Food is a big thing at our house. I mean we eat A LOT! I might actually say that we eat more when I am not in full training because I am home more and so I eat more times in a day.
The funny thing about this is grocery shopping. I hate grocery shopping. However, anytime Pedro goes to the store he comes home with some very interesting items. One day he brought home lactose free milk. Now I am not exactly sure what that is, but he did drink it all. I thought lactose was the thing that "made" milk...so who knows?
The best thing (not really) about him going to the store is that he comes home with some really good things. Not good, as in good for you, but good as in my current favorite; Double Stuf Oreo's (yes the bag has only one f on the stuff). I really think it might be a sin when I am eating my oreo's out of my Ironman glass. But they are dang good. The other thing he loves to buy is sugary cereal. Currently, we have cinnamon toast cruch. These are things I would never buy during actual training...and most people should never eat. As Kory pointed out Oreo's are probably one of the worst foods a person can eat...funny how the worst are always the best tasting.
Then I go to make lasagna tonight. He comes in and asks "is that enough sauce? is that enough cheese??" This is a usual thing if he happens to come in the kitchen while I am actually making the food. He has no idea, what or how much of anything goes into our dinners...so fastforward to tonight when we ate the lasagna, it was apparently so good that by the time I got home nearly half of the 9 by 11 pan was eaten.
Anyway, so no more shopping for Pedro. Back to the boring foods that I buy. And the trips to the store a few times a week.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Running has not been going great. I have not been running a significant distance but my heart rate just doesn't seem to be lowering at the same pace, which it definitely is suppose to be doing. The annoying thing is that it has gotten better on the bike, but just not on the run. Pre-hr monitor I was fast. This is a common statement. But I mean I could finish top 15, in my age, in the Bolder Boulder which has over 50,000 runners. Now, I'm malasses. Very frustrating. They say it could be because I trained for so long in an anaerobic state (pretty much my whole life of basketball and faster running). So, now I suck.
Well, again I went in for another bike fit. Getting quite annoyed, as I am sure they are with me. This time we changed my bike cleats and raised my seat. He asked if I was still growing since the bike seat doesn't seem to be the right height...again. We will see if that helps. The knee pain I had during the race was not pleasant, but at least it didn't hurt after I got off the bike, until the next day.
Right now I am trying to create my own running group. I might have some people that are interested. I think people are scared to run with me, but I am not sure why, since I am running as fast as some people can walk!
Here is a pict that my dad made of my race, no it is not me on the bike at mile 56..I am the person in the pink cap in the group of people headed to the swim.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Not a lot going on. I have been doing some running and weights with a few bike rides.
We went up to Glenwood for a few days. On the day we went up we stopped and did the hanging lake hike. It was very nice and definitely worth the hike.
After that we went to our cabin (which was pretty cool) and took the dogs down to the Colorado River. Polar loved the water but Stella was trying to avoid it best she could. We went downtown that night and had dinner at a brewery where I had some amazing root beer.
The next day we went to breakfast and then up to the adventure park. This was probably not worth the money but we did do the "alpine" slide, it was fun and fast but short. That was pretty much it for our trip, besides some walking downtown.
I am hopefully going to do some Vo2 testing soon so I can verify my heart rate zones and just continue to do some more running until my hr starts staying in the correct zone and I get a lot faster :)
We went up to Glenwood for a few days. On the day we went up we stopped and did the hanging lake hike. It was very nice and definitely worth the hike.
After that we went to our cabin (which was pretty cool) and took the dogs down to the Colorado River. Polar loved the water but Stella was trying to avoid it best she could. We went downtown that night and had dinner at a brewery where I had some amazing root beer.
The next day we went to breakfast and then up to the adventure park. This was probably not worth the money but we did do the "alpine" slide, it was fun and fast but short. That was pretty much it for our trip, besides some walking downtown.
I am hopefully going to do some Vo2 testing soon so I can verify my heart rate zones and just continue to do some more running until my hr starts staying in the correct zone and I get a lot faster :)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I was no longer sore from the race on Tuesday. I have now gone back to lifting weights to add a little more muscle mass that I lost back on. I have also done minimal amount of elliptical and today I ran 10 min.
