I had to go and develop a freakin hernia. I started having some pain on Monday, yesterday it was a little more noticeable and by today, every time I coughed, sneezed, laughed, etc it would hurt. So I found myself a new primary doctor since I hadnt seen one in a while and was able to make an appt for lunchtime today. She confirmed my worst fear. Based on my symptoms, I had a feeling that was what I had.
Unfortunately, there is no other option then to have surgery. One of the advantages of working in a hospital, including working in the OR for awhile, is that I had worked with many of the surgeons. One of the better general surgeons is also a triathlete so I went ahead and made an appt to see him on Tuesday. I will let you guys know how it goes. I suspect I may not have to immediately have surgery, but I think I would be better off doing it before it gets worse. Until I find out, I am going to limit my training to swimming, though I will still do the Peachtree RR on Saturday since I was looking to take it easy and run with Cathy anyways.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A Kick Arse Long run
Since I wore myself out doing my husbandly sherpa duties Sunday morning, I was in no shape to run Sunday night. Since I took Sunday off, where Monday is usually my off day, I decided I would do it Monday night after work. I knew it would be hot, but at least it would be under 90 degrees.
When I got off work, I headed off to the Roswell Riverwalk, my new favorite place to do my long runs. It is a 3-4 mile trail with a big park right in the middle of it. The trail varies from concrete to asphalt to packed gravel. The best part is that the majority of it is shaded. Truly a great place to run.
After a quick stop at the gas station to fill up and get some cold water and gatorade, I got to the park. I filled up my fuel belt with cold water and had a few sips of gatorade and stuck both bottles into one of those grocery store hot-cold bags. That was a really smart thing to do as my water stayed cold the whole two hours. I headed out towards the one end and about a quarter mile in I realized I left my Ipod in my car where it could be visible to anyone walking by. I probably could do without it, but I didnt need it getting stolen. After grabbing my ipod and refilling my first bottle, I was off again. I made it to the other end and back and I was feeling great (other then a rush to the bathroom. Thankfully the bathrooms at the park are super clean compared to most other public parks). I went out and back on the other end with no issues (other then another potty stop). Other then mile 8 which involved some walking due to abdominal issues, I kept a fairly steady pace. I took walk breaks every mile and still managed to average 11:49 which is one of my fastest runs since my sprain and my fastest longest run since then. I finished 9 miles in 1:46.
I am now seriously considering moving my long runs to mid week. I remember reading ,I believe,in the book "Going Long" that the authors recommend not doing your long run and long ride both on the weekend. Other then making some adjustments to my diet on the long run day so that my stomach is empty, I dont see any reason why I cant do my long runs during the week.
With Saturday's long ride, I have broken 1000 miles on the bike for the year. It was also my biggest month in terms of bike miles so far at 390 miles.
June--Year
Swim 19,700--81,400
Bike 390--1049
Run 48--208
I am definitely looking at well surpassing my milage from previous years
Today, I finally found a pair of Wide Tri shoes and have ordered them. I have had issues with pain in the side of my foot as it swells. Lake actually makes wide tri shoes and I am looking forward to more comfy tri shoes. Because the site I ordered them were offering 20% off if you spent 150, I also got a great deal on a pair of 2xu compression sleeves. From what I understand, these can actually be warn in the water and/or under a wetsuit so you dont have to worry about getting them on in transition for a long race. I will have to review them when they come in.
I have been using Oxysox for several months and find myself wearing them much more often now that I am training for the ironman
If you have a chance, you should visit Chic Runner's Blog as she is giving away a $75 Zensah Gift Cert. Zensah is a maker of great compression gear and other athletic apparel.
When I got off work, I headed off to the Roswell Riverwalk, my new favorite place to do my long runs. It is a 3-4 mile trail with a big park right in the middle of it. The trail varies from concrete to asphalt to packed gravel. The best part is that the majority of it is shaded. Truly a great place to run.
After a quick stop at the gas station to fill up and get some cold water and gatorade, I got to the park. I filled up my fuel belt with cold water and had a few sips of gatorade and stuck both bottles into one of those grocery store hot-cold bags. That was a really smart thing to do as my water stayed cold the whole two hours. I headed out towards the one end and about a quarter mile in I realized I left my Ipod in my car where it could be visible to anyone walking by. I probably could do without it, but I didnt need it getting stolen. After grabbing my ipod and refilling my first bottle, I was off again. I made it to the other end and back and I was feeling great (other then a rush to the bathroom. Thankfully the bathrooms at the park are super clean compared to most other public parks). I went out and back on the other end with no issues (other then another potty stop). Other then mile 8 which involved some walking due to abdominal issues, I kept a fairly steady pace. I took walk breaks every mile and still managed to average 11:49 which is one of my fastest runs since my sprain and my fastest longest run since then. I finished 9 miles in 1:46.
I am now seriously considering moving my long runs to mid week. I remember reading ,I believe,in the book "Going Long" that the authors recommend not doing your long run and long ride both on the weekend. Other then making some adjustments to my diet on the long run day so that my stomach is empty, I dont see any reason why I cant do my long runs during the week.
With Saturday's long ride, I have broken 1000 miles on the bike for the year. It was also my biggest month in terms of bike miles so far at 390 miles.
June--Year
Swim 19,700--81,400
Bike 390--1049
Run 48--208
I am definitely looking at well surpassing my milage from previous years
Today, I finally found a pair of Wide Tri shoes and have ordered them. I have had issues with pain in the side of my foot as it swells. Lake actually makes wide tri shoes and I am looking forward to more comfy tri shoes. Because the site I ordered them were offering 20% off if you spent 150, I also got a great deal on a pair of 2xu compression sleeves. From what I understand, these can actually be warn in the water and/or under a wetsuit so you dont have to worry about getting them on in transition for a long race. I will have to review them when they come in.
I have been using Oxysox for several months and find myself wearing them much more often now that I am training for the ironman
If you have a chance, you should visit Chic Runner's Blog as she is giving away a $75 Zensah Gift Cert. Zensah is a maker of great compression gear and other athletic apparel.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
My much neglected blog
First off, I announcement. I have made a slight change in my schedule. I was planning on doing the South Carolina Half again this year. After some thought, I have decided instead to do Ironman Augusta 70.3! It is slightly closer, it is easier to get to, and it is much bigger a town then where the SC half is. That and I know so many of you and so many of my tri club friends are doing it.
I am also contemplating a century ride and a 1/3/5k OWS in two weeks.
I know I have neglected my blog lately. Ironman training is really taking up so much of my time. I used to go to bed most nights at 11 or 11:30. Now I am getting to bed on most nights by 9 so I can be up around 4 AM to train. It has been hot here in Atlanta so I have been trying to do as much training in the AM as possible.
Last week I raced the Callaway sprint tri. Really not much to say about it. I finished 10 minutes slower then the previous year thanks to the run. I was about a minute slower on the swim, about the same on the bike and had nothing left for the run. I hammered my swim and bike and just had nothing left. I am not too worried about that race because I am wholly focused on Iron training and only now in week 5 beginning to do short bouts of speed.
My running otherwise is finally beginning to get faster. My speed and endurance is slowly coming back more and more each week. I realized last Saturday when I did my long run that I needed new shoes. I have been using New Balance 1061/1062 for several years. I began my running career as a overponator and heel striker. This year I have been focusing on mid-foot striking and decided it was a time for a change. Unfortunately, with my big feet, the running store had only one other option. I tried on the Mizuno Wave 12s and immediately knew they were the ones for me. I dont know if it was simply because my old ones were worn out or if it truly are the new shoes, but so far I am truly loving them. Tomorrow evening's long run will be the best test so far.
Had a great, but hectic weekend. I was up super early for a 4ish hour bike ride. It was a decent ride, but my legs were a little tired since that was my 4th day in a row on the bike. Normally, I do my long ride on Sunday, but with Cathy's Iron Girl race today, I had to do my ride on Saturday. Once I got home and showered it was off to the Iron Girl packet pickup/expo/bike dropoff. We went home relaxed for about an hour and then met up with Wes and Dee Dee for dinner at a local italian restaurant. We had a great dinner and then it was time to go home and go to bed. We were up at 4AM this morning and headed off to Lake Lanier Islands. Wes and Dee Dee pulled in to the lot right behind us so we headed down to transition together. I hung out with Wes all day taking pictures and cheering the ladies on. It was a great race, though super hot. Cathy was happy to finish the super tough course in about the time she expected. We came home and crashed for the day. I was supposed to do a 1hr45min run today, but I have decided to postpone it until tomorrow evening. Hopefully it wont be too hot.
