Call Me Crazy

Ironman training has been known to cause many things - exhaustion, insatiable hunger, a lack of social life - and as I learned today, questionable judgment. For all you other Californians, you know that this week's forecast has resembled this:

Just as predicted, it started storming Monday evening and has continued throughout the week. Normally I don't mind the rain, especially when it's not especially cold. In fact I kind of like running and swimming in the rain. But cycling.... that's another story. As luck would have it, this week's training just happened to be heavy on the bike, leaving me in quite a predicament. Tuesday morning I woke to cloudy, dark skies, but no rain...yet. About 5 minutes into my hour-long ride however, the promised rain finally began to fall. Thankfully it wasn't too heavy, but it certainly did not make for a very enjoyable ride. I slowed down and took the turns easy, and was happy when it was done. For Wednesday's 1.5 hour ride I opted to stay dry and do the workout on my nemesis - the trainer. I loathe the trainer and generally try to avoid it as much as possible. Part of it is the boredom, and the other part is that I don't like not having my data recorded (type A much?). I threw on a movie which made it a bit more bearable, but I've decided that 90 minutes is my max on the trainer.

I can think of a million other things I'd rather do.

 

Fast forward to today. It was my day off, so my coach had scheduled my longest workout of the week - a 4 hour brick (3:15 bike, 0:45 run). I'd been checking the forecast the past couple days hoping for a break in the storm, but the hourly forecast had the chances of rain at 90-100% all day. All morning I went back and forth, weighing my options. I even Googled "cycling in the rain" and "long rides on a bike trainer" to try and help me with my decision. As it got closer to when I needed to start my ride the rain had still not let up. A final thought of how 3+ hours would be double the misery I felt on Wednesday's trainer ride and I knew I was going to brave the elements.

I dressed in layers and loaded up my bike with fuel and then I set out. It was raining, but not too hard. I wasn't totally sure how long I'd last out there and kept thinking I'd knock out as much as I could tolerate and then head home and finish on the trainer. The first 10 miles or so the rain wasn't too bad, but there was a nasty sidewind that had me gripping my bike for dear life. It subsided a bit after a while, but of course then the rain picked up. I rode to Hazel then turned back, thinking I'd head home. But as I got closer the rain and wind died down and the clouds lightened so I decided to head out the other direction and see how far I could get. Not surprisingly, it soon began to pour. Within minutes I was sopping wet. The rain was falling so hard it seemed to be coming from both the sky and the ground. I got so overwhelmed by the downpour that I stopped under an overpass for a few minutes hoping it might let up, but it was in vain. I decided I'd just try and make it home from there and headed back out.

my temporary shelter

I ran into a coworker and stopped to commiserate as it began to rain even harder. At this point I was pretty miserable and seriously wondering what the hell I was thinking. With about six miles back to my house I set out again. As I got closer to home, however, the rain let up a little and I started thinking I'd add on a little more in the opposite direction that I'd gone initially (sensing a trend?). Physically I was actually feeling really good. My legs were spinning easily and despite having to slow significantly to take turns safely, I was maintaining speeds between 17-18 mph. With about 40 minutes to go it once again started dumping. The sky looked a little lighter in the direction I was heading so I kept hoping it would let up, but no luck.

I cut the ride 10 minutes short because after going up and down the bike trail in that weather I could not handle even one more second out there! When I got home I spent a good 15 minutes hosing down and drying off my bike before peeling off my own soaking clothes and changing into dry run clothes. Oh my goodness did that feel good! If only I didn't have to head back out in the rain for a 45 minute run : / In the end I completed 53 miles on the bike and a 4.8 mile run in weather that kept 99% of people inside. I like to think of it as character building, but you could just as easily call me crazy : )

Ironman Week 10

3/5-3/11

This was a pretty darn good week if I do say so! With a race on Sunday it was a bit of a cutback week but still had some quality workouts. We lucked out this week with amazing weather so I was happy to spend some time in the sunshine getting my sweat on. Highlights from the week include a fun and hilly ride through the countryside, getting some really exciting news about my future, and setting a new half marathon PR. Not bad, right?

