short swim 08/31/09

BTW swimming hours at the Y have changed. pool closes at 8:30pm. found that out the hard way. i had a total of 15 minutes to swim. swam 600 meters free-style, which felt good and called it a "swim".

bike 08.30.09 (victimized)

Me & T rode 16 miles on the Suncoast, ave 18 mph. We didn't do any sprints because we were too busy talking :)..Unfortunately our wonderful ride was over shadowed by T's car being broke into and her purse with everything it was stolen. Since 4 others were also victomized we had to stay after dark until the police were able to do their investigation. Without bug spray we returned home in very poor condition which will now be a daily reminder of the crime.

Run w/ T & Striders 08.29.09

6:45 am me & T drove to the trail to meet up with the Suncoast Striders. Very welcoming group of people. Some of them started their run at 5:45 depending on the distance. When we arrived Dave & a few of the other men were hanging out for the last of the runners to show (which I think were me & T). We socialized a few minutes and headed out to the trail without stretching, which has become a theme to our runs. We both started our Garmens & soon fell behind the pack. Since it had been about a month since T had run our plan was to keep the pace slow and try to get some miles in. We set out goal for 6 miles and kept it between a 10 1/2 to 11 min pace. During our run we noticed how nice it was to watch the sun come up and see deer near the trail. There were 2 water stations during our run that we also enjoyed. We only walked a couple minutes towards the end and rejoiced when our last mile was complete.

After the run alot of the runners were hanging at the Pavilion near the trail greeting all the returning runners. Nicest group of people I've ever met. Several of them had brought beverages and snacks to share.

Daves wife Karen introduced me & T to a 3-day a week marathon training program that we were both excited about. Its a book called Run Less, Run Faster which focuses 3 days on running & the rest crosstraining-perfect for a 1/2 marathon/tri training. We both ordered the book & I'm excited to read all about it.

too sore to swim/bike or run 08.27.09

3rd ride on the bike

met up with Tara after dropping the girls off at school. I was afraid that it was going to be scorching hot but the cloud cover was awesome. it was cool and breezy. we rode a total of 15 miles to the trail and back with an average of 16-17 mph. we chatted the whole ride and i found out how adventurous she is. she did her first tri with a mountain bike and only being able to swim the side stroke with her head out of the water. she said 2 weeks before her first tri she decided to do it and didn't realize how hard the swim was going to be. she only had 2 weeks to train so she concentrated ont he swim only and just did it. i told Tara that i was soooo thankful for my friend T because she would not let me do such dangerous things. T will have me completely prepared to tackle transitions, recovery, safety, hydration etc...no doubt!! Me & Tara are dangerous together-too much alike. we cheated death only once on our ride this time. to make a long story short we rode figure "x"''s in front of another biker because we couldnt decide which side of the trail to be on when he was approaching us at stelth speed from behind. it was not a proud moment when i had to tell T....

weigh training 08.25.09

went to kelly's bodyflex and lifted weights for an hour...boy im sore...i love her classes and miss her when i don't attend.

swim 08.24.09

only had 1/2 hour in the water until the kids let out from school...Repeated swim/drills that i did with T...i did notice that i completed the 1000 meters within 30 minutes instead of greater than an hour workout me & T did...1/2 work and 1/2 play= good balance...I stink at sighting!!!

2nd ride 08.23.09 "the magic touch"

headed out to the trail at 6pm tonight. was sooo excited for ride #2. what a disappointing first 7.5 miles. i felt like i was riding in mud at 14 mph. Teresa was pulling away from me the whole time and i felt like i could never fully gain on her. at that 7.5 mile we pulled over to give me a rest (T did not need one, clearly. she hadn't even broke a sweat). she played around with my breaks and said she found my break pads to be touching my tires. i think she is a magic genie because after she touched my bike i got on it and rode 18 mph without feeling warm. "what the...". the 7.5 miles back to the car was so enjoyable. next time i'm checking my breaks and letting T "touch" my bike :)

swim 08.21.09

met up with T at 6:30am. really enjoyed the change up in workout that we did. we started with 300 meter free-style warm up then 50 meter drills that equaled 200 meters, 50 sighting, 50 touch ups, 50 one arms & 50 (i cant remember, sad). we ended with 400 meters that broke down to 2 sets of 150 easy free-style with 50 sprint. we swam a 100 easy free-style to cool down. 1000 meters total. throughout the swim we did solve alot of the world problems as well.

