Pickin' up the Pace

Sunday was a cycle day. The Half IM group did 29 miles in 110 minutes (15.8 mph). We rode through Camino Tassajara onto Highland up to N. Livermore and then back. Very familiar route since I did it last season with the cycle team. I went a little too fast in the beginning and got sluggish in the middle of the ride, but picked up the speed towards the end. Unfortunately, I got lost again and kept going onto Sycamore Valley. Luckily i'm kind of familiar with the surrounding areas. I got back on the Iron Horse trail which led me back to the start. OH! I almost fell twice during this ride. I clipped out, but leaned the wrong side both times. Fortunately I caught myself, but I did let out a couple of loud "OH Sh*T!"

Butt Up!

Saturday morning was a run and swim workout. The Half IM group had to do 50 minutes. We were back at Dublin so again I don't know the distance. I may map my run out someday. I went at a Level 3 as recommended by our coaches because of the current poor air quality. I ran with Melissa most of the way and I felt good.

After a short injury prevention clinic, it was time to swim. The pool was too warm for my comfort and my legs were so exhausted from the run.

Warm Up:

Coach's choice of drills for 15 minutes. It was Body Balance Position, Side Body Balance Position, and then Body Balance Roll. I lost count of how many laps I did and Captain Anthea had us stop just a little over 10 minutes.

Main Set:

30 minutes of freestyle. I think I did 23 laps, which is about 1150 yards. Not fast by any stretch of the imagination, but some of the time was used to listen to the suggestions of Captain Anthea and Mentor Joe. Thanks to them, they helped me get my butt up in the water. I basically tucked my chin towards my chest and that lifted everything up. Of course, I think I was told that before. And they saw I swaying one side and neglecting the other side. They were right. I sway more on the side I try to get air from. Now my only (main) issue is to try to get the breathing in with everything. I still lift my head up especially when I tire out.

Cool down:
100 yards of non-freestyle

New Form, New Old Problems

Last night, I tried the new form that Coach Paul suggested. I reached far and rotated my hips. Right from the get-go, it felt like I was swimming for the first time again. It was the most bizarre awkward swimming movement ever. However, I instantly understood how getting air on the side was so much easier. It was virtually no effort. Great news right? Well no. Unfortunately, my legs sank throughout the workout. I could never get them up. Of course I know all the remedies. I've heard it all before. Put your chest down, look straight down at the pool, get your butt up. I tried, but no use. My legs were under water and I was basically using my upper body to get me across the pool. That was the most exhausting swim of the season and i'm just as confused as I have ever been with swimming. Well, i'll show-off my new form to the coaches tomorrow and i'll see what they have to say.

Warm Up:
2 x (150 LVL2, 100 kick, 50 side body balanced position) 15" RI

Main Set:
2 x 25 Balanced Body Roll (10 " RI)
2 x 25 Distance Per Stroke (10" RI)
4 x 25 Build (10" RI)
Do above portion of main set 4 x
2 x 500 Negative Splits LVL 3-6 (30" RI)

Cool Down:
100 LVL 1

Total distance = 2,500 yards (1.42 miles)

Picture Myself Like a Long Boat

This week we are picking up the intensity of the workouts. Tonight's workout really did it. Before I go into details of what they had planned for us, last Sunday Honoree Captain Claire approached Claudia, Amy, and I to talk about Brenda in front of the team for tonight. The TRI team has an open forum for any participant who would like to share a story about their personal honorees. Since they approached us, we didn't mind sharing Brenda's story to the team.

Unfortunately, Amy and Claudia were unable to make it to tonight's workout, so it was just me. I don't think I had ever discussed Brenda's story in public outside of this blog. So I wasn't sure how I was going to react. I have to tell you, I almost lost it tonight. My voice began to quiver, but I held it together. I guess it touched others because one of my teammates came up to me and said she almost began tearing up. Hopefully it inspired them to love life like Brenda did and smile when things get tough.