Monday
pm: conditioning / 0:30

• 2x20, RI = 60-90"
• leg press
• lat pull down 
• push ups
• step ups
• seated row
• ball crunches
• 30" plank hold

I had the day off and kicked it off with a massage. My coworker swears by his massage therapist (who happens to work with my sports chiro), Todd, so I decided to give it a shot. He specializes in athletes and sports massage and uses techniques like ART to work out the muscles. Since it was my first time I think he went kind of easy on me but there were definitely some moments that had me sweating : ) My legs felt great (if a little beat up) after, so I'll definitely be back, especially after a big week of training. It's certainly not your usual relaxing rub down but it sure is effective!

Afterward I headed to the gym to get in my first workout of the day. My coworkers Erin and Chris happened to be there so Erin and I hit the weights and did the same workout as last week before heading out to the pool. It was an insanely gorgeous day (think mid 70s with a light breeze) so I threw on a bikini and got my tan on : ) It felt weird not swimming while at the pool, but it was also kind of nice.

pm: run / 5 mi / 0:47 / avg 9:34
The last thing I wanted to do after a relaxing day was head out for a run. I hadn't eaten since breakfast since I went straight to the gym after my massage, so I threw something together and was out the door a bit later. I don't know if it was what I ate or when but I had terrible heartburn on this run! My legs felt great but I had to slow way down from the discomfort in my chest. Got it done, though!

Tuesday
am: swim / 1,850 yds / 0:45
Lately I've really been loving swimming in the morning, despite having to get up early. With the weather we've been having the water feels great and it just seems to set the tone for the rest of the day leaves my evenings a little more free (although usually for other workouts!). The 200 pulls in the main set of this workout nearly killed me. I thought they wouldn't be too bad since I'd be using the pull buoy but holy crap, my arms! It was all I could do to hit the 1:45 pace and man did my shoulders and forearms burn!

• warm-up:
• 200
• 100 side kick
• 100 S2S
• 100 easy
• 6x25 fast on 0:45
• main: 5x200 pull @ 1:45 on 4:30
• cool-down: 200

had it all to myself : )

pm: run / 3.4 mi / 0:30 / avg 9:01
It's always hard to get out the door for these short runs after work. Now that it's going to be light out when I get off I'm hoping it's a little easier. I took my pup with me and ended up having a great, invigorating run. I love when that happens : ) I also got a special delivery earlier in the day: a box full of Gu, including a giant canister of their new Roctane drink. I think I should be set for a while!

Wednesday
am: bike / 23 mi / 1:31 / avg 15.1 mph
A great ride up in Granite Bay, practicing hills on the new bike! Gorgeous (but windy) day with lots of great country scenery.

I never really post about food, but I couldn't help but include the lunch I put together after my ride. Being a vegetarian and training for an Ironman, I've been trying to eat fairly cleanly and include plenty of protein in my diet. This is one of my favorite things to make and is pretty darn healthy to boot. I'll often make enough to take to lunch as it's easy to transport and assemble, too. First I cook some quinoa (I do it like pasta as opposed to rice and just drain off the excess water) then I add a can of rinsed black beans and some chopped black olives. I add a few spoonfuls of salsa and several generous dashes of hot sauce to the mix. I top a bed of greens with the mixture and then sprinkle a little cheese and add some chopped avocado. Lots of protein, greens, and healthy fats. And delicious! Win win!

mmmmm

 

Thursday
am: bike / 11.5 mi / 0:40 / avg 17.2 mph
Easy, short morning ride before work. My wrist was really sore from my ride the previous day since I was up on my handlebars for most of it, so it felt great to get down into aero. I was running a little late so I cut it short by 5 minutes, but figured it balanced out since I rode longer the day before.

This was the first day of packet pick-up for our race, the Shamrock'n Half Marathon, so work was pretty crazy. But my day got infinitely better when I got a little voicemail with some great news:

I GOT IN TO GRAD SCHOOL!!!!!!!!! 

