Long long time

I have been on break from writing for a while a lot has been going on. After I finished my half ironman I took a little bit of a break from training, I also went on a very short vacation and then got a really bad cold so last week I have slowly been getting back into training.

I better get back into action I have a The Portland Spint Triathlon on the 21st of August and Hood to Coast the weekend after that. I am usually a morning runner but in an attempt to to try and prepare a little more fore Hood to Coast I am going to try and run a little later in the day today so we will see how that goes. My problem tends to be as soon as it gets a little warm I can no longer run.... So we will see. I will keep you posted!

Rev3 Half Ironman Finished!

One week ago I finished the Rev3 Half Ironman! My goal was to finish and finish I did! The race was extremely difficult for me and as someone who lives in Oregon I felt like that day was really hot I got quite the sunburn on my shoulders. It took me 6 hours 55 minutes to finish, 25 minutes longer than the time I had anticipated.

The swim went well for me as usual it took me about 34 minutes to finish the 1.2 mile swim. When I got out of the water I felt good and took my wetsuit off right away and put my running shoes on as the first transition was half a mile away from the swim exit.

The bike was fine. Everyone passed me on the bike and I had to focus on no speeding up to keep up with them. I finished the bike in 3 hours 25 minutes. For me that was a good pace. One section of the bike course was so bumpy I lost a water bottle so it was a good thing there were so many aid stations on the bike course.

The run well the run was not all running. When I got off the bike I had some asthma so it was really hard for me to continuously run. I spent all 13.1 miles running as much as I could then doing some walking and then running again. (Brian it was nice seeing you on the run course, man that was tough!) The half marathon took me 2 hours 44 a lot longer than when I just run the 13.1 all on it own.

I am happy with the race, I am happy I finished and it was all really well organized even though they had a last minute venue change. The one thing that I think could have been better is that when us slower people were finishing it seemed like they were packing it up and running out of food. I would be nice it they kept everything up until everyone crosses the finish line,

Rev3 Portland Location Change

The Rev3 Portland Half Ironman is only 9 days away! Yes only 9 days away the big day is almost here! The course has been changed though it is no longer going to start in the heart of Portland now it will be at Blue Lake park. I am a little disappointed about this but at the same time there are some positives that will come out of this for me. The Marine Drive Blue Lake course is a course I am very familiar with, in fact it is my regular training route so in theory I know exactly what to expect.

I am starting to taper a little to get ready for the big day I'm nervous about it I hope I can do it!

Blue Lake Done!

On Saturday I participated in the Blue Lake sprint triathlon and the results were good. 7th in age group and 23 overall out of about 200 women. It was an interesting race, I have done this course many times but this time it was really different die to some flooding at Blue Lake.

The start of the triathlon was shifted over so the swim portion was in a different direction that usual and then the transitions, especially the bike transition was really long, a lot longer than usual.

The swim was ok just average I did it in 14:30 I was hoping to do it about a minute faster but I was never able to just get a clear shot during the swim and I was starting to grow pretty frustrated which is not helpful.

Bike was about 39 minutes at an 18.2mph pace I felt good on the bike I think all this training for the Rev3 Half Ironman is helping me. I just need to try and get a little faster. Quite a few people were getting flats, I'm really glad I was not one of them.

The run was the run. I did it in 25:22 I think this is the fastest by a few seconds I have done the run in I did have some trouble breathing though it must be because all the flowers are starting to bloom.

So I finished in 1:24:33 the actual results say a minute longer but for some reason my age group got tacked on an extra minute during the swim I guess they made us start 1 minute early? I'm not sure but my real time was 1:24:33. Anyway less than a month a way from the Rev3.......

Am I ready for Blue Lake

Tomorrow I have a "training" triathlon in preparation for the Rev3 half Ironman. Its the Blue Lake sprint triathlon which I have done many times. It is a lake swim with a flat bike course on somewhat closed roads with a run on a path a nice little race. There has been some flooding this year so the course will be a little different than it has been in the past as they had to move transition to another area because as I witnessed yesterday the transition area looks like a lake!