Besides the workout, (which I promise to get to after this) Coach Paul pulled each participant over during circuit drills to go over our swimming form that was filmed last Saturday. When it was my turn, I pre-warned him that I was going to hit the lane buoy. He got a good chuckle out of it. Anyways, the first thing he noticed about my form was that I was not rotating enough. He told me I want to reach very far and during the same motion, my hips should be rotating to about 45 degrees. He told me to picture myself like a boat and with each reach, i'm rotating back and forth. My body should be rotating altogether. I guess right now my upper body is rotating but my hips aren't doing anything. I'll try to figure it out tomorrow.

Finally to tonights workout:

Warm Up:
10 minute run

Main Set:
1 lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 4-5

Station #1
10 opposite arm/leg extensions one side (hold 5 seconds each)
10 opposite arm/leg extensions other side (hold 5 seconds each)
12 squats (2 seconds down, 2 seconds up)
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 4-5

Station #2
10 opposite knee and leg crunches (one side)
10 opposite knee and leg crunches (one side)
15 push ups
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 4-5

Station #3
10 right side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
10 left side planks (hold 5 seconds each)

12 mule kicks
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 4-5
start off with knee raises to the corner

Station #4
12 leg lifts (hold 5 seconds)
8 burpies
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 7
start off with toe walk to the corner

repeat

Station #1
10 opposite arm/leg extensions one side (hold 5 seconds each)
10 opposite arm/leg extensions other side (hold 5 seconds each)
12 squats (2 seconds down, 2 seconds up)
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 4-5

Station #2
10 opposite knee and leg crunches (one side)
10 opposite knee and leg crunches (one side)
15 push ups
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 4-5

Station #3
10 right side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
10 left side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
12 mule kicks

Cool Down: 10 minute run

Swimming Smarter

I know realized I went way too fast at Saturday's swim, which is why I was so exhausted. Tonight's workout seemed to go better. It's still a slow process in trying to put everything together; however, I focused on reaching and swaying the body back and forth. Using that motion I tried to get air at the same time by keeping my head inline with the body. I find myself more comfortable and focused on my form swimming at LVL 3. When it goes any higher, the form is way off. On the upside, i'm no longer taking unplanned swimming breaks. In fact, I felt like I could swim more after the workout. Which according to Coach Paul's e-mail tonight, that is how he wants us to feel. Tonight's workout:

Warm Up:
300 LVL2
200 kick
4 x 50 (25 stroke count, 25 side balanced body position) 15" RI

Main Set:
6 x 150 LVL 3-6 (descending) 20" RI
1 minute rest
4 x 100 LVL 3-6 (descending) 15" RI
1 minute rest
4 x 50 LVL 3-6 (descending) 10" RI

Cool Down:
100 LVL 1

Total distance = 2300 yards

Sunday's Run

Sunday was the Captain's workout. Met out in Danville and did 40 minute run. I started out too fast, but it led me to teammate Randy who was running near my pace. We ended up talking for the rest of the run. It was good because it got me to slow down to a comfortable pace. It's been a while since I felt so comfortable running. Now if only I knew how far I went I could calculate the pace.

me and Randy

Not Clicking

Back to square one. Saturday, we did our typical swim/bike workout. The swim was frustrating. This time Head Coach Paul looked over us while we swam laps. I'm a good reacher, but my breathing technique is to be less desired. Also, i'm not above the water enough. He suggested I look straight down at the pool and imagine as if i'm swimming downhill. I tried that, however, I felt like I was sinking more. I told him I was tiring out. He suggested I ease off on the kicking and try to level my chest on the water, but not press down to hard. He said to try to get the entire body to sway back and forth.

As you can see, I had lots of things to concentrate on. I tried to gather everything and apply it. No use. My mind was going crazy just trying to remember everything. Finally, I told him i'm thinking too much. Coach Paul suggested I just primarily focus on swaying my body and as I reach to turn and take in air. Water may get in my mouth, but through time I would learn to get it out.

me being recognized for Perfect Attendance
(again for you mom!)

