Well it's 530am and I am getting ready to go tothe gym for a spin session. I am very tired as I did not get to bed until after 11pm as I was hosting a Board Mtg for my daughter's pre-school.
I am ready for this workout though as after today I am on a Rest/Recovery week. What makes this even sweeter, is that I get to spend the next 9 days in Phoenix, Arizona with my family. So forgive me folowers, but unless I get to a computer I will not be Blogging for the next week and a bit.
I am really looking forward to the rest as I have been working my butt off for the last 6 months. Mr. P says it is extremely important to schedule these tapering weeks for your body to repair the microtears in your muscles and help you get stronger.
So what does one do on a taper week?-well you drastically cut the workouts. Mr. P has encouraged me to go on a few runs in the desert and he gave me a 22 minute workout that I can do in the hotel room without equipment. (By the looks of things it definintely is a 10 on the Suffer scale in terms of difficulty-Yikes)
Ultimately though, most days need to be easy breezy. Maybe I will run with a Pina Colada in my hand? In all seriousness though, it is often hard to just rest and not feel like you should do an intense workout. Many people get ancy, some depressed. Excercise changes your brain and releases neurochemicals-without those you experience a withdrawal of sorts.
So my week off I will practice being still and relish the moments of being with my family . I know when I come back, Mr. P has things in store for me. Love you all Donna
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Interval Workout
So thank you to everyone regarding the pooping advice-sis I actually think I may do the imodium just to ensure I don't get runner's trots (the official term used by what I have read)
The good news today is that my legs are not on fire. When I first started doing weights the guy who showed me around the gym-Kevin told me that it takes roughly 3 weeks for you body to adapt to a heavier resistance. He then described how your body will only then begin to show visible signs of bulging muscle after that. I was very concerned about those things as I wanted to have Madonna arms and a 6 pack ab. He laughed at me and then I laughed at him, and we kept laughing and laughing and laughing! Well let's just say despite years of weight work at the gym-I definitely do not have either but I am a lot stronger. I have since talked to Kev more about this who went on to tell me that it also has to do with genetics, your testosterone levels, and of course you BMI. Kev was right about 3 week adaptation and that is what I hold onto when I feel the pain, and know that my legs need to be powered up for what is ahead!
Today's workout involved Interval Training. Remember what I said about running- and how you can get into a zone and experience like you can run forever. Well nix this idea when it comes to intervals. On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of suffering-Intervals are supposed to be done at a 10 for short bursts at an anerobic level (which in laymans terms means gasping for air as you would imagine a fish out of water) with a period of recovery and several repeats. It never gets easier-because as soon as your body adapts you either increase your interval speed or you lessen the time for recovery. Why in the world does one do this? Well believe it or not, it will help in the long run, in terms of your V02max (how efficiently your body works) and in the end help to increase your overall pace. Since Mr. P seems to like to increase my pace for my long runs, I am doing intervals religiously.
I have also learned through swimming (Yes Thank you swimming once again) that your body will recover even if you don't feel like you have enough air. You don't need to stop-it will just happen, you just keep going at a slower pace for recovery and you will be fine. It's true-I know I could hardly believe this meself! I guess feeling like your drowning in a pool has it's benefits. I suppose this is also true of life...even in the hard times you just keep going, you struggle, you breathe, you take little steps but you never stop!
The good news today is that my legs are not on fire. When I first started doing weights the guy who showed me around the gym-Kevin told me that it takes roughly 3 weeks for you body to adapt to a heavier resistance. He then described how your body will only then begin to show visible signs of bulging muscle after that. I was very concerned about those things as I wanted to have Madonna arms and a 6 pack ab. He laughed at me and then I laughed at him, and we kept laughing and laughing and laughing! Well let's just say despite years of weight work at the gym-I definitely do not have either but I am a lot stronger. I have since talked to Kev more about this who went on to tell me that it also has to do with genetics, your testosterone levels, and of course you BMI. Kev was right about 3 week adaptation and that is what I hold onto when I feel the pain, and know that my legs need to be powered up for what is ahead!