My current wish list (if anyone would like to donate please feel free).
Race Wheels (Zipps)
Computrainer (so my indoor riding can be beneficial)
A real life coach (not an internet one)
:)
My current wish list (if anyone would like to donate please feel free).
Race Wheels (Zipps)
Computrainer (so my indoor riding can be beneficial)
A real life coach (not an internet one)
:)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
IM Race Report
I am officially an Ironman.
So, on Saturday, the day before the race you had to go in and drop off all of your stuff. This included your bike, your transition bags and special needs bags (if you used them). Each bag went to a separate room, from this room you would go to a changing tent, or in this case a room.
Race day:
Sunday I woke up at about 450am to eat some oatmeal before the race. I also had one of those good bagels from Panera, the Cinnamon crunch one. We drove to the site where they had a bus to transport us to the race. However, little did we know they dropped us off like a mile from the start, ugh. I got to the place changed into my wetsuit and headed down the helix to the water.
While in line to get into the water for the swim, I was wondering where all the females were, all I could see were blue caps (guys) with a few pink caps here and there. Not good I was thinking since I am not a fast swimmer and guys would just run me over! I got into the water and placed myself in the middle and waited for the cannon.
The swim started and it was a battle the entire time. I was getting elbowed in the head, I got kicked in the goggles (luckily straight on so I didn't lose the goggles) and it was horrible. I tried to swim on some people's feet but the people I choose didn't seem to know how to site buoys because everytime I looked up they had swam off course. The turns around the ends of the rectangle were horrible because everyone had to stop on the turn and get around the turn, it was like a 100 person pile-up. I swam the first loop in 34min. I was shocked! It must have been because I was trying to swim to get away from people! I finished the swim in 1hr 13min. My fastest swim ever.
After the swim you had to run up the helix (4 stories) and then go into the changing room. A lot of people were in the room so I didn't have anyone helping me to change and I wasn't about to wait. I changed into a longsleeve jersey, and put bike shorts on over my tri shorts. Once I got out, they direct you about another 50 yards to your bike. Which they have already taken out of the rack and are waiting for you. Transition times are slow...I think for everyone.
I headed out onto the bike with the intention of settling my heart rate down and getting ready to eat. However, there were some hills (not huge) at the beginning of the bike which wouldn't allow my hr to settle down. I wasn't sure if I should start eating or just wait. I waited a bit. I carried a drinkable yogurt and started with some of this. After I got out the 14 miles where the loops began, the hills also began. These hills were about 40 yard hills but went straight up. No momentum would work to carry you up the hills. There was also one long windy hill right before one of the biggest hills. The upside was that people lined the bigger hills to help you make it up. On my first loop I was in the wrong gear most of the time thinking that I could make it up the hills without being in my small chain, no such luck. On one of the bigger hills my chain fell off. I barely caught myself since I had no speed and got off my bike and fixed my chain. Then I had a hard time making it back up the hill.
The second loop was better because I knew what to expect and so I was downshifting before I reached the hills. I would say there were about 8 big hills. I ate cookies and my yogurt and picked up water, gatorade and bananas at the aid stations. There were thousands of people in one of the towns where the race actually bused people out to watch the bike.
Onto the run. After a transition, where the lady helped change my orthotics into my shoes for me (this was nice to not have to do) and someone put sunscreen on me, I was out the door.
The first 3 miles I ran too fast, my legs were surprisingly feeling good. I ran the first 3 in about 8 min miles, not good since I had so many miles left. At about the 6 mile marker a girl caught up with me and ran pretty much the rest of the run with me. She was a lifesaver. Anytime I felt like walking (which wasn't too much slower than my run) you didn't want to do that because you were running with someone else. I told her she could run ahead if she wanted but she said I was the only thing keeping her from walking (besides us walking the aid stations and the two big hills) and I told her that's good because you are the reason I am still running. After the first loop I pretended that I was "just" running a half-marathon and that it wouldn't be that long. My ankles were definitely hurting. What I would say is that when you are doing the run portion you just have to get through it. That's the best way I can explain it. With about 6 miles left in the run I started thinking I want to walk now..but I kept saying to myself "you ran 20 miles you can't wimp out and walk 6". I thought this all the way down till the end.