Swim 08.19.09

Ive decided to stop numbering my swims (random, i know)...ended up at the pool around 3:30 between storms. ran into a few pool bullies that tried to crowd me out of my space. got hit twice by a large man with bad swim alignment. started with 500 meter free-style warm up then 100 kickboard and 100 arms. then to my suprise T shows up with the family. it was just enough encouragment to finish strong with repeat 500 free, 100 kick, 100 arms and then 100 meters with 25 of that being a sprint. Thanks coach T, you are always on time.

run 08.18.09

4 mile run..ave pace 9.00...max pace 7.54...love my new watch :) i purposfully did not reference my run until the last mile. i wanted to track my "comfort" pace or in other words my pace without looking at my equipment. now that i know im at a 9 minute aveage pace i can build from there. sure was lonely without T or Jenn.

mile 1-ave pace 9.05/best 8.31
mile 2-ave pace 8.58/best 8.19
mile 3-ave pace 9.02/best 8.20
mile 4-ave pace 9.06/best 8.37

swim #11 08.17.09

it was very difficult to find a time during the day without lightening. me & hannah managed to get a swim in around 8pm. i started with 300 meters free-style warm-up and alternated between 100 kick & 100 arms. i swam a total of 1500 meters with the last 500 being free-style. felt more exhaustion after this swim compared to past swims. adding bike and run is tricky. i think rethinking the way i refuel is key! my next swim i will focus on some 25 meter speed drills mapped out by Active.com :)

1st bike ride 08.16.09

The Suncoast Trail is a beautiful place. 2 friends on bikes enjoying nature & an unual breeze in August. i'm suprised to say i think i'm comfortable with my clips already. still alittle confused about what gear i should be in. Teresa tried to help me figure it out by getting on my bike. i now have a memory that brings a smile to my face. her knees were close to her chin. i'm such a midget.

we started off around 14-15 mph which felt comfortable. nearing 20-21 mph i was panting. we did 3 sprints and took it to 20-24 for a small stretch which gave me a good idea of what it felt like to do a descent "race pace". we rode about 13 miles in about an hour.

after our ride we got off our bikes and decided to run to get a feel for what legs feel like after a ride. Teresa had her helmet off, tri-shoes off and running shoes on before i even grabbed my bag with my gear in it. she has mastered transition!!! my legs were so heavy after being on the bike. funny thing about a run after biking is your pace is naturally alot faster than when only running. we were at an 8:30 pace and it felt like a 10. i like that!!!

swim #10 08.14.09

disappointed in the swim today. Hannah & i went to swim at 5:30 pm. looking back on it we should've eatten dinner first. i had no energy. started out with 300 free-style to warm up. alternated between kickboard & arms 100 meters each and finished off the swim with a very slow free-style until i hit 1100 meters total. i'm going to stick to fueling before swimming. Hannah agreed :)

THE bike.

3 weeks ago i made my first visit to the Suncoast bike shop for sizing. had my eye on a 50 cm Trek that was sooo pretty. they didn't have the exact size i needed so it would have to be ordered, so we waited. glad we did. Scott took me on a bike shopping excursion today. had a very difficult time finding a bike in my size to even take on a test ride. the 3rd bike shop we hit (Outspokin) had a bike just my size. come to find out i'm in a child's size in a Cannondale model, actually xxs adult. first bike that i felt didn't stretch me out to reach all positions. i'm glad we waited to buy because we got a higher end bike for less money with a carbon fiber frame due to it being a close out model. now all i have to worry about is trying to keep up with T so she will ride with me. Thanks Mr. Pilman!! i knew you would come through.

funny story (to me at least). about a week ago when i was out running alone i encountered some teenage boys. i had about 1/2 mile to go before i was home & i could see 2 boys in the near distance looking at me & whispering. it was close to 9 pm so the only light was the street lights. i had my ipod on & pretended to ignore them at first. the closer i came to them i realized that they were out to have some fun. when i got to where they were they started running with me & laughing. i took my earphones out & laughed with them. then i asked them "are you guys really that bored"? they both agreed "yes" so i said "well next time you need to make sure you put on your running shoes if your going to run with me" (they were both in flip flops) and i took off, probably faster that i've ever been comfortable going. they stopped running and kept on laughing. that memory makes me smile!

08.12.09 swim #9

missed the 5:30 swim due to lightening only to find out that they kept the pool open. Sorry T. Scott even got on my case & said that i let my friends down. he said he offerred to give T the garage code to come & get me out of bed.

so the swim...me & hannah headed to the pool at 10 am. Carol was there & swam in the lane next to us. started with 500 free-style without rest (still suprising to me) followed by 100 kick & 100 arms. Hannah smoked me on the kickboard. i really have to work on my technique, shes 9! 300 more free-style, 100 kick & 100 arms followed by another 300 free-style. the last 100 meters were a sprint. love to finish strong. half way through the swim i noticed that the left side of neck was in knots. Carol gave me some post swim stretches to do & she even recommended a massage. i like her thinking. Total distance 1500 meters.