Today's workout involved Interval Training. Remember what I said about running- and how you can get into a zone and experience like you can run forever. Well nix this idea when it comes to intervals. On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of suffering-Intervals are supposed to be done at a 10 for short bursts at an anerobic level (which in laymans terms means gasping for air as you would imagine a fish out of water) with a period of recovery and several repeats. It never gets easier-because as soon as your body adapts you either increase your interval speed or you lessen the time for recovery. Why in the world does one do this? Well believe it or not, it will help in the long run, in terms of your V02max (how efficiently your body works) and in the end help to increase your overall pace. Since Mr. P seems to like to increase my pace for my long runs, I am doing intervals religiously.
I have also learned through swimming (Yes Thank you swimming once again) that your body will recover even if you don't feel like you have enough air. You don't need to stop-it will just happen, you just keep going at a slower pace for recovery and you will be fine. It's true-I know I could hardly believe this meself! I guess feeling like your drowning in a pool has it's benefits. I suppose this is also true of life...even in the hard times you just keep going, you struggle, you breathe, you take little steps but you never stop!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Boost gave me a boost
Okay so the Boost was not bad...not good...but not bad. The problem I have with it, is the milky texture which would definitely cause me to hurl if it was warm. My friends in the spin class are always very helpful, and suggested that I fill up a water bottle with ice that way the Boost would remain cold and be a bit watered down. I think I will try this on a hot day! In the mean time, I will be researching other foods to try that won't sit and jiggle in my gut-needs to be high calorie, lots of carbs, and digests fast!
So this morning was yet another weight workout. Legs are feeling actually pretty good. But it is always the next day that is the real test of time. I am always a bit self consciece when I do weights at the gym because I am sure by the time I get to the 12th rep my face is contorted in a way that resembles a Sesame Street puppet! I also look kinda wimpy, so that even if I am lifting heavy weights-no one would guess-thus making my contorted face look even more stupid.
I guess this would bother me even more if Brad Pitt was in the gym-but lucky for me -it is mostly seniors at 6am. Seriously, after having children, I am pretty good with not really caring. The only thing I have a real hard time with is puke and diaharehea (see I can't even spell the word properly) not my kids but someone else's. This could pose potential problems for me as I understand that this happens to people quite frequently who do the Ironman races.
I am still having a hard time thinking about peeing while I am on the bike-people don't stop they just let go. I am not sure I can do this? But I don't think I would want to risk a crash either? I don't think I could hold it for 4 plus hours. Should I practice this? These are the questions I ask meself. Then I think should I try the vomit and pooping too?
So this morning was yet another weight workout. Legs are feeling actually pretty good. But it is always the next day that is the real test of time. I am always a bit self consciece when I do weights at the gym because I am sure by the time I get to the 12th rep my face is contorted in a way that resembles a Sesame Street puppet! I also look kinda wimpy, so that even if I am lifting heavy weights-no one would guess-thus making my contorted face look even more stupid.
I guess this would bother me even more if Brad Pitt was in the gym-but lucky for me -it is mostly seniors at 6am. Seriously, after having children, I am pretty good with not really caring. The only thing I have a real hard time with is puke and diaharehea (see I can't even spell the word properly) not my kids but someone else's. This could pose potential problems for me as I understand that this happens to people quite frequently who do the Ironman races.
I am still having a hard time thinking about peeing while I am on the bike-people don't stop they just let go. I am not sure I can do this? But I don't think I would want to risk a crash either? I don't think I could hold it for 4 plus hours. Should I practice this? These are the questions I ask meself. Then I think should I try the vomit and pooping too?
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Okay so I did it yesterday and managed an 8:26 minute mile for 10 miles. I have no idea how I did this, but my beautiful friend Jan's comments came echoing back at me-about how she is a slave to her Garmin. Well now that I am wearing the thing-and have actually figured out how to program time, distance and speed-I totally get it! It has this very annoying BEEP when you slow your pace and it keeps beeping over and over and over again to remind you to move your lazy Bleep..... I kinda think its like torture, so you speed up just so you don't have to hear it. Kinda like Buckley's tastes bad but it works!
