Hills!

Got up this morning to a nice, muggy 71 degree morning. I have no idea what the "feels like" temperature is, but it's NOT 71. By the end of our .8 mile warmup, we were all sweating. Never a good sign.

Hill repeats were on the plate this morning, 7 of them. I got in 4 of the big hill near Coach L's house and then did the long, gradual one on the way back to the car. I'd rather do the big hill. It'll all out for a shorter distance, even if it's a bigger incline. It's over with faster too. Ah well. The four on the big hill felt pretty good. I wish I could stay and do all 7 one day... it'd be nice to actually finish a track workout!

Later today - spin class. No TNT since it's cardio week.

Thie week's workouts

Here's this week's workouts. I'm looking forward to it! It's cardio week for TNT, so no weight lifting for me!

Monday
Off

Tuesday
Track - Hill repeats - 7  hill repeats all out / walk jog down hill for recovery
Spin class

Wednesday
Swim - wu -  8 x 75 swim (:15 rest), odds - breast/back, evens - free; 2 x 200 free medium pace (:25 rest); 100 swim easy pace (1 min. rest); 200 free - fast pace (:30 rest); 4 x 100 free - medium pace (:10 rest); cool down

Thursday
Bike - 1 hour good wu and cd. In the middle do: 3 x 5 min. at race pace with 2 min. easy btwn.

Friday
Swim - wu 500 swim/drills; 1 x 400; 30 sec rest; 2 x 200; 30 sec rest btwn each; 3 x 100; 30 sec rest btwn each; 4 x 50; 30 sec rest btwn each

Saturday
Run - easy 6 mile if not racing or day off if you aren't racing today and are tomorrow.

Sunday
If you aren't racing, join the others on the Diabetes Ride. Bike - 2 hour
RACE DAY!!!! (Broadlands Sprint)

Official TriRock Annapolis Race Report - Post Race/Summary/Lessons Learned

Part 3 of the official race report

Post-Race

I felt GREAT at the finish line. As we got closer to the line, I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to finish (and in decent time) my first triathlon. The clock time was 1:57 something, which was about right since I had entered the water around 7:20. I was so happy and proud of myself!

Once I crossed the line, I got my medal, food, and drinks. Jon caught up with me and I threw him the cookies for later. I was a bit confused on how to get back into the transition area to get my stuff, but managed to figure it out. One of the girls in my age group was just heading out on the run, so I directed her on where to go. I finished packing up my stuff and we headed out. If the weather had been better, we would’ve hung out at the post-race party. But it had started to sprinkle again and I just wanted dry clothes!

The race results were posted later that same day, which was good. The distances were not accurate because of the volunteer on the run course. I think the swim and bike ones were though. There didn’t seem to be too many race officials on the course or I’m sure a lot of us would’ve gotten hit with the drafting penalty on the bike ride. The photos came a few days later. I was happy to see them and might even order a couple.

Summary and Lessons Learned

Overall, I was pretty happy with how this race went, even in the rain. I need to get in more open water training, biking in the rain, and be more comfortable on my bike in general. I’d probably do this race again, but am looking forward to the rest of my season!

Official TriRock Annapolis Race Report - Swim/Bike/Run/Transitions

Part 2 of the official race report

Bike

It was still misty raining. The road was wet and definitely dangerous. I hadn’t ridden in the rain before, so that was new to me. No potholes really, but the metal gratings on the bridge were NOT safe in the rain. The course was too tight in some areas, roomy enough in others. It was a 2-loop course. The turn-around point to do the second loop or to go back to the transition area wasn’t safe. People were all over the place. There were no food/water stops since it was a 12 mile course. The shot blocks I had in transition helped to keep me going.

I need to get out on my bike and ride more often. I’m not incredibly comfortable in close quarters and in dangerous situations. That’ll all come with time, I’m sure.

