Saturday was a 20+ mile bike ride and a 15-minute run and whoa was that hard. Well, the bike was great - after we separated out into a longer line of riders instead of a big scary cluster of riders, I ended up with two others that I rode with the whole way. It was fun - we figured out the whole trading off riding in front thing to give the back riders a rest (cyclists aren't kidding about the whole drag thing - it makes a HUGE difference). The run was really hard - my legs were pretty shot, but I was able to actually run the whole thing so that's a good sign. I think it takes me a long time to "get my running legs" and that with a longer run I might be in better shape.
We went to SF for the weekend, and Sunday I got up early and ran for 35 minutes on the treadmill in the hotel's gym at a 12-minute mile pace (5mph on the machine) and on quite a hilly program and was able to keep it up quite well, actually increasing my pace a bit as the program wound down. It was better than nothing, so that's good.
Last night was a quick swim workout, only about 1600 meters, that was run by one of the TNT people as an optional workout. It was geared mostly for non-swimmers, so maybe not so great for me but at least I went. Again, better than nothing.
There are five people staying with us at the moment, so I am sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the master bedroom, which means maybe not sleeping so well, and today I am at work with my running stuff - hopefully I can get my butt out on the trails and get a real run in, but I'll be happy with a quick 3 miles or so.
I am supposed to leave tomorrow for OC and on the 27th for Costa Rica, I am at work today, I have plans with our guests this evening, I have not done laundry, I am not packed, and I feel like I should be more stressed out that I am. Hm.
Well, back to work.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Water Polo
I was a grump at water polo last night - I think I'm overly tired. I got really frustrated with the whole scrimmage - it was kind of chaotic. The workout was great though, and my swimming is coming along, well, swimmingly.
We have five people coming to town this Saturday to stay with us, so the house is in total chaos at the moment trying to sort out linens and sleeping arrangements, and we're in for some fun in SF this weekend (with the out-of-towners), then back to San Jose, and then I head down to OC on the 23rd (maybe the 24th, I might need that extra day), and then my sister and I fly to Costa Rica for two weeks! Good luck getting workouts in. I wonder if ziplining would count as a core workout? Well, we'll have to do a lot of hiking. And swimming. And balance that out with some cocktails on the beach.
I'm back into my small clothes - a nice side effect of all this training, and am almost back into my small jeans. So close! And I feel good, except for the tired thing of course.
I might run today, but I've had five days in a row of workouts and would be okay taking today and tomorrow off. However, with the likely scarcity of workouts in my immediate future I probably should get my butt out on the trails. It's nice outside today too...
We have five people coming to town this Saturday to stay with us, so the house is in total chaos at the moment trying to sort out linens and sleeping arrangements, and we're in for some fun in SF this weekend (with the out-of-towners), then back to San Jose, and then I head down to OC on the 23rd (maybe the 24th, I might need that extra day), and then my sister and I fly to Costa Rica for two weeks! Good luck getting workouts in. I wonder if ziplining would count as a core workout? Well, we'll have to do a lot of hiking. And swimming. And balance that out with some cocktails on the beach.
I'm back into my small clothes - a nice side effect of all this training, and am almost back into my small jeans. So close! And I feel good, except for the tired thing of course.
I might run today, but I've had five days in a row of workouts and would be okay taking today and tomorrow off. However, with the likely scarcity of workouts in my immediate future I probably should get my butt out on the trails. It's nice outside today too...
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Gum
It was still on the track.
At least I think it was mine. It was in lane 2, which for some reason I have a high affinity for, and it was still squished and frozen. But not smeared, so I think it's past the sticking phase.
Today I managed to keep my gum in my mouth, so I call that a victory.
Oh, and I ran the longer of the two offered workouts, which was broken down as follows:
1 lap easy warm-up (1 lap = 1/4 mile)
1 lap
10 push-ups (seriously, those were hard)
2 laps
16 lunges
3 laps (running after lunges = hard)
20 crunches
4 laps
1 minute rest (yay!)
3 laps
20 crunches
2 laps
16 lunges
1 lap
1 lap easy warm-down
Total mileage: 4.5 (counting warm-up/-down)
Felt really great! That's encouraging.
At least I think it was mine. It was in lane 2, which for some reason I have a high affinity for, and it was still squished and frozen. But not smeared, so I think it's past the sticking phase.
Today I managed to keep my gum in my mouth, so I call that a victory.
Oh, and I ran the longer of the two offered workouts, which was broken down as follows:
1 lap easy warm-up (1 lap = 1/4 mile)
1 lap
10 push-ups (seriously, those were hard)
2 laps
16 lunges
3 laps (running after lunges = hard)
20 crunches
4 laps
1 minute rest (yay!)
3 laps
20 crunches
2 laps
16 lunges
1 lap
1 lap easy warm-down
Total mileage: 4.5 (counting warm-up/-down)
Felt really great! That's encouraging.
Eventually a Silent Auction
So here's the list for items for my silent auction - date and time and location TBA:
2-night stay at the Hilton Union Square (SF)
2-night stay at the Argonaut Hotel at Fisherman's Wharf (SF)
1-night in a deluxe suite at The Fairmont San Jose
$350 in women's cycling clothing, courtesy of The Spokesman in Santa Cruz
Two weekend rentals of ski or snowboard gear from Santa Cruz Boardshop ($95 value)
Styling products and a cut/style at James Craig Salon in Saratoga (~$150)
$20 in Bagel Bucks from The Bagelry in Santa Cruz
Wine basket including wines from Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard and David Bruce (Est Value $100)
One "aerial bay tour" for one person with Robert Garder (thanks Rob!), private pilot (Est Value $200)
XTerra women's large sleeveless wetsuit ($300 value)
There are few items still in limbo that I hope to add as the event gets nearer, but I'm excited to have so much to auction off! I'm figuring a little casual cocktail party where people can socialize and have some wine and bid on things they're interested in, probably at the end of January.
If you or someone you know is willing to donate goods or services please let me know! Stay tuned!
2-night stay at the Hilton Union Square (SF)
2-night stay at the Argonaut Hotel at Fisherman's Wharf (SF)
1-night in a deluxe suite at The Fairmont San Jose
$350 in women's cycling clothing, courtesy of The Spokesman in Santa Cruz
Two weekend rentals of ski or snowboard gear from Santa Cruz Boardshop ($95 value)
Styling products and a cut/style at James Craig Salon in Saratoga (~$150)
$20 in Bagel Bucks from The Bagelry in Santa Cruz
Wine basket including wines from Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard and David Bruce (Est Value $100)
One "aerial bay tour" for one person with Robert Garder (thanks Rob!), private pilot (Est Value $200)
XTerra women's large sleeveless wetsuit ($300 value)
There are few items still in limbo that I hope to add as the event gets nearer, but I'm excited to have so much to auction off! I'm figuring a little casual cocktail party where people can socialize and have some wine and bid on things they're interested in, probably at the end of January.
If you or someone you know is willing to donate goods or services please let me know! Stay tuned!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Ah, Master's Swimming
Well, my grunginess propelled me to the pool, and now I am sparkly clean and have water draining from my sinuses.
I also realized that my pants are too big so my underwear are hanging out the top (thankfully, I have a long shirt on, but I am constantly hiking these suckers up), and the fleece I grabbed, straight out of the drier although already folded and put away, has a sort of static-y clingy inside where another pair of underwear were clinging to the inner sleeve. I discovered this as I changed into my swim suit in the locker room. Thankfully, no one noticed, but apparently my underwear really want to make an appearance today. And I guess now I have a spare. You know, just in case. So that's good.
So Master's swimming, at least the Master's swimming I have done (not at UCSC) usually involves a coach on the deck who tells you the workout and gives you input and makes sure you're doing okay and it's a very interactive thing. Well, as interactive as swimming can be. This workout was a little different. The workout was written on a white board, which was spectacular, but there was little explanation, and each coach has their own vernacular swim language. So you'll understand my confusion when I read something like 2 X 100; 1-10-beat/ 2-catch-up. Now, I know what 2 X 100 means (two 100-yard swims), what catch-up means, but 10-beat? And the 1 and 2? WTF? (Okay, it meant the first 100 was 10-beat, which I will spare you the boring explanation of, and the second was catch-up. Duh. But still, a verbal explanation would have been nice.) I was the moron asking everyone in the pool for clarification, since the coach (assistant coach?) mostly just sat and socialized on the deck. I finally gave up trying to understand and just swam last in my lane of really fast people and did what they did. This from someone who has been swimming for years and years. Come on, if I can't get it something's not right.
I also miscalculated my lane; lanes go from slow on the right (yes, there is slow in Master's swimming, unlike TNT! Also, anyone pick up on the fact that TNT didn't want to use the REAL acronym for Team In Training? I find that funny.) to fast on the left. We had five lanes, so I jumped in the second-slowest. I like to underestimate my speed and move up instead of the other way around, and figured that would be a good place to start. However, after we'd begun our warm-up, we lost the last lane to the recreational swimmers and were down to four. Now, I was in the slowest lane, and it rapidly became obvious that I was in the wrong place. The coach (who again mostly sat and chatted with people), who I sort of expect should be watching for this kind of thing, finally placed me in the second-fastest lane (woo hoo!). Which actually might not have been the right placement either - I probably should have been in the lane one notch down, but damn was that a good workout!
Not that I could tell you what I actually swam - there was a warm-up set, but I was so confused by my lane placement and trying to swim around people that I ended up skipping some of it and asking the coach if I should wait for my lane or just do the sets on my own. (That's when he suggested a proper lane for me - clearly I need to be more proactive about moving around. I'm just really sensitive to being the way slowest one in a lane, don't know anyone, and swimming can be kind of like surfing - a bit territorial. I didn't want to step on anyone's toes and was trying to gauge lane speeds...) I'm going to guess the warm-up set for me involved about 600 meters (oh yes, and it was long course, which means one length is 50 meters instead of 25 yards = less flip turns = WAY more swimming = good for my training but a little scary at my first day of Master's), and the main set was as follows:
4 X 50, descending free (I have no idea what interval we were on, I just swam when everyone else swam)
2 X 100, 50 backstroke 50 breaststroke (did I mention I hate breaststroke? This was a weird combination of my best and worst strokes, where I ended up on the toes of the woman in front of me on the backstroke and then gasping to keep up on the breaststroke.)
We did three sets of those, with a 100 after the first set, a 200 after the second set, and a 300 after the third set. I got my ass kicked by my lane on the 300.
So that's an 1800 meter main set, most of which I was swimming hard. Add the ~600 warm-up (that might be an underestimate) and I went ~2400 yards of pretty hard swimming.
There was a kick set at the end but most people, including myself, got out instead.
Now, back at work, sniffling and hoping there's no more stealthy underwear lurking in my clothes today.
I also realized that my pants are too big so my underwear are hanging out the top (thankfully, I have a long shirt on, but I am constantly hiking these suckers up), and the fleece I grabbed, straight out of the drier although already folded and put away, has a sort of static-y clingy inside where another pair of underwear were clinging to the inner sleeve. I discovered this as I changed into my swim suit in the locker room. Thankfully, no one noticed, but apparently my underwear really want to make an appearance today. And I guess now I have a spare. You know, just in case. So that's good.
So Master's swimming, at least the Master's swimming I have done (not at UCSC) usually involves a coach on the deck who tells you the workout and gives you input and makes sure you're doing okay and it's a very interactive thing. Well, as interactive as swimming can be. This workout was a little different. The workout was written on a white board, which was spectacular, but there was little explanation, and each coach has their own vernacular swim language. So you'll understand my confusion when I read something like 2 X 100; 1-10-beat/ 2-catch-up. Now, I know what 2 X 100 means (two 100-yard swims), what catch-up means, but 10-beat? And the 1 and 2? WTF? (Okay, it meant the first 100 was 10-beat, which I will spare you the boring explanation of, and the second was catch-up. Duh. But still, a verbal explanation would have been nice.) I was the moron asking everyone in the pool for clarification, since the coach (assistant coach?) mostly just sat and socialized on the deck. I finally gave up trying to understand and just swam last in my lane of really fast people and did what they did. This from someone who has been swimming for years and years. Come on, if I can't get it something's not right.
I also miscalculated my lane; lanes go from slow on the right (yes, there is slow in Master's swimming, unlike TNT! Also, anyone pick up on the fact that TNT didn't want to use the REAL acronym for Team In Training? I find that funny.) to fast on the left. We had five lanes, so I jumped in the second-slowest. I like to underestimate my speed and move up instead of the other way around, and figured that would be a good place to start. However, after we'd begun our warm-up, we lost the last lane to the recreational swimmers and were down to four. Now, I was in the slowest lane, and it rapidly became obvious that I was in the wrong place. The coach (who again mostly sat and chatted with people), who I sort of expect should be watching for this kind of thing, finally placed me in the second-fastest lane (woo hoo!). Which actually might not have been the right placement either - I probably should have been in the lane one notch down, but damn was that a good workout!
Not that I could tell you what I actually swam - there was a warm-up set, but I was so confused by my lane placement and trying to swim around people that I ended up skipping some of it and asking the coach if I should wait for my lane or just do the sets on my own. (That's when he suggested a proper lane for me - clearly I need to be more proactive about moving around. I'm just really sensitive to being the way slowest one in a lane, don't know anyone, and swimming can be kind of like surfing - a bit territorial. I didn't want to step on anyone's toes and was trying to gauge lane speeds...) I'm going to guess the warm-up set for me involved about 600 meters (oh yes, and it was long course, which means one length is 50 meters instead of 25 yards = less flip turns = WAY more swimming = good for my training but a little scary at my first day of Master's), and the main set was as follows:
4 X 50, descending free (I have no idea what interval we were on, I just swam when everyone else swam)
2 X 100, 50 backstroke 50 breaststroke (did I mention I hate breaststroke? This was a weird combination of my best and worst strokes, where I ended up on the toes of the woman in front of me on the backstroke and then gasping to keep up on the breaststroke.)
We did three sets of those, with a 100 after the first set, a 200 after the second set, and a 300 after the third set. I got my ass kicked by my lane on the 300.
So that's an 1800 meter main set, most of which I was swimming hard. Add the ~600 warm-up (that might be an underestimate) and I went ~2400 yards of pretty hard swimming.
There was a kick set at the end but most people, including myself, got out instead.
Now, back at work, sniffling and hoping there's no more stealthy underwear lurking in my clothes today.
Trying to Cycle
Saturday we had what was supposed to be a swim/bike workout, but since it was rainy and wet it turned into a swim/run instead.
The swim was fun, but short. My mentor, who knows I am also playing water polo and have a history of swimming, invited me to the early workout for mentors and captains so I could get some more laps in. The venue has two outdoor pools, one of which is covered by a "bubble," which is just what it sounds like - a big, white inflated bubble over the pool. This traps the heat, and that particular pool is kept quite warm (over 80 degrees, which in pool parlance is really f-ing hot). This results in a warm, humid, chlorine-y atmosphere, that upon entering is lovely but as soon as you try to be active it feels like you're suffocating. At least it did for me - I tried to actually swim hard, but ended up hanging halfway out of the pool trying to get a breath of fresh air, of which there was none to be found. Changing tactics, I swam about 1000 yards (maybe a bit less) of easy freestyle before hopping back out to get ready for the "real" workout with the participants.
The early workout was 7:45 - 8:30, then we were back in the pool at 9. Now, 30 minutes might not sound like a long delay, but imagine you're in a wet bathing suit, have forgotten to bring your parka, and are still wearing your swim cap, from which rivulets of cold water dribble down your back. You're trying to keep your towel relatively dry, since you need to use it again after the "real" swim and before the run, so it's loosely wrapped around you. You're barefoot, the cement is cold, and it's starting to rain.
So.
Thankfully we were in the outdoor pool for the 9AM workout, which was really fun. I hopped into the "faster" lanes (we self-categorize as fast or faster - there are no slow swimmers) and away we went. It was a short workout - I think we only went about 1000 yards - but I forgot how much fun it is to swim in a group like that. Very motivating. Then we had relays, so they broke us up into teams with a mixture of four "fast" and "faster" people in each group, and we swam a 200-yard relay, one lap at a time. It was an all-out 25-yard sprint, twice, and great fun. And my team won! (I know, I know, not a race...)
Because it was so wet outside, we ran instead of biked, which involved a large group of women cramming themselves into the locker room and wrestling themselves into sports bras and tight running clothes while still damp - a workout in and of itself. I would say it was team sport, with strangers helping other strangers untangle bras and pull up pants. Pretty entertaining.
We then ran a simple out-and-back flat 3.4-miler, which felt pretty good, and I hopped in the car and went home to take a long hot shower and a nap.
Sunday I was going to run, but was worried about my lack of cycling training, so bought an indoor resistance trainer (thanks Mom!). Essentially you hook your back tire up to the trainer and the wheel sits on a spinner, which offers resistance as you pedal and shift. The trainer came with a training DVD, which I watched yesterday. I don't think I've sweat that much in a long, long time - that was a seriously hard workout, but totally fun - essentially the video is a guy in an actual cycling race with a camera mounted on his handlebars, and at the bottom of the screen they give you stats like heartrate, RPM, power output, and intensity level you should be riding at to mimic the race. I couldn't do the whole thing and ended up just spinning fast at really low resistance for quite a bit of it, but it was totally fun. I have another video that's supposed to up your strength and speed, and am honestly a little afraid of it.
Today is supposed to be a swim... I find that on the days I am supposed to swim if I don't shower in the morning before work I am more likely to hop in the pool because I feel so gross. So, we'll see if grossness wins out today. :-)
The swim was fun, but short. My mentor, who knows I am also playing water polo and have a history of swimming, invited me to the early workout for mentors and captains so I could get some more laps in. The venue has two outdoor pools, one of which is covered by a "bubble," which is just what it sounds like - a big, white inflated bubble over the pool. This traps the heat, and that particular pool is kept quite warm (over 80 degrees, which in pool parlance is really f-ing hot). This results in a warm, humid, chlorine-y atmosphere, that upon entering is lovely but as soon as you try to be active it feels like you're suffocating. At least it did for me - I tried to actually swim hard, but ended up hanging halfway out of the pool trying to get a breath of fresh air, of which there was none to be found. Changing tactics, I swam about 1000 yards (maybe a bit less) of easy freestyle before hopping back out to get ready for the "real" workout with the participants.
The early workout was 7:45 - 8:30, then we were back in the pool at 9. Now, 30 minutes might not sound like a long delay, but imagine you're in a wet bathing suit, have forgotten to bring your parka, and are still wearing your swim cap, from which rivulets of cold water dribble down your back. You're trying to keep your towel relatively dry, since you need to use it again after the "real" swim and before the run, so it's loosely wrapped around you. You're barefoot, the cement is cold, and it's starting to rain.
So.
