High Heart Rate in the Heat

It is amazing how much ones heart rate can change when running in the heat. For the past week I have been running in a hot humid climate and my heart rate has gone up about 15 beats per minute. I have also noticed that I find it a little harder to breath. I find this all very interesting.

I have been reporting back to my coach and after consulting with her I am just going to try and keep my heart rate at what it should be and not really worry about the pace which translates into I will probably have to run very very slow.

Anyway this is the update with my triathlon training. I will let you know how slow I had to run in order to keep the heart rate.

Garmin Forerunner Problems No Response!

It has been about two weeks since I contacted Garmin asking them about the freezing problems I was having with my forerunner 310xt and no response yet no response at all. Not even we have received your email and we will look into it.

So far I am very disappointed with the service Garmin has provided me with I have a very expensive product of theirs and I am having problems with it the least they could do is acknowledge that they have received my email and know that there is a problem. I know Garmin is a very large company but come on.

When the Garmin Forerunner 310xt is working well and does not freeze I love it but as I mentioned before it has frozen twice and I have contacted Garmin about this and in very bad form they have not responded. I am not sure what to do next. Very very poor service from Garmin.

Running with smog

I am currently in a very very big city so what this means is that there is a lot of smog. On the triathlon training program for today was to run for 40 minutes and maintain pace and then do 35 minutes of strength training. I went out for my run and it was humid and I could just feel the smog coming into my lungs. I tried to maintain my pace and I did but I could feel that my heart rate was a little higher than it usually is. I was also having some trouble breathing it seemed faster than it should at that pace.

Anyway I finished my 40 minute run at a good pace but was breathing heavier than usual and my average heart rate was at about 15 beats per minute faster than it should be. I guess its the humidity and the smog. Lets see what happens tomorrow.

Triathlon on a Cruise?

I went on a little vacation, a cruise it was my first time and went for a total of 5 days which meant I had to do all my triathlon training on the ship which proved to be very interesting.

The ship had a "track" and a gym so I figured it would not be that bad it was just a matter of finding time to do a work out in between all the cruise activities. As soon as I boarded the ship I went to check out the gym it was pretty well equiped I was going to have to ride the stationary bikes for at least an hour a few times and was happy to see that they had two of those.

First day I ran on the "track" which is basically an open area that goes around the ship was fine I was a little bored but it was fine. The strenght training I had to do also went well eventhough the gym was a little crowded.

The next day is when it got interesting. I had to ride a stationary bike for 70 minutes. A bike with a huge saddle and a bike that did not fit me properly. On top of all that I was stationary so I was really bored. About 40 minutes into it I started to cramp up just because I was so uncomfortable on the bike. Followed through with it and by the time I was done I could barely walk. That night my legs hurt so bad they woke me up.

Even with all this I still did all my workouts, did lots of stretching to help with the bad bike fit and now I am on firm land again so back to normal! The cruise was great though and my hat off to those who live on ships and still train for triathlons!

Registration for 2010 Beaver Freezer!

Registration for the Beaver Freezer Triathlon is one of the more stressful events in my life. It is my favorite triathlon and I really want to make sure that I am able to sign up for it but it fills up so fast it makes me nervous that one of these years I will not be able to sign up. Last year the raced filled up in just over an hour!

We are just a few weeks away from February 1st which is when registration opens for the 2010 Beaver Freezer so I of course keep checking the Oregon State Triathlon Club's website for any updates. Today I came across an interesting update, the website says that they will have two pools going in order to increase the capacity of the race! This is great news. I just wonder which is this other pool that will be used? Are they going to use the one that is usually used for warm ups or what?!

This does make me feel better that there will be more slots but now I am stressed out about which pools will be used. I know I know all very silly things to worry about. So good luck and see you all on April 3rd, 2010!

Veloce Bicycles, Portland

As a triathlete I am particular about getting fitted for my bike and want to know to a place where there is a knowledgeable person and that place for me is Veloce Bicycles in South East Portland. I came across this shop about 3 and a half years ago. A good friend of mine worked there and I was getting into triathlon. I was looking to buy a new racing bike and she kept going on and on about how great Demetri the owner of Veloce was. She talked wonders of him and convinced me to go to the shop and just talk to him, tell him what my bike ridding goals were and see what he said.

So one day I ventured out to Hawthorne to check out Veloce and the famous Demetri. I walked in introduced myself and he was very friendly. I talked to him about what I wanted how bikes fit me problems I had had in the past and yes he did know his stuff. He took a couple measurements and recommended a couple of bikes to me. I ended up buying one and loving it!