I'm still waiting to hear from one more school, but I am absolutely thrilled : ) It's quite a relief, too, that my future is no longer up in the air. I really liked the school and program and love the location (San Francisco is hard to beat), so I can definitely see myself there next year. I should know about the other program by the end of the month, so we'll have to see whether I have a tough decision to make.

a little treat to celebrate : )

Friday
am: swim / 2,600 yds / 1:00

• warm-up:
• 200
• 200 choice drills (back kick, FTD, CU, S2S)
• main:
• 500 @ 2:00 on 10:30
• 5x100 @ 1:50 on 2:10
• 500 @ 1:55 on 10:30
• 5x100 @ 1:50 on 2:10
• cool-down: 200

The focus of this workout was clearly endurance with the sets of 500 as the main workout. I wasn't looking forward to it but it ended up being a great workout. When I got there in the morning the pool was super crowded but I managed to snag a lane to share. The 500s weren't as bad as I thought and I nailed the paces. It feels good to do these longer workouts and feel strong - gives me a nice boost of confidence!

 

Saturday
rest
Oh.my.god work was insane! Saturdays are usually busy, but add in the last day of packet pick-up and it's an absolute madhouse. I had a 20 minute shake-out run on my schedule but skipped it as I was way too exhausted after work, and I did enough running around while I was there!

Sunday
am: run / 13.2 mi / 1:51 / avg 8:26
One of the perks of working at a running store is getting to run our races for free. I'd signed up for the Shamrock'n Half Marathon a while back, hoping to race it and PR. In the last couple weeks, however, I hadn't been sure if I was up for racing it since I've been running less mileage and doing little speedwork. But then my coach put a fast time on my schedule and the seed was planted, so I raced it! I'll have the full race report soon, but suffice it to say I must be doing something right with my training because I ended up with a 4 minute PR : )

 post-race at Raley Field

new half PR!

Totals

swim: 4,450 yards

bike: 34.5 miles

run: 21.5 miles

other: 30 minutes

total time: 7.7 hours

New Bike Notes

My ride today called for rolling hills so I headed to Granite Bay with my coworker for a nice ride on quiet country roads. We passed horses, cows, sheep, llamas, and goats and a lot of really nice homes. It was so nice to ride somewhere other than the bike trail! I rode mostly on my handlebars as it was windy and had a lot of hills, but at the end we had a nice long gradual downhill that let me get down in aero and cruise at 20+ mph : ) The route we rode is the bike course for an upcoming Oly race. It's definitely not easy, but at least it's quite scenic! I ended up riding a bit longer than I had scheduled but it was a lot of fun and great practice on my new bike.

 home of a nice long hill

 

As I mentioned before, it's amazing how different my tri bike is from my old road bike. Here are some things I've noticed so far:

• handling - The handling is a little touchier than a road bike, especially when in aero. I've found that the trick is to steer from the elbows when down in aero rather than with your hands.
• feel - This is a very welcome difference! Everything just feels very smooth with this bike. Vibrations from the road aren't as magnified and pedaling, shifting, etc. are smoother, too.
• shifting - This is something that's going to take some getting used to. On tri bikes the shifters are located at the end of the aero bars, which is great if you're in aero, but kind of a pain if you're riding on the handlebars. I found this especially annoying on my ride today that had a lot of rolling hills and required regular shifting.
• aero - This is easily still what scares me the most, although I'm slowly getting better as I practice getting down in aero. The funny thing is that a tri bike is designed to be most comfortable in the aero position (and it is), but it is a little disconcerting to be crouched so low and far forward without easy access to the brakes, which are located on the handlebars. I'm still working on going downhill, climbing, and taking turns in aero.
• speed - As I mentioned a couple times before, it's amazing how much faster this bike is! I don't know if it has to do with the geometry or what but with the same effort I can go 1-2 mph faster. My position on the bike also feels much more efficient; my legs don't seem to fatigue as fast and I seem to get more power out of each stroke than on my previous bike.

With all that said, I really am loving my new bike! I definitely still have a lot to learn and practice, but so far things are going pretty well. Once thing I've found to be helpful is confidence. While I'm still pretty nervous when I'm riding, especially when I'm in aero, I keep telling myself to own it and not be timid. The only way to learn is to try!