Thankfully we were in the outdoor pool for the 9AM workout, which was really fun. I hopped into the "faster" lanes (we self-categorize as fast or faster - there are no slow swimmers) and away we went. It was a short workout - I think we only went about 1000 yards - but I forgot how much fun it is to swim in a group like that. Very motivating. Then we had relays, so they broke us up into teams with a mixture of four "fast" and "faster" people in each group, and we swam a 200-yard relay, one lap at a time. It was an all-out 25-yard sprint, twice, and great fun. And my team won! (I know, I know, not a race...)
Because it was so wet outside, we ran instead of biked, which involved a large group of women cramming themselves into the locker room and wrestling themselves into sports bras and tight running clothes while still damp - a workout in and of itself. I would say it was team sport, with strangers helping other strangers untangle bras and pull up pants. Pretty entertaining.
We then ran a simple out-and-back flat 3.4-miler, which felt pretty good, and I hopped in the car and went home to take a long hot shower and a nap.
Sunday I was going to run, but was worried about my lack of cycling training, so bought an indoor resistance trainer (thanks Mom!). Essentially you hook your back tire up to the trainer and the wheel sits on a spinner, which offers resistance as you pedal and shift. The trainer came with a training DVD, which I watched yesterday. I don't think I've sweat that much in a long, long time - that was a seriously hard workout, but totally fun - essentially the video is a guy in an actual cycling race with a camera mounted on his handlebars, and at the bottom of the screen they give you stats like heartrate, RPM, power output, and intensity level you should be riding at to mimic the race. I couldn't do the whole thing and ended up just spinning fast at really low resistance for quite a bit of it, but it was totally fun. I have another video that's supposed to up your strength and speed, and am honestly a little afraid of it.
Today is supposed to be a swim... I find that on the days I am supposed to swim if I don't shower in the morning before work I am more likely to hop in the pool because I feel so gross. So, we'll see if grossness wins out today. :-)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Swim and Bike or Run Tomorrow!
There's an 8:30AM swim followed by a bike or, if it's raining, a run. The mentors and captains are getting in the water at 7:45, and my mentor (a friend of mine), who's aware of my already well-underway swimming efforts, invited me to join them since the workout for the rest of us is supposed to be not very intense.
I'm excited! I'll get 2x45 minute workouts in the pool and then either a bike or a run tomorrow!
Then, almost certainly, a nap.
I'm excited! I'll get 2x45 minute workouts in the pool and then either a bike or a run tomorrow!
Then, almost certainly, a nap.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
I Can't Chew Gum and Run.
No, really.
We had a track workout tonight in the 40-something weather (actually my favorite weather to run in - why am I doing a tri in Hawaii again?!), and after a 1.5-mile warm-up (actually ~20 minutes of jogging) we were partnered with another runner for a 4-mile relay. We could break the relay up however we wanted to, and we decided to run a mile before switching off, with my partner going first. We also had to guess our total time, and my partner figured she could run a 9:30-mile, and I guessed 12 minutes (I'm slow but steady), so we had a total of 43:30. There were "prizes" for the team closest to their guesstimated time, so speed wasn't the issue, and they wanted us to work on pacing.
So, I chew gum when I run. It keeps my mouth from dying out and keeps me from having that awful "I have to spit" feeling (gross, I know - I haven't gotten to the snot rocket phase of tri training, and I hope I never do). So I'm in the third lap of my first mile and am breathing pretty hard (I am completely incapable of not competing and thus was running harder than I probably should have. Which is still really slow.), and I look down at the track and exhale...
...and lose my gum. I watched it is slow motion, like locking your keys in the car, and had that "noooooo!" moment where I tried to grab for it and missed. It landed on the track and I just kept running instead of picking it up.
Hey, we were being timed!
Of course, I kept glancing back to see if anyone had stepped in it, and was listening for people to complain about it, and was visualizing the lecture we'd all get at the end of the workout about not chewing gum on the track (I have no idea if that's a rule or not). As I rounded the track and returned to the same area, I began scanning the second lane for the tell-tale white spot of stepped-on gum. However, when I saw it, I was delighted to find that the little piece of gum had frozen into a hard white pellet on the track! It wasn't smeared or sticky, just frozen.