Since then I have gone back to Veloce and Demetri's knowledge. He does great bike fittings and will tell you exactly what you need to know. He will answer your questions truthfully and this is what I like so much about him. If you want to get the right bike that fits well I highly recommend going to Veloce Bicycles. Its a great place. Below is the store info.

www.velocebicycles.com
3202 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-8400

Sick! Sick! Why!

Once again I am sick, what this means is no triathlon training for me. For some people this might be a good thing not being able to work out but not for type A triathletes. I consider myself to be a pretty healthy person in fact I don't often get sick until the last 4 months. I keep getting sick and not just a cold but bad stuffy coughing that last for at least a week.

Yesterday I decided to ignore the symptoms and go for my run. 10 minutes into it I could just not breath. So I turned around to jog home but I could not do it as my breathing was so bad so I had to walk.....

Today I am not doing a workout, I think its probably best to rest and get over this nonsense. It is so FRUSTRATING!

2009 Jamis Trail X1 Mountain Bike Giveaway!

I have a brand new Jamis Trail X1 mountain bike that is too small for me and I have been trying to give away or donate for a very long time but have been unable to do so. Yes it seems like finding a new worthy owner for this bike is very very hard.

Part of the problem is that I want to find someone who really needs the bike and will really use it, I guess you could say I want to try and change someones life for the best with this donation. There are some organizations in the Portland area that deal with these kinds of things but I want to meet the person hear their story be more personally involved in the actual donation.

I am a firm believer in the power of exercise to change ones life and I hope to help one more person realize this. So does anyone know someone or have any ideas? Below are the bike specifications straight from the Jamis website.

IT IS WHAT JAMIS CALLS A SIZE 12" THEIR SMALLEST SIZE IDEAL FOR JUNIOR RIDERS TALL KIDS 9 OR 10 OR SMALLER ADULTS.


SPECIFICATIONS
Frame Enduro II frame design, 7005 aluminum main tubes,
replaceable derailleur hanger
Fork XC Suspension, alloy crown, coil spring, 60mm travel
Headset VP threadless, sealed, 1 1/8”
Wheels Alloy 26 x 1.50” 36H rims, heavy-duty ATB hubs with QR,
14g nickel-plated spokes
Tires CST ATB, 26 x 1.95”, blackwall
Derailleurs Shimano TX50 rear, Shimano TZ30 31.8mm top pull front
Shiftlevers Shimano Acera ST-EF50 EZ-Fire Plus, 21-speed
Chain KMC Z51
Cassette Indexed 7-speed freewheel, 13-28
Crankset Forged alloy crank, 42/34/24 steel rings, 170mm
BB Set VP bolt-type 3SB axle, 68 x 124.5mm (35 - 52 - 37.5)
Pedals ATB platform, hi-impact resin cage & body
Brakeset Alloy linear pull type with Shimano alloy levers
Handlebar Jamis XC riser, 6˚ sweep x 13mm rise x 620mm wide
Stem Jamis XC threadless, alloy cap, 10˚ rise,
90mm (12-14.”), 100mm (17”), 120mm (19 -21”)
Grips Kraton for trigger-shift
Seat Post Jamis alloy micro-adjust, 27.2 x 300mm, with alloy QR clamp
Saddle Jamis ATB, SL cover, protective front and rear guards
Sizes M: 12”, 14”, 15.5”, 17”, 19”, 21” W: 12”, 14”, 17.5”
Color M: Coal, Blaze Red W: Blaze Red
Weight 30.80 lbs

Garmin Forerunner 310xt Freezing Problem

As you all know for Christmas a got what I had been wanting the Garmin Forerunner 310xt. I was very excited that I got it and really appreciated that my family members had pooled their money on order to be able to get me this very expensive watch. I have now gone on about 10 runs with it and love it but twice I have had a problem.

Last week I was on a 35 minute run and sometime into the run I happened to notice that the Forerunner said I had been running for 9 minutes. Now this is a frequent route and I knew right away that I had been running for longer than that. I looked closely and noticed it had just stopped recording. I tried pressing the mode button, the up and down button to change the display screen the stop butons and nothing it was just stuck on the first screen the one that gives you the time, miles, and pace. When I got home I was able to turn it off and then back on but the information had been lost.

Now I figured I had just done something weird and crossed my fingers that the expensive watch was fine and it was my fault. For the next few runs it worked fine which definitely made me feel like I must have done something until yesterday. I happened again yesterday with 2 minutes left in my run. Very frustrating, somehow I managed to be able to save the run info on the watch but it is unable to read it to transfer it to the computer.