Run

Coming out of T2, I felt better than I thought I would. I’d only done about 3 short bricks before the race, so I wasn’t sure how I’d do. I’d say by the time I got around the first corner (maybe .2 miles into the run) my legs felt back to normal. I didn’t wear a hat/visor, which was fine since it was just starting to not rain anymore (YEA!). I also didn’t bring any gels with me given that it was a short run and I had the shot blocks after the swim. I think that was plenty. There were a couple of aid stations and one water station. That was definitely enough for the 5k. There wasn’t a lot of crowd support, but a few of the volunteers were AWESOME. There was one band along the way, which was cool. For being TriRock, they definitely didn’t have the number of bands I thought they would (aka: the number that were stated in the original sign up information). There were a good number of hills, but I felt great doing them. No problems on the run.

One of the volunteers added .4 miles onto the run for everyone by sending us back up this one hill. Since it’s the racer’s responsibility to know the course but also to follow directions on the course, we all did the extra .4 miles. Ah well… I did meet Meredith and Mark along the run and they were great company.

Next time, I’ll definitely bring my Garmin. I had no idea what my pace was and that was really screwing me up.

Transitions

When I got to T1, I was happy that I had gone back a couple of times to readjust everything. My final setup was just what I needed. In T1, I grabbed 3 shot blocks and some water.

For T2, I took too long thinking about changing socks. I should’ve just gone without even thinking about it. My feet were wet and would stay wet no matter what I did. I realized halfway out of the transition area that I left my Garmin watch behind. Since it was race time, I decided not to worry about it and just get onto the run course as fast as possible.

Next race, I need to make sure my watch is somewhere I remember to put it on. Also, if there’s rain in the forecast, I need to throw a garbage bag into my transition bag to cover everything so that my shoes don’t get wet.

Part 3: Official TriRock Annapolis Race Report - Post Race/Summary/Lessons Learned.

Sunday brick turned into Monday ride

Sunday's workout was supposed to be a 90 minute ride followed by a 20 minute run. Guess who didn't do it. I figured cleaning my house - for once - was more important. 3 hrs of that got me one floor of the townhouse and the stairs. Yea... there's still 2 floors to go. We'll see if/when that happens.

So, we got up today and did a 70 minute ride and no run. (See, I really am slackin on my runs.) The ride was great! We headed to the W&OD trail and headed west and then back. On the way back, I picked up the speed and cadence a bit. It felt great! Can't wait to get back out on my bike with my hubby... maybe we'll even get up the nerve to get off the trail!

Saturday Volunteering

Today was the Cascades 10k that Amazia Fitness was co-sponsoring and volunteering at. J and I got up and went to help hand out water and man our table. It was a fun time! Coach L is all casted up. So frustrating for her. She did mention that her dr was going to put a water-proof cast on so that she could at least pool run.

The workout for the day was a 10k time trial... so did not happy. My mom and nephew came up and we went out and about instead. Oops...

I REALLY need to start getting my long runs in and stop putting them off. I have to be prepared by October for this Olympic distance!

Afternoon swim

Today's swim was:
wu drills and swim - 400; Main set: 4 x 300 medium pace :30 rest after each; CD - kick and non free

And that's exactly what I did. It felt pretty good, though I was definitely tired by the end of it.

I'm also tired of kids getting into the 1 designated lap lane in a 3 lap lane pool. I get the lessons taking place in one lane, but the other kids in the middle lane need to get out of the pool. This summer should be interesting as far as that's concerned. I chatted with the lifeguard and she said they were having a huge guard meeting that night to discuss kids in the lap pool. We'll see how it all plays out next week!

Official TriRock Annapolis Race Report - PreRace

Apparently, my recap of the TriRock race wasn't what I should've written in an official race report. So, I'm writing the official one based on this article: http://www.examiner.com/triathlon-in-washington-dc/how-and-why-to-write-a-race-report

·  Race Name: TriRock Annapolis

·  Race Date: May 14, 2011
·  Race Location: Annapolis, MD - City Docks
·  Race Distance: Sprint (500m OWS, 12.1 mi bike, 5k run (which turned into a 3.5 mi run)
·  Division: F 30-34
·  Total Time: 1:39:25
·  Time Breakdown: Swim - 14:06, T1 - 3:40, Bike - 48:23, T2 - 2:16, Run 31:03

·  Age Group Placing: 29/52

·  Overall Placing: 567/825 (male and female)

Pre-race:
I registered online about 2 weeks before the race after my May 1 triathlon got canceled. The fees were a high ($140/USAT members). The course maps and directions were provided online before hand - which was nice.