Now if only I can get the Garmin to synch up to my speed and Cadence sensor on the Bike-hopefully when the roads are cleaned of debris and I can actually get my Snagster (that's what I named her-my bike that is) out it will be a simple process-Ha. I should have gotten a degree in computer technology prior to training for this Tri. Thank God for my sister Seema (okay she's not really my biological sister-but in every other way she is to me) who has helped me over and over and over and over again with technologically challenging issues I have (and I have a lot). For instance, without her, I would not have even been able to sign in to this Blog! Crazy hey-I can create a blog, but then not know how to get back to signing in!
So today's game plan, is to do a Brick workout-meaning run-cycle-run-it's not to carry bricks although I suspect they have named it this because your legs feel like bricks after the workout. Because I am not taking my Snagtster out yet, I elect to do my cycling at the gym in the form of a 2 hour spin class. The spin bikes are kinda neat, because you can clip in to them like a road bike and adjust the tension on them as you mimic hill work.
Today's experiment is to see how different food responds on the long ride. Normally being a runner I have only used GU gels and water to fuel my body. But as Mr. P has told me (several times)- Gels are not going to cut it for 7 plus hours of the Ironman. Since I am prone to stitches and cramping with food, I am nervous about this. So today I am going to try a meal replacement called Boost. The thought of this repulses me, as I associate this drink with woman I know who was dying of liver failure and could only tolerate Boost (she smelled and looked bad, and I watched her drink lots and lots of this stuff-so I have this bad association) I also for whatever reason associate Boost with warm milk. This then gets me thinking about my youth when my Ukraniun mother would try and give me warm milk with honey and garlic-PUKE!
So wish me luck-I picked chocolate as my flavor-and I am going to put it on ice before the ride!
Now if only I can get the Garmin to synch up to my speed and Cadence sensor on the Bike-hopefully when the roads are cleaned of debris and I can actually get my Snagster (that's what I named her-my bike that is) out it will be a simple process-Ha. I should have gotten a degree in computer technology prior to training for this Tri. Thank God for my sister Seema (okay she's not really my biological sister-but in every other way she is to me) who has helped me over and over and over and over again with technologically challenging issues I have (and I have a lot). For instance, without her, I would not have even been able to sign in to this Blog! Crazy hey-I can create a blog, but then not know how to get back to signing in!
So today's game plan, is to do a Brick workout-meaning run-cycle-run-it's not to carry bricks although I suspect they have named it this because your legs feel like bricks after the workout. Because I am not taking my Snagtster out yet, I elect to do my cycling at the gym in the form of a 2 hour spin class. The spin bikes are kinda neat, because you can clip in to them like a road bike and adjust the tension on them as you mimic hill work.
Today's experiment is to see how different food responds on the long ride. Normally being a runner I have only used GU gels and water to fuel my body. But as Mr. P has told me (several times)- Gels are not going to cut it for 7 plus hours of the Ironman. Since I am prone to stitches and cramping with food, I am nervous about this. So today I am going to try a meal replacement called Boost. The thought of this repulses me, as I associate this drink with woman I know who was dying of liver failure and could only tolerate Boost (she smelled and looked bad, and I watched her drink lots and lots of this stuff-so I have this bad association) I also for whatever reason associate Boost with warm milk. This then gets me thinking about my youth when my Ukraniun mother would try and give me warm milk with honey and garlic-PUKE!
So wish me luck-I picked chocolate as my flavor-and I am going to put it on ice before the ride!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Running
Ok I have been up since 6am and am waiting for the dark to get lighter so I can do my long run this morning. I hate to run outside by myself when it is dark, and I suspect its not very warm out there by the look of frost on my car.
Mr. P, my trainor has suggested that today's longer run (10miles) that I should increase my speed. I felt like it was all I could do last week to keep to an 8:40min/mile last weekend so I am not sure if I will be able to 8:15-8:30 range. I also only have one GU packet left which sucks but had no time to get another supply.
