Alien Crop Circles

Tonight we were back to the TCR spin class and it was a doozy. Class started with a 5.5km warm up followed by a 15.4km "alien crop circle" route. Basically 6 climbs with short flat sections between. The route is called alien crop circles, but it looks like 6 perky boobs complete with steep nipples. I guess they can't call it that...
I finished in 31mins ave watts were 168. I seriously lose watts on the downhills. That is the downfall of being a lightweight. I am afraid to adjust my weight on the machine to my actual weight which is 4lbs lighter- for fear that I will go backwards on those downhills.
After the alien boob course we were on to 6x 120% threshold intervals. Ouch. I got up to 363 watts, which is the point when my legs felt like they were going to explode.
D was on fire tonight and finished almost 2mins ahead of the German on the course. Go D!

It was a tough workout, but the kind of pain we enjoy. We are really going to miss these classes.

Tomorrow is the first of February...only 29 more days as a resident of Calgary. Gulp.

Training for the day: Bike 1hr20mins

Need for Speed

Great workout tonight for us. First up was a swim, how far can we go in 60mins. I had a great swim and did 3k in exactly 60mins and 0 seconds. I felt really good, and only stopped to let the speedy D by every now and then.
Next was on to the treadmill, where the Boston schedule called for Mile repeats x3. I got on and started warming up, but didn't feel right. My HR was really high and 6.5 felt fast. I did a mile warm up and then bumped it up to 7.5 for my first mile interval. I got a wicked stitch that wouldn't let go and my HR was high. I pushed through the nasty pain and finished out the mile. The .5mile recovery was enough to work out the pain and get my HR back to normal. The second mile was great, everything seemed to be sorted out- no pain and a normal HR. I was itching to bump up the speed but rode out the mile at 7.5. After another .5mile recovery it was on to number 3. I felt really good and did the first half at 8.0, then bumped it up to 8.5 for a quarter mile and 9.0 for the last quarter mile. i was flyin'. After the last .5mile recovery I called it a night. 6.5miles in 45mins.
All in all a great workout.

When we got home dinner was ready and waiting for us. I have been the queen of the crockpot this week and tonight was chicken, quinoa and veggies. It was yum-my.

Training for the day: Swim 1hr 3000m
Run 6.5 miles 45mins (3xmile rpts)

Ride On

Another day, another great ride. Just a short one today, my legs felt great, but my HR was higher than it should have been. I was feeling fine and looked down and saw 170...huh? I sat up, lightened the gear and brought it down to 155, but every time I got back to what felt like a comfortable effort, the numbers crept up towards 170. I finally just said screw it and rode. Probably not what I should have done, but I felt fine. I did cut it at 60mins, as my body is telling me something. Or maybe I just drank too much coffee today..?

Training for the day: Bike 60mins

Ooooh Yeah.....it feels good to be back!

After a slack week it felt soooooooo good to get back on the bike tonight and get a dose of that feel good pain. An oxymoron? Maybe, but there is something that feels so good about pushing the body to that state of discomfort.
We did a 2 hr spin, the first hour I was spinning in a moderate gear, keeping my cadence high. The second hour satisfied my masochistic needs with 6 sets of 5min big gear, lower cadence 5 min light gear, high cadence. The big gear sets were tough...really tough. But I seemed to get stronger with each set and kept bumping up the gears.
On the big screen tonight we had 2002 and half of 03. We watched 48mins of the 2003 race and saw exactly 2 mins of actual race. Is this what happened after the race became an NBC emmy award winning production? It is good for the general public, but not so good when you want to watch the race. Ah well, it I was too focused to watch anyway.
The weather here continues to be unbearable. I am lucky to be able to work from home, but tomorrow I must brave the cold to go in for a meeting. I suppose this is just winter in Canada. I wish I could hop a plane and visit my folks in Mexico...it was 30 degrees on the plus side today!

Training for the day: Bike 2hrs

Successful week...and forced recovery too

This week we were in GP to find a home. We arrived late Wed night and Thursday the search began at 9am. By 2 pm we had viewed 28 houses and had 2 offers in. Both houses were out of our price range and I really didn't expect they would be accepted. I had 2 other houses as back up that I knew we could get. I was almost as surprised as the realtor when the sellers accepted. Fortunately for us they had already moved and were quite "eager" (desperate) to sell. We got a smokin good deal. The house is 1280 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 3 bath. Way bigger than we need. They are building a school right behind us which will not only increase the value, but will also mean we will have a park/playground behind us instead of another house. The basement has a huge open space which is perfect for a training studio. We are both super happy and excited to make it our home. The bonus is that it is a block away from the girls and is in the nicest neighborhood in GP.
It still hasn't sunk in that we will be living there in a month. It is soooo different and will take some adjusting. I know that we will make the best of it though, and D and I can have fun anywhere.
Training was kind of a bust this week, we went to the rec centre a couple of times, did a bike/ run and a swim, but that was it. I played a ton with the girls though and it was a nice break from the regular routine.
Our plan was to get home and ride, but with the craptastic winter storm that blew in today our flight took 3 hours longer than it was supposed to and we didn't get home until almost 10:00. The bikes will have to wait until tomorrow...and I miss my bike!
I am ready to get back to normal now and am well rested and eager to get the workouts happening.

