Saturday, September 30, 2006

Crash

Yep. I crashed 6 miles into the Delta 100k. And as if that weren't enough, I crashed into Michele, causing her to crash as well. Lovely. All or nothing baby...that's how I am...having a brilliant 20 miler one day...and then crashing my bike the next. ~sigh~ The story of my life.
I am going to keep this short and sweet, because I am not going to dwell on it. Here's what happened: I'm cruising along about 18 mph, not many people around at the moment, so I drop down to my aerobars. Just cruising along the flat. Michele cruises up to my left and for some reason which I still do not know, I veer over close to her. So close, as a matter of fact, that my brake lever locks around her handle bar. And in a split second our bikes are stuck together. There were a few seconds of Michele screaming "LANA!!!". My eyeballs were as big as golf balls, but I couldn't get anything to come out of my mouth. And then we crashed....skidding along the road before coming to a stop. I had no real monumental thoughts as I was slidding across the pavement, other than hoping Michele was not hurt and hoping my new helmet was okay. I knew I was okay, everything except my pride, ofcourse. I knew that we were going down before it happened...so when we did I just tucked my chin and took a ride. A bumpy ride I might add. As it turns out, I have some pretty nasty scrapes and bruises, mainly on my knee, hip and elbow....and my helmet was okay, other than a couple scratches. My new Pearl Izumi jacket has a small hole in it, too, but it will still work. Michele wasn't as lucky. Her head hit the pavement hard and actually cracked her helmet. Her elbow was pretty torn up, and she was pretty well scrapped from her shoulder to her ankle. She about passed out after standing up, and we deemed it necessary that she call it quits on the day. We called the SAG wagon, and I went back with her.

I don't really know what to say, other than I feel awful about it, and I am pretty embarassed. It certainly ruined a good day for cycling. Lessons learned?...stay off the aerobars while riding with a group, maybe?? Perhaps I could have reacted better if I weren't on the aerobars.

Friday, September 29, 2006

You Ain't Gotta Take Drugs To Get High

Get up at 5:00 a.m., meet your training partner and take off for 20 miles in the dark. Watch the sun rise; observe the fog as it rises up off the ponds and the lake. Drink some Gatorade every couple of miles; take a gel at the half way point. Take each hill with patience and persistance. Enjoy the downhills. Talk to the deer, the cows, the horses, the dogs, and the "unidentified llama-looking farm animals as you pass. Watch the miles fly by. Soak up the beautiful, cool fall weather. Push the pace for the last 4 miles just 'cause ya can. Finish strong, and finish under your given pace target. Go home and eat some recovery food and drink a protein shake. Take an ice bath, then a warm shower. Play with the 2 greatest little boys in the world. Listen to them laugh, and soak up the blessings because they are abundant.

There is just something about distance running, or pushing your body to it's limits, especially in this kind of weather, that seems to make me intricately aware of my surroundings. Aware of my blessings. Aware of the gifts that The Creator gives me daily. Aware of my health. I can feel the air circulating through my lungs, and can see it as I exhale. It might be cool outside to someone standing around, but I am warm. My heart beats just enough to keep me warm and to supply the needed oxygen to my muscles. When I get too cocky, it speeds up and reminds me to have respect. After all, there have been 20 milers in the past that have kept me from making it home. I am rich with God's blessings. I have been steady lately. Not too high, not too low. But today I am high on life.

Michele and I had a brilliant 20 miler this morning. We ran our normal 20 mile Normandy bike route. It is hilly, but we handled it well. Target pace was 9:45-10:00/mile. I felt good pretty much the entire way, other than a little knee pain in my left knee, but it didn't seem to be anything serious. I finished in 3:13:47, a 9:41/mile pace. Week 6 running is in the books. Tomorrow I am doing the Delta 100k bike ride here in town.

Here are the mile splits for my 20 mile run:
1. 9:47
2. 10:07
3. 9:41
4. 9:32
5. 9:40
6. 9:40
7. 9:56
8. 9:45
9. 9:50
10. 9:43
11. 9:39
12. 10:07
13. 9:55
14. 9:43
15. 9:48
16. 9:37
17. 9:29
18. 9:16
19. 9:27
20. 8:54

Here's hoping your long runs go as well as mine!

You Ain't Gotta Take Drugs To Get High

Get up at 5:00 a.m., meet your training partner and take off for 20 miles in the dark. Watch the sun rise; observe the fog as it rises up off the ponds and the lake. Drink some Gatorade every couple of miles; take a gel at the half way point. Take each hill with patience and persistance. Enