunteer for a bite of his pizza (getting hungry! and tired of gel and powerbars). b/c of the interminable loops, we saw the same volunteers over and over who were very encouraging (although saying "almost done" at mile 8 may not be the best thing to say). when some of the girls passed each other on the run, we'd say, "you go girl!" the camera guy and one of the direction volunteers called me "smiley" as in, "there she is, smiley." well i guess there are worse nicknames..
it was just a great time. there was a point around mile 4 when i was running alone in the forest, and to distract myself, i was thinking about how this was the most enjoyable 13.2 i had run (i'm not sure if it's 13.2 or 13.3, but heard someone saying the run was actually 13.2) b/c there was no pressure. i was already within my goal of 6 hours and thought it may be nice to go under 6, but why be miserable over it? i can save that for the next half. i started thinking about how my triathlons had started here, and how i've grown from a dumb jock to a hopefully less dumb jock and gave myself a pat on the back. i mused over how much has changed in the past 7 months, and smiled over the friends made. i don't believe i have ever told thph but they are one cool group, and it is great to find people with whom i can sbr and talk about sbr, who are encouraging and competitive in a friendly way, mutually respectful and often hilarious. i thought of fb/cm who has not only helped me immensely as an athlete but is also a good friend, of the optimistic and thorough sb and his monster-biking, cookie-baking wonderful wife G, the pleasant xue li, funny-at-6-a.m. todd, super-fast biking chaz who always returns a compliment, gatorade bob who kicks a$$ on a diet of beer and doritos, cool chick claudia, and of course, my favourite boyfriend A who has been my best friend and my rock. all of the sudden i wanted to hug bassman.
mile 8, someone said "you're almost done!" and then my body and mind relaxed and uh oh! my legs slowed to a shuffle, and i was counting 10-11 minute miles, feeling like i had found myself running in molasses. my hamstrings and calves were hurting and i really had to go to the bathroom. what is going on? but i had learned from england that i'll get there when i get there and plodded onwards. people kept passing me but i could not bring my legs to move any faster, yearning for the mile 13 sign. finally when i saw it, i laughed, yelled "woo hoo!" and jetted to the end. i was so relieved and so happy! i called fb and said something like "that was so fun!... i have to go to the bathroom." then i waited for A, standing near the race director and photographer who was announcing names. the race director George let me announce a few names to "practice" announcing A when he came (but unfortunately, George took the mic away 2 people before A). run time: 2:05:05
so overall, this has been my favourite race b/c i had a great time and finished 6:02:04 placing a.g. 5th (when George told me this, the camera guy said, "and you did it all w/ a smile!" which was very rewarding). i am very relieved to be done for the season and to be able to focus on primarily running for the next month or so. for off-season training, i know i want to work on: swim rotation, bike high cadence and run speedwork...but fb says for now i need to rest.
pre-race: since we had opted out of quakerman about a month ago, i had gotten my nervousness out of the way. i felt like i had been sitting at the doctor's office forever, just waiting to get it over with. nonetheless, carbo loading is still my favourite part of race-prep! the day before the race, i did a pre-race workout under the direction of fb, who gave me some swim tips and helped me to pick 3 mantras to repeat on the swim: "just keep swimming", "cool as a cucumber", and "i am relaxed." then fb, sb, G, fb's friend fred, and xue li and her friend louie helped A and me carbo load with pumpkin pancakes from the diner. afterwards, A and i were still hungry so we had dinner part 2, veal w/ pasta and garlic bread.
race morning: up at 4, and of course i fell asleep right up until we arrived at bass river state park. the scenery was surreal as the sky was still pitch dark, music was playing out of a sound system and people were shivering and shuffling around with flashlights setting up their bikes. A and i set up as close to the bike transition as possible, and since we were so early, we got a good spot. i remembered my first tri, when fb helped me triple check that i had brought everything and then taught me exactly how to set up (e.g., put your helmet on top of your bike shoes, upside down in a way that you make one quick movement to put your helmet on). and no gloves this time..gloves are for pansies! j/k, i was just too lazy to put them on. i figured, if i fall and scratch my hands, i'll just deal with it.
then we went to the pre-race mandatory meeting where all of us were utterly confused by the instructions for the swim, bike and run by the race director. apparently someone had stolen his bike mile markers that morning, so he wanted to make sure we had some sense of direction. during the singing of the national anthem, i was reminded of how my college professors (at a christian school) had prayed for us before we took our exams. then off we went into the 60 degree water in 3 waves: 2 guys, 1 girls.
swim: this is always the most exciting, as we shiver in the water and wait as the race director counts down the minutes. normally, when i am nervous at this point, i'll try to strike up conversation with another nervous-looking swimmer. i was pretty calm this time, as i figured, no point in being nervous for 1.2 miles. i had overheard some girls telling each other they were going to relax and take it slow, so i put myself in the row in front of them. when the foghorn went off and we all started, the girls behind me totally bowled me over, a rather humbling moment. i started to breathe really quickly and get nervous, so i slowed down and stopped for one breath, thought i could quit right now but said a quick prayer, then got back into it. i didn't feel like i was moving very far at all, but told myself, just keep rotating and your wet suit will swim for you. about 10 minutes into the swim, i was suddenly having the time of my life! i was feeling smooth and streamlined, i passed A but figured now would not be a good time to say hello, and stayed a good 10m away from the buoys to avoid traffic. the course was 2 loops, and when i reached the end of the 1st loop, i was glad to go again. i started to tell myself, "i am strong. i am relaxed" but for some reason, i already knew that! so i had a lot of fun chasing down the waves in front of me, focusing on rotation and fb's last-minute technique tips. whenever i passed someone i thought ruefully, no worries, you'll probably catch me on the bike but at least i get a head start. i was a little disappointed b/c i thought a lot of the girls were still in front of me, but didn't really care b/c i was having so much fun. when i reached the end of the 2nd loop, i thought to myself "one more time!" but resisted the urge. since fb had her straitjacket story from a previous tri, my very first thought upon standing was, "unzip!!" another girl had come out at the same time as i, and we exchanged a few breathless words about how we were dizzy and we were both dreading the bike. i checked my watch and was happy to see that it was around 37:00. swim time: 36:16!
