So I missed a couple of weeks practices due to a sinus infection but I was up ready and willing on Saturday to go to bike practice. Having only learnt how to ride a bike a few weeks ago, this is easily the most challenging part of the triathlon for me.
Practice this week was at Marymoor Park, and I had plans later in the day to go to a friends for a pre-thanksgiving dinner right near there. So I arranged to stay at hers the night before and save time in the morning; in return for being available to help cook after. A fantastic plan it was, all I had to do was get up and ride over to the park and meet everyone at 8am in Park lot K. 7:50am I set off, and first came across Lot G, rode around for another 5 mins and found B, and then D and then at 8:25 eventually heard a GO TEAM and found the group and Lot K. Not exactly a great start to the morning, although I had rode for 30 minutes so that was good. I signed in with Cathy and we set off back through the park and up onto East Lake Sammishway Parkway - where I had just come from!! I wont' lie I was a little tired already but soon learnt that this was probably because I had the bike seat too low and that I was biking in far too high a gear. A couple of adjustments later and I was much more comfortable and beginning to settle into a good cadence. All in all, things were going well. I was terrified of biking alongside the road but Cathy was a great support and I powered on through. That is until my feet slipped off the pedals, I lost control and completely crashed into a guard rail! Now many things pass through your mind when you know you are about to fall, apparently I had the presence of mind to not fall into the oncoming traffic and to also grab hold of the guard rail so as not to tumble down the embankment on the other side and into the lake. Granted I don't think I would've gone over the rail now, but it was definitely a thought that went through my head. I'm very happy Cathy was there and she made sure I was ok after the fall. There were no major injuries. I winded myself and have some bruised ribs and legs and a new appreciation for toe cages. But after resting a few minutes, I got back up and biked back with Cathy (with my feet in the cages I might add) -I wasn't about to let the bike or the fall get the better of me.
So my first biking practice was definitely exciting, and I certainly hope the rest are much more mundane but I think I made some good progress and I planning to head out again this weekend - although I might stick to trails for a little while!
Track on Monday paled in comparison - YAY!! No more new bruises! Although my hamstrings are not happy with me, but that is to be expected for the first while. It was a fun practice though, with a little bit of competition as we tried out some relay drills. Nothing quite like watching a group of people doing butt kicks, knee raises and sidewinders! :) Although I won't be running on race day - a torn disc makes this very painful - I enjoy the track practices and am hoping to get my time down a little between now and March but we shall see. Thankfully the triathlon is not timed so I could take all day but I'm hoping to finish in 5 hours.
Only swim practice left for this week, I haven't been swimming in a long time and the back injury will make this interesting. It's a concern and I don't really know how to breathe properly, or have good form... hmmm yes ready for March?? hopefully!
On that note, remember be safe, be happy and DONATE!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Went to my first bike practice on Saturday (my first, team's second) and found out where I will be improving the most. We road an "out and back" down West Lake Sammammish rd from Marymoor. Basically our instructions were to go out for about 30 minutes and come back, and to ride at a medium pace while focusing on technique. I noticed a few things through the ride, 1) for the first time riding in 7 or so years, 1 hour on a bike didn't feel too bad yet it didn't feel too good :) 2) riding with toe-clips is pretty cool once you find where you need to put your foot on the pedal to get them to clip in 3) hybrid bicycles, while versatile are not the best long distance bikes (so it's time for me to figure out a road bike and buy it already) 4) I need to get some bike shorts, because 1 hour in the saddle starts to hurt. All in all, it was a good time with some good exercise... but there is no way I would've been able to run 6 miles after just 16 miles of biking. My legs felt like jello and I had no balance after the ride. GO TEAM or better yet HELE HUI!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Holoholo lolo, indeed!
During the first week of coached practices I felt like I was living the tribe’s name-- “run around and go crazy”! It was fun to get started, though, and know I have all the “firsts” of everything behind me now. I thought I did well to find all the practice locations. The drive from Camano Island is long and a little snarly in the evening hours. (Plan: Stock up on books on disc!) The gear list is long. (I’m always up for a shopping challenge, though) Figuring out the watch & heart rate monitor will take some time. Lots of buttons, lots of data & a lot to remember. So, here’s what I’ve learned so far:
Running—1st practice—At this point I think I can “fast walk” faster than I can run at “moderate pace”. My family has always complained about my fast pace in the mall. Knees were sore after the 3 miles on the track. I don’t have that problem doing 3 miles on the elliptical in the gym. My brain was having a hard time absorbing all the info about “sub-maximum tests to predict maximum heart rate and pacing assessments”. Didn’t have a watch to record my times, either. Sigh…
Running—2nd week—Remembered the watch this time but forgot the heart rate monitor. I also lost count of my laps. New shoes I bought after the 1st practice were great, though, and I had no knee pain. Still need to get decent numbers so I have my target heart rate.
