Ok so I am planning on doing a long swim tomorrow am and its almost time for bed (usually between 9 and 930 pm-so pathetic!). I am looking forward to the quietness of water, and focusing on relaxtion and breath work to avoid drowning.
One of the things that have really bugged me about the swim has been my swim cap. I have tried 2 different latex kinds-one made for long hair and one for regular.
The long hair cap was a disaster, as half way through the swim the thing popped off, and my long hair covered my eyes like seaweed so I couldn't see a thing even with my goggles. The second cap for "normal" hair is what I have been using but its so friggin tight on my head, that I struggle for a long time just to put on.
One day as I was struggling with my swim cap, a very kind woman Mrs. K gave me a very helpful hint. She suggested that I dust my cap with baby talcum before putting the cap on. Since I really don't like the smell of baby talcum, I opted for corn starch which worked like a charm. Easy on, but....I again ran into the problem of the cap popping off mid-way through my swim. I tried cutting my hair, thinning it, but I have come to the conclusion that it must be the shape of my head. Truth be told, I also did not go really short on the hair, but it was thinned like mad!
Then I thought to myself...Glue (kidding) I complained bitterly to my swimming teacher. She suggested a cloth cap. Well a cloth cap is all well and fine, but with the amount of swimming I do, and my very dry hair (I seriously can put olive oil directly onto my hair and it does not look a tad bit greasy), the cloth cap would kill my hair regardless of whether I swam in a chlorinated or salt water pool as there is absolutely no protection.
So I say to meself, self why don't I use a cloth cap, and then the latex cap over top. Guess what? It has worked like a charm.
The only thing I have got to figure out, is if I can take my cloth cap with me when I do some tri's. As far as I can tell, in tri races they hand out a different color latex swim cap based on your age/category. They are pretty strict about the rules, so I am not sure if I will be able to wear the cloth cap underneath.
Who does one ask about such issues? I doubt Mr. P has this problem, but seriously, could I be the only one? My worry is that if my cap pops off in an actual tri and I lose it in open water, will I become disqualified? Equally concerning, is that the murky water of open water will be even more difficult to navigate, should my seaweed hair get in the way!
Well with my long workout tomorrow, I should have plenty of time to reflect on such matters
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Snagster made her debut!
So all nerves aside, and after reading some very inspiring Quotes from my lovely Seema, I put my bike, my bike shoes, my helmet, my water bottle and my Garmin in the van and headed to the Park yesterday. The weather was sunny but quite windy (I think 10 degrees but not sure what it translated to with the windchill) so I layered with warm gear as you often feel much colder on a bike then if you were running. I even had some of my winter gloves along just in case!
Got to the park in the early part of the afternoon, and parked in a location next to grass so I could manage the clip in. Thank goodness there were very few people to witness the spectacle. The good new was that I did not fall, but it felt like it took me an hour to get my shoes clipped to the pedal. I suspect this will get easier as I get more used to it, but my bike shoe clips are very different then the clips I use for my spin bike. They are positioned differently on the shoe, so I am going to believe that is why I was having such difficulty.
Once I was on my Snagster, I have to say I felt very comfortable. She weighs a grand total of 18lbs and as corny as this may sound, Snagster felt like an extension of me while I was riding her. When I tried out road bikes last summer, I have to say that they certainly did not feel as good as Snagster. I felt wobbly and scared to take corners and go down anything resembling a hill. Oh and unike Bart (my mountain bike), she is light and has way more speed. The one thing Bart has going for him though has to do with butt issues. Way easier to ride a mountain bike over bumps than a road bike!
This was definitely a good experience in my books as it has boosted my confidence. I am so thankful for Mr. C who fit me on the bike. It was well worth the time it took for him to measure my limbs, take into account my height and weight and assess my flexibility. For anyone serious about getting into cycling-it is completey worth the money to do this!
I cycled easily for approx 55 minutes, and also practiced using my gears. I left the front gear in the largest ring while I fiddled aroung with my 10 rings on the back. I was worried that if I start changing my front and back at the same time, I would get too confused. The lesson I learned quickly is to ensure that you are in a harder gear going down hill and easier gear going up so that you can maintain a consistent cadence. I also learned that you can save a lot of enery and be way more efficient if you can master the whole gear changing thing. And, since I live in an incredibly windy city, I learned that you never ever feel like the wind is at your back!
According to my Garmin- the distance I cyled was 11 and a bit miles. I thought that was pretty good considering I was not even breaking a sweat. Then again maybe I was and the wind just caused it to immediately evaprorate. I also have to re-look at my speed and cadence sensor as I am not sure if it is correctly synched. Crap I hate having to figure out computer related issues!
Last but not least, I must say that I also wore my Oakley half jacket sunglasses that were purchased on Ebay for a steal by a computer savant (you know who you are LOL!) They are fantastic, kept my eyes from tearing and bugs out and helped me to see great in the sun and shade with no fogging or slipping. Another piece of gear that I would highly reccomend. Oh and they are fashionable too LOL!
Got to the park in the early part of the afternoon, and parked in a location next to grass so I could manage the clip in. Thank goodness there were very few people to witness the spectacle. The good new was that I did not fall, but it felt like it took me an hour to get my shoes clipped to the pedal. I suspect this will get easier as I get more used to it, but my bike shoe clips are very different then the clips I use for my spin bike. They are positioned differently on the shoe, so I am going to believe that is why I was having such difficulty.
Once I was on my Snagster, I have to say I felt very comfortable. She weighs a grand total of 18lbs and as corny as this may sound, Snagster felt like an extension of me while I was riding her. When I tried out road bikes last summer, I have to say that they certainly did not feel as good as Snagster. I felt wobbly and scared to take corners and go down anything resembling a hill. Oh and unike Bart (my mountain bike), she is light and has way more speed. The one thing Bart has going for him though has to do with butt issues. Way easier to ride a mountain bike over bumps than a road bike!
This was definitely a good experience in my books as it has boosted my confidence. I am so thankful for Mr. C who fit me on the bike. It was well worth the time it took for him to measure my limbs, take into account my height and weight and assess my flexibility. For anyone serious about getting into cycling-it is completey worth the money to do this!
I cycled easily for approx 55 minutes, and also practiced using my gears. I left the front gear in the largest ring while I fiddled aroung with my 10 rings on the back. I was worried that if I start changing my front and back at the same time, I would get too confused. The lesson I learned quickly is to ensure that you are in a harder gear going down hill and easier gear going up so that you can maintain a consistent cadence. I also learned that you can save a lot of enery and be way more efficient if you can master the whole gear changing thing. And, since I live in an incredibly windy city, I learned that you never ever feel like the wind is at your back!
According to my Garmin- the distance I cyled was 11 and a bit miles. I thought that was pretty good considering I was not even breaking a sweat. Then again maybe I was and the wind just caused it to immediately evaprorate. I also have to re-look at my speed and cadence sensor as I am not sure if it is correctly synched. Crap I hate having to figure out computer related issues!
Last but not least, I must say that I also wore my Oakley half jacket sunglasses that were purchased on Ebay for a steal by a computer savant (you know who you are LOL!) They are fantastic, kept my eyes from tearing and bugs out and helped me to see great in the sun and shade with no fogging or slipping. Another piece of gear that I would highly reccomend. Oh and they are fashionable too LOL!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Snagster debut
Well I am still very sore yet will be going to the gym momentarily to do some interval work and Yikes more RT later on in the morning. But since my afternoon swim lesson has been cancelled, I think I may take Snagster (my road bike) for a test drive.
I plan on going to the park in mid afternoon when I hope there is not much traffic or people around to observe. My better half has inspired me as yesterday he took my mountain bike (Bart) out for a spin. Unfortunately Bart's gears are kinda slipping so will need to see Mr. C or another bike doctor!
My game plan is to try and find a grassy area so that when I try and clip in, and Lord forbid fall, it won't be on concrete. I am also starting to panic a little as my better half, in his concern for me, challenged me to consider how fast snagster will really go and that I should be very careful.
It's true-road bikes are like sportscars-and taking a turn in them or someone getting to close to you can seriously result in injury. Also everyone keeps telling me that I should be prepared to fall, but that all I need to do is fall right. How the bleep to you fall right? Unless I was in a slow mo fall (which I doubt is how this happens) I don't think I will have time to think about how to fall right or get my body into falling position??? Ahhhhhh...............