The highlight of today's workout was that each participant was filmed on a separate lane so that the coaches could analyze our swimming forms. What I revealed to them instantly is that I can't swim straight. During the first 25 yards, I crashed into the lane buoy. In my defense, the black line at the bottom of the swimming pool was fading away towards the end. Regardless, there won't be a striped line at the bottom of the ocean. I'm screwed. Again, I lost count of how much I swam. Not important right now I suppose. I just need to find my form. ARGHH! Practice makes perfect I guess.

The bike ride was the better workout of the two. Unfortunately it was freaking HOT! It was 100 degrees. We rode the same route we did 2 weeks back. It was a 45 minute out and 45 minutes back ride. The first half was an incline and because of the heat, I noticed I was so much thirstier. 8 miles in, I made it to the top of Pig Farm Hill where Coach Paul was. Thank goodness he had some water because I was almost out. The ride back was a decline so it was nice. Hot breeze is better than no breeze I guess. Of course, I got lost twice going back. Finished 16.5 miles in the hot hot heat. Here is to better training days.

100 degrees breeze

Milestone

I just realized I have surpassed the $10,000 mark in fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society since I began in Fall 2005. Not shabby, since my only prior fundraising experience was selling candy out of a bag back in middle school. Never would I have thought to be able to raise that amount. Of course, all the recognition goes to all those who supported me through generous donations. Most of who do it time and time again. I can honestly say each time I get an e-mail confirming another donation, I am deeply touched. Touched by the giving of others and knowing that the money raised will be helping out another person. Sincere heartfelt, thanks. Of course, i'm not done yet! The skies the limit until there is a cure.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/bigktri08/plee703

Swimming Way Too Much

I think i've been swimming way too much. Last night I had a nightmare that a shark attacked the team in a chlorine-filled swimming pool. There were lots of screaming and people jumping out of the pool. I wasn't able to escape because my wetsuit was extremely slick and I kept sliding back into the pool. That's when I woke up. Despite this oh-so-real dream, I made it out to the pool tonight with Amy, Claudia and special guest Capitan Jeanette. Tonight's workout:

Warm up:
300 LVL 2, 100 kick
2 x (25 stroke count, 25 finger tip drill) 20" RI

Main set:
4 x 200 (150 LVL 3, 50 kick) 30" RI
400 LVL 3 1' rest
100 LVL 3 (form) 30" rest
4 x (25 stroke count, 25 distance per stroke) 20" RI

Cool down:
100 LVL 1

Total distance: 2200 yards (1.25 miles)

The stroke count was about 19 during the warm up. Unfortunately the stroke count fell to 21 during the main set. That's not good. Looks like i'm tiring towards the end.

Recovery Week

Hmm...so this week is suppose to be a "recovery" week. Apparently, if we need a day off from training, we are allowed to take it. Hmm...day off? I don't think so. Tonight's workout:

Warm Up:
Run for 10 minutes - Finished 5 laps (1.25 miles) in 11:51

Main Set (best of my knowledge):
1 lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #1
5 right side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
5 left side planks (hold 5 seconds each)

side planks

12 push ups
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #2
5 opposite arm/leg extensions one side (hold 5 seconds each)
5 opposite arm/leg extensions other side (hold 5 seconds each)

opposite arm/leg extensions

10 crunches
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #3
10 squats (2 seconds down, 2 seconds up)
10 mule kicks (5 each leg)
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #4
10 leg lifts (hold 5 seconds)
5 burpies
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

repeat

Station #1
5 right side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
5 left side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
12 push ups
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #2
5 opposite arm/leg extensions one side (hold 5 seconds each)
5 opposite arm/leg extensions other side (hold 5 seconds each)
10 crunches
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #3
10 squats (2 seconds down, 2 seconds up)
10 mule kicks
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #4
10 leg lifts (hold 5 seconds)
5 burpies
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

repeat

Station #1
5 right side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
5 left side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
12 push ups

then was told to cool down

Cool Down:

Run for 10 minutes - Finished 4 laps (1 mile) in 10:28

I still find it amusing that I dread going to track to do these drills; yet afterwards, i'm so glad I did them.