In other bike news I ordered some new pedals (Shimano 105s) and installed them last night. I'd previously had dual-sided mountain bike pedals (didn't know they were MTB when I bought them). My chiro thought that the cause of my foot-ankle issues a couple weeks ago was from too much twisting in my cycling shoes. Then when I went to buy my bike the guy who fit me commented that he saw a lot of movement in that foot. He explained that triathlon-specific cycling shoes tend to be less structured on the upper than regular cycling shoes, and also being so old it just looked like they were allowing too much torsion in my foot. So I'm planning on investing in new shoes soon, but in the meantime I got new pedals. Getting in and out of them is actually pretty much the same as my old ones, but I do like that I don't have to worry about them being turned to the right side in order to clip in like I had to with my dual-sided ones.

Ironman Week 9

2/27-3/4

Time really seems to be flying by - I can't believe it's already been 9 weeks! That also meant that it was time for another round of assessments to check on my progress. While I certainly hoped to see some improvements from last time (Week 5), I was a little surprised to improve fairly significantly on all three tests. I hope that means all this training is paying off! The other big news of the week was my most recent purchase - a sexy little triathlon bike! So far I absolutely love it and can't believe what a difference it makes.

Monday
pm: conditioning / 0:40
Last week marked the end of my winter conditioning class so from here on it looks like I'll be incorporating weights and strength training on my own. My coach gave me a pretty straightforward workout to follow this week and while it was simple and quick it was definitely effective - I was feeling the after effects over the next couple days! This also marked my first time using anything at my gym besides the pool. I honestly didn't even know where to go! I also wasn't familiar with some of the exercises in the workout but luckily my coworker volunteered to come with me and act as my personal trainer : ) It ended up being really fun and I loved feeling the burn. I'm looking forward to having this as a supplement to my training!

• warm-up: 5 min elliptical
• 2x20, RI = 60-90"
• leg press
• lat pull down
• push ups
• step ups
• seated row
• ball crunches
• 30" plank hold

lat pulls!

 

Tuesday

am: bike / 12 mi / 0:46 / avg 15.5 mph
Easy morning ride before work. I'm definitely sick of the wind we've been having though - I'll be cruising along having a good ride, only to turn back and find a headwind!

pm: run / 3.2 mi / 0:30 / avg 9:35

I waffled back and forth about going for this run. I got out of work kind of late and was tired and hungry. In the end I talked myself into it and it ended up being a nice, easy run with my pup. It started sprinkling on me when I started but it was kind of refreshing. It meant a late dinner but when it was done I was happy I'd done it!

Wednesday

pm: swim / 1,650 yds / 0:40

It was time for another time trial! I had the day off so I waited to til the afternoon to set out. The sky had been dark all morning and of course as soon as I was about to leave it started dumping. Since I don't mind swimming in the rain I set out anyway, and as I drove toward Natomas I actually left the dark skies behind me and was greeted with sunny blue skies at the pool : ) The test was basically the same as last time: a broken time trial of 10x100 with 10 sec rest. I was really hoping to improve on my previous time but really didn't know what to expect. I tried to focus on form and being efficient rather than going super fast. During the second half I told myself to keep pushing when I started feeling tired. And wouldn't you know it, I bested my time by 35 seconds! Finals stats were 18:00 for 1,000 yards, a pace of 1:47/100 yds. It was certainly not an easy effort, but I was pretty happy with my improvement!

• warm-up:
• 300
• 6x25 fast on 0:50
• main: 10x100 [broken time trial]
• cool-down: 200

no sign of rain here!

After my swim I headed to Davis Wheelworks again to test ride and purchase my sexy new tri bike! This is something I've been planning for quite a while so it was both cool and nerve wracking to take the plunge. Sh*t just got serious : ) I absolutely love her though!

my new baby : )

Thursday

pm: bike / 18.2 mi / 1:00 / avg 18.2 mph

I debated for a bit which bike to use for my bike time trial. On the one hand, I was nervous about taking the new bike out on the bike trail with turns, people, & squirrels all while trying to go fast. On the other hand, I was really eager to see what kind of difference it made in terms of speed. I decided to go for it and was so glad I did! It had rained the night before and the sky was dark so I hoped to squeeze it in before it started raining again. Once on the bike trail I dropped down into aero and spun easy for 15 minutes to warm up. I was surprised to see my speed hovering between 17-18 mph with very little effort! My HR, on the other hand, was sky high from the start, which I can only attribute to being a little terrified : /