I am definitely going to make sure I take my cell phone on my ride!
I plan on going to the park in mid afternoon when I hope there is not much traffic or people around to observe. My better half has inspired me as yesterday he took my mountain bike (Bart) out for a spin. Unfortunately Bart's gears are kinda slipping so will need to see Mr. C or another bike doctor!
My game plan is to try and find a grassy area so that when I try and clip in, and Lord forbid fall, it won't be on concrete. I am also starting to panic a little as my better half, in his concern for me, challenged me to consider how fast snagster will really go and that I should be very careful.
It's true-road bikes are like sportscars-and taking a turn in them or someone getting to close to you can seriously result in injury. Also everyone keeps telling me that I should be prepared to fall, but that all I need to do is fall right. How the bleep to you fall right? Unless I was in a slow mo fall (which I doubt is how this happens) I don't think I will have time to think about how to fall right or get my body into falling position??? Ahhhhhh...............
I am definitely going to make sure I take my cell phone on my ride!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Resistance Training............
So I met with Mr.P yesterday. He is a real live athlete who has completed the Ironman before which is double of what I am doing (over 140 miles in a day) He is fantastically fit-really a person of steal (maybe in this case Iron-Ha Ha sorry bad joke!) and is also training to compete in the Triathalon season. Mr. P cares about his time-whereas I just want to finish!
Felt a tad bit silly in meeting with him as when I do resistance training (RT) I assume machines and often will wear gloves as I don't my hands get calloused (can't have that!). Well Mr. P does not train with machines-it's all core work and free weights. Sounds easy? Not!!!! Depending on how much you weigh-you got to either pull, push or get your body off the ground some how. Now I won't reveal the details of how much I actually weigh-but suffice it to say it is quite a bit over 100 lbs-and there are not many machines that I use with a 100 lb weight!
The other thing about core work is that you soon realize how good/not good you are at balancing. In my case it's not a pretty sight. My sister will recall the one Yoga class I took with her and spun around in a 360 degree circle while everyone else was able to hold their pose! Very embarassing then and very embarassing yesterday! Mr. P has confidence that I will improve-Ha!
Today I feel really sore once again-but a weird kind of sore- a core sore! This is supposed to be really good especially for things like swimming-which I would never have guessed. Speaking of swimming, this is how I spend last evening after the kids went to bed; painting my scraggly toes a seafoam green (to mimic the water), watching some trashy TV (American Idol is my fav) and then studying Youtube videos of swimming strokes. Not for everyone but it was a great night in my books!
Felt a tad bit silly in meeting with him as when I do resistance training (RT) I assume machines and often will wear gloves as I don't my hands get calloused (can't have that!). Well Mr. P does not train with machines-it's all core work and free weights. Sounds easy? Not!!!! Depending on how much you weigh-you got to either pull, push or get your body off the ground some how. Now I won't reveal the details of how much I actually weigh-but suffice it to say it is quite a bit over 100 lbs-and there are not many machines that I use with a 100 lb weight!
The other thing about core work is that you soon realize how good/not good you are at balancing. In my case it's not a pretty sight. My sister will recall the one Yoga class I took with her and spun around in a 360 degree circle while everyone else was able to hold their pose! Very embarassing then and very embarassing yesterday! Mr. P has confidence that I will improve-Ha!
Today I feel really sore once again-but a weird kind of sore- a core sore! This is supposed to be really good especially for things like swimming-which I would never have guessed. Speaking of swimming, this is how I spend last evening after the kids went to bed; painting my scraggly toes a seafoam green (to mimic the water), watching some trashy TV (American Idol is my fav) and then studying Youtube videos of swimming strokes. Not for everyone but it was a great night in my books!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Hello followers (ha ha ha-sorry I just can't resist it sounds so crazy!) feeling awake without Red Bull-so maybe I am back to Winnipeg time? Will be doing a Tempo run this morning which is good as I think I have to work out the jitters before meeting Mr.P later today for (gulp) a resistance training session.
