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Monday, October 29, 2007
Week 3
Monday
Day off. And, for once, I just don't feel like eating. Weird. I kinda have an upset stomach and no appetite for anything. Backlash from a hard drinking weekend? Who knows. Did core at night.
Tuesday
Swim. I got into the medium speed lane this morning because just as I was gonna get into the fast lane some guy jumped in with flippers on. I don't need to compete with a guy with flippers. did some warm ups and then started my set. Then the flipper guy got out of the pool so I slid over to the fast lane and got disoriented and started my swim on the wrong side of the lane. Maybe it's just normal pool standards but why do the end lanes swim in a different direction than the lanes in the middle. I knew I was wrong but decided to finish my length and then fix it. When I came to the end the lifeguard (in my opinion) was meanly yelling at me that I was going in the wrong direction. I told him that I figured it out half way and I was sorry. Then he acted like I was an idiot. Sigh. I hate people. Did core at night. (yards 666 - I was doing a 15 minuted lap marker)
Wednesday
Track. Hate it. Can't stand it. Hate driving over to Kezar. Had to do a 30 minute time maker and it really wasn't that bad. I had Yi to run with and we talked about boys the whole way. Conclusion : in the beginning boys are awesome and somewhere in the middle they start sucking. Went home and wasn't sleepy. Stayed up too late.
Thursday
Bike. Did some spinning for an hour in my kitchen at 6am. One hour of level 3 interspersed with three 6 minute bursts of level 5....painful.
Friday
Friday is the new Monday so I took this day off. Was supposed to go out that night but it was canceled so I got to leisurely lounge around and download music.
Saturday
Bike. Woke up and drove down to the Peninsula to redo my 15 mile time marker. Yi and Susan met me down there. The idea was nice, but I was ahead of them most of the time. Yay for spending the summer on the cycle team! I did 15 miles in 54 minutes. I have no idea if that is good or not but I was really impressed with my average speed of 16.5 mph. That is the fastes I've ever been. Then we all went to Stack's in Burlingame for lunch. The place was ok. Came home and did some baking.
Sunday
Swim. Yi picked me up and we drove 45 miles to a pool for the team work out. Ugh. We did about an hour and 45 minutes of drills and then 45 minutes of core and leg work. Uhhhhuug. Drove home in a stupor and then tried to clean my house. Wasn't happening. I was so hungry the whole day and had to eat almost every 2 hours. Then I got a super bad headache and got my pajamas on at 7pm. Was asleep by 8pm. Woke up at 5am and did my stretching video, cleaned my kitchen, folded laundry and then went to work.
Day off. And, for once, I just don't feel like eating. Weird. I kinda have an upset stomach and no appetite for anything. Backlash from a hard drinking weekend? Who knows. Did core at night.
Tuesday
Swim. I got into the medium speed lane this morning because just as I was gonna get into the fast lane some guy jumped in with flippers on. I don't need to compete with a guy with flippers. did some warm ups and then started my set. Then the flipper guy got out of the pool so I slid over to the fast lane and got disoriented and started my swim on the wrong side of the lane. Maybe it's just normal pool standards but why do the end lanes swim in a different direction than the lanes in the middle. I knew I was wrong but decided to finish my length and then fix it. When I came to the end the lifeguard (in my opinion) was meanly yelling at me that I was going in the wrong direction. I told him that I figured it out half way and I was sorry. Then he acted like I was an idiot. Sigh. I hate people. Did core at night. (yards 666 - I was doing a 15 minuted lap marker)
Wednesday
Track. Hate it. Can't stand it. Hate driving over to Kezar. Had to do a 30 minute time maker and it really wasn't that bad. I had Yi to run with and we talked about boys the whole way. Conclusion : in the beginning boys are awesome and somewhere in the middle they start sucking. Went home and wasn't sleepy. Stayed up too late.
Thursday
Bike. Did some spinning for an hour in my kitchen at 6am. One hour of level 3 interspersed with three 6 minute bursts of level 5....painful.
Friday
Friday is the new Monday so I took this day off. Was supposed to go out that night but it was canceled so I got to leisurely lounge around and download music.
Saturday
Bike. Woke up and drove down to the Peninsula to redo my 15 mile time marker. Yi and Susan met me down there. The idea was nice, but I was ahead of them most of the time. Yay for spending the summer on the cycle team! I did 15 miles in 54 minutes. I have no idea if that is good or not but I was really impressed with my average speed of 16.5 mph. That is the fastes I've ever been. Then we all went to Stack's in Burlingame for lunch. The place was ok. Came home and did some baking.