t1: felt a little longer than usual b/c i gave myself a chance to breathe and b/c i was not so excited about the bike. t1 time: 1:47
bike: ugh. biking is currently my least favourite event of the tri and i was very glad that the course was pretty flat. i had debated taking the cateye off b/c it would make me angry at my pace, but decided to leave it on. since A had suggested not counting cadence, i spent the first 30 minutes with a pleasant song in my head and enjoying the weather. i hadn't expected to go more than 17 to 18 mph given how awesome i am at pedaling at high cadence but was firm in my mind about having a strong run. during the first loop, i was feeling good and strong and averaged 18.2, but then i believe right into the 2nd loop, i mentally relaxed and thought, "i'm already halfway done" and suddenly had a very difficult time keeping the same pace. nonetheless i was stubborn about having a strong run and just kept pedaling fast, but moving ever so slowly... my legs were starting to hurt and i was starting to become frustrated again but decided there was not much i could do but get the ride over with and give myself 10 months to become a monster biker for imlp. i was still having a good time and remembering to thank all the policemen and volunteers who were pointing us the right way, and smiling w/ a thumbs up to the camera guy. i was a little bummed when i saw that a ton of bikes were already in transition area by the time i arrived. bike time: 3:16:24, 17.7 mph. oh well. btw, A kicked butt in this segment.
t2: fastest rest break ever when i sat down to change my shoes. t1: 1:21. here we go...
run: i must say, i have never felt stronger on a brick than yesterday. still smiling, i relaxed into a decent pace and decided not to be miserable trying to push it for 13.2 miles. what a great day! the weather was awesome, most of the run was in the shade, and the volunteers were from brooklyn, cheering us on in their brooklyn accents. i felt a little guilty about being rude to the volunteers on the run at nj state so i made it a point to be polite w/ these volunteers. the run felt like mile after mile of loops and my mental map was severly jumbled by mile 5. i high-fived a few of the people giving directions, smiled at the camera guy, asked a volunteer for a bite of his pizza (getting hungry! and tired of gel and powerbars). b/c of the interminable loops, we saw the same volunteers over and over who were very encouraging (although saying "almost done" at mile 8 may not be the best thing to say). when some of the girls passed each other on the run, we'd say, "you go girl!" the camera guy and one of the direction volunteers called me "smiley" as in, "there she is, smiley." well i guess there are worse nicknames..
it was just a great time. there was a point around mile 4 when i was running alone in the forest, and to distract myself, i was thinking about how this was the most enjoyable 13.2 i had run (i'm not sure if it's 13.2 or 13.3, but heard someone saying the run was actually 13.2) b/c there was no pressure. i was already within my goal of 6 hours and thought it may be nice to go under 6, but why be miserable over it? i can save that for the next half. i started thinking about how my triathlons had started here, and how i've grown from a dumb jock to a hopefully less dumb jock and gave myself a pat on the back. i mused over how much has changed in the past 7 months, and smiled over the friends made. i don't believe i have ever told thph but they are one cool group, and it is great to find people with whom i can sbr and talk about sbr, who are encouraging and competitive in a friendly way, mutually respectful and often hilarious. i thought of fb/cm who has not only helped me immensely as an athlete but is also a good friend, of the optimistic and thorough sb and his monster-biking, cookie-baking wonderful wife G, the pleasant xue li, funny-at-6-a.m. todd, super-fast biking chaz who always returns a compliment, gatorade bob who kicks a$$ on a diet of beer and doritos, cool chick claudia, and of course, my favourite boyfriend A who has been my best friend and my rock. all of the sudden i wanted to hug bassman.
mile 8, someone said "you're almost done!" and then my body and mind relaxed and uh oh! my legs slowed to a shuffle, and i was counting 10-11 minute miles, feeling like i had found myself running in molasses. my hamstrings and calves were hurting and i really had to go to the bathroom. what is going on? but i had learned from england that i'll get there when i get there and plodded onwards. people kept passing me but i could not bring my legs to move any faster, yearning for the mile 13 sign. finally when i saw it, i laughed, yelled "woo hoo!" and jetted to the end. i was so relieved and so happy! i called fb and said something like "that was so fun!... i have to go to the bathroom." then i waited for A, standing near the race director and photographer who was announcing names. the race director George let me announce a few names to "practice" announcing A when he came (but unfortunately, George took the mic away 2 people before A). run time: 2:05:05
so overall, this has been my favourite race b/c i had a great time and finished 6:02:04 placing a.g. 5th (when George told me this, the camera guy said, "and you did it all w/ a smile!" which was very rewarding). i am very relieved to be done for the season and to be able to focus on primarily running for the next month or so. for off-season training, i know i want to work on: swim rotation, bike high cadence and run speedwork...but fb says for now i need to rest.
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