I was a little annoyed that there was no race-day packet pickup as it's an hour long drive (with no traffic) from home to Annapolis. It turned out to be ok, because we just made a weekend out of it instead of driving to/from Annapolis twice. Packet pick-up was from 2-8pm on Friday, May 13.

We arrived around 1:15, checked into the hotel, dumped our stuff (including my bike), drove down to where pick-up was, and promptly turned around to find parking. We got kind of lost during this process, but found one of the two race-day garages, so that was good. We walked down to the venue and picked up my packet. We had allowed plenty of time to hang out at the expo, but were pretty disappointed in the offerings (small expo). We did enjoy listening to the race MCs talk a bit. There wasn’t much swag at all (especially for that expensive of a race). I signed up for TriRock Gettysburg and got a TriRock shirt, which is free advertising for them, and another shirt for me!

I didn’t get much sleep, but woke up at 4 and took a shower. Weird since I knew I’d be doing the race, but I needed it. Got my race tattoos on, packed everything for the race into my bag, and headed to the car. On the way over to the race, I had my Luna protein bar (standard breakfast before a morning workout) and some water. We found the parking garage, pumped up the tires on my bike, and started heading down to the race area.

There were plenty of volunteers directing us where to enter the transition area. By the time we got to the transition areas, it was 5:30 and I had plenty of time to set up (maybe too much). I went back and forth several times about how each item was laid out in my transition area. I think this generally worked for me and I’ll probably do something similar next time.

Thankfully, by getting to the transition area early, I was able to use the bathroom before the rush. They definitely needed more port-a-potties. The pre-race safety meeting included a lot of chatter from the MCs of the event, most of which wasn’t heard by most of the athletes. There were close to 1000 of us and everyone talking, moving around, and being nervous made it difficult to focus on the task at hand.

The pre-race National Anthem rendition was one of the worst I’ve ever experienced. In my survey after the race, I made sure to note it. Following a thank you to all of the military participants, the National Anthem should’ve been a lot more traditional. I get that it’s the TriROCK series, but still.

As the misty rain fell, it was 7am and time to start!

Part 2: Official TriRock Annapolis Race Report - Swim/Bike/Run/Transitions.

Thursday TNT

Today was a TNT day. Both of our newbies showed up again - always a good thing. The workout was definitely tough. I think it was because of the order of the exercises. It makes all of the difference in the world some days.

I didn't do my bike today because I did spin on Tuesday. I need to start doing the bike on Thursdays and stop making excuses.

I like afternoon swims

If there's one thing I learned today, it's that I like early afternoon swims. The pool is quiet, not too many people around, and it's easy to just do the workout.

Today's workout was:
wu - ladder of 25, 50, 75, 100, 75, 50, 25; 300 pull :30 rest; 200 kick - medium pace : 20 rest; 100 choice - fast pace : 30 rest; 4 x 25 swim - easy pace :20 rest; 9 x 50 swim , every 3rd 50 fast (:30 rest btwn each)

I added a 50m cooldown to it, but kept everything else the same. It felt good. My "fast" is getting faster. My pulls are getting stronger. My kicks are also getting stronger.

Total: 1600m

Can't wait for my next swim.

Tuesday Track

There were three of us this morning for mile repeats. We ran almost a mile warm-up, then 2 of the repeats (resting for our 400s instead of running that too), and then I had to go. It turns out that it was almost a mile back to my car too. Oops. It was about 73 degrees and already sticky as all get out. Made for a tough workout this morning.

TNT and spin tonight. Got to do both, need the miles for the Get Moving Challenge at work!

Edited in:

Did both TNT and spin tonight. Man was spin rough. It was a great class, but it took a lot out of me!