Sunday
Swim. Yi picked me up and we drove 45 miles to a pool for the team work out. Ugh. We did about an hour and 45 minutes of drills and then 45 minutes of core and leg work. Uhhhhuug. Drove home in a stupor and then tried to clean my house. Wasn't happening. I was so hungry the whole day and had to eat almost every 2 hours. Then I got a super bad headache and got my pajamas on at 7pm. Was asleep by 8pm. Woke up at 5am and did my stretching video, cleaned my kitchen, folded laundry and then went to work.
Hez in light blue cap far left
Boring week.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Dude Where's My Life?
I've had a bit of a hiatus here. After crashing and burning earlier this year during Wildflower, where I failed to complete my first long course race (stupid timing), I spent the summer languidly lounging on the Team in Training Cycle Team. And when I say lounging, I mean riding 50+ miles a day every weekend. I joined as a mentor, took a break from fundraising and helped introduce the wonderful world of cycling to some newbies. Everyone on the team was so fantastic that I decided I never wanted to leave and will, in the near future, become an assistant cycle coach (inshalla). But first! I have to do this Ironman thing.
I remember, somewhere around 1997, I was sitting on my couch one winter in Cambridge, MA smoking my umpteenth Dunhill cigarette, probably drinking a vodka tonic and, I am pretty sure eating some bad food, all while watching Ironman Hawaii (the championships) on TV. And I said out loud, and I remember this clearly, "That would be fun to do one day."
A smoking habit and ten years behind me I am finally taking a stab at it.
On October 6th my first Ironman Team in Training season started. I am lucky enough to have three wonderful woman from previous triathlon seasons joining me, the amazing Deb, Yi and Heidi. I am luckily because I will have automatic friends on the team and also because I genuinely like these women. You may remember that the spring tri team is filled with insufferable high school-like girls. At any rate, kick off was much like I suspect all Ironteam events will be -- long. We sat in the new Sports Basement for 3 hours learning about the team and our future for the next 10 months.
Then it started
Monday: Day off.
Tuesday: Swim (45 minutes including warm up and cool down) Thanks to Mai, I discovered public swimming pools this year. I was really dreading having to schlep all the way over to Koret and pay $15 for less than an hour swim workout. But now! I just drive about 8 blocks to the Garfield Pool in the Mission and pay $4. Can't beat that. (Although, let's check in with my neurosis right now. Prior to actually going to the pool I was freaking out because, well, it's kind of in the 'hood and connected to a park. And really, well, any park in the Mission is scary what with the homeless people and the drug dealers and the drug users. So Monday night, on my way home, I decided to do a drive-by in the day light and a possible "get out of the car and check it out" so I wouldn't have to spazz out at 6am in the dark the next morning. Unsavory characters be damned! I have daylight on my side. Well, then I couldn't find parking so I just went home.) The pool is quite nice. The locker rooms are a little run down. But the pool is nice! Did I mention the hot lifeguard and 7-1 male to female ratio? Half naked men are awesome.
Wednesday: Run. I did my old time route that I used to do with my friend June, which goes up 22nd to Valencia, down Valencia to 14th, down 14th to Folsom, up Folsom to 22nd and then I am home. It took me 30 minutes and was so god damned hard. I have not run since May and it really showed.
Thursday: Swim (1600 yards). The (presumably) Russian lifeguard flirted with me and I felt self-conscious because I was half naked and haven't had a chance to wax yet. Nevermind! I ended up creating a playing card size laminated card for my swim workout and the (other) lesbian lifeguard was pretty impressed.
Friday: I think I skipped Friday because I was way.too.sore to do anything other than lay in bed another hour.
Saturday: Bike Ride. This was going to be my first time on my bike since a guy doored me on my way home from work at the end of September. What? Oh yeah. Some asshole doored me on my way home from work. I went to the hospital and everything and my chiropractor is working me over. Anyways, part of my job on this ride was to check in with myself now and again on my level of anxiety with having to ride near cars. I drove down to the Peninsula at seven in the morning to Canada Road (that word has a little Latin squiggle thing over the "n" but I have no idea how to do that here) and guess what? The Peninsula is foggy and cold at 7am. I was not prepared for that so I froze my ass of until the sun burnt through the fog. I just went out and back for a total of 15 miles and about 3/4 of the way through the ride I was like, oh yeah...I'm supposed to be checking to see if I have issues with riding in traffic. Hmmm, guess my brain was not affected. But my knee was. Great. Oh, I was also supposed to swim before this bike ride but logistically I couldn't figure it out so I just did the ride.