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Fundraising Thanks!
Thank you to Toks and Sharon & Simon!

It's Slowly Clicking!

I don't want to brag....ok I do! I think i'm finally getting it. Swimming that is. I took all the advice suggested and finally applied it tonight. What do you know? I'm kind of swimming efficiently. How do I know? I'm not as easily tired as I was before. I'm reaching during each stroke and my legs are finally above water. Of course it's not perfect and i'll need to refine it, but I think tonight was a major breakthrough!

Tonight's swim workout:

Warm Up:
6 x 75 LVL2 (20" RI) * Focus on Form

Main Set:
2 x 200 LVL 4 (20" RI)
1 x 100 LVL 6 (20" RI)
2 x 200 LVL 4 (30"RI)
1 x 100 LVL 6 (20" RI)
2 x 300 LVL 4 (30" RI)
1 x 100 LVL 6

Cool Down:
8 x 25 LVL 2 (5" RI)

Total Distance = 2,350 yards (1.33 miles)

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Fundraising Thanks!
Thank you to Sheryl & Thomas and Kristi

Getting Closer

Well this Saturday's workout started on a sad note. On Friday our Honoree and teammate Deb's father, Henry Gruen passed away from an 8-year battle with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. With a heavy heart, Deb still came out on Saturday to support the team. I didn't get a chance to meet Henry; however, at kick-off he sent the team a video message and I definitely got choked up after hearing what he had to say. I'm personally going to dedicate this season to him.

Henry Gruen

On Saturday, the team met at Foothill High in Dublin. Since the pool was not open yet, Coach Paul decided when should do the run first. The half IM group was scheduled to do a 50 minute run. The run consisted of running a loop around the school and neighborhood. I ended up doing 3 loops. I'm not sure how far each loop is, but I heard it was anywhere from 1.5 to 1.75 miles. The run course was good because it had some uphills and downhills. All of which was the focus of the run clinic prior to the run. It was definitely hot and I sweated like a pig.

After a quick wardrobe change, it was time to swim. Coach Luanne went over some swimming fundamentals and then it was time to face the pool. I really punished myself during the warm ups by doing everything wrong. I exerted too much energy because I was doing too many strokes. Coach Mike said I needed to focus on stretching out further to reduce my strokes. I followed his advice and it began to make sense. I was less tired. I was actually able to talk by the time I got back to the wall. However, my other problem is that I continue to sink. Balance Body Position or Side Body Position, i'm way under the water and it's taking me too much energy to come back up to the surface to get air. Another issue I have is that I over tilt my head when I come up to get air during my freestyle. Other than that, things are good I guess. I didn't keep track of the how many laps I swam. I tried to focus all my efforts on keeping a good form. I'm still encouraged that everything will click soon.

i'm in the white cap

Sunday was the Captain's workout which for the half IM group was to do a 90 minute bike ride from Walnut Creek to Dublin and back. We pretty much rode as a group. No serious climbs to note about. We didn't quite make it to Dublin. We were just shy of Alcosta before we were forced to turnaround. We traveled a total of 23.5 miles in 1 hour 28 minutes (16.0 mph).

yummy Clif Bar!

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Fundraising Thanks!
Thank you to Will & Yvonne, Mom & Dad, Karla, Sarah, Monica, Andrew & Bridget

Slowly Getting There

Tonight, I joined Claudia and Amy at Shadow Cliffs for some open water swimming. Not quite following the swim plan by coach tonight; however, we were still trying to go for the same distance. Tonight called for 2250 yards. The goal was to do 16 lengths at the lake. Each length is approximately 140 yards, so that would give us 2240 yards (1.27 miles).