I hit the lap button to start the time trial and started pushing harder. I had to slow way down and come out of aero on the turns which was a little frustrating, and I also hit a bit of construction where I had to stop and carry my bike around. Otherwise things were going really well. When I turned around to head back I hit some wind that slowed me down a bit, but I still ended up with a huge improvement over my last time trial (8.77 mi, 17.5 mph, HR 156) with 9.5 miles in 30 minutes (19 mph!) and an average HR of 158. Yeeeaaaa!! Can't wait to see what I can do in better conditions with more practice : )

pm: run / 6.6 mi / 1:00 / avg 9:08

After relaxing for a few hours after my bike test I headed out for an easy hour run with my pup. I run with her fairly often, so I figured this time I'd share a pic - I think she's pretty cute : ) At the start of the bike trail she took off into the field, clearly overjoyed to be running and I couldn't help but smile. I didn't wear my HR monitor but rather focused on effort. The pace felt slow and easy but was faster than it felt. After a wet and gloomy day it had cleared up and was a gorgeous evening. I ended up overdressing as I was expecting cool temps but it was so nice!

 spring!

Friday
rest

Saturday
am: run / 5.5 mi / 0:45 / avg 8:10
I wasn't sure that I'd see any improvements over last time (3.77 mi, 7:57 pace, HR 175), but I was determined to at least be about the same. After a 10 minute warm-up I picked it up for the 30 minute time trial and ran on feel. I focused on maintaining a quick cadence and steady breathing and tried to keep it steady but still fast. The last 10 minutes were brutal; it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. I knew I was a bit ahead of last time, but wasn't sure how much so I pushed as hard as I could for the last couple minutes. I finished with 3.93 miles in 30 minutes (a 7:38 pace!) with an average HR of 175. I was totally spent by the end but really pleased with myself, too.

pm: swim / 1,000 yds / 0:25
I almost skipped this swim because it was so short, but in the end I sucked it up and just got it done (and rewarded myself after with some jacuzzi time). It was a recovery swim so nothing too intense. I did get to use paddles for the first time, though! It's crazy how much more pull you get with them but they totally load up your shoulders. After only 200 yards I felt it the next day! The workout also called for a some non-free so I did the only other stroke I know - breast!

• warm-up: 200
• main:
• 200 w/ pull buoy & paddles
• 200 (alt. 25 kick/25 non-free)
• 200 (alt. 25 FTD/25 swim)
• cool-down: 200

 
Sunday

am: swim / 1,400 / 1:00

Met up at the pool for the usual Sunday morning MTC group swim. The workout ended up being on the shorter end but was chock full of sprints! My legs were feeling pretty fatigued after my run test the day before so the sprints were pretty challenging, especially the 100s. I managed to keep my pace fairly consistent though with the 25s ranging from 20-22" and the 100s from 1:35-1:39.

• warm-up: 200
• main:
• 100 kick
• 100 CU
• 8x25 sprint on 1:00
• 5x100 sprint on 3:00
• 8x25 sprint on 1:00
• cool-down: 100 

 the MTC gang

pm: bike / 17 mi / 1:00 / avg 17.0 mph

I had an hour ride on deck so I hurried home from work so that I could squeeze it in before it got dark. While I'm still fairly nervous on my new bike, it is also incredibly fun! I just cruised along the bike trail, trying to keep it easy and keep my HR nice and low (zone 2). I took the opportunity to also practice taking turns in aero. I'll post more about my bike in another post but I will just say that it handles quite differently from a road bike, especially when down in the aero position. I managed to stay in aero for the majority of the ride and averaged a pretty decent speed. I was blinded by the sun on the first half but finished just as the sun set. Definitely a good ride!

 don't know which is prettier - the sunset or my bike...
 