Crisis averted! Thank you cold weather! At any rate, instead of the 43:30 we ran four miles (2 each) in just over 37 minutes - under ten minutes per mile (although I suspect that it was my partner that lowered the average, not me)!
And next time I'll try to run with my mouth closed.
We had a track workout tonight in the 40-something weather (actually my favorite weather to run in - why am I doing a tri in Hawaii again?!), and after a 1.5-mile warm-up (actually ~20 minutes of jogging) we were partnered with another runner for a 4-mile relay. We could break the relay up however we wanted to, and we decided to run a mile before switching off, with my partner going first. We also had to guess our total time, and my partner figured she could run a 9:30-mile, and I guessed 12 minutes (I'm slow but steady), so we had a total of 43:30. There were "prizes" for the team closest to their guesstimated time, so speed wasn't the issue, and they wanted us to work on pacing.
So, I chew gum when I run. It keeps my mouth from dying out and keeps me from having that awful "I have to spit" feeling (gross, I know - I haven't gotten to the snot rocket phase of tri training, and I hope I never do). So I'm in the third lap of my first mile and am breathing pretty hard (I am completely incapable of not competing and thus was running harder than I probably should have. Which is still really slow.), and I look down at the track and exhale...
...and lose my gum. I watched it is slow motion, like locking your keys in the car, and had that "noooooo!" moment where I tried to grab for it and missed. It landed on the track and I just kept running instead of picking it up.
Hey, we were being timed!
Of course, I kept glancing back to see if anyone had stepped in it, and was listening for people to complain about it, and was visualizing the lecture we'd all get at the end of the workout about not chewing gum on the track (I have no idea if that's a rule or not). As I rounded the track and returned to the same area, I began scanning the second lane for the tell-tale white spot of stepped-on gum. However, when I saw it, I was delighted to find that the little piece of gum had frozen into a hard white pellet on the track! It wasn't smeared or sticky, just frozen.
Crisis averted! Thank you cold weather! At any rate, instead of the 43:30 we ran four miles (2 each) in just over 37 minutes - under ten minutes per mile (although I suspect that it was my partner that lowered the average, not me)!
And next time I'll try to run with my mouth closed.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Back in the Pool
Weather.com tells me that Santa Cruz is 48 degrees but feels like 46. Perfect weather for a little dip in the pool, I thought!
I went early to avoid the crowds, arriving at 10:40AM after setting something up in the lab. However, when I arrived I found the pool still covered and the hours for lap swimming changed - during finals week, apparently, the pool opens at 11. There was no notice of this on the web site, which I check frequently to avoid this exact situation.
I ended up waiting in the locker room as asking people who came in how the pool looked (open or closed), and as soon as someone said htey were making progress on it I went outside in to stand with the other speedo-clad early birds in the lobby of the complex.
The water was warm, I'm sure partially because the pool was left covered (essential, even for heated pools, especially in the winter), and it was nice and steamy. I had a lane to myself for the duration of my swim, and wanted to really get in some yards, so I did an entirely freestyle workout that took 800 yards in various sets and tried pacing myself for consistency. I actually did pretty well at it, although I was a bit slower than I'd like, but that's what I get for being out of the water for a week. I'll probably break down and join Masters when my sister and I get back from Costa Rica.
At any rate, here's the workout:
(All free)
1 X 800 yards - I used this partially as a warm up (Total yards = 800)
2 X 400 yards, 15 seconds rest between (Total yards = 1600)
4X 200 yards (Total yards = 2400), 15 seconds rest between
8 X 100 yards (Total yards = 3200) on 1:40
50 warmdown
I held a really steady pace of 1:30 for the 100s, so was happy about that, and got a comfortable 10 seconds rest between them.