I will try to update the blog more often. I actually have some gadgets and stuff I can review. I am still awaiting my Forerunner 310. They keep pushing the ship date further and further back. Also know that even though I may not get a chance to comment on everyone's blogs, I am reading and keeping up with everyone's training
I am also contemplating a century ride and a 1/3/5k OWS in two weeks.
I know I have neglected my blog lately. Ironman training is really taking up so much of my time. I used to go to bed most nights at 11 or 11:30. Now I am getting to bed on most nights by 9 so I can be up around 4 AM to train. It has been hot here in Atlanta so I have been trying to do as much training in the AM as possible.
Last week I raced the Callaway sprint tri. Really not much to say about it. I finished 10 minutes slower then the previous year thanks to the run. I was about a minute slower on the swim, about the same on the bike and had nothing left for the run. I hammered my swim and bike and just had nothing left. I am not too worried about that race because I am wholly focused on Iron training and only now in week 5 beginning to do short bouts of speed.
My running otherwise is finally beginning to get faster. My speed and endurance is slowly coming back more and more each week. I realized last Saturday when I did my long run that I needed new shoes. I have been using New Balance 1061/1062 for several years. I began my running career as a overponator and heel striker. This year I have been focusing on mid-foot striking and decided it was a time for a change. Unfortunately, with my big feet, the running store had only one other option. I tried on the Mizuno Wave 12s and immediately knew they were the ones for me. I dont know if it was simply because my old ones were worn out or if it truly are the new shoes, but so far I am truly loving them. Tomorrow evening's long run will be the best test so far.
Had a great, but hectic weekend. I was up super early for a 4ish hour bike ride. It was a decent ride, but my legs were a little tired since that was my 4th day in a row on the bike. Normally, I do my long ride on Sunday, but with Cathy's Iron Girl race today, I had to do my ride on Saturday. Once I got home and showered it was off to the Iron Girl packet pickup/expo/bike dropoff. We went home relaxed for about an hour and then met up with Wes and Dee Dee for dinner at a local italian restaurant. We had a great dinner and then it was time to go home and go to bed. We were up at 4AM this morning and headed off to Lake Lanier Islands. Wes and Dee Dee pulled in to the lot right behind us so we headed down to transition together. I hung out with Wes all day taking pictures and cheering the ladies on. It was a great race, though super hot. Cathy was happy to finish the super tough course in about the time she expected. We came home and crashed for the day. I was supposed to do a 1hr45min run today, but I have decided to postpone it until tomorrow evening. Hopefully it wont be too hot.
I will try to update the blog more often. I actually have some gadgets and stuff I can review. I am still awaiting my Forerunner 310. They keep pushing the ship date further and further back. Also know that even though I may not get a chance to comment on everyone's blogs, I am reading and keeping up with everyone's training
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Lessons Learned
Today I learned something important about my training abilities. Because I got to bed late last night, I chose to sleep to my normal non-training time and double up in the evening. I didnt think it would be too big a deal, my swim was an easy set totaling 2100M. My run was only supposed to be 50 minutes followed by 6 20sec strides. I figured ok, no big deal.
The swim went well with no issues. I got home from the gym and put dinner together real quick so I wouldnt have to eat too late and then headed out for my run. Right away, I knew it wouldnt be a good one. It was almost 90 and humid. I struggled through it and stopped myself at 30 minutes. I just had no energy and my legs felt like lead weights. If for some reason I ever have to double up like this again, I know I need to run before the swim.
While I have a training plan that is on paper and have been doing fairly well at executing the planned workouts, there are certain things not part of the plan that are almost as important that I have so far struggled with.
I need to make the effort to get to bed much earlier during the week (as I write this at 10:15 and really should be in bed). This way it will be easier for me to wake up early to get my scheduled training in.
I also need to schedule my weekday runs for the AM through most of this plan. It was 88 Degrees around 7PM this evening. I may also need to push some of the swims to the AM. The longest workouts during the week are my bike rides. The problem is that other then Friday, I leave for work at 6:30 AM and usually get up at 5:30. This would mean that I would often have to be up around 3AM if I needed to ride in the AM!! Knowing how it can be difficult for me to fall asleep, this is really not a preferred option. The one issue I may run into is I may end up some weeks doing rides 3 nights in a row from Wed-Fri. I know this wont be too bad. I would just need to strategically shuffle my rides around so that my easier bike is the middle day of that set.