swim #8 08.10.09

after a long day at work went to the pool for a swim. couldn't believe the difference in my swim overall. swam 1500 meters. changed up the routine by swimming 150 free and alternated between kick 50 & arms 50, back to free. at 650 meters swam freestyle without rest until 1000 meters (so unbelievable to me). did 50 kick & 50 arms and decided that i could finish strong with 300 more freestyle without rest. sprinted the last 100 meters. i decided that no matter what sport it is im training for my style is a burst at the end. i love this. breathing came even more easy this time. i was able to take 4 strokes before each breath this time. making progress. YES!

run 08.09.09

first run with my new GPS watch. sooo cool to watch my pace & be more in control. Hannah ran the first mile with me. found out that she definately needs new shoes. she chatted the whole time & asked continuous random questions about everything. i wondered if this is what i sound like to my running girls. they have made a view suttle comments about my chatter. dropped Hannah off after 1.35 miles. good warm up. ran a total of 4 1/2 miles with the fastest past being 8.15 and slowest being 10.50. when i have time to figure out the softwear i will be able to break it down in detail. overall, good run.

swim #8 08.06.09

got up at 5am again to swim. after taking 2 bites of my breakfast i saw the dang heat lightening again. texted T and told her i was crawling back in bed. felt bad that i left T to endure a work out on her own when i was sleeping in. sorry T.

9am the skies were blue and clear. me & Hannah headed to the pool for a swim. i swam a total of 1200 meters with very little pause between 100's. i alternated between 100 free, 100 kick board, 100 arms. at 1000 meters i swam 200 straight without rest!! it wasnt pretty but i accomplished it. one thing worth noting is that at 1000 i was breathing different, better, more natural. its the little details that make the swim different and more encouraging. Hannah swam laps with me the whole time in the same fashion, probably half the distance. she enjoyed it & wants to join me on my runs as well. i think shes finding her inner athlete! GO HANNAH!!

08.06.09 swim attempt/turned into a run

met T for a swim at 8:30pm. we both agreed that swimming in the evening felt better than an early morning swim. just as we were about to get in the water the heat lightening stuck again. DANG IT! swim cancelled.

went home & settled for a 5K run. took Scott's ipod (which weighs a ton) and left on my run without anything to track my pace. i soon realized that ive become a runner that depends on electronics. when did this occur? i ran a good pace, i think. it felt like 27:00 minutes judging on past runs. i returned home with a plead for my own ipod, that isn't as big as a pc, and a watch to track my pace. i mistreated my last ipod when i got caught in the rain running and my Garmin, which wasn't even a year old, died on me before i ever correctly calibrated it. Dear husband, I promise to be more responsible with my next piece of equipment....HELP!

run

Drove to foxwood to run with Teresa tonight. started our run around 7:30pm, hot as usual. ran out of foxwood, across trinity blvd into champions club where we turned left where there are changes in the elevation. We found ourselves between an average 10-11 pace overall. most of our focus was on T's heart rate which was in the 180's. she let me wear the heart monitor, oh yeah and the awesome watch to verify that it was reading correct. then she made me give it back! the equipment seemed to be correct. we ran a total of 5 miles with a few brief walks to let T recover from her tachycardic heart! overall we had a good run and treated ourselves to a slushy G2, yum!

swim cancelled

got up at 5am and turned Scott's alart off which was set for 5:30 instead of mine. At 5:07 he had to get up & reset his alarm & turn my snooze off. OOPS.

met Teresa at the gym at 5:30. there were 3 clouds in the sky with heavy heat lightening. we realized our swim was cancelled so we decided to do a light workout on the elipticals. i ended up on the treadmill since there wasn't 2 together so me & T could chat while working out. T's legs were sore from weight training the day prior so we kept it light, plus we are planning to run tonight. i got in about 30 minutes of cardio. scott got to the gym around 6 and came over to us to announce that i was not allowed to do anymore early morning workouts because i interupted his last 1/2 hour of sleep. OOPS again. sorry Scott :( Plan to swim on Friday again.

08.03.09 seventh swim

Grace did not want to swim with us this morning. me & hannah went to the Y pool at 10 am this morning. swam a little different this am. i swam alternating between 100 meters free-style, 100 kick board & 100 arm work out with the floats. i was so impressed that i was able to swim 100 meters without rest during the free-style. i swam a total of 1050 meters. at the end of the swim i pushed myself & swam 150 meters without rest. this swim was a breakthrough. i was able to breath better, pace myself better and push myself. im liking this swimming thing :)

i met a lady named Carol who was ripped and impressive. she asked to share the lane with me so i think that motivated me a little more to push myself. she is 50 and has been swimming for 10 years. all she does is swim 1 hour 5- 6 days a week and 1 hour of pilates once a week. i didn't know that swimming could rip you out like that! that offered even more encouragement.