I think I am ready for this race I should be as fit as I ever have since I have been training for the Rev3. I haven't been able to focus on the race at all this week because almost a week ago my dog got attacked by another dog (8 stitches in 2 different lacerations and a dislocated toes with a fracture but he is going to be ok) so as you can imagine I have been preoccupied with that and spending lots of time nursing him back to health. Maybe this is a good thing, I have not been able to get stressed out or nervous about the race because I am thinking and worrying about my dog. Tomorrow we will see I really hope its a good race.

That was a hard 10 mile run!

I just got back from my 10 mile run (90 min) and it was hard! I really struggled with it today and unfortunately I have developed some pain in my knee due to IT band issues. I woke up this morning with the intention of going on a 50 mile ride but when I woke up there was so much for I decided to do my run today instead. I ate my regular breakfast and set out to run. The first half went fine I had a pretty good pace and then all of the sudden when I turned around at the half way point I just started to struggle I was getting stomach cramps and I was starting to wheeze. I wanted to stop so bad but I told myself that sometimes workouts are hard and jut keep going then my knee started to hurt on and off.

Now as I type this I am drinking lots of water and icing the knee. I'm glad I just stuck with it and finished the workout. Tomorrow 50 mile ride.

Hard Week

My legs are tired, my body is tired, and my mind is tired but that is to be expected, I am training for a half Ironman after all! To complete the training for this weeks I still have to run 10 miles tomorrow and the day after that I have to ride 50 miles so the big workouts are still coming up.

The Rev3 Half Ironman is only a little over a month away and I feel like I am doing the best I can to get prepared but some weeks are better than others. Right now I am focusing on my "practice race" the Blue Lake Sprint triathlon which will be in one week from Saturday. Ok time to go eat after a ride. Tomorrow I will update you on my 10 mile run I hope it goes great.

Long Week

It has been a long week of training since my last post. I have biked 96 miles, swam 2,250 yards, and run 23 miles. My legs and I am tired. The Rev3 half Ironman is about a month and a half away and although I feel fitter I am still worried about being able to complete the very challenging course in the heat.

I am getting better at enduring the bike rides. This weeks long ride was 50 miles and I did it a little faster than I had been doing the long rides just over 15 miles per hour. I would still like to be faster but I guess I cant have everything.

The long runs also seem "easier" about 11 miles every weekend for the long run, its funny the long runs seem to go faster and feel better that the 60 minute Monday runs I have not figured out why this is though.

And the swimming..... well I guess I'm just lucky enough to be a descent swimmer so I am not having as much of a hard time with that.

So there it is, I will keep training for the Rev3 on July 10 and hope that it all goes well. In a couple of weeks I will be doing a Sprint, the Blue Lake Sprint to practice my transitions and see how my fitness is doing.

Drinking Coke on a Bike Ride?

Since I have been suffering so much on the training for the bike portion of the Rev3 Half Ironman I have been trying to do some research on some things I can do to help that situation. I came across a couple of forums that suggested drinking coke with out the fizz towards the end of the ride to give a little boost of energy. I like soda, so I thought I would give it a try.

On Saturday I went on a 60 mile bike ride (it took me about 4hrs 12minutes) and I brought some coke with me in addition to water and Honey Stinger Gels. At around 30 miles I felt my energy levels dropping so I started sipping on the coke, I think it gave me a bit of a stomach ache but at the same time I feel like it actually gave me a little bit of a boost. I am not sure if it was psychological I will try it again next week when I have to ride 50 miles but I am almost certain it helped me. Enjoy the picture I took while on the ride!

Now off to a 40 minute run and 40 minute strength training. Yes an easy day!

Road ID Slim

I have always liked Road ID after years of use during swim bike run it was time to get a new Road ID. At the recent Beaver Freezer Triathlon I got some coupons for $2 off a Road ID product so I decided this was my chance to get a new Road ID and save some money. I looked at the many different options that this great company offers and that is when I came across the Road ID Slim.