Recovery Week

After the solid week last week, this is a recovery week and the timing is perfect.
Tonight we did a 90min spin watching the 2001 and part of 2002 IM kona. 2001 was of course the year of the WTT attacks to the American patriotism was at an all time high and it was cool to see an American win for the first time in years. Tim De Boom was lucky that Peter Reid left his mojo at home and dropped out on the run because he didn't feel like racing...?
Lori Bowden had another finish behind Badmann and once again showed how hard bad swimmers have to work.

I felt really great on the bike, I actually had to increase the tension on my trainer I was feeling so good. After the first hour I began to lose a bit of steam, but managed to keep my legs spinning and my cadence up >95rpm.

Tomorrow night we are heading to GP to scope things out and hopefully buy a home. I am really excited for that and also to see the girls. Also got some exciting news tonight that I'm not sure I am allowed to publish yet...so I will wait!

training for the day: 90min

Big Run!!

So today was the cap on the big training weekend for us. We opted to do our run indoors and avoid the cold. I was glad we did because I had a stellar run and I know I wouldn't have had that same speed in the snow.
We headed over to MRC after breakfast with our ipods loaded with some new tunes, ready to tackle the treadmill.
I was surprised that my legs didn't feel fatigued at all after yesterday's ride (I guess laying around the rest of the day was beneficial) and I felt pretty great throughout the run.
I started with an easy warm up, 6.5mph for 23mins. I was ready to bump it up to 7.0 and ran comfortably there with my HR sitting at 150-151 for another hour. At the 90min mark I was starting to fatigue so I decided it was time to test myself and I bumped it up to 7.5 for 15mins. I wanted more than anything to slow back down, but instead, I decided to see what was left in the tank. For the next 5 mins I bumped the speed up 1.0mph per minute until I reached 8.0mph. I ran there a minute and then took it back down to 7.5 for 5 mins and 7.0 for the final 5 mins.
My legs were pretty tired by the end, but I could have kept running at the 7.0 pace for another hour I am sure.
I covered just under 14miles in 2 hrs.

Tonight we had a great treat and had a wonderful Sunday dinner at D's parents' place. We had a great time visiting and playing with baby Jake who is growing like a weed and sooo cute now that he is cooing and giggling. He was just like one of the boys sitting with D and his dad watching the football game with great interest!
D's mom went all out with a full turkey dinner with all the fixings, salads and desert. It was a great conclusion to a solid training weekend and my first double digit training week of 08.

This week will be a good recovery week as we are heading north to GP on Wed. night to shop for a home. Wish us luck in finding something- otherwise we'll be looking for a large refrigerator box!

Training for the day: Run 2hrs 13.8miles (22km)

Big Bike!

After breakfast this morning we headed to the basement for what would be a long ride. We popped in the IM Kona 99 and got er going watching Lorie Bowden get her first victory. Alan joined us about an hour in and brought some good energy and company for the rest of the ride.He was out in the snow this morning for a 12km run prior to joining us, and is running 35km tomorrow in preparation for his 50km ultra next month and the big 100 miler in September. Once this crazy ultra stuff is out of his system he will be a natural in triathlon- he is already doing double workouts, and he has the crazy part down ;-)

I felt great for the first 2 hrs and was actually surprised at just how smoothly it was going. At the 2hr 30 mark things began to fall apart though, my legs were burning and I was having a hard time keeping my cadence over 95. I just pushed through and made it to the 3hr mark. It felt so good to stop...

After a shower and a great lunch at Primal Grounds with D and Alan, I felt totally refreshed. The weather in Calgary today is much more of what you would expect in January in Canada. Snow, wind and cooler temps. We decided to grab some movies and spend the rest of the day inside resting and recovering from our efforts.

Tomorrow will be an indoor run- any guesses as to the blog title??
Hopefully the legs aren't too tired, and the treadmill isn't too tedious. These long indoor workouts are as mentally tough as they are physically.
We are also gearing up for our 12 week to Boston Marathon training plan. We are both pumped and looking for PRs in this race. D of course is out to beat Lance ;-) I am just there to beat my previous best of 3:34. I would like to be under 3:30 and that should be very do-able barring injury or major race day issues.

training for the day: Bike 3hrs

Big Swim

Heading into a big training weekend, I was a bit worried as I was feeling pretty stiff and sore from the week's activities. I wasn't sure how I'd feel swimming but as it turned out, it was good for me. Once I got started I got into a groove and just kept going until the lane swim time was up.
I did 4000m, no speed records being broken, but I felt good and it was an effortless swim.