Outside temperature was 91 degrees, but the water felt more like 70's. The bizarre thing was at times swimming in the lake, the water felt hot one second and a second later the water felt cold. Anyways, the 1st length sucked. I hate how the body needs to warm up. I focused on putting my chest parallel to the water surface. At times, it helped get the legs up, but it was hard to do for a consistent period. After the second length, I was tired and was hoping either Claudia or Amy to say let's go home. No such luck.

Slowly, but surely, my stamina was improving with each length. I could go from one end to the other without much worry about drowning in the middle. I still needed to take rest breaks at the end of each length, but I think i've come a long way since the last time I was at Shadow Cliffs. My other annoying issue was not being able to swim straight. I kept on getting attacked by the buoys. When not colliding with the buoys, I was in a nice rhythm. However, I was still dismayed that I couldn't get my legs up.

By the 12th length, I was ready to call it a day; however, Amy said she was going to do one more length. Well if Amy was going to do one more, I couldn't stop. So we ended up doing 2 more lengths. This time I was done. Finshed 14 lengths which equals 1960 yards (1.11 miles).

Well, I know I can sort of go the distance, I just need to figure out how to do it efficiently.

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Fundraising Thanks!
Thank you to Hannah and Sarah!

At Least I Can Do Drills

Before I go on about tonight's workout, I must say I gotta stop whining about how I suck at the pool. I pulled out the Louie Bonpua video to help bring me back to earth. That along with the thought of Brenda is helping me keep things in check. Another inspiration is my teammate Keiron, who will be doing his first triathlon with one arm. He spoke tonight and told us about how he lost his left hand in a near fatal accident while paragliding in Columbia. I will limit the swimming whining starting today.

Tonight was round 2 of circuit drills. As much as I hate the thought of doing them before the workout, I must say I love the "high" afterwards. Felt great tonight. I think I improved from the previous week. My only troubles were chaffed nipples from the workout. Very bizarre. Note to self: put on body glide before circuit drills. Tonights workout:

Warm Up:
15 minutes of LVL 3: Finished 7 laps (1.75 miles) in 16:44 (9:33/mile)

Main Set:
1 lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #1
10 Squats
5 right side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
5 left side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #2
10 mule kicks
12 push ups
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #3
5 arm/leg extensions one side (hold 5 seconds each)
5 arm/leg extensions other side (hold 5 seconds each)
10 burpies ----> this was brutal, my legs then felt sluggish going into the run. What are burpies? Click here for a video on how to do them.
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #4
10 crunches
5 one-legged squats one side
5 one-legged squats other side
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

and start all over again

Station #1
10 Squats
5 right side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
5 left side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #2
10 mule kicks
12 push ups
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #3
5 arm/leg extensions one side (hold 5 seconds each)
5 arm/leg extensions other side (hold 5 seconds each)
10 burpies --->not pretty here. I began grunting really loud!
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy) --->I huffed and puffed really loud

Station #4
10 crunches
5 one-legged squats one side
5 one-legged squats other side
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy) --->again I huffed and puffed really loud

and one more time...

Station #1
10 Squats
5 right side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
5 left side planks (hold 5 seconds each)

Then I was told to stop and start the cool down. Main set time: 35:24

Cool Down:
10 minutes easy: Finished 4 laps (1 mile) in 9:16. Captain Christine asked if I wanted to do one more lap. I said "um...no."

Completed a total of 4.5 miles with lots of drills. Like last week, i'm sure i'll be sore tomorrow!

Does This Get Any Easier?

Another swimming night and I can honestly say i'm worried. While i'm impressed that I finished 1900 yards of swimming (furthest distance to date), I know i'm not swimming right. I put my face straight to the bottom of the pool and it's suppose to help get my legs up, yet somehow they are sinking. It's just frustrating.

Thank goodness I have Claudia and Amy to push me to keep on going. They won't stop swimming, so I have to keep following. Of course, i'll admit, I cheated myself by giving myself resting breaks and not completely swimming to the wall. It's still hard for me to continuously swim. I'm hoping this will all get easier through time and practice.