Workouts for the week

As I said in my previous post, Coach L broke her ankle, so she can't even come to the workouts. :(


Monday
Day off

Tuesday
Track  - wu - 15 min easy; 4 x 1 mile tempo pace; follow each by 400 jog recovery; cool down - 10-15 min. easy
TNT

Wednesday
Swim - wu - ladder of 25, 50, 75, 100, 75, 50, 25; 300 pull :30 rest; 200 kick - medium pace : 20 rest; 100 choice - fast pace : 30 rest; 4 x 25 swim - easy pace :20 rest; 9 x 50 swim , every 3rd 50 fast (:30 rest btwn each)


Thursday
Bike - wu 20 min.; 2 x 20 min - alternate 10 min. at high cadence followed by 10 min. at low cadence. Ride 5 min. easy after each.
TNT

Friday
Swim - wu drills and swim - 400; Main set: 4 x 300 medium pace :30 rest after each; CD  - kick and non free

Saturday
Run - 10k time trial - wu 15 min. then time trial, cool down 15 min.

Sunday
Brick - 90 min . bike followed by 20 min. run

Sunday...

Today's workout was supposed to be:

Sunday Brick: 90 min. - 2 hour ride/ 30 min. run

But, it's my birthday and I didn't wanna. :) In all seriousness, we had brunch with J's cousins and then did some shopping. I did get a 30 min ride in and a 3 mile walk, so that's good, right?

Coach L broke her ankle last week, so she won't be at our workouts next week (which will be a different post). I hope she's ok other than the broken ankle. That would totally suck...

Warrior Dash 5k

Ok, my workout was supposed to be a 6 mile run. HA! I did the Warrior Dash 5k with my siblings and spouses instead. We had such a great time. Lots of walking around, a little running during the race (I took it at my sister's pace), and just a great time.

Before:

After:

Friday Free Swim

Today's swim was 1600 - 2000 freestyle, kick, pull. I did about 1800m with a good combination of the three. There were a ton of kids in the lap pool and it was super annoying. Had to yell at one kid to get out of my lane. Thankfully his dad had been yelling at him to get out too. Ugh. I dread these summer days and the outdoor pool... if there's a thunderstorm or something, I can see the lap pool being taken over by kids.

Glad to have that workout done...

TNT Thursday

I was supposed to do an hour long bike ride today, but that just didn't happen. I did go to TNT and rocked that though. There were only 3 of us. It'd be nice if someone else in the class could be consistent...

Swimming 500s... wait, what?!

For this morning's swim, we were supposed to do this:

wu 300 swim; 100 kick 100 pull; Main set: 1 x 500 fast with :20 rest, 50 kick, 1 x 500 fast (hold same pace as first set) :30 rest, 50 kick; Cool down

... well, that's what was sent to us anyhow.

I was the first one in the pool and got almost all of the way through my warmup by the time the next person got there. Everyone else arrived shortly after. T got into my lane and asked where I was in the workout, I said 500 and kept swimming (I was on lap 17 of 20). I did my rest, then my kick set. I started on the next 500, and the ladies stopped me at the wall after my first 100. Apparently, the workout should've been written like this:

wu 300 swim; 100 kick 100 pull; Main set: 5 x 100 fast with :20 rest, 50 kick, 5 x 100 fast (hold same pace as first set) :30 rest, 50 kick; Cool down

Coach L had some dyslexia issues on Sunday apparently. :)

Here's what I ended up doing:

wu 300 swim; 100 kick 100 pull; Main set: 1 x 500 fast with 1:00 rest, 50 kick, 1 x 500 fast (hold same pace as first set) :30 rest, 50 kick; Cool down (100)

Total: 1700 yds

I was happy I finished the workout and in about 58 minutes! Go me!

Rainy Track Day, TNT, and Spin

I woke up at 3:30 this morning to thunderstorms. Why oh why does it have to rain on a day I need to be outside at 5:15am? Really? After checking emails to see if track was cancelled, I sucked it up and got moving.

I got to the track at about 5:13, just long enough to get my watch working and for it to start raining harder. Ugh. By 5:20, the three of us who raced this weekend were the only three at practice, so we decided if we were going to do it, we needed to just suck it up and do it.

Our warmup turned into a 2.8 mile run and then the sprints. I only got in 2 sets of the 200 sprints, but I was ok with that. I wasn't really feeling it and just knew I needed to run.

Did the work thing, got home, changed, and got my butt over to TNT. It was just me and one other chick. It's her second session and we got to chatting for a bit, which was cool.