Again I love my Forerunner 310xt overall I have had good experiences with it and I am glad there is this new tool for triathlon but what is going on with the freezing? Has this happened to anyone else? This cannot be right and if Garmin knows this problem exists they should be telling the consumer about it.

Triathlon New Years' Resolution

Many people decide to change their diet, become more active and lose weight as their New Year's resolution. I think that the best way to lose weight is by following a triathlon plan. One deals with three different sports, swimming, cycling, and running and it makes for a great interesting workout. Also once you race it is one of the best atmospheres everywhere. Below I am posting some links to some great resources to either get you started in triathlon training or just improve training for this season.

Keep your New Year's resolution alive!

I got a flat!

I got up this morning ready for my 1 hour ride. It was cold and there was some wind but it was dry so I was feeling positive. I put on all my gear which in itself is a workout I think it takes about fifteen minutes to put it all on! I started my ride and my hands were kind of cold, the wind was stronger than I had anticipated but it was all going well. I had just finished my fifteen minute warm up when I hears tssssssss. Oh no! I thought.

As a cyclist one of the worries I have is getting a flat, I know how to change a flat but it is such a hassle. I pulled over to the side of the road flipped my bike over took the wheel out and started to try and change the flat. For the life of me I could not get the tire off of my wheel. I tried the levers over and over and I could just not get the tire to even budge. My hands were really cold which did not really help and I have decided I must have the tightest tires ever as I could not even get the lever under them.

After minutes of being cold with no progress I decided to call my roomate and ask her to please come and get me. Being the good roomate that she is she came to get me. Unfortunately my triathlon workout for today did not go well at all.

Tour de Cure Oregon

On July 31 2010 the Tour de Cure will take place in the Portland, Oregon area. I will be participating in this very fun well supported ride. This ride is family friendly and has different distances so people of all ages and abilities can participate. This ride goes to benefit the American Diabetes Association a cause that is very close to my heart.

We are trying to break last years record for people signed up for the Tour de
Cure in Oregon so please sign up if you are interested. Also if you are interested in sponsoring me and my team Tony's Riders please do so. Below is a link to my page where you can find out more about the ride, sign up for the ride, and give donations. No amount is too small!

Thanks!

http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=7041&px=4081560

Heart Rate and Pace Problems

On a previous post I wrote about how I am having trouble maintaining the heart rate and pace set by my coach Larissa Herold and Personal Best Multisport Coaching. I decided that today I was going to be able to do it, I was going to focus on my pace and if I got the pace right then I would be able to bring my heart rate down to where it should be.

No such luck. My first mile the pace was a few seconds too fast but my heart rate was right about where I wanted it to be. Then my pace evened out a little but my heart rate was about 6 beats per minute too fast. I tried to slow down a little but its almost like I can't slow down anymore, I don't get it.

My pace should be between 9:30 and 10:00 my average is 9:31 and I was trying really really hard to go slower. I have to go for a run again on Saturday after I have been on the bike so maybe that will help slow me down?

Garmin Forerunner Sync

I have had the Garmin Forerunner 310xt for almost 2 weeks now and love it but have still not been able to figure out how to work everything. Most things are easy getting the pace, time, training buddy and heart rate to display are easy but I want to know how to do EVERYTHING! So yesterday I decided to experiment a little bit and try and figure out how to download the information from my Forerunner to my computer.

The way it is done is wirelessly which at first was a little hard for me to figure out as I had to download some software. Once I got going it was very easy though. Once you are on the Garmin web page it is very easy to look at all your stats including heart rate and pace which they graph, a map of your rout your calories and all other sorts of fun things like elevation gain and loss. The best part is that I can send all this info to my coach so she can look at it!

Oh how I love technology. Now I have to figure out how to use my Forerunner to just record my heart rate while I am on the bike.

My 35 minute run has become a 45 minute run

For the whole month of December I ran everyday for 35 minutes. It was part of the training that my coach Larissa gave me in order to improve my run durability. It was hard to run everyday especially since I really am not the type of person who enjoys running very much but I did it and felt good about it.

In December I was instructed to maintain a certain pace and heart rate I was using my ipod and the Nike chip so the readings were not as accurate as they are now that I have my Garmin Forerunner 310xt. So turns out that I had been going a little too fast and my heart rate had been to high. So even though I did all my workouts I was not doing them "right".

So now that it is a new month I have 45 minute runs a few times a week. I also need to maintain a certain pace and heart rate. My Pace should be 9:30 and my heart rate 140. Today I ran I was able to maintain the pace (which is a miracle I usually go too fast) but my heart rate was between 143 and 150 I don't understand why I can't get my heart rate down! Anyway I am glad I am running a few times a week instead of everyday!