I suppose if there is one positive right now is that i'm probably building up swimming stamina. I kind of felt a groove toward the end of the workout; however, warming up is the hardest part. I think swimming is even more difficult to warm up than running or cycling. Anyways, here is the workout completed for the day:

Warm Up:

200 LVL 2
200 Kick
200 LVL 2

Main Set:

300 LVL 5 (20"RI)
300 LVL 3 (20" RI)
200 LVL 5 (20" RI)
200 LVL 7 (25" RI)
100 LVL 5 (20" RI)
100 LVL 3

Cool Down:

100 Form

Total = 1900 yds (1.08 miles)

Multi-Sport Way of Life

The first week of TRI training and I must say i'm beat. It's kind of what I expected; however, I thought I would not feel as fatigued as I do because I consider myself somewhat in shape. Anyways, I didn't get in that bike ride on Friday. I needed to recover. I was still sore from Wednesday's workout.

Saturday

Saturday morning was the Coaches workout which consisted of a swim and then a bike ride in Pleasant Hill. The swimming part went bad. I can't even remember how many yards I swam, but I know it was way short of what was written on the grease board. Coach Mike did give me a couple pointers and I did notice the slight improvement. Such as when swimming, look straight down at the pool (not further ahead) and when coming up for air, make sure to exhale all the air in the water before coming up to get some more. Makes sense.

I wish...actually more anxious for the coaches to just tell me everything that is wrong with my swimming technique so I can fix it altogether. Right now the advices seen to be piecemeal, which is a bit frustrating. However, I guess if they told me everything that is wrong with my technique, I may not remember it all because I have so many issues.

When the swim part was over, we had a quick overview of injury prevention and then it was on to the bike ride. The bike ride went awesome! The route was very familiar and then I realized this was part of the Grizzly Peak ride I did last month. This portion was that horrendous incline leading up to the back side of Pig Farm Hill. Half IM group was scheduled to do an 80 minute ride. It was a 40 minute out and 40 minute back ride. Good timing too. I was about mid-way up the back side of Pig Farm Hill and then my watch hit 40 minutes and I turned around right then and there. I really enjoyed the ride back because it was mostly a descent. The only bad part of the ride was I got lost near the end and put in an extra 2 miles to find my way back. In total I did 17 miles in 1 hour 16 minutes (13.5 mph)

Sunday

Sunday was the Captain's workout. Since we did swim and bike the day before, it was time to run. We met at Heather Farms and for the half IM, the option was to do a 35 minute or 45 minute run on the Canal trail. I opted to just do 40 minutes. It was annoyingly hot at 8:30 am. I think the temperature was upper 60's soaring into lower 70's. Our half IM group ran in a small pack until I turned around at 20 minutes. Captain Christine and I chatted most of the way back. On the way back, I saw from a far someone resembling Lindsay chatting it up with Honoree Adriana's aunt (who's also on our TRI team; however, I forgot her name). Upon closer look, it was her. Lindsay was doing her second 6-miler run of the weekend. We chatted it up briefly, but then had to finish the run. Don't know exactly what the total distance of the run was, but I think I did at least 4 miles. Finishing time was 43 minutes.

Good thing tomorrow is Monday, my only rest day of the week. I need it.

It Wasn't Pretty.

I woke up this morning and thought to myself..."WOW, I'm a STUD!" I wasn't at all sore from yesterday's circuit drill. Typically from a workout like that I would wobble to the bathroom in the morning. Then around noon time, I felt it. Slowly the back of my legs were aching from the lunges. Before I knew it, I was extremely sore and then the big killer were the "love handles." The side planks really did a number on them. So I wasn't a stud afterall.

Unfortunately, the soreness lingered all the way till the end of work. That sucked because tonight was yet another swimming night according to the TRI schedule. Swimming was the last thing I wanted to do, but I told Amy at track that we were swimming.