I have also been practising getting on and off my bike with clip shoes. I have this fear of clipping in and then falling off the bike. I guess its bound to happen that I will fall off at some point but for whatever reason (ok lets be honest the pain and embarassment factors) I want to do whatever I can to avoid this!
I am also very worried about the whole gear changing issue. I have 2 gears in the front chainring and 10 on the back. Depending on what chainrings you are in, makes it more easy/difficult. This is very confusing in that on the front chainring (controlled by the left shifter)-shifting onto the smaller ring makes pedalling easier (Downshift) and shifting to the larger ring makes pedalling harder (Upshift)
Now the rear gears are controlled by the right shifter. Moving the chain ring from large to small is now called an Upshift, and from small to large a Downshift.
Clear as mud for some-but not me. If you shift wrong you could drop your chain or brake it which would spell disaster for me because I don't know how to fix a chain or to put it back on.
I knew I should have learned to drive a Standard-perhaps this would have helped!
I have yet to take Snagster on the road for this very reason (she's still sitting on the trainer) but with some guts she may make her first debut on the road this week! Wish me luck!
I have also been practising getting on and off my bike with clip shoes. I have this fear of clipping in and then falling off the bike. I guess its bound to happen that I will fall off at some point but for whatever reason (ok lets be honest the pain and embarassment factors) I want to do whatever I can to avoid this!
I am also very worried about the whole gear changing issue. I have 2 gears in the front chainring and 10 on the back. Depending on what chainrings you are in, makes it more easy/difficult. This is very confusing in that on the front chainring (controlled by the left shifter)-shifting onto the smaller ring makes pedalling easier (Downshift) and shifting to the larger ring makes pedalling harder (Upshift)
Now the rear gears are controlled by the right shifter. Moving the chain ring from large to small is now called an Upshift, and from small to large a Downshift.
Clear as mud for some-but not me. If you shift wrong you could drop your chain or brake it which would spell disaster for me because I don't know how to fix a chain or to put it back on.
I knew I should have learned to drive a Standard-perhaps this would have helped!
I have yet to take Snagster on the road for this very reason (she's still sitting on the trainer) but with some guts she may make her first debut on the road this week! Wish me luck!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Red Bull
Ok in my quest to try new things, I elected to try a Red Bull before my Brick workout on Sunday. Why? Well I am still on Phoenix time-so waking up at my usual 530am time in Winnipeg felt like 330am. Needless to say, the promise Red Bull gives to wake you up in a snap, was a sure hit for me!
I must also admit that I love the taste of Red Bull-kind of citrusy in a non-offending way. The only problem I encountered was that carbonation factor. It makes you burp a lot. Normally, this really would not be a problem, but, being in a swimming pool and having to burp under water was not so great. I swallowed a lot of water (and probabally pee) but thought it to be good training for when I am in open water and will undoubtedly be choking on water all the time (and swallowing offending microbes of God knows what)!
I also have to say that I had a fantastic swim-I could actually say I liked it (who knew). It felt good, it felt easy and I did a total of 100 laps followed by a 90 minute cycle. The question I had, was the good feeling related to the rest/recovery week or the Red Bull? Hmmmm...so today went for another swim and did the Red Bull thing again. Still burped a lot but the swim was not as good. As Mr. P has reminded me, recovery is key!
So about the Red Bull-I think it will be something I may use-not on a regular basis I am pretty sure the caffeine overload can not be that good for you. But in a pinch....Hey whatever gets you through!
I must also admit that I love the taste of Red Bull-kind of citrusy in a non-offending way. The only problem I encountered was that carbonation factor. It makes you burp a lot. Normally, this really would not be a problem, but, being in a swimming pool and having to burp under water was not so great. I swallowed a lot of water (and probabally pee) but thought it to be good training for when I am in open water and will undoubtedly be choking on water all the time (and swallowing offending microbes of God knows what)!
I also have to say that I had a fantastic swim-I could actually say I liked it (who knew). It felt good, it felt easy and I did a total of 100 laps followed by a 90 minute cycle. The question I had, was the good feeling related to the rest/recovery week or the Red Bull? Hmmmm...so today went for another swim and did the Red Bull thing again. Still burped a lot but the swim was not as good. As Mr. P has reminded me, recovery is key!