Last weekend I saw deer on my run, and am hoping that they decide to sleep in today Ha Ha. I am not a huge fan of any wild animal jumping out at you when you least expect it. I suspose it is much better than dog owners who allow their dog off leash to chase the runner. I sometimes wonder what is with people, and have been tempted to carry a can of mace with me. Unfortunately with my inability or rather dislike of reading/following directions on packages with small print, I would likely spray mace into my own eyes! That would be bad
There is something about running-if you can get past the first few miles, that makes it seem you can go on forever. I think the professionals like to call it the Runner's High. I am hoping the same is true with 70.3 miles- so if it is true I will coin the term a Tri-High!
Mr. P, my trainor has suggested that today's longer run (10miles) that I should increase my speed. I felt like it was all I could do last week to keep to an 8:40min/mile last weekend so I am not sure if I will be able to 8:15-8:30 range. I also only have one GU packet left which sucks but had no time to get another supply.
Last weekend I saw deer on my run, and am hoping that they decide to sleep in today Ha Ha. I am not a huge fan of any wild animal jumping out at you when you least expect it. I suspose it is much better than dog owners who allow their dog off leash to chase the runner. I sometimes wonder what is with people, and have been tempted to carry a can of mace with me. Unfortunately with my inability or rather dislike of reading/following directions on packages with small print, I would likely spray mace into my own eyes! That would be bad
There is something about running-if you can get past the first few miles, that makes it seem you can go on forever. I think the professionals like to call it the Runner's High. I am hoping the same is true with 70.3 miles- so if it is true I will coin the term a Tri-High!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Burning legs
Ok so as part of my training I have hired Mr. P to put together a program for me. I felt I needed to do this because I do not have the time to join a triathalon club in the city. So Mr. P tells me what to do and and I gear all my workouts around my family. Essentially this means getting to the gym for 6am and/or trying to fit in a workout when my children are in school.
Upon reflecting on the tiathalon, I tried to rank what I thought would be the hardest to easiest portion of the race. I told Mr. P that I was most worried about the swimming, that I thought I could handle the running, and that the cycling would probabally be the easiest physically but challenging for other reasons (getting used to riding a road bike, changing gears, fixing a flat etc.). Mr. P immediately set me straight and indicatied that his concern for me would be the cycling-he was worried that my legs might not be strong enough and strongly encouraged me to start doing a resistance program geared more for my legs.
Lucky for me I had a few free personal training certificates and booked a session at the gym with Mr. C. Mr. C was very kind but got right down to business. We did the workout I felt great, went to the gym the next day, did a spin class and then.......BONG.....muscles seized and I could not even walk up the stairs in my house. It hurt to laugh, it hurt to move, it just hurt.
Remembering the advice of my good friend Linda-I immediately went to the drugstore to purchase Epsom salts. It took me an hour to get in and out of the store as I was shuffling along. When I read the directions on the carton of Epsom salts-the suggested amount to put in the tub was 2 cups. So I said to myself, self, I am in a lot of pain, 2 cups hardly seems worthwile, lets tripple the amount so I recover faster.
Well, once I got in the tub I immediately started sweating prufusely....good I say to myself....must be working. I continue to soak.....sweat....soak.....I can take it no longer after 25minutes. And then............unbelievable thirst overcomes me. I can not get enough water...there is not enough water...I feel like I am in the Sahara. Unbelievable. All night long I have to get up and drink water.
The next day, legs still hurt but are 60 percent better. So I wait until this week to do another of Mr. C's weight workouts. Legs must be a bit stronger right? Not so much. Again I have a repeat of my pain. My memory for the thirst I suffered from the Epsom salt scenario have faded and all I can think about is my burning legs. What do I do? Well I follow the directions on the Epsom salt carton but this time take in a glass of wine, thinking that this might dull the pain as well. Well wine in a hot tub mixed with Epsom salts caused a thirst reaction even more severe than the first.
Today....legs are hurting.... My plan? use a heating pad, drink milk and sell my Epsom salts on Ebay!
Upon reflecting on the tiathalon, I tried to rank what I thought would be the hardest to easiest portion of the race. I told Mr. P that I was most worried about the swimming, that I thought I could handle the running, and that the cycling would probabally be the easiest physically but challenging for other reasons (getting used to riding a road bike, changing gears, fixing a flat etc.). Mr. P immediately set me straight and indicatied that his concern for me would be the cycling-he was worried that my legs might not be strong enough and strongly encouraged me to start doing a resistance program geared more for my legs.