There we were, talking about how sore we were. After waiting for the kiddies to finish and evacuate a lane, we started the drills:

Warm Up
2 x (25 LVL 3, 25 BBP) 15" RI
2 x (25 LVL 5, 25 SC) 15" RI

After finishing this, I knew I was in big trouble. My stroke count was 23. That was one stroke more than Tuesday.

Main Set
100 LVL2 15"RI (timed)
100 LVL5 15"RI (timed)
25 minutes continuous swim LVL 2-3

I finished LVL 2 in 2:11 and LVL 5 in 2:06. Right now, i'm not sure if that is suppose to mean anything.

The 25 minutes continuous swim sucked ass. My body was sore. As a result, I was not spot on with my form. Because my form was off, I was wasting too much energy trying to swim. Which then made me even more tired. See the domino effect? I really wanted to stop after 10 lengths, but I saw Amy and she wasn't stopping. So I had to suck it up and keep on going. I had a minor problem when I felt my right calf wanting to cramp. It never fully cramped up, so I kept going. I ended up doing 38 lengths in 25 minutes. I did 40 lengths on Tuesday. It wasn't pretty, but it was done.

Cool Down
100 yds non-freestyle

Total distance for the day: 1450 yds

Tomorrow I will try to follow the schedule and do a bike ride. I'm tired just thinking about it.

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Fundraising Thanks!
Thank you to Bernice!

So this is what Clark Kerr Track looks like!

Of my entire TNT career (which is only 3 years), i've never stepped foot on Clark Kerr track until tonight. In fact, I didn't realize what hill repeats Coach Al referred to in the past until I drove up that hilly road getting up to the track. I really felt the slope when I had to park my car on it. Sick. I definitely give props to those who woke up to get to the 5:50 am workout on Thursday mornings. All I can say is damn! i'm glad I never went. Although that probably would have helped me with Nike.

GO TEAM!

Anyways, our little TRI team had our first run/strength training workout, which is more commonly known as "circuit drill" training. Yeah! (that's sarcasm BTW). It looks like we will be doing this every Wednesday night. So the drill tonight was:

Warm Up
10 minutes around the track super easy. I finished 5 laps = 1.25 miles. Stupid me probably should have gone slower. I was still able to converse with fellow teammates, which was a good sign. Considering I had no one to talk to during my runs the past few months, it was good to gage what my comfort level was in relation to my new found speed improvement.

Main Set
1 lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #1
10 Squats
5 right side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
5 left side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #2
10 leg lifts
10 push ups
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #3
5 arm/leg extensions (hold 5 seconds each)
5 lunges (front, right, left)
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #4
10 crunches
10 supermans
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

After that was over, I thought I was done. Then I saw teammate Matt doing Station #1 again and I asked the rhetorical, "Are we still going?" He said "yes, until they tell us to stop." So I did again:

Station #1
10 Squats
5 right side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
5 left side planks (hold 5 seconds each)
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #2
10 leg lifts
10 push ups
l lap around the track (0.25 mile) LVL 3 (easy)

Station #3
5 arm/leg extensions (hold 5 seconds each)
5 lunges (front, right, left)
l lap around the track (0.25 mils) LVL 3 (easy)

As I was ready to do Station #4, Claudia told me it was time to do a 15 minute cool down run.

Cool Down
Not sure how much of a cool down it was as I felt like I was going marathon pace even though I was exhausted.

cool down run

I lost count of how many laps I did, but a little past 10 minutes, Coach R2 told me one more lap. I was gently huffing and puffing. Still felt strong to the end, but tired.

Good workout. I'm sure i'll feel it tomorrow.

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Fundraising Thanks!
Thank you to Keith!

Rejected!

Once again...DENIED! Well, i'm kind of relieved. I guess that means i'm doing it next year. 3 strikes and i'm in! NYC '09! Uh Oh. Dilemma. What about Chicago '09?