So about the Red Bull-I think it will be something I may use-not on a regular basis I am pretty sure the caffeine overload can not be that good for you. But in a pinch....Hey whatever gets you through!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Next Phase
Ok my faithful folowers (hee hee I love saying that-I kinda feel like a cult leader) I have returned to Snow-ugg!! and wind and rain-but am very glad to be home! There is nothing like taking a shower in your own home and sleeping in your comfy bed. I am a creature of habit!
Phoenix BTW was great-it was hot and sunny and we all had a blast-mostly swimming, eating, shopping, playing and of course indulging on a few alcoholic bevy's. Yes there is nothing better than drinking a margaritta poolside! I also now have a new wardrobe of Under Armor. It was dirt cheap there and I got a steal of a deal on a Cannondale bike shirt for 12 bucks!
There is only one big problem though, when you indulge in drinking a bit too much, it does make running in the desert hard. I think they like to call it dehydration. Perhaps what made it worse was the hills, the heat and the wind. Crazy wind at times-way worse than Winnipeg! I say if your going to train anywhere-Phoenix will prepare you!
For my dear friend Seema-you'd be running like the wind-snakes everywhere-well I only saw 1 but it seemed like they were coming from everywhere-every scragely twig made me jump! and every tumbleweed made me look twice-nuff said!
So as per Mr. P's instructions, I did take it easy (no intervals, no tempos-just easy-although I could not avoid hill training)-. Fortunately for me, my better half likes to run too, so we were able to team off nearly every day. I also managed to do Mr. P's 22 minute workout-which was incredibly hard! My little Isaac kept encouraging me with his stop watch (the clock radio in the hotel room)-so cute! Hopefully I am modelling some good behaviour (while swearing vigourously under my breath in pain!)
Mr. P has sent me a lovely present for my return home to Winnipeg. It's this month's training schedule and it looks hard! Tomorrow I will be swimming 1500m and a scheduled long ride for 1.5 hours either on a spin bike or trainor. I am also planning on meeting Mr. P for a resistance training session on Tuesday (I must admit I am a tad bit fearful!)
I am also planning on abstaining from alcoholic beverages-its a killer on the liver (see I can rap too) and smarten up on my diet-need to really focus on the nutrition aspect! Let the good times roll!!!!
Phoenix BTW was great-it was hot and sunny and we all had a blast-mostly swimming, eating, shopping, playing and of course indulging on a few alcoholic bevy's. Yes there is nothing better than drinking a margaritta poolside! I also now have a new wardrobe of Under Armor. It was dirt cheap there and I got a steal of a deal on a Cannondale bike shirt for 12 bucks!
There is only one big problem though, when you indulge in drinking a bit too much, it does make running in the desert hard. I think they like to call it dehydration. Perhaps what made it worse was the hills, the heat and the wind. Crazy wind at times-way worse than Winnipeg! I say if your going to train anywhere-Phoenix will prepare you!
For my dear friend Seema-you'd be running like the wind-snakes everywhere-well I only saw 1 but it seemed like they were coming from everywhere-every scragely twig made me jump! and every tumbleweed made me look twice-nuff said!
So as per Mr. P's instructions, I did take it easy (no intervals, no tempos-just easy-although I could not avoid hill training)-. Fortunately for me, my better half likes to run too, so we were able to team off nearly every day. I also managed to do Mr. P's 22 minute workout-which was incredibly hard! My little Isaac kept encouraging me with his stop watch (the clock radio in the hotel room)-so cute! Hopefully I am modelling some good behaviour (while swearing vigourously under my breath in pain!)
Mr. P has sent me a lovely present for my return home to Winnipeg. It's this month's training schedule and it looks hard! Tomorrow I will be swimming 1500m and a scheduled long ride for 1.5 hours either on a spin bike or trainor. I am also planning on meeting Mr. P for a resistance training session on Tuesday (I must admit I am a tad bit fearful!)
I am also planning on abstaining from alcoholic beverages-its a killer on the liver (see I can rap too) and smarten up on my diet-need to really focus on the nutrition aspect! Let the good times roll!!!!
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