Totals

swim: 4,050 yards

bike: 47.2 miles

run: 15.3 miles

other: 40 minutes

total time: 7.8 hours

Review: GU Roctane Ultra Endurance Drink

When it comes to Ironman, it is often said that there is an unofficial fourth discipline of the race - fueling. In such a long and intense endurance race, proper fueling can undoubtedly make all the difference, but it is often easier said than done. Coming from a running background, I have a certain mindset when it comes to fueling - 1 Gu every 45 minutes, 1 salt cap every hour, and water with each. This has worked for me for the most part, but triathlon fueling is a whole different ball game. Back when I was training for Vineman 70.3 last summer I didn't really know what I was doing, and so my fueling resembled what I do during running races. As a result, I was consistently under fueling, especially on the bike where I'd average 100 calories an hour on long rides.

Now I'm starting to learn just how critical nutrition and fueling are for events like Ironman (as well as the long training sessions), and I'm hoping to develop better habits that I'll be able to execute easily come race day. While fueling certainly varies from person to person, in general it is recommended that one consumes approximately 250-300 calories per hour over the course of a long training session or event. Obviously that is a huge jump from what I'm used to, but one thing that has really helped me up my numbers is supplementing my usual gels with a new product, Gu Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Drink. From the website:

"Roctane Energy Drink is a carbohydrate intensive energy drink for ultra distance and intense efforts. It contains the critical carbs and electrolyte replenishment that ultra endurance athletes need to compete at high levels."

The thing that stood out to me in that despription was the mention of both carbs and electrolytes. That means calories and hydration from one easy to consume product that also happens to boast 240 calories per serving. Here's what they have to say in more detail:

"Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Drink was specifically formulated for the demands of prolonged, ultra-endurance exercise.  Specifically, events lasting 4+ hours.  The drink is calorically dense, since consuming enough calories during these types of events can be a challenge. Caffeine is included (35 mg) to increase mental acuity, increase performance, and decrease perceived effort – all of which tend to go south during prolonged efforts. Taurine is included to help combat heart and skeletal muscle fatigue – as it has been shown to help increase contractility – which is especially important during long efforts where fatigue management is a big issue. The addition of beta-alanine and histidine help buffer acid caused by going over lactate threshold, and amino acids help prevent muscle damage and aid with muscle recovery."

Sounds great, right? Well I happened to get my hands on a couple free samples from work a couple weeks ago and have since tested them out on my last two long rides. Let me preface my review by saying that I'm typically not a fan of sports drinks. The most I'll tolerate is Nuun, and as most of you know that is pretty darn mild. I just find most to be too sweet, have too strong a flavor, leave a weird aftertaste, or cause stomach distress. So while this product certainly sounded great, I wasn't holding my breath. The first thing I noticed was that it mixes easily and is actually fairly light tasting, not overly sweet (I tried the Lemon Lime flavor), and was not the least bit chalky. My plan for my 3 hour ride was to sip on the Gu Roctane Drink and supplement it with a couple gels and of course a bottle of regular H20. I also decided to forgo my usual salt caps since the drink has electrolytes and it would be one less thing to worry about.

Now in hindsight I still didn't fuel enough on either of these rides. Over the course of 3 hours I consumed one serving of Gu Roctane Drink (240 cal), 2 Gu gels (~200 cal), and most of a 20 oz bottle of water. That works out to about 146 cal per hour so... not nearly enough! But it's actually an improvement for me and a place to start as I work out a fueling strategy. On my 3.5 hour ride I did a little better adding in a 3rd gel, bringing my intake to 155 cal per hour. But since this is a product review I won't digress into my fueling issues. Overall, I really liked the Roctance Energy Drink. The flavor was great and I loved that it provided both calories/carbs and electrolytes. It seemed to work fine with my stomach and I never got sick of it as I have in the past with certain drinks or gels.

The Gu website recommends consuming one bottle per hour of intense training or racing and supplementing with 1 gel per hour, which would put you at 340 cal per hour. I'm thinking that I'd probably stretch out a bottle over 1.5-2 hours plus a gel every 45 minutes or so. Of course I expect my fueling to evolve as I continue training and learn what works and what doesn't, but I can say that this drink will become a consistent element in my fueling for training and race day. I just bought a 24-serving canister so I'll be sure to post an update as I experiment with it more. And in case you're wondering, it comes in three flavors: lemon lime, grape, and tropical fruit : )