Later in the day I went for a much needed massage. It hurt alot, but I am feeling much better now, my lower legs and feet especially feel unjammed and overall my stiffness is pretty much gone.

We saw a movie tonight- Into the wild". Based on a true story, D read the book years ago and was stoked to see it. It was an amazing story of a young man's journey to make sense of the world. The conclusion? "Happiness is only real when it is shared".
Much truth to that.

I am feeling blessed to share so much happiness.

Tomorrow is big bike day...wheeeeeeeeeee!

Training for the day: Swim 4000m 1hr25mins

Ouch

Long day with sore muscles, topped off with a harsh ride on the TCR pain train....
Tonight's class was the standard w/u, 110% threshold intervals, and then the main workout an 11km hill climb.
I knew my legs were less than 100% but I was determined to be under 30 mins and squeaked in just under despite my bike falling off the block under the front wheel when I stood to climb. It took a few seconds to get back on, but I was able to push a little harder to beat the clock.

I got really lucky and got a massage appt tomorrow thanks to a cancellation...I sooo need it before our killer weekend we have planned.

Training for the day: Bike 90mins

Spent

We had a great workout tonight and I am spent.
First up was a run on the treadmill, 60 mins averaging 7.0mph. I felt pretty good other than the fact that I ate a giant bowl of broccoli before hand and it kept revisiting me...ick.
Then it was on to the weights to work my wee muscles. By the time I got through my full body workout I was completely spent. And here I sit, spent.

D added some great motivation to the training with his fridge art- a shot of the Kona finish line and the words "you will be here"
nice. Thanks babe.

Training for the day: Run 60mins, 7miles
Weights 40mins

Short and Sweet

Not much time today to workout, so did a fast swim at Glenmore. Man the water there is almost hot! It is nice, but easy to overheat and my goggles were fogged up the entire time.

Training for the day: Swim 2200m 45mins

New Week

Tonight we had planned to swim, but after getting home from work I didn't feel like going out again. So we opted to ride instead and had a great 90min spin watching Canada make its mark on the IM world Championships. Peter Reid won his first, and Lori Bowden came second with Canadians taking 3 of the top 5 women's spots.
I love watching those DVDs, so many inspiring stories, and just watching people push themselves helps me to push myself on the trainer.
The more I watch them though, the more I want to race there...!

Training for the day: Bike 90min high Zone 2

Beautiful Day for a Run!

What month is it again? It sure didn't feel like January today, I think I am going to miss this part of life Calgary- January days of +5 degrees! It was an absolutely gorgeous morning for a run, and although I was a bit concerned of how my legs would feel after yesterday's efforts, I actually felt great straight away.
I started at 11km/hr and the effort felt easy. I ranged between 11-11.5km/hr for the first 13km and then bumped it up to 12-13km/hr for 3km and then backed it down to 11.0 to finish off the last 2kms.
I ran around the resevoir and from home and back it was 17.6km and it took 93min. I was pleasantly surprised at how awesome I felt- my legs, lungs, everything felt good. After the tough run last weekend it is relieving to have a great run and feel a bit more confident about the half marathon next month.
Tonight we had James and Celine over for dinner and had a great night hanging out with them. Tomorrow is back to work :-( the weekends go by toooo fast!

Training for the day: Run 93min 17.6km

Hard Race + Tough Spin= Character Building?

Our 5th C-X race of the series was today- Nose Creek. It was a great day to run, the weather was fantastic and the trail conditions were almost perfect. These races are never easy, even though this one was measured about a km short- it is still full out effort the entire race. I finally wore my HR monitor, just to see what my effort was- ave HR was 174 with 204bpm peak! That is why I am so bagged after those races!
Instead of coming home and flopping down on the couch, we came home and jumped on the bikes for a 90min spin. It was tough tough tough. My legs burned right off the go and never really stopped burning. It was a very challenging ride, just pushing through the fatigue of the legs, the residual burning in the lungs, and the depleted state of my entire body.
This is what I will look back on when I am feeling rough in a race. This is like money in the bank!

After our efforts we decided movie night was in order, and had a great night cuddling on the couch and just relaxing.

Training for the day: Nose Hill x-c 34:22 7ish KM
Bike 90min

My Horoscope...Fitting

The time is right for you to make a career move. Your talents are developed well enough for you to take the next step towards your goals. Go after that promotion or start searching for a better position elsewhere or even go out on your own. You may be a little nervous about it, but the planets are in your favor. Act boldly and you will get to where you want to be much quicker.