I think my wet hair froze on the walk back to lab though.
I went early to avoid the crowds, arriving at 10:40AM after setting something up in the lab. However, when I arrived I found the pool still covered and the hours for lap swimming changed - during finals week, apparently, the pool opens at 11. There was no notice of this on the web site, which I check frequently to avoid this exact situation.
I ended up waiting in the locker room as asking people who came in how the pool looked (open or closed), and as soon as someone said htey were making progress on it I went outside in to stand with the other speedo-clad early birds in the lobby of the complex.
The water was warm, I'm sure partially because the pool was left covered (essential, even for heated pools, especially in the winter), and it was nice and steamy. I had a lane to myself for the duration of my swim, and wanted to really get in some yards, so I did an entirely freestyle workout that took 800 yards in various sets and tried pacing myself for consistency. I actually did pretty well at it, although I was a bit slower than I'd like, but that's what I get for being out of the water for a week. I'll probably break down and join Masters when my sister and I get back from Costa Rica.
At any rate, here's the workout:
(All free)
1 X 800 yards - I used this partially as a warm up (Total yards = 800)
2 X 400 yards, 15 seconds rest between (Total yards = 1600)
4X 200 yards (Total yards = 2400), 15 seconds rest between
8 X 100 yards (Total yards = 3200) on 1:40
50 warmdown
I held a really steady pace of 1:30 for the 100s, so was happy about that, and got a comfortable 10 seconds rest between them.
I think my wet hair froze on the walk back to lab though.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The best laid plans...
Well, this workout week didn't exactly turn out the way I'd planned. I ended up running the trails (just under 5 miles) on Thursday, and took Friday off but mostly because we had a black tie event that evening and it just takes me forever to look put-together. Saturday morning was a "ride-and-tie" event for TNT, where we teamed up with a partner and showed up in costume (we were the Bathing Beauties, I in a robe and plastic shower cap over my bike helmet, my partner Christine in a towel - over her running clothes of course - and a cute pink polka dot shower cap over her helmet) and relayed around a 2.5-mile loop three times. Essentially one of us took off on the bike while the other one ran, and at some point we dumped the bikes along the trail, where our partner picked it up and rode for a spell, then they dumped the bike and partner number one picked it back up... After each loop you had to run up a hill and perform a task - a three-legged race while singing a nursery rhyme, for example. At the end, there were "prizes" for best costumes: ketchup and mustard won that one (they even had cardboard lids attached to their helmets). I found it really difficult - just as I was getting my running legs it'd be time to hop back on the bike! But it kept us interested and really, I ran and biked faster than I thought I could and although I thought we were one of the last groups, it turns out we were one of the first (but it's not a competition!)!
Today there's a bike ride at 10 that I am skipping because we're going to a Christmas tree farm to cut down a tree. We're bringing chairs and a camp stove and hot chocolate (and perhaps a nip of Peppermint Schnapps), and we're going with good friends and their two kids so it should be great fun. I got up early and ran 5.8 miles - here's my route and elevation (although it was only like 200 feet, there were some serious hills in there!):
Today there's a bike ride at 10 that I am skipping because we're going to a Christmas tree farm to cut down a tree. We're bringing chairs and a camp stove and hot chocolate (and perhaps a nip of Peppermint Schnapps), and we're going with good friends and their two kids so it should be great fun. I got up early and ran 5.8 miles - here's my route and elevation (although it was only like 200 feet, there were some serious hills in there!):
I'm feeling pretty good with the running - at the end I felt really strong, and although I am improving I think I really just went from looking like I was having a heart attack and only being able to stare at the ground and shuffle to being able to hold my head up and actually get more than two words out at one time. But hey, it's progress.
I'm behind on the biking but my legs feel strong so I'm not as worried about that part. I lagged on swimming this week and am going to feel that tomorrow when I get in the water, but know that it'll come back quickly...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)