The Road ID Slim caught my attention because I felt I was going to be able to use a Road ID have all my information available but not have something too bulky on my wrist. It is also the least expensive option at only $15.99. I ordered it and and just a few days later I had my brand new Road ID Slim the shipping was so fast! I really like this option and recommend it to people who want to wear he ID at all times and want something just a little smaller. Below is the description from the actual RoadID website.

The name speaks for itself. The Wrist ID Slim is the slimmest (or smallest) ID in our lineup. This pint-size fella may be diminutive in stature, but he is jam-packed with peace of mind. The Wrist ID Slim is worn by some top athletes, but this great ID is also perfect for kids. With its stylish and comfortable silicone band, you will be tempted to make a lifestyle statement and wear it 24/7. Like all our ID products, The Wrist ID Slim can be laser engraved with your emergency contact information and is available in both Original and Interactive versions. There are seven different colors to choose from. You (and your kids) will love wearing The Wrist ID Slim.

X-Small: fits wrists smaller than 6" (152mm)
Small/Medium: fits wrists 6" - 7" (152mm - 180mm)
Large: fits wrists 7" - 8" (180mm - 202mm)

Half Ironman Training swims

If you have been reading this blog you will know that I have been having some trouble with the bike riding portion of my training for the Portland Rev3 Half Ironman. What I am not having problems with is the swim training, it is actually going great.

I am not super fast but I can do the distance and I do not feel like the world is coming to an end when I am done with the distance so basically the total opposite feeling I am getting when riding the bike. I have been doing the half ironman distance (1.2 miles) in about 33 minutes, as I said not really fast but pretty good in my estimation.

The one thing I find hard with the swim though is counting, counting, counting, counting, lap after lap, it is so hard for me to keep track and stay focused. Anyone know any tricks or is this one of those things that are just the way they are?

Monday Monday Monday

Today is Monday which means that I had a bad run. Every Monday I have a bad run its not that I have bad attitude about it I start out feeling positive but for some reason once I get going my pace is always slower than it usually is and I can never get a good rhythm.

Today was no exception, I set out on a 60 min run and I suffered though the whole thing. I ended up covering 7 miles but never felt good about it while I was doing it. I wonder if it has something to do with Sunday being my rest day? Maybe it takes me a couple days to get back in? I am not sure but I wish I knew why Monday morning run was so hard!

On the training schedule for tomorrow 2hour ride and and a lot of swimming. Rev3 Half Ironman is only 2 months away!

2011 Eugene Half Marathon

On Sunday I ran in the Eugene Half Marathon and had a great time. This race has a great atmosphere and a great setting right in Track Town USA. The start is right outside of Hayward field and the last 200 meters of the race were done on the track of Hayward field with people sitting in the stands. What a great atmosphere!

The weather was perfect, dry some sunlight but not too warm. I also set a PR for the Half Marathon distance it took me 1:50:47 almost 3 minutes faster than my fastest half marathon before that! I hope to break 1:50 soon! Highly recommended race go check out the Eugene Half Marathon and Marathon when you get a chance.

Pool Workout ended Early!

Yesterdays pool workout ended halfway through it because we were evacuated out of the pool due to contamination. I can only assume what this contamination was but I was unhappy that I was unable to finish yesterday's swim. Once we all got out of the pool and we figured out why the lifeguards had made us get out I hung around for a while hoping they would let us all back in but they didn't. I decided to call it a day, change and head home, on my way out I could still see people standing around to be let back in the pool. Oh well......

50 mile bike ride FAIL!

On today's training schedule was a 50 mile bike ride. Riding 50 miles is hard for me, very hard, in fact I have only done it twice. I set out this morning at 7am to just get it done. I brought all my nutrition with me and left with a positive attitude. I started riding it was a bit windy but just kept going and going. At 20 miles I was feeling fine and was feeling like I was going to be able to do it but slowly my energy started to go down. Then at mile 34 my legs started to cramp up I tried ridding it off but the pain was just getting worse and I started to loose my will. At that point I was 4 miles away from the house so I decided to throw in the towel and just ride home.

I am very disappointed. The Rev3 Half Ironman is only about 2 months out and I am starting to worry that I am not going to be able to finish it. I am very disappointed but I know everyone has bad days I will hope the next ride goes better.