On Track!

After work, I met up with Claudia and Amy at the Aquatic Center for laps. This time we followed the swim schedule set by Coach Paul.

As a warm up, we did 4 x (25 LVL2, 25 BBP) 15"RI, which translates to:

25 yds at Level 2 exertion (very easy)
25 yds Balanced Body Position
Rest 15 seconds
Repeat above 3 more times

Then we followed it up with:

100 yds stroke count for each 25 yds. I counted 21-22 each time.

The main set was to swim 25 minutes at level 2-3 exertion (easy). However, I think I was swimming at more of a level 3-4.

In the 25 minutes, we did 40 lengths which equals 1000 yds. I started off pretty sluggish and was only able to keep going because Claudia wouldn't stop. So I had to keep going. Amazingly, it got easier towards the end. So that was definitely an encouraging sign. The whole time I was focused on keeping my form. It's still not perfect, but I think i'm headed in the right direction. The cool down was a 100 yd non-freestyle swim. All in all, tonight's swim went well.

Total distance tonight = 1400 yds

On a running note, I will find out tomorrow whether I will be rejected for the 3rd time in a row for the NYC Marathon.

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Fundraising Thanks!
Thank you to BK and Irene!

What Did I Get Myself Into?

I seem to always say that after the first training workout of a new sport. I always feel like a clueless fool; however, I know through time, i'll get better and will be fundamentally sound. *crossing fingers* This morning (day after kick-off) was the first TRI workout of the season. Why so soon? Well, I looked at the calendar and there is actually only 3 months of training time until my event, The Big Kahuna (Big K). So it looks like we gotta pack in as much as possible. In fact, the only resting day of the week is Monday. All of the other days, i'm either swimming, cycling, or running.

my "what did i get myself into?" look

Anyways, back to today. After a brief lesson from the coaches on how to perform various swimming drills, it was time to get into the nice heated pool at Campolindo High School. Big K group started off with 3 sets of 25 yd of Balanced Body Position (BBP) and 25 yd of freestyle. We then followed it up with 4 sets of 25 yd of Side Balanced Body Position (SBBP). After that, we did 100 yd of Finger Tip Drag Drills.

Then Coach Adam (who I think resembles and sounds like Stephen Baldwin) told us we were doing 800 yd of freestyle. I thought he was joking. I confirmed with Honoree Melanie who I shared a lane with and she said that would be going the 25 yd length 32 times. I knew it was going to be tough, but I went at it just to see how much I could do. Unfortunately, I could not swim straight and collided with Melanie on several occassions. Before I knew it, she was lapping me a couple times.

my "how much more do we have to do?" look

I was winded and was not swimming efficiently. Coach Adam told me I should lift my elbows up more during the stroke, angle my hand to break the plane of water, and reach/stretch. It did help near the end. However, I was already gased out. I think I only did 500-600 yds of the freestyle swim. Captain Janet also suggested I just tilt my head ever so slightly when I come to get air, which should also help. We then concluded the swim with a 100 yd cool down. I have lots to learn. I keep worrying about finishing last; however, I know that's not important right now. I really want to work on the technique/form to ensure I do it right. Total distance: 1050 -1150 yds.

After a brief clinic on nutrition, it was time to get on the bikes. For the Big K group, we were doing a 30 minute ride out and then a 30 minute ride back. I started off pretty sluggish. My legs were fatigued from the earlier swim. However, by the turnaround, I felt like I got my cycling rhythm and finished stronger than I started. The one thing I noticed while doing my first ride with the triathlon team was that it was a free-for-all. Everyone was just pedaling as fast as they can to get from point a to point b. Which I guess makes sense since triathlon is an individual sport. Very different than the cycle team, where we rode as a group and made sure everyone was doing okay. However, that was a ride and not a race. This, I quickly learned, is a race. I finished 14.3 miles in 55 minutes (15.6 mph).

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Fundraising Thanks!
Thank you to Bryan and Jennifer!