The spectators were great and there were sooo many! There were also a lot of volunteers that were out there trying to make it better as well.
I finished in 12:37. My watch said that throughout the whole race we ascended 6,240 feet!
I would definitely do one again, it's more of a lesson in pain management and strong mind control, not allowing the pain to get to you. On the bike I had the funny saying of "sometimes your ahead, sometimes your behind, but in the end the race is long and it is only with yourself". I thought this because it seemed I was around the same people a lot on the bike passing them, getting passed and I kept thinking it's not about racing and it's about doing your "own" plan.
Now some time off to let my legs recover and then hopefully I can find a coach that can help me do even better!
So, on Saturday, the day before the race you had to go in and drop off all of your stuff. This included your bike, your transition bags and special needs bags (if you used them). Each bag went to a separate room, from this room you would go to a changing tent, or in this case a room.
Race day:
Sunday I woke up at about 450am to eat some oatmeal before the race. I also had one of those good bagels from Panera, the Cinnamon crunch one. We drove to the site where they had a bus to transport us to the race. However, little did we know they dropped us off like a mile from the start, ugh. I got to the place changed into my wetsuit and headed down the helix to the water.
While in line to get into the water for the swim, I was wondering where all the females were, all I could see were blue caps (guys) with a few pink caps here and there. Not good I was thinking since I am not a fast swimmer and guys would just run me over! I got into the water and placed myself in the middle and waited for the cannon.
The swim started and it was a battle the entire time. I was getting elbowed in the head, I got kicked in the goggles (luckily straight on so I didn't lose the goggles) and it was horrible. I tried to swim on some people's feet but the people I choose didn't seem to know how to site buoys because everytime I looked up they had swam off course. The turns around the ends of the rectangle were horrible because everyone had to stop on the turn and get around the turn, it was like a 100 person pile-up. I swam the first loop in 34min. I was shocked! It must have been because I was trying to swim to get away from people! I finished the swim in 1hr 13min. My fastest swim ever.
After the swim you had to run up the helix (4 stories) and then go into the changing room. A lot of people were in the room so I didn't have anyone helping me to change and I wasn't about to wait. I changed into a longsleeve jersey, and put bike shorts on over my tri shorts. Once I got out, they direct you about another 50 yards to your bike. Which they have already taken out of the rack and are waiting for you. Transition times are slow...I think for everyone.
I headed out onto the bike with the intention of settling my heart rate down and getting ready to eat. However, there were some hills (not huge) at the beginning of the bike which wouldn't allow my hr to settle down. I wasn't sure if I should start eating or just wait. I waited a bit. I carried a drinkable yogurt and started with some of this. After I got out the 14 miles where the loops began, the hills also began. These hills were about 40 yard hills but went straight up. No momentum would work to carry you up the hills. There was also one long windy hill right before one of the biggest hills. The upside was that people lined the bigger hills to help you make it up. On my first loop I was in the wrong gear most of the time thinking that I could make it up the hills without being in my small chain, no such luck. On one of the bigger hills my chain fell off. I barely caught myself since I had no speed and got off my bike and fixed my chain. Then I had a hard time making it back up the hill.
The second loop was better because I knew what to expect and so I was downshifting before I reached the hills. I would say there were about 8 big hills. I ate cookies and my yogurt and picked up water, gatorade and bananas at the aid stations. There were thousands of people in one of the towns where the race actually bused people out to watch the bike.
Onto the run. After a transition, where the lady helped change my orthotics into my shoes for me (this was nice to not have to do) and someone put sunscreen on me, I was out the door.