Lucky for me I had a few free personal training certificates and booked a session at the gym with Mr. C. Mr. C was very kind but got right down to business. We did the workout I felt great, went to the gym the next day, did a spin class and then.......BONG.....muscles seized and I could not even walk up the stairs in my house. It hurt to laugh, it hurt to move, it just hurt.
Remembering the advice of my good friend Linda-I immediately went to the drugstore to purchase Epsom salts. It took me an hour to get in and out of the store as I was shuffling along. When I read the directions on the carton of Epsom salts-the suggested amount to put in the tub was 2 cups. So I said to myself, self, I am in a lot of pain, 2 cups hardly seems worthwile, lets tripple the amount so I recover faster.
Well, once I got in the tub I immediately started sweating prufusely....good I say to myself....must be working. I continue to soak.....sweat....soak.....I can take it no longer after 25minutes. And then............unbelievable thirst overcomes me. I can not get enough water...there is not enough water...I feel like I am in the Sahara. Unbelievable. All night long I have to get up and drink water.
The next day, legs still hurt but are 60 percent better. So I wait until this week to do another of Mr. C's weight workouts. Legs must be a bit stronger right? Not so much. Again I have a repeat of my pain. My memory for the thirst I suffered from the Epsom salt scenario have faded and all I can think about is my burning legs. What do I do? Well I follow the directions on the Epsom salt carton but this time take in a glass of wine, thinking that this might dull the pain as well. Well wine in a hot tub mixed with Epsom salts caused a thirst reaction even more severe than the first.
Today....legs are hurting.... My plan? use a heating pad, drink milk and sell my Epsom salts on Ebay!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
First Posting
"The mind is everything-what you think-you become" Buddha
I have a plan. It is to complete the 1/2 Ironman in Calgary August 1, 2010. Many of my friends have asked me a million questions about this goal and why in the world anyone I would want to undertake such a feat. I supose it has to do with accomplishing something I never thought possible. It's good to have goals!
This goal involves 1.2 miles of swimming, 58 miles on the bike and 13.1 mile run for a grand total of 70.3 miles. This blog is dedicated to my goal, the process, my training, and the life lessons I can learn from this. It is also for my family and my dear friends who love and support me!
Some days I get very nervous and anxious and feel like this is impossible-other days I think I can do it. You see while I have been a recreational runner for a long time, lets just say cycling and swimming are not my strong points. Prior to October of 2009-I had no idea of how to do the front crawl- I could only keep from drowning by doing the dog paddle -oh and I did know how to flip on my back and float!
It was my little son, Isaac (7) who inspired me to swim. Every week I take him to the Pan Am Pool for his swimming lesson, and I would see him jump into the pool, and try so hard to keep up with drills his instuctor had planned for him. I could see him work so hard in the pool to learn the front crawl, to get his little arms up and to kick and to breathe.
Then one day as I was sitting with my friend Jackie, we got to talking about how wonderful it would be if we could swim. Jackie also had a goal-she was terrified to dive and had always wished she could-but believed that this would never be possible. While this goal was not on her radar screen, she did want to learn how to be a better swimmer. So the two of us asked Isaac's swim instructor if she wouldn't mind teaching us old gals how to swim.
Well I guess as an adult, you sometimes get to think that what kids can do, adults can do just as well or perhaps better-we are bigger, we are stronger-we have more life experience blah blah blah. First lesson in this journey.....WRONG!
Our first swimming lesson we came prepared. We had our one piece swimsuits and our goggles. The first challenge was to get all my hair (and I have a lot of hair for those of you who know me well) into my swim cap. I pulled, I tugged, I tried my best. I finally got it on, and when I looked in the mirror I came to the conclusion that I could have played one of the actors in the movie about Coneheads. Jackie was kind enough to tell me that it only looked like a little hump-but I knew better. Ok so I wasn't going to look as sleek and streamlined as some- I could deal with this.