After TNT, I was feeling good, so I went to spin class. I'm glad I did. D worked our butts with hill repeats. Just what I needed!

Next week's schedule

First tri down, next training week up. Here's the madness!

Monday
Rest Day

Tuesday
Track: 1-2 mile wu, 6 x 200 with 400 easy in btwn, cool down
TNT

Wednesday
Swim: wu 300 swim; 100 kick 100 pull; Main set: 1 x 500 fast with :20 rest, 50 kick, 1 x 500 fast (hold same pace as first set) :30 rest, 50 kick; Cool down

Thursday
TNT
Bike: (60-90 min) wu 20 min. / 30 min. tempo , zone 4, hard/ cool down

Friday
Swim: 1600-2000 mix of free, pull, and kick

Saturday
Run: 6-10 miles depending on race/races you're training for

Sunday
Brick: 90 min. - 2 hour ride/ 30 min. run

TriRock (Unofficial) Race Day Recap

I didn't really sleep much last night. In fact, I'm not sure that I ever REALLY got to sleep. Ah well. I planned on that happening. The wake up call was at 4am. I hopped out of bed and showered (yes, I realize that's a bit weird considering I was headed to a race, but it woke me up and reenergized me).

After the shower, I got dressed and placed the TriTats on my legs and arms in the appropriate places. We then took a couple of before pictures. After that, I went through my bag once last time to figure out if there was anything else I did (or didn't) need. I grabbed my breakfast for the car and we started to make our way out.

I had SO much fun... even if the pictures J took don't say so.  My times weren't fantastic, but neither were the conditions, so whatever. Here's the debrief:

I set up my transition area, went and talked with J, then went back to my area to check over everything and put on my wetsuit. I went back to talk with J just before going to wait for the swim start.

The swim just sucked. They had us jump in and tread water for about 3 minutes, which was good because you could kind of get used to the water. Once we started and got passed the bouys, the water was so choppy I actually wished I had my sea bands with me (I get sea sick). I couldn't get my breathing down for freestyle, so I ended up sidroking the majority of the time. My goal then became just getting out of the water as fast as I could. Jon said I looked absolutely miserable.

T1 went well - it took me just over 3 minutes. There was a longer run into and out of the transition area than I was expecting. I got everything I needed to do done though, which is what I've been stressing out about for so long.

The bike went better than expected. It was my first time riding in the rain and I managed to stay upright the entire time, which is all I wanted. I saw a lot of the people riding tri bikes having a really hard time handling their bikes with the wet roads (it was rolling hills and a good number of corners). Most of the accidents that happened were those guys. The people on mountain bikes were having an easier time with the wet roads because their tires are fatter, but a harder time with the hills. Jon said that about 3-5 minutes before I came in, two bikers wiped out at the end of the bike ride. I was so glad that got cleaned up before I got there. It was pretty slippery and we were being told to slow down at every corner.

T2 was good - took me 2:40, most of that was the run in and out! By the time I got to the run course, my legs were feeling pretty good.

The run was way slower than I expected (I forgot my watch in transition... oops), but I think some of the race course marshals were directing us to do some extra mileage (after looking at the course again. I felt great though and that's all that mattered to me.

I finished in 1:39:25, middle of the pack, middle of my age group. Most importantly, smiling! I think my first words to J were "I even stayed upright the entire time!" I was smiling like a goofball for a good 5 hrs (before I just wanted to collapse). I can't wait for the next one!

Packet Pick-up!

Today was packet pickup day for my first tri (that's actually happening!). We both took the day off and drove to Annapolis early enough to get settled in, do packet pickup, and then chill out. Packet pickup was nice. Good walk to/from the parking garage (same one as tomorrow) and then wandering around at the expo. Small-ish expo, but great. Bought a cycling jersey that has the inaugrual stuff on it - pretty cool one.

Biggest thing was that I signed up for the Gettysburg race in October... but the Olympic! AHHHHH! It'll be ok, I have until October.

Need to get settled in for tomorrow and get everything set up here at the hotel. Can't wait!