The first 3 miles I ran too fast, my legs were surprisingly feeling good. I ran the first 3 in about 8 min miles, not good since I had so many miles left. At about the 6 mile marker a girl caught up with me and ran pretty much the rest of the run with me. She was a lifesaver. Anytime I felt like walking (which wasn't too much slower than my run) you didn't want to do that because you were running with someone else. I told her she could run ahead if she wanted but she said I was the only thing keeping her from walking (besides us walking the aid stations and the two big hills) and I told her that's good because you are the reason I am still running. After the first loop I pretended that I was "just" running a half-marathon and that it wouldn't be that long. My ankles were definitely hurting. What I would say is that when you are doing the run portion you just have to get through it. That's the best way I can explain it. With about 6 miles left in the run I started thinking I want to walk now..but I kept saying to myself "you ran 20 miles you can't wimp out and walk 6". I thought this all the way down till the end.
The spectators were great and there were sooo many! There were also a lot of volunteers that were out there trying to make it better as well.
I finished in 12:37. My watch said that throughout the whole race we ascended 6,240 feet!
I would definitely do one again, it's more of a lesson in pain management and strong mind control, not allowing the pain to get to you. On the bike I had the funny saying of "sometimes your ahead, sometimes your behind, but in the end the race is long and it is only with yourself". I thought this because it seemed I was around the same people a lot on the bike passing them, getting passed and I kept thinking it's not about racing and it's about doing your "own" plan.
Now some time off to let my legs recover and then hopefully I can find a coach that can help me do even better!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Race Day is Almost Here!
This will be my last pre-race post, unless I have time once I am in Madison.
This last week I have done a short workout everyday. Either a short 30 min (2000yd) swim, or a 40 min run. I had to turn in my bike on Saturday for shipping so I have been without my bike.
I am feeling good. I have slept A LOT and layed around a lot. Today I also got a massage. I leave tomorrow at 930am. I am not nervous yet. I thought it was funny when Marc called today and said that I would be ok if I could just make it through the marathon, which as he said "would be very hard". Funny because the marathon is at the end and of course I can make it, if I get through the marathon..lol. I know what he was meaning, but it made me laugh none the less.
Right now I am hoping for 70 degree weather and no rain. So, everyone should think like this and help to make it true. I do now have a few rain coats I borrowed from a friend in case I need one so that does make me feel better.
If you want to track the race you can track it on: www.ironman.com or www.ironmanwisconsin.com (OR CLICK ON THE IRONMAN LOGO on Left)
I found a few quotes that I liked so I will end with these:
"Fear is probably the thing that limits performance more than anything - the fear of not doing well, of what people will say. You've got to acknowledge those fears, then release them." --Mark Allen
"Life, to me, is a series of false limits and my challenge as an athlete is to explore those limits"--Lance Armstrong
"Excellence is caring more than others think wise; risking more than others think safe. Dreaming more than others think is practical and EXPECTING more than others THINK is POSSIBLE."
WISH ME LUCK!!!!
This last week I have done a short workout everyday. Either a short 30 min (2000yd) swim, or a 40 min run. I had to turn in my bike on Saturday for shipping so I have been without my bike.
I am feeling good. I have slept A LOT and layed around a lot. Today I also got a massage. I leave tomorrow at 930am. I am not nervous yet. I thought it was funny when Marc called today and said that I would be ok if I could just make it through the marathon, which as he said "would be very hard". Funny because the marathon is at the end and of course I can make it, if I get through the marathon..lol. I know what he was meaning, but it made me laugh none the less.
Right now I am hoping for 70 degree weather and no rain. So, everyone should think like this and help to make it true. I do now have a few rain coats I borrowed from a friend in case I need one so that does make me feel better.
If you want to track the race you can track it on: www.ironman.com or www.ironmanwisconsin.com (OR CLICK ON THE IRONMAN LOGO on Left)
I found a few quotes that I liked so I will end with these:
"Fear is probably the thing that limits performance more than anything - the fear of not doing well, of what people will say. You've got to acknowledge those fears, then release them." --Mark Allen
"Life, to me, is a series of false limits and my challenge as an athlete is to explore those limits"--Lance Armstrong
"Excellence is caring more than others think wise; risking more than others think safe. Dreaming more than others think is practical and EXPECTING more than others THINK is POSSIBLE."
WISH ME LUCK!!!!
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