Vineman Week One

4/17-4/24

Sorry friends, I got a little lazy in posting this : / My first official week of triathlon training came and went. It was definitely a bit all over the place, but I tried to fit in what I could, when I could. After figuring out a game plan to get me ready for 70.3 in July, I looked at my work schedule for the week to figure out which workouts I could fit on on which days. I got in my first couple swims, a new strength workout, a couple faster (for me) bike rides, and did my first run since AR 50. Although my weeks usually run Monday-Sunday, I'm including the previous Sunday in this weeks' workouts, partly because that's when I decided to kick-off training, and partly because it involved my first bike fall, and I thought you'd like to hear the story : )

Sunday
bike: 20 mi, avg 16.6 mph.
I set out for my first ride of this training cycle after work, intending to go about 17 miles. I was cruising along, passing people left and right, and feeling really good. I was using going clipless for the second time and could really feel the difference it made in both pedaling efficiency and my speed. Before I struggled to maintain 15mph, and here I was cruising along at 17-18mph! I sort of zoned out and before I knew it my Garmin beeped 10 miles, a bit further than I had planned, but oh well. I turned and headed back, only to find that I was headed into a headwind that caused a dip in my speed.

About 3 miles from home I decided to stop for a moment to get a sip of water, so I pulled off to the side of the trail. I unclipped one foot and set it on the ground, then, as I went to grab my water bottle from my bike, I must have tried to set my other foot down (that was still clipped in) and down I went! I fell on my left side, my bike on top of me. I was more stunned and embarassed than anything, so the first thing I did was look around. Luckily for my ego, only a lone woman was walking a ways away. I tried to get up, but my foot was still clipped in and was now underneath my bike, so I had no leverage to get up. After nearly a minute of struggling, at which point the woman passed me, I finally just took my foot out of the shoe, leaving it clipped to the pedal! Nothing hurt, but I did notice some long red "scratches" on me thigh but they weren't bleeding. I had some nice chain grease on my legs, too. I dusted myself off then headed home, both annoyed at my fall but also relieved that I got the first one out of the way. And at least I wasn't moving at full speed! The next day I discovered a huge, ugly bruise underneath the scratches on my thigh that over the course of the week turned some lovely colors : )

it had to happen eventually...

Monday
other: 50 min strength workout
A while back I'd bought a couple new workout DVDs from Amazon, and now, months later, I finaly tested one out. The workout is called Core Fusion: Body Sculpt, and is a combination of yoga, pilates, dance, and the Lotte Berk method. It's segmented into 5 focused workouts of 10 minutes each, targeting the arms & shoulders, glutes & hips, abs, and thighs. It uses mostly your own body weight for resistance, but also small hand weights and even props like a chair. I'll do a full review soon, but I can say that I didn't love it. The workout was a bit hard to follow and I didn't feel like I got in a very good workout (to be fair, I'm comparing it to Jillian, who kicks my ass every time). I did feel the burn in many of the moves, but I wasn't very sore the next day, for whatever that's worth. I do think I'll use it as a quick routine to add on a light workout day, but I don't think it's enough to stand on it's own.

Tuesday
rest.

Wednesday
run: 4 mi, 9:36 avg pace.
After getting a massage and visiting my sports chiro, my legs were feeling pretty good so I decided to head out for my first run since AR 50. I had also bought a couple more pairs of my beloved Scott shoes that I wanted to break in, and I figured the fresh cushion would be good for my legs. I planned to keep the pace easy and the run short. But from my first few steps, I knew it wasn't gonna be good. I somehow managed a decent pace, but I was hurting and miserable, so after I decided that my body just wasn't ready yet. Frustrating, but not the end of the world. Quick anecdote: I paused my Garmin about .25 into the run to try and stretch things out, but forgot to restart it again until nearly a half mile later. Because I am a numbers junkie and a tad Type A, when I finished the run, despite my legs hurting, I hopped on my bike and rode around my block til my Garmin beeped 4 miles. I couldn't run any further, but I wanted my watch to give me credit for my entire run! I think I'm a little crazy, too : )

new, old, new

Thursday

swim: 1,000 yds, 30 min. 

• 10x100 yds (~20-30s recovery)

After finally finding a gym to join with a pool, I went for my first swim after work. There were only a handful of other swimmers there doing some sort of group workout, so I had an entire lane to myself. I didn't really have a workout planned, so I just ended up doing 100 yd repeats. 4 straight lengths of the pool leaves me pretty out of breath so I took short breaks in between sets. I enjoyed the swim as a change of pace, but I also realized how much work I have ahead of me, and it was a little bit daunting. I guess you've got to start somewhere though, right? I finished just as the sun went down and the pool glowed aquamarine.

Friday
rest.
Instead of working out I spent the day celebrating my mom's birthday! I had the day off so we went to lunch, went to see the new movie Water for Elephants (definitely recommend it - not as good as the book, but still good!), then went out for a delicious dinner. Happy Birthday, Mom!

stuffed peppers nom nom nom

Saturday

bike: 16 mi, avg 16.2 mph.

Another bike ride with a slight mishap - ok, maybe I'm being overly dramatic. Anyway, I headed out after work, only to have my Garmin beep a low battery warning just a few miles in. My first thought was wtf!?, I just charged it! Then I figured it might still last a while. I had planned on going for 20 miles, but I was annoyed by the watch's mysteriously drained battery and decided to cut it short. Not surprisingly, just after I turned around at 8 miles it beeped again and then turned off. Over the next mile I kept turning it back on, where it would record a couple tenths of a mile before shutting off again. I drained it of every ounce of battery juice it had, and finally, at 9.6 miles, it refused to turn back on. Perhaps you may have caught on, but things like this really ruffle my feathers. I'm a total Type A who's obsessed with numbers, so when my watch first gave the low battery warning, I seriously considered turning around. But after an intense internal debate, I decided that would be lame and I still needed to fit in a ride. Since I turned around at 8 miles it was easy to figure my distance, but my speed is only based on the first half of the ride. Oh well, I've let it go. I like to think this was a big step for me.

Sunday

swim: 1,200 yds, 35 min.

• 200 yds warm-up
• ladder: 50, 100, 150, 200, 150, 100, 50 (~30s recovery)
• 200 yds cool-down

Thanks to the Easter holiday I had the day off and decided to go for an afternoon swim. It was a gorgeous day, and with only one other swimmer I nearly had the pool to myself! In an effort to switch things up a bit to stave off boredom I decided to try a ladder workout. I started out with a longer warm-up, then got into the main set. The longer intervals were hard, especially the 200 straight, but I powered through. I think my biggest issue with swimming is that I get out of breath quickly and panic, then my form falls apart. I'm hoping this is something that improves with time! After the ladder I still felt pretty good so I added on an easy cool-down in 50 yd increments. Followed the swim with a great family dinner to celebrate Easter!

Totals:
swim - 2,200 yards
bike - 36 miles
run - 4 miles