The other big thing I know I need to be doing better at though I cant seem to get right is my diet. I need to at least lose the 20 pounds I put on over the winter. I dont eat too bad, but it is really difficult for me to lose weight so I need to be super careful what I eat. I have been reading the Paleo Diet for Athletes book. It is a really interesting read. Overall, it isnt too bad, but I just dont know if I could give up everything they consider to be unhealthy. The toughest thing is that it recommends to give up what most consider "healthy" carbs such as whole grains and beans. It does make the exception before/during/after training that you can eat the carbs.. This could possibly make it doable. I did a search on BT and found that those who did it struggled for a little bit, but felt so much better after that.
Finally, I need to make more time for some sort of functional/core strength training as well as yoga/trigger point/roller. These things are super important to keep me strong, flexible, and injury free. The other thing I am doing to try to stay injury free is changing the way I run. I have reread the important chapters of Chi Running and have begun to try and implement their method. I have noticed when I am in the groove and in the right position, running definitely feels easier and I dont get any aches in my knee. I find myself while I am running visualizing the three parts to the correct form and have to pull myself back into proper form. The problem has been holding the position. I know that will get easier with time, especially as I lose more weight.
Well, let me head off to bed before it is too too late
The swim went well with no issues. I got home from the gym and put dinner together real quick so I wouldnt have to eat too late and then headed out for my run. Right away, I knew it wouldnt be a good one. It was almost 90 and humid. I struggled through it and stopped myself at 30 minutes. I just had no energy and my legs felt like lead weights. If for some reason I ever have to double up like this again, I know I need to run before the swim.
While I have a training plan that is on paper and have been doing fairly well at executing the planned workouts, there are certain things not part of the plan that are almost as important that I have so far struggled with.
I need to make the effort to get to bed much earlier during the week (as I write this at 10:15 and really should be in bed). This way it will be easier for me to wake up early to get my scheduled training in.
I also need to schedule my weekday runs for the AM through most of this plan. It was 88 Degrees around 7PM this evening. I may also need to push some of the swims to the AM. The longest workouts during the week are my bike rides. The problem is that other then Friday, I leave for work at 6:30 AM and usually get up at 5:30. This would mean that I would often have to be up around 3AM if I needed to ride in the AM!! Knowing how it can be difficult for me to fall asleep, this is really not a preferred option. The one issue I may run into is I may end up some weeks doing rides 3 nights in a row from Wed-Fri. I know this wont be too bad. I would just need to strategically shuffle my rides around so that my easier bike is the middle day of that set.
The other big thing I know I need to be doing better at though I cant seem to get right is my diet. I need to at least lose the 20 pounds I put on over the winter. I dont eat too bad, but it is really difficult for me to lose weight so I need to be super careful what I eat. I have been reading the Paleo Diet for Athletes book. It is a really interesting read. Overall, it isnt too bad, but I just dont know if I could give up everything they consider to be unhealthy. The toughest thing is that it recommends to give up what most consider "healthy" carbs such as whole grains and beans. It does make the exception before/during/after training that you can eat the carbs.. This could possibly make it doable. I did a search on BT and found that those who did it struggled for a little bit, but felt so much better after that.
Finally, I need to make more time for some sort of functional/core strength training as well as yoga/trigger point/roller. These things are super important to keep me strong, flexible, and injury free. The other thing I am doing to try to stay injury free is changing the way I run. I have reread the important chapters of Chi Running and have begun to try and implement their method. I have noticed when I am in the groove and in the right position, running definitely feels easier and I dont get any aches in my knee. I find myself while I am running visualizing the three parts to the correct form and have to pull myself back into proper form. The problem has been holding the position. I know that will get easier with time, especially as I lose more weight.
Well, let me head off to bed before it is too too late
Monday, June 8, 2009
Bag Balm is da bomb
So week 2 of my Beach 2 Battleship 24 Week plan is in the books. Overall, it was a very productive week of training. So far I feel good with only the occasional little aches and pains. I have had a decent amount of energy.