Thursday TNT/Spin

Today was a TNT day. A little story to tell... It's funny... at Regency, the ladies I worked out with were straight up awesome. We all rocked it hard; every workout. None of us were really any slower than anyone else, we just did everything that was thrown at us. At Brambleton, it's not so. There was this one woman, E, who was really struggling with her walking lunges. I was the first one done and had everyone come in after me. After about 2-3 minutes of standing around and this woman being about half way done, I decided to go back and do the rest of them with her. I mean, no one should feel alone in a GROUP workout. I'm just sayin. If the rest of the class thinks I'm an overachiever, they're right. But you know what? I hope they've learned that you need to push others along to get better yourself.

I spun a little (15 min) after class. Nothing huge, just keeping the legs warm. Walked home afterwards.

Swimming laps

This morning's workout was everything I didn't want to do, but am SO GLAD I did. Here's the workout:

Swim: wu 300, 300 drills (3 sets of 50 drill, 50 swim), 4x ((4x50 fast pace, 20sec rest) and (200m fast pace, 1 min rest))

I got in: wu 300, 300 drills (3 sets of 50 drill, 50 swim), 2x ((4x50 fast pace, 20sec rest) and (200m fast pace, 1 min rest)), 4x50

total: 1600 yds

I was tired, didn't really feel like it, but did it. And you know what? It felt good. My 50s are getting a little faster. I still need to work on my breathing (going longer between breaths), but I figure that'll come with time. For the drills, I did the fingertip drill, bilateral breathing, and pull.

I talked with Coach L for a little bit after I got out of the pool about the race on Saturday. I told her it's looking like rain and that it makes me a bit nervous because I've never ridden in the rain. She gave me a few tips: don't inflate the tires all of the way (got to 105 - 110 psi instead of 120 psi); take corners and hills slower - be smart; stay off of the lines on the road (they're slippery); and the faster I ride, the faster it'll be over and I can get running.

Tuesday's Hills and TNT

This morning we did hills. I was expecting the same huge, steep hill as last time, but this time Coach L had us do a long, steady hill instead. It was a good change, though I think I'd rather just have it done! Each hill was .38 miles long and we had to try to sprint it. Fun stuff I tell ya! I only got 3 in before I had to go.

Tonight, I ran over to the gym because I felt like I cut my morning workout short (even though I didn't). Got into the gym and did TNT. I must've scared away the rest of my class... it was me and this other chick who normally does Mon/Wed. Ah well... their loss! TNT was really good, I was definitely glad I got that lifting workout in.

I skipped spin since I have a race this weekend and I don't want to be too tired from doing 3 workouts in one day. I'm planning on getting on my bike either tomorrow or Thursday to make up for it.

I got my race number (557) and wave to start in (6th) for the race on Saturday. It's getting real!

This week's workouts

So, a new week is upon us. The only working out I have to do today is lying on the massage table tonight after work. It's one of the few times I've looked forward to Monday. :)

Monday
Off/massage

Tuesday
Track: Hill repeats/TNT/ spin (maybe)

Wednesday
Swim: wu 300, 300 drills (3 sets of 50 drill, 50 swim), 4x ((4x50 fast pace, 20sec rest) and (200m fast pace, 1 min rest))

Thursday
TNT/Bike: wu 20 min/5 min hard, 5 min easy/4 min hard, 4 min easy/3 min hard, 3 min easy/cooldown

Friday
Swim: 8x75 with 15 sec rest, 3x200 free medium pace,  100 easy pace, 200 free fast pace, 2x100 free medium pace

Saturday
Tempo run

Sunday
Lymes 5k, Bike after

My schedule is going to vary a bit. I'm taking off Friday and racing TriRock Annapolis on Saturday. Likely will have more rest Sunday.

Race #1, take 2... here I come!

Millbrook Quarry Swim

Today was the quarry swim. I was so nervous about this. It was my first time in my wetsuit and first time in the open water. Oh and... an 800m swim! SAY WHAT?!

Got my wetsuit on and all was good. Step 1 - check! Got into the water, got used to the water. Step 2 - check! Started swimming... holy crap I can't breathe! Ok, seriously, cold water + trying to breathe = bad things. I ended up breast stroking the majority of the first 800m go around, but I made it. My goggles kept fogging up, which was annoying as all get out. I got to the end of the course and got out of the water. I wasn't too sure if I was going to go around a second time or not.