Swimming—1st practice—Oh, my. This is going to be my biggest challenge. I love the water, but I never learned to breathe correctly in those YMCA lessons as a kid. I’ve always admired people who look so relaxed doing laps. I could swim fast across the pool, but probably because I just never breathed. I overheard someone in the locker room say that next time she wouldn’t go rock climbing before swim practice. Not to worry…I won’t either.
Swimming—2nd week—decided that it would be more beneficial for me at this point to work with a swim coach in some private lessons at the club in my own area. I thought my first session was quite productive, plus I only had to drive 15 minutes each way instead of 1 & 1/2 hrs each way. Practiced relaxing my shoulders and worked on my breathing during strokes. I have my work cut out for me, but I’m going to succeed!
Biking—1st week—went ok, except my new gloves were too tight, thus my fingers were cold. Practiced drills for part of the time, then rode for about 30 minutes. Something was rubbing on my back tire. I got my first mishap out of the way. Forgot to take my foot out of the toe clip when I tried to get off the bike in the parking lot. Makes the bike fall over on you when you do that! One hip bruise and scraped knee later, I probably won’t forget that part of the dismount again!
Best part of the training so far has been the encouragement from teammates, coaches, and mentors. This in no way compares to the magnitude of the challenges facing cancer patients, but the process is similar to theirs at diagnosis: fear of the unknown, lack of information/gathering information, getting a plan in place, adjusting the plan as needed, getting the right equipment (doctors, drug regimens…), staying positive, surrounding yourself with good people, and letting those good people help you. This is for all the patients with blood cancers. Hele Hui! Go Team!!
Running—1st practice—At this point I think I can “fast walk” faster than I can run at “moderate pace”. My family has always complained about my fast pace in the mall. Knees were sore after the 3 miles on the track. I don’t have that problem doing 3 miles on the elliptical in the gym. My brain was having a hard time absorbing all the info about “sub-maximum tests to predict maximum heart rate and pacing assessments”. Didn’t have a watch to record my times, either. Sigh…
Running—2nd week—Remembered the watch this time but forgot the heart rate monitor. I also lost count of my laps. New shoes I bought after the 1st practice were great, though, and I had no knee pain. Still need to get decent numbers so I have my target heart rate.
Swimming—1st practice—Oh, my. This is going to be my biggest challenge. I love the water, but I never learned to breathe correctly in those YMCA lessons as a kid. I’ve always admired people who look so relaxed doing laps. I could swim fast across the pool, but probably because I just never breathed. I overheard someone in the locker room say that next time she wouldn’t go rock climbing before swim practice. Not to worry…I won’t either.
Swimming—2nd week—decided that it would be more beneficial for me at this point to work with a swim coach in some private lessons at the club in my own area. I thought my first session was quite productive, plus I only had to drive 15 minutes each way instead of 1 & 1/2 hrs each way. Practiced relaxing my shoulders and worked on my breathing during strokes. I have my work cut out for me, but I’m going to succeed!
Biking—1st week—went ok, except my new gloves were too tight, thus my fingers were cold. Practiced drills for part of the time, then rode for about 30 minutes. Something was rubbing on my back tire. I got my first mishap out of the way. Forgot to take my foot out of the toe clip when I tried to get off the bike in the parking lot. Makes the bike fall over on you when you do that! One hip bruise and scraped knee later, I probably won’t forget that part of the dismount again!
Best part of the training so far has been the encouragement from teammates, coaches, and mentors. This in no way compares to the magnitude of the challenges facing cancer patients, but the process is similar to theirs at diagnosis: fear of the unknown, lack of information/gathering information, getting a plan in place, adjusting the plan as needed, getting the right equipment (doctors, drug regimens…), staying positive, surrounding yourself with good people, and letting those good people help you. This is for all the patients with blood cancers. Hele Hui! Go Team!!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
no complaints
being sidelined and not being able to train has been a little frustrating. its only been 2 weeks for me so i can't even imagine what it must feel like for those battling leukemia, lymphoma and other cancers and illnesses day after day. i really can't complain. i only had minor surgery and my doctor says i can resume training slowly.
so i went to monday's run training at greenlake ran three miles to complete my heartrate test. i may need to invest in a lap counter because not only did i forget to time my first mile but for the second mile, i accidentally an extra 1/4 mile. my time was longer than usual and i thought it was just because i was taking it easy. in any case, it was a great evening to run as the weather was extremely cooperative.
i also went to swim training on wednesday. it was nice to get into the water again and learn some new drills. they're not all fun or comfortable but i guess that's why they are drills and i'm really hoping to improve my swim form, so i gotta do what it takes.
speaking of doing what it takes, i need to start thinking about commuting to work via bike like Rachel. i did this over the summer about twice a week but its not as sunny or dry these days and it gets dark so early! i'm not sure how i feel about winter bike commuting so we'll see...
so i went to monday's run training at greenlake ran three miles to complete my heartrate test. i may need to invest in a lap counter because not only did i forget to time my first mile but for the second mile, i accidentally an extra 1/4 mile. my time was longer than usual and i thought it was just because i was taking it easy. in any case, it was a great evening to run as the weather was extremely cooperative.
i also went to swim training on wednesday. it was nice to get into the water again and learn some new drills. they're not all fun or comfortable but i guess that's why they are drills and i'm really hoping to improve my swim form, so i gotta do what it takes.
speaking of doing what it takes, i need to start thinking about commuting to work via bike like Rachel. i did this over the summer about twice a week but its not as sunny or dry these days and it gets dark so early! i'm not sure how i feel about winter bike commuting so we'll see...