Ohhh, stretching
Sunday: I carpooled with Deb, which was awesome because we haven't really talked much other than the brief poolside chat at the Stanford pool so it was nice to learn more about her. We drove up to IVC in Novato prepared to swim for 80-90 minutes and then run. Turns out they broke up the team into two groups. One group swam while the other learned about core and run drills. I was in the latter. I spent about an hour and half doing core (plank, side plank, crunches, donkey kicks, squats, calf raises aaaaand push ups). Then we spent about another hour doing run drills (skipping, shuffling, forward walking, grapevine, dying). Then we joined the rest of the team and went on a run. Twenty minutes out, twenty minutes back and then some stretching. Then we went home. Yay!
Monday: Day off, yay!
Tuesday: Swim (1100 yards) Nothing to report other than swimming at a perceived exertion rate of a level 5 is hard. What is also hard is trying to master breathing on the left.
Wednesday: Track. I had to skip it since I was slammed at work and couldn't leave in time. I remember during the spring, this would happen to Betsy and she would just arrive at Kezar whenever she could and do her running. Um, yeah. I am not that into running. Went home and assembled my trainer.
Friday: Swim. Well. I had dinner at Mel's house last night and a bottle of wine and 12:30am later I was in no shape to do anything at 6am. Gloriously stayed in bed until 9am, then got my nails done and went to work late. Friday night came home to try on my suit I planned to wear to Misty's wedding and felt that the pants were inappropriately tight in all the wrong places. Tried on back up dress and looked pregnant. Cried on the couch to bad TV. Felt guilty. Hopped on trainer at 9pm. More Kid Rock. More fist pumping. Did a spin for 57 minutes. Took a shower. Got back on the couch for more bad TV feeling infinitely better about myself.
Saturday: Team Workout - bike and run. Drove to Sports Basement in the Presidio for a 9am start. Got there and did not see anyone I recognized. Panicked. Did I get the right place? The right time? My brain has been so retarded since the accident. Drove down to the GG bridge to waste time and was secretly hoping I DID get the spot wrong so I didn't have to work out. Went back and there was the coach. Set up my stuff. We did a spin for 70 minutes and it was incredibly hard. Then we ran for 20 minutes and it wasn't so bad. I felt pretty good in fact. Then we did some core. Then I went home and vegged on my couch until I had to get ready for the wedding.
Sunday: Team workout - swim. Yeah. Drinking about 80 drinks and going to bed at 4am means not getting up for a workout. Plus, I had a wedding brunch to attend!
I remember, somewhere around 1997, I was sitting on my couch one winter in Cambridge, MA smoking my umpteenth Dunhill cigarette, probably drinking a vodka tonic and, I am pretty sure eating some bad food, all while watching Ironman Hawaii (the championships) on TV. And I said out loud, and I remember this clearly, "That would be fun to do one day."
A smoking habit and ten years behind me I am finally taking a stab at it.
On October 6th my first Ironman Team in Training season started. I am lucky enough to have three wonderful woman from previous triathlon seasons joining me, the amazing Deb, Yi and Heidi. I am luckily because I will have automatic friends on the team and also because I genuinely like these women. You may remember that the spring tri team is filled with insufferable high school-like girls. At any rate, kick off was much like I suspect all Ironteam events will be -- long. We sat in the new Sports Basement for 3 hours learning about the team and our future for the next 10 months.
Then it started
Monday: Day off.
Tuesday: Swim (45 minutes including warm up and cool down) Thanks to Mai, I discovered public swimming pools this year. I was really dreading having to schlep all the way over to Koret and pay $15 for less than an hour swim workout. But now! I just drive about 8 blocks to the Garfield Pool in the Mission and pay $4. Can't beat that. (Although, let's check in with my neurosis right now. Prior to actually going to the pool I was freaking out because, well, it's kind of in the 'hood and connected to a park. And really, well, any park in the Mission is scary what with the homeless people and the drug dealers and the drug users. So Monday night, on my way home, I decided to do a drive-by in the day light and a possible "get out of the car and check it out" so I wouldn't have to spazz out at 6am in the dark the next morning. Unsavory characters be damned! I have daylight on my side. Well, then I couldn't find parking so I just went home.) The pool is quite nice. The locker rooms are a little run down. But the pool is nice! Did I mention the hot lifeguard and 7-1 male to female ratio? Half naked men are awesome.