07.31.09 sixth swim

took the girls to the pool around 10 am for a swim. they swam a few laps with me but soon found friends and went to the lap pool to play on the diving board. I swam 700 free-style, 200 kick board & 200 arm work out with the floats. i swam for an hour.

later that morning me & Scott went to the suncoast bike shop to look at bikes. i told the guy in the bike shop that i was looking for a tri bike. i soon learned that it wasn't a tri bike i should be looking for. i was in a state of confusion as they explained all the different "road bikes" and the difference from one model to the other. i focused on the fact that the 2.1 was faster and lighter than the others and found myself liking the new 2010 colors as well, pearl while, heather gray and a little yellow in the trim. i learned my size is the 50 cm bike & that all the extras add alot more money into the bike purchase. we didn't purchase the bike this day. Scott went home & looked at Craigs list and other used bikes for sale. nothing panned out though. i got excited about the 2.1 Trek bike i first layed eyes on.

07.29.09 run

met Teresa and Barb at Teresa's house for an 8pm run. the skies were questionable so we stayed in the neighborhood. once we reached the foxwood gate to trinity blvd the lightening & thunder started. we ran back to T's house & ended up with total mileage of 2 1/2. while we did our post stretch the rain came down, it felt soooo good! too bad, i felt strong this run.

fifth swim 07.29.09, 2nd swim w/ T

second swim with Teresa at 5:30 am. was able to better judge how long it would take me to each breakfast, get my suit on & get to the gym. met T at the Y pool. i was a little tired from the previous swim the morning prior. i swam 600 meters while T did alot more, easily. all i remember about this swim was after it was over we planned to run 5 miles that evening. i came home after the swim & took a nap around 8:30 til 9 am to get me through.

Fourth Swim 7.28.09

took Hannah & Grace to the pool with me this am around 11. this time with their new goggles. they loved them. i felt strong and was able to breath easier through my strokes. i swam 700 meters free-style, 200 meters kickboard & 200 meter arm workout w/ floats. enjoyed this swim and so did the girls.

07.26.09

cant wait to get a GPS watch to log my pace, splits etc. tonight Jenn St. Aubin & Kelly came over to run. before they arrived at 8:30 i ran 2.70 miles around my neighborhood. once they came we ran enough to equal 6 miles for my total run. the first 2 miles were at a good clip. the last 4 not so much. immediately after the run i had my 6 oz of cold, non-fat, chocolate milk...YUM!!

07.25.09 saturday circuit training

got up at 8am to go to Kelly's 9:30 class. since Kelly injured her foot she planned a circuit training class for us. 2 minute sessions of tricep dips, squats w/ weights of step, dead lifts, push ups, grass hoppers off the ball & oblique sit ups. this torture last an hour but was thankful that i did it once i got home.

08.01.09 run

met Teresa in foxwood for our evening run around 8pm. this was a saturday night & we decided that A. either we had no social life running on a saturday or B. we are just that dedicated! not sure which. It was hot, which i probably don't need to mention again the rest of the summer since it can just be assumed. We ran from T's house, out Foxwood and into Champion's Club. At mile 2 1/2 we stopped at her moms mailbox where T stashed some water for us. she used the gait code to get us into her moms community but we forgot that we wouldn't be able to get out. we climbed the block wall & jumped out without injury. T had her new Garmen on so we were eager to see the results. we ran 5 1/2 miles with one water break and 2 walks. i will pay attention to the next pace she tells me afterwards so i can add it to my blog or maybe i will get a GPS watch soon myself :) (hope my husband reads this).

third swim 07.23.09

took Hannah & Grace with me to the pool at around 11 am to swim laps. they discovered that they needed new goggles right off the bat. they were so cute swimming their own little style. Hannah asked lots of questions while Grace just had fun. I swam a total of 675 meters this morning but don't recall the details except for alot of fun with the girls and a promise that we would go to Sport's Authority soon to purchase new goggles for them :)

second swim 07.21.09

around 11 am went to the Y pool with Barb to swim. we took all our kids which all decided to swim laps with us (minus our 2 teenage girls who stayed home & online). we swam a total of 650 meters but didn't keep track of most of what we did otherwise. we did the kickboard and used the floats to swim with arm strokes only. dont remember making much progress except in the distance. i swam 650 meters. 250 more meters than the first time I swam.

07.14.09 run

since i'm creating this blog in august about July i don't remember much about my run this day but i did note on my calendar that i ran a 5k in the evening with Teresa after swimming in the am. i do remember sharing with T that i was a little tired from our first swim.