That extra push

Such a big part of training is the discipline and commitment to push yourself to do things you don't "feel like" doing. Getting to the pool on a Friday night is one of those challenges. I am lucky that even when my discipline and commitment are weak, I have D to give me that extra push to get there. Tonight I just wanted to burrow into the couch and rest after a long week. But we had a swim to do, and D kicked my butt out the door to just get er done.

After a nice warm up in the hot tub, we hit the pool and as soon as I started I began to feel better and better. I did 1500m continuous and took a short break, then another 1000 and instead of calling it a night, I decided to swim out the hour and completed 3000m in just under 60mins.

Once again, D was right, I felt much better after we finished and still got some couch time once we got home. I also spent some time working on my new business logo. This is fun stuff and I am almost 100% happy with it. Once I am I will post it for feedback.

Tomorrow is our 2nd last x-c race, looking forward to a run in the balmy January weather we are having!

Training for the day: Swim 3000m 60mins

All Aboard!

Back on the TCR pain train for the Thursday night bike fun. We were pretty early tonight- keen to get started- and the other class was done so we got on our bikes for a good 15 min warm up. The scheduled work out called for a 5km course, then it was on to 6x 110% and then a 4.52km hill climb. The cool down was one leg drills. I was working hard, the intervals got my HR pretty high, and it was not coming down as quickly as I'd like to see between sets, but it is the first time I've done that kind of effort in a few weeks. The hill climb finished with a downhill/flat section, which of course challenged my ability to hold my threshold, but I averaged 177watts which is almost there.
We only have a few classes left before we head north so we need to make the most of them!

Training for the day: Bike 85mins

E-Z Run

Well today I needed a recovery run. My body is trying to fight off something and I have been feeling pretty draggy lately. I still wanted to get out for a run, but decided to leave my hr monitor and GPS at home and just run by feel.
I felt really good for the entire run and was happy to get some fresh air and sunshine.
Tomorrow is back to the TRC torture chamber so I need to rest up and be ready for a new level of hurt.

Training for the day: Run 45mins

Added Awareness

Well the weights last night have gifted me with some heightened awareness of my muscles.
Yup I know which ones I use when I stand up, sit down, go up and down stairs, type...ouch.
I feel like someone swapped my body with a much older model.
To be expected though.
Tonight was an easy ride to spin the leg and loosen things up. It helped.

Training for the day: Bike 60mins

Too tired for posting...

after a long day of work and 2 hrs training I am spent...
I FINALLY had a great swim, and then we hit the weights- it has been a while!

Training for the day: Swim 50mins 2500m
Weights/core: 60min

Weekend Fun

It was a great training weekend, long ride Saturday and long run today. Both required some mental toughness to push through to the end, but I know this stuff is "character building".
D and I had some good down time as well and we enjoyed splurging on some high calorie treats to make up for all the calories burned during the workouts.

Training:
Saturday: Bike 2.5hrs
Sunday: Run 1hr50 20.5km

Kona Circa 1993

Tonight we were on our own for a Thursday night ride since TCR doesn't start back up until next week.
The on-bike entertainment was provided once again by Mark Allen, Paula Newby- Fraser and the other IM athletes competing in the 93 world championships. For the first time thus far there was a female reporting on the race and the coverage of the woman's race increased by about 5 fold. Paula struggled for her win, suffering on the run after a poor run training season created by a stress fracture in her ankle. Her pain and suffering were obvious, but she still managed to win by a decent margin over Erin Baker.

As for me, I had a great ride, I kept the intensity at zone2-3 effort and noticed that my comfortable cadence has increased to 95-100rpm from my previous tendency to ride 85-90rpm. The small gains are good to recognize and acknowledge. I had set some big goals for this year and I really feel like it is my year to take a quantum leap in my training and racing. It is still a long season ahead, but if I continue to work as I have been while staying healthy, I know that I can achieve my goals.

Training for the day: Bike 95mins

Good Start to the Year

Had a great day today and got in two workouts with D. First up was a swim, followed by a run.
Noticed an improvement on the treadmill, I used to run comfortably (lazy run) at 6.0. I am now feeling comfortable and lazy at 7.0.

Training for the day:
Swim 2700m 55mins
Run 50mins

First Ride of 08

Today D and I had a lovely lazy morning before descending to the basement for an easy hour on the trainers to flush out the legs after yesterday's race efforts.
Today we were entertained with the 92 IM Kona race, which saw another great race from Mark Allen and a solid win from Paula Newby Fraser. It will be interesting to watch the chronological progression of the races and to see when the coverage begins to be even somewhat equal for the men and women's races. In over an hour of coverage they mentioned Paula's race a half dozen times and only briefly mentioned two other women in the field.

Training for the day: Bike 60mins