Wednesday: Run. I did my old time route that I used to do with my friend June, which goes up 22nd to Valencia, down Valencia to 14th, down 14th to Folsom, up Folsom to 22nd and then I am home. It took me 30 minutes and was so god damned hard. I have not run since May and it really showed.
Thursday: Swim (1600 yards). The (presumably) Russian lifeguard flirted with me and I felt self-conscious because I was half naked and haven't had a chance to wax yet. Nevermind! I ended up creating a playing card size laminated card for my swim workout and the (other) lesbian lifeguard was pretty impressed.
Friday: I think I skipped Friday because I was way.too.sore to do anything other than lay in bed another hour.
Saturday: Bike Ride. This was going to be my first time on my bike since a guy doored me on my way home from work at the end of September. What? Oh yeah. Some asshole doored me on my way home from work. I went to the hospital and everything and my chiropractor is working me over. Anyways, part of my job on this ride was to check in with myself now and again on my level of anxiety with having to ride near cars. I drove down to the Peninsula at seven in the morning to Canada Road (that word has a little Latin squiggle thing over the "n" but I have no idea how to do that here) and guess what? The Peninsula is foggy and cold at 7am. I was not prepared for that so I froze my ass of until the sun burnt through the fog. I just went out and back for a total of 15 miles and about 3/4 of the way through the ride I was like, oh yeah...I'm supposed to be checking to see if I have issues with riding in traffic. Hmmm, guess my brain was not affected. But my knee was. Great. Oh, I was also supposed to swim before this bike ride but logistically I couldn't figure it out so I just did the ride.
Ohhh, stretchingSunday: I carpooled with Deb, which was awesome because we haven't really talked much other than the brief poolside chat at the Stanford pool so it was nice to learn more about her. We drove up to IVC in Novato prepared to swim for 80-90 minutes and then run. Turns out they broke up the team into two groups. One group swam while the other learned about core and run drills. I was in the latter. I spent about an hour and half doing core (plank, side plank, crunches, donkey kicks, squats, calf raises aaaaand push ups). Then we spent about another hour doing run drills (skipping, shuffling, forward walking, grapevine, dying). Then we joined the rest of the team and went on a run. Twenty minutes out, twenty minutes back and then some stretching. Then we went home. Yay!
Monday: Day off, yay!
Tuesday: Swim (1100 yards) Nothing to report other than swimming at a perceived exertion rate of a level 5 is hard. What is also hard is trying to master breathing on the left.
Wednesday: Track. I had to skip it since I was slammed at work and couldn't leave in time. I remember during the spring, this would happen to Betsy and she would just arrive at Kezar whenever she could and do her running. Um, yeah. I am not that into running. Went home and assembled my trainer.
Yes, that IS the "New Our Bodies, Ourselves" under the front wheel
Thursday: Bike. Woke up at 6:30am and started spinning in my kitchen. With music. I felt slightly guilty cranking Kid Rock this early in the morning but really, I deal with my loud-talking upstairs neighbor all the time and figured he could use some payback. Bawitdaba! Did about 45 minutes at a horrible, horrible level 5. Sweat my ass off.
Early Morning Spinner
Friday: Swim. Well. I had dinner at Mel's house last night and a bottle of wine and 12:30am later I was in no shape to do anything at 6am. Gloriously stayed in bed until 9am, then got my nails done and went to work late. Friday night came home to try on my suit I planned to wear to Misty's wedding and felt that the pants were inappropriately tight in all the wrong places. Tried on back up dress and looked pregnant. Cried on the couch to bad TV. Felt guilty. Hopped on trainer at 9pm. More Kid Rock. More fist pumping. Did a spin for 57 minutes. Took a shower. Got back on the couch for more bad TV feeling infinitely better about myself.
Saturday: Team Workout - bike and run. Drove to Sports Basement in the Presidio for a 9am start. Got there and did not see anyone I recognized. Panicked. Did I get the right place? The right time? My brain has been so retarded since the accident. Drove down to the GG bridge to waste time and was secretly hoping I DID get the spot wrong so I didn't have to work out. Went back and there was the coach. Set up my stuff. We did a spin for 70 minutes and it was incredibly hard. Then we ran for 20 minutes and it wasn't so bad. I felt pretty good in fact. Then we did some core. Then I went home and vegged on my couch until I had to get ready for the wedding.
Sunday: Team workout - swim. Yeah. Drinking about 80 drinks and going to bed at 4am means not getting up for a workout. Plus, I had a wedding brunch to attend!
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