Next was the actual lesson, which was disheartening and enlightening at the same time. Fortunatley our instructor broke down the steps on how to do the crawl, but by the time Jackie and I swam our first 25 meters, our lungs were on fire, we swallowed a bunch of pool water and our legs burned in a way we never thought possible. Both of us felt saddened by this discovery as we both thought we were in decent shape (Jackie is a recreational runner too), but we decided to perservere, and agreed to sign up for future lessons. Looking back, I laugh at the thought that we both thought a max. of 4 lessons would be plenty.
The next time we took our children to the pool for their swimming lesson, our hearts hummed with pride in realizing how hard this actually is for them. I learned in a very real way that I need to have more patience with my children as they are constantly having to learn learn new things, and challenge themselves (its not just one swimming lesson!). So when Isaac is cranky and Ava (3) is having a temper tantrum and the dishes are dirty and the laundry isn't done, and the phone is ringing, and the dinner needs to be made, and I feel overwhelmed.....I look into those little eyes and have a better understanding. Thank you swimming!
I have a plan. It is to complete the 1/2 Ironman in Calgary August 1, 2010. Many of my friends have asked me a million questions about this goal and why in the world anyone I would want to undertake such a feat. I supose it has to do with accomplishing something I never thought possible. It's good to have goals!
This goal involves 1.2 miles of swimming, 58 miles on the bike and 13.1 mile run for a grand total of 70.3 miles. This blog is dedicated to my goal, the process, my training, and the life lessons I can learn from this. It is also for my family and my dear friends who love and support me!
Some days I get very nervous and anxious and feel like this is impossible-other days I think I can do it. You see while I have been a recreational runner for a long time, lets just say cycling and swimming are not my strong points. Prior to October of 2009-I had no idea of how to do the front crawl- I could only keep from drowning by doing the dog paddle -oh and I did know how to flip on my back and float!
It was my little son, Isaac (7) who inspired me to swim. Every week I take him to the Pan Am Pool for his swimming lesson, and I would see him jump into the pool, and try so hard to keep up with drills his instuctor had planned for him. I could see him work so hard in the pool to learn the front crawl, to get his little arms up and to kick and to breathe.
Then one day as I was sitting with my friend Jackie, we got to talking about how wonderful it would be if we could swim. Jackie also had a goal-she was terrified to dive and had always wished she could-but believed that this would never be possible. While this goal was not on her radar screen, she did want to learn how to be a better swimmer. So the two of us asked Isaac's swim instructor if she wouldn't mind teaching us old gals how to swim.
Well I guess as an adult, you sometimes get to think that what kids can do, adults can do just as well or perhaps better-we are bigger, we are stronger-we have more life experience blah blah blah. First lesson in this journey.....WRONG!
Our first swimming lesson we came prepared. We had our one piece swimsuits and our goggles. The first challenge was to get all my hair (and I have a lot of hair for those of you who know me well) into my swim cap. I pulled, I tugged, I tried my best. I finally got it on, and when I looked in the mirror I came to the conclusion that I could have played one of the actors in the movie about Coneheads. Jackie was kind enough to tell me that it only looked like a little hump-but I knew better. Ok so I wasn't going to look as sleek and streamlined as some- I could deal with this.
Next was the actual lesson, which was disheartening and enlightening at the same time. Fortunatley our instructor broke down the steps on how to do the crawl, but by the time Jackie and I swam our first 25 meters, our lungs were on fire, we swallowed a bunch of pool water and our legs burned in a way we never thought possible. Both of us felt saddened by this discovery as we both thought we were in decent shape (Jackie is a recreational runner too), but we decided to perservere, and agreed to sign up for future lessons. Looking back, I laugh at the thought that we both thought a max. of 4 lessons would be plenty.
The next time we took our children to the pool for their swimming lesson, our hearts hummed with pride in realizing how hard this actually is for them. I learned in a very real way that I need to have more patience with my children as they are constantly having to learn learn new things, and challenge themselves (its not just one swimming lesson!). So when Isaac is cranky and Ava (3) is having a temper tantrum and the dishes are dirty and the laundry isn't done, and the phone is ringing, and the dinner needs to be made, and I feel overwhelmed.....I look into those little eyes and have a better understanding. Thank you swimming!
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