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Biking to work
I biked to work today - in my attempt to get in two workouts of each type each week... I was reminded again of how timid a road biker I am, and also how out of biking shape I am!
The beginning of my ride starts with going down Queen Anne Ave, a super steep, long, busy road ... And I end up braking the whole way down, while worrying a car is going to turn into me any minute, or that I'll hit a hole/bump in the road (of which there are many), and go flying. Then I navigated across mercer, and finally made it to 2nd ave. I then take 2nd ave all the way through down town, till I can hop onto 90, and cross the water. Half way down 2nd ave, I realized there was a bike lane... on the left hand side of the street. I've biked here a lot, and always forget about it. There was an accident on the road today, so I got to whiz by all the stopped cars, backed up for blocks - that was pretty fun.
I then made it into the bridge, to find a delightful strong headwind pushing against me. Luckily I made it across w/o getting blown off the bridge, or into the cement barrier. I found the small hills on mercer island harder than I remembered them from last year - my poor legs. I finally made it to bellevue, and was sorta relieved to get off my bike... and Eat break fast! (because I wasn't smart enough to eat before heading out on a 15 mile bike ride).
So, hopefully by march, my bike to work will be much more enjoyable and less painful. Oh, and hopefully I'll do it more than twice a year also :).
The beginning of my ride starts with going down Queen Anne Ave, a super steep, long, busy road ... And I end up braking the whole way down, while worrying a car is going to turn into me any minute, or that I'll hit a hole/bump in the road (of which there are many), and go flying. Then I navigated across mercer, and finally made it to 2nd ave. I then take 2nd ave all the way through down town, till I can hop onto 90, and cross the water. Half way down 2nd ave, I realized there was a bike lane... on the left hand side of the street. I've biked here a lot, and always forget about it. There was an accident on the road today, so I got to whiz by all the stopped cars, backed up for blocks - that was pretty fun.
I then made it into the bridge, to find a delightful strong headwind pushing against me. Luckily I made it across w/o getting blown off the bridge, or into the cement barrier. I found the small hills on mercer island harder than I remembered them from last year - my poor legs. I finally made it to bellevue, and was sorta relieved to get off my bike... and Eat break fast! (because I wasn't smart enough to eat before heading out on a 15 mile bike ride).
So, hopefully by march, my bike to work will be much more enjoyable and less painful. Oh, and hopefully I'll do it more than twice a year also :).
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Running
We had running practice again yesterday, and again, the weather was beautiful. well, I knew it was, cause at 4pm when the sun was still out, the sky was blue. By 7pm, it was pretty dark, and got even darker when the lights on the track turned off, but there was no rain, and I thought it was perfect running temperature. Cool enough that you don't get too hot, and not cold enough for my feet and hands to go numb.
We did a mile at a moderate pace - to get our times at 75% of our max heart rate. Near the end of training in February, we will do the same exercise, and hope that at that heart rate, our running speed has gone up... Then we did strides - down the straight part of the track, you speed up faster and faster, till max speed, while trying to keep up good running form. Then we get to recoup on the ends of the track.
It was a somewhat light workout, as we are still discussing form, and base building, but I think after thanksgiving they will begin getting more intense.
We did a mile at a moderate pace - to get our times at 75% of our max heart rate. Near the end of training in February, we will do the same exercise, and hope that at that heart rate, our running speed has gone up... Then we did strides - down the straight part of the track, you speed up faster and faster, till max speed, while trying to keep up good running form. Then we get to recoup on the ends of the track.
It was a somewhat light workout, as we are still discussing form, and base building, but I think after thanksgiving they will begin getting more intense.
Monday, November 17, 2008
First Bike Practice
Saturday was our first team bike practice. The team had a decent turn out, though almost half our tribe was missing. The weather was beautiful though - we woke up to a mostly blue sky, and all the leaves are still changing colors and glowing, and it was even warm through the ride. It couldn't have been nicer. A small group stayed with Cathy and worked on bike skills, like how to get your waterbottle while biking (I didn't know we should always use our left hand..), and the rest of us went out and back on the Burke Gilman trail. So it was a fairly easy practice - given that the trail is nice and flat :).
It was my first real bike ride on my new bike, and it felt good and smooth. So yay! Now I need to go out and buy a water bottle cage for it... and maybe some lights... Oh the tri shopping never ends.
According to my moms bike computer, we did about 11.5 miles.
It was my first real bike ride on my new bike, and it felt good and smooth. So yay! Now I need to go out and buy a water bottle cage for it... and maybe some lights... Oh the tri shopping never ends.
According to my moms bike computer, we did about 11.5 miles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)