This week, I did have one setback. I have been spending alot of time on the bike (relative to where I had been). Apparently, I forgot one day to use either body glide or chamois butt'r. BIG MISTAKE. Ended up with a saddle sore. This has made it painful to ride this week. With lots of Neosporin, I am nearly healed. As I was doing some research, I think I found something that works for me better then Body Glide and costs less:Bag Balm not only does it work well as a lubricant, but it also helps heal saddle sores and chafing. Sure, its made for cows, but it seems to work great. The only warning is that because it is petroleum based, it may break down certain fabrics quicker.
Saturday, I broke out the road bike to do a ride with Cathy. For me, this would be an easy recovery ride. I found that riding upright on the road bike was a little less painful then riding in the aero position on my tri bike. We drove out west and met one of her co-workers (and family) all the way in Rockmart. Normally, when I ride the silver comet, I ride towards rockmart and back. It is a good thing I normally ride this direction, because there is an awesome italian restaurant in downtown Rockmart that is known by all the cyclists. Frankies has awesome breadsticks and great pizza. I defintely ate my share of breadsticks for lunch that day. I had to reload the carbs for my long run that evening ;-).
After getting home and taking a short nap, I headed out for my scheduled 50 minute long run. As per my plans, I took walk breaks after every mile. I felt really strong throughout the run. My pace continues to come down while my heart rate is staying relatively low. It feels great to finally be making progress. IT is so weird how for months I felt like I was getting no where in terms of running and then wham! It just started clicking. Part of it may also be my focus on running at a lower heart rate.
Overall, my swimming continues to be decent. My long swims are averaging just over 2 minutes per 100M. Compared to last year, this is a little slow, but I know I will get faster as I take some weight off.
I have two weeks till my first race of the season, the Callaway Sprint Tri. This will be my second year doing this race. I really dont expect to be super fast since my running is slowly coming back and I havent been doing any speed work. My plan for the race is haul butt on the swim. Hammer the bike and try to pace myself on the run. Last year I came out of the water with the fastest time in the clydes, but lost it on the bike. If I can repeat the swim and hammer the bike, maybe just maybe I can hold the competition off on the run or at least place this time.
Well, I need to be getting to bed as I have a Looong day tomorrow
This week, I did have one setback. I have been spending alot of time on the bike (relative to where I had been). Apparently, I forgot one day to use either body glide or chamois butt'r. BIG MISTAKE. Ended up with a saddle sore. This has made it painful to ride this week. With lots of Neosporin, I am nearly healed. As I was doing some research, I think I found something that works for me better then Body Glide and costs less:Bag Balm not only does it work well as a lubricant, but it also helps heal saddle sores and chafing. Sure, its made for cows, but it seems to work great. The only warning is that because it is petroleum based, it may break down certain fabrics quicker.
Saturday, I broke out the road bike to do a ride with Cathy. For me, this would be an easy recovery ride. I found that riding upright on the road bike was a little less painful then riding in the aero position on my tri bike. We drove out west and met one of her co-workers (and family) all the way in Rockmart. Normally, when I ride the silver comet, I ride towards rockmart and back. It is a good thing I normally ride this direction, because there is an awesome italian restaurant in downtown Rockmart that is known by all the cyclists. Frankies has awesome breadsticks and great pizza. I defintely ate my share of breadsticks for lunch that day. I had to reload the carbs for my long run that evening ;-).
After getting home and taking a short nap, I headed out for my scheduled 50 minute long run. As per my plans, I took walk breaks after every mile. I felt really strong throughout the run. My pace continues to come down while my heart rate is staying relatively low. It feels great to finally be making progress. IT is so weird how for months I felt like I was getting no where in terms of running and then wham! It just started clicking. Part of it may also be my focus on running at a lower heart rate.
Overall, my swimming continues to be decent. My long swims are averaging just over 2 minutes per 100M. Compared to last year, this is a little slow, but I know I will get faster as I take some weight off.
I have two weeks till my first race of the season, the Callaway Sprint Tri. This will be my second year doing this race. I really dont expect to be super fast since my running is slowly coming back and I havent been doing any speed work. My plan for the race is haul butt on the swim. Hammer the bike and try to pace myself on the run. Last year I came out of the water with the fastest time in the clydes, but lost it on the bike. If I can repeat the swim and hammer the bike, maybe just maybe I can hold the competition off on the run or at least place this time.
Well, I need to be getting to bed as I have a Looong day tomorrow
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