Well... I decided to go around a second time. I wasn't going to do the entire thing, but as I got to the point I originally said I was going to head back to shore, I felt great and decided to keep going. I ended up doing the full 800m and was so happy I did.

Swim time today was a little over 40 minutes and 1600m. I'm so happy I did it! Bring on next weekend's 500m!

Broken Mile Swim

Today's swim was the broken mile:

11 laps, rest, 10 laps, rest, 9 laps, rest, 8 laps, rest, 7 laps, rest, 6 laps, rest, 5 laps, rest, 4 laps, rest, 3 laps, rest, 2 laps, rest, 1 lap, DONE!

I actually got all of the way through it! I even did 100m warmup and 75m cooldown. It felt great.

When I got out of the pool, the woman who does the swim lessons for beginners was asking me if I've ever been on swim team. That made me feel pretty good... even though I'm far from being great!

5k Time Trial and TNT

Today's run was a 5k time trial. Guess what I didn't finish?! I got to the gym and hopped on the treadmill. I got hrough 1.5 miles and had to end the torture. I didn't really have enough time to get all of the way through the run before my TNT class. I did the 1.5 miles in just over 11 minutes, so that was awesome.

TNT was good. Today was weigh in and body fat checks. Six weeks ago, I was 129lbs with 20% body fat. In those 6 weeks, I've been working out steadily with Tri 4 Women and keeping up with my TNT. I'm down to 128 lbs and 13.7% body fat. I'm not really confident that I actually dropped that much body fat in six weeks. It's also a different measuring machine, so who knows. We'll see what the next measurement brings in six weeks.

The group of ladies in the class I'm in are a bit too whiny for me. I think T gets that and he's definitely taking time out to push me as hard as he can, which I'm happy about.

Finally finished my swim!

I am happy to announce that I ACTUALLY finished a swim workout before work today! It was a great swim, which means I probably didn't push myself nearly hard enough. For my drills, I did a pull drill, bilateral breathing drill, and a fingertip drill. My one minute intervals were 50s.

I'm feeling stronger with my left side breathing, now I just need to get it to feel more natural.

Total swim: 1200 yards

Tuesday Track, TNT, and Spin Class

Today was a bit insane. My track workout was 3x (200m, 400m, 600m) sprints. It went really well. I kept up with one of the other ladies pretty nicely. We did our 400m in the same time as last week (1:34) and the 600m in about 2:17. Can't remember the time for the 200m. We tried pretty hard to keep them consistent and did a good job.

After work, I got home, changed, and got to TNT for my first workout with the new trainer and location. The workout went ok - there are some whiney people in that group! I'm definitely of the mind set either do it, or don't, but don't complain about it.T was pretty good and is getting used to having a stronger lady in the class.

After TNT, because I hadn't had quite enough workouts for the day, I did spin class. Honestly, I could tell I was tired. I felt like I needed an energy blast from somewhere (Gu, Shot Blox, etc would've bene good!). It was a good class though.

And now... to bed. I'm falling asleep as I type this, so it's definitely time!

What in the World Will this Week Bring?!

This week's workouts terrify me for some reason. I'm not really sure why, but they do. This week starts a new TNT session with me at a new gym with a different trainer. Should be interesting.

Monday
Off

Tuesday
Track
TNT
Spin class (MAYBE)

Wednesday
Swim

Thursday
TNT
Run - 5k time trial (race pace)

Friday
Swim
Bike

Saturday
Run - easy long

Sunday
Bike
Swim

Sunday Brick

Today's brick workout was a great turnout! We had about 10 people on our ride, which was awesome. My husband and one of our friends came out too. I'm glad they were both able to join us.

We finally got off the trail today and did about 15.5 miles on the road. Great stuff. I did fall - like usual. I slowed too much on this hill and just tipped over... again. Sigh. Maybe one of these rides I'll manage to stay upright.

The run afterward was good too. We originally set out to run 2 miles, we ended up running 4. Glad I did it. :)

Looking forward to seeing next week's workouts.