Wow, it's April!

I tend to blog when things are (1) exciting and going well or (2) frustrating and going poorly. It seems March was fairly uneventful, thus no blog entries. That's not altogether a bad thing!

I have my first full month of structured, integrated, race-specific triathlon training for 2010 under my belt. I'd been working at my cycling and swimming twice each per week with Coach Jim since the last triathlon in August, but I worked with Jake on the running and strength training parts since the focus had turned to running and powerlifting for the winter.

I get my workouts in two week batches and it really is like opening a present, to see what's in it and what's in store. I try to notice areas that have gotten longer/more intense and other areas where perhaps we are backing off to make more room to focus on another area. I like to try to make sense of the ebb and flow of things, but honestly, and I've said it before, it is really a gift to leave the planning to an expert which allows me to focus on the doing. That's as much as I can handle.

There have been a few times where I have taken the workouts more as suggestions than actual directives. I realized that if I'm asking for Jim's help and coaching, I had better take it as is. He knows what he is doing and my liberties with one workout can jeopardize another. So I am sticking pretty close to what he writes.

The swimming continues to steadily improve and feel more native. I've gotten out on the bike a bit too. I had my first nice little wipeout on gravel today leaving me with a bit of a torqued knee and my illusion of invincibility shattered (!). I'm running a bit less in terms of weekly mileage but I'm regaining some spring in my step and have a had a number of runs that felt quite simply amazing.

I'm a month out from my first triathlon of the season, which is weird considering it seemed like we might never get through winter, but here we are, closing in on it. I am ready, but I'll really be ready come May. I just need some practice with the wetsuit and transitions, but otherwise, I'm ready to see what I've got!

Pushing off the wall

This morning I enjoyed a good swim workout, arriving at the pool just as full morning light was filtering in through the aquatic center windows and skylights, around 7 am. There were just a few folks there so I had a lane to myself. These are the consecutive working sets that left me happy, tired, and satisfied with my efforts:

3 x 200 (3:34 + 0:25 RI)
4 x 100 (1:47 + 0:10 RI)
8 x 50 @ 25 easy, 25 powerful and FAST! (on 1:05 cycle)

The intervals were tight and challenging for me. Each time I had to leave the wall before I thought I was ready, but each time I did just that. It was tough, I felt squeezed and pushed close to my limit, but I made it. Discipline to leave the wall. Faith to carry me.

Kind of a neat metaphor for life I guess. The hardest thing sometimes is pushing off that wall before you are ready, but in reality, "ready" as we may define it, as we think it must be, may never come. Have a little faith and push off that wall before you feel ready and have faith that you'll muster what's needed.

Blackburg Classic 10 miler race report

Yesterday was our big local winter race that was postponed from its original Feb 20 date due to crazy winter weather and record-setting snows.We were blessed with a sunny day and temps in the mid-40s which was a dramatic departure from the frigid temps we seem to have had for the last 8 weeks or so. Much of the pre-race conversation concerned what to wear in such unfamiliar conditions! At any rate, it was nice to see bare arms and legs as a true sign of the impending arrival of spring.

Last year I ran this race in exactly 1:15 which translates to a 7:30 pace. (for comparison I ran the marathon at an 8:21 pace and my fastest 5K was a 6:51 pace.) I've often thought that last year's Classic was the race that best exemplified "leaving it all out on the course" for me. It's grueling because the pain lasts a lot longer than a 5K, and there's no fluctuations or opportunities to let up a bit like in a marathon. It's pretty much full tilt for over an hour.

I had no idea if I could expect to improve over my previous time. Until just this week, for about the past 5 weeks, we decided I should take responsibility for my own running program to remove some structure and provide a much-needed mental break. I enjoyed it and it worked especially well considering the unpredictability of the weather which made planning more than a day out futile. But coming into this race, I didn't have the same level of confidence that I usually do and no guesses on the kind of pace I could hope to hit. (It didn't help that the night of the race we hosted a sleepover party with 4 kids plus our 2, and sleep was very limited.)

I had a spontaneous (and fortuitous) pre-race Facebook "conversation" with my friend, Shannon Price, who is an amazing and fast ultra-runner and who was my pacer at Richmond. He always gets me fired up and excited, and this was no exception.

Shannon: Leave it all on the course. Remember you will never get this race back in this day so run your guts out. Go home knowing you gave it 100 percent! Go Hard or Go Home!!!
Me: I'm thinking should I try to lock in on like a 7:25 for a few miles and see if it's sustainable. Or just run the whole thing by instinct and not look at the watch.
Shannon: Run by instinct...just run. Don't over think it...just run and run hard.

So that's what I did. I ran by instinct and never ONCE looked at my watch. It was definitely the right move considering I tend to obsess about the numbers.

The race began with the 10-milers and the 5K-ers starting together. It's easy to get caught up with the speed of the 5Kers and I went out a bit fast with an initial 6:44 mile. I knew it was too quick when I was up ahead of Coach Jim (he passed me soon after!). I settled in behind a group of four male masters runners who looked like they had done lots of these sorts of things and they were clicking away like pros. I was glad to tail them and let them lead the way on the convoluted course. At about mile 4, Don Leo caught up to me. He is the VP for Energy Research at VT and our paths cross often, professionally AND in running (literally). We have always finished races very close together, sometimes he leads, sometimes I do. So I locked in on Don, and stuck with him for all the middling miles which are the toughest for me (with thoughts of "and why am I doing this?"). The VT triathlon club had apparently used the course as a qualifier for nationals and they had written words of encouragement along the route. I read every word!

We approached the turnaround at mile 7 and the fastest runners were beginning their return to the finish. I looked at the leaders and was pretty sure there were no women ahead of me. As I left the turnaround I saw another master's female maybe a minute or so back and thought "this is my race to lose". I reminded myself to stay calm and consistent, slow down as little as possible, and keep "turning the screws". I got a good second wind and broke away from the pack I had been running with. I saved just enough for a nice little pickup sprint into the finish chute, and my work was done. I finished in 1:13:11, for a 1:49 improvement over last year. I'm very happy with that...this year anyway!

It was enough for the top female spot. (Had all the high schoolers not been volunteering to support the race, and had it not been the first day of Spring Break for VT, there is no way I'd have earned the top spot. But hey, I'll take it.) Of greater importance is that I ran a tough mental race again and proved to myself that I can do it, that last year was not a fluke.

I did pay a price for my success with major GI issues the rest of the day. I laid low and recuperated, but couldn't eat in the way I wanted to for a really solid recovery. It's the day after and I'm feeling a little beat up, but pretty much back to normal.

These races are incredibly HUMBLING. They are a big reminder of how much support and love carries me through - from my family, my kids, Jake, and Jim. Am I passing that (and more) along? The running community lifts one another up and I am grateful for such a wide and growing circle of friends who share in a healthy endurance lifestyle. I welcome and encourage newbie runner friends (go Barbara, Woodrow, Lori) who bring such a contagious enthusiasm. I feel so blessed to have been led in this direction and more than anything I want to inspire others (particularly moms) to discover their own inner athlete.

Two years ago today, I hadn't yet run a single step. Yesterday I ran about 14,000. If I can do it, anyone can.

Race stats
1:13:11
26/119 overall
1/44 women (approx)

Bench Press Meet

Today was the second year I did the VT bench press meet. It's not sanctioned, but always nice to do a competition of any sort close to home and it doesn't get much closer than the VT War Memorial Gym (heck, it's like home, remember I have the locker and towel service there!). I've been working toward this since last year, but with a particular focus for several months. Last year I got all three lifts and maxed out at 120.

This year I opened at 120 and got that handily. I missed my second attempt, which was 130, because I pushed forward instead of back. But I bounced back and got 130 on my third attempt. I was happy and satisfied.

While the adrenaline of a meet helps, it's offset by the disruption in the normal routine and flow of a bench workout in the home gym. I like the fact that Jake and I have established a system in the gym with consistent warmups, liftoffs, processes - everything the same. He pushed that and now I'm glad. At a meet, there is so much chaos especially in the warmup area, that it's nice to have that plan nailed down and agreed upon.

My missed second attempt was the same kind of miss I had at the December meet. I'm wondering if I'm somehow getting extra arch in my back or extra coil that I'm not prepared for and it's throwing me off, causing me to push forward rather than back. Anyhow, it's something I need to consider.

On the drive over to the gym I was thinking about all I had done to prepare. I ate in a specific way this week. This morning I warmed up on the bike at home, had a shower, stretched out. I visualized how I wanted to feel. Had I done enough? Had I done it all right? Had I missed some crucial step? Then it occurred to me that success comes from the work done in the gym. Stop focusing on the externals, and focus on what *I* have been training to do! Then just do it. No excuses!



Oh, and my inspiration for next year? The senior citizen lady who benched 205!! YES, 205!! It was with a bench shirt, but still, dang impressive. So I figure I have room to improve :-)

Addendum: awarded top placing among women and $50!! Woo hoo!
Results
Photos
Video

Pullup PR, nutrition

Today I was stunned to blow away my old wide-grip pullup PR. I flew through 10, chin way up over the bar, got two more most of the way, and needed a nudge to get two more. So 14 total, but 10 legit. On the first one I knew I had it today, I felt light, felt good, and it was easy.

Which brings me to my next point on the importance of eating right for feeling good. I have been learning (I'm a slow learner) over the last nearly two years from Jake that the ideal way to eat is to have 6 or 7 small meals and snacks spread out every 2.5 or 3 hours throughout the day, with a mix of carbs, protein, and fats, that are appropriate to the activity level. When I have a competition or race coming up, Jake helps to set up my meals, entering them on them the SparkPeople web site and I just have to follow along. It NEVER ceases to amaze me that when I eat according to his plan, I feel great and can manage my appetite in a way that cravings are not much of an issue.

I have to plan and cook things ahead of time, then pack meals each day, but the meals are basic and simple, good and filling. The payoff is huge. I'm reading a book called "Racing Weight" by triathlete Matt Fitzgerald. He maintains that before you go to bed, you should know what you are eating the next day, where and when. Jake says the same thing and I'm beginning to really see the wisdom in that. We can't rely on body cues and the abundance of readily-available food to sync up and deliver the nutrition we need.

I believe one can truly train the appetite. When I eat a lot of sweets, I want more sweets. When I don't eat them, I don't really miss them.

Right now I am trying to shed some weight to make the 122 lb weight class for the bench press competition at VT on Saturday. Otherwise I'll be competing against women who are significantly bigger than me. I realize it's not that big of a deal either way, but in a weird way, I like the structured eating and reminder that my choices do impact my weight. These weeks rein me in a bit and give me a reason to cut out all the junk.

I'd been around 127/128 earlier in the year. Today I was just over 124. It should only take a few lower-carb days, and maybe a little sweating on Friday and it should work out. But the real benefit is the way I feel and knowing I'm eating only good stuff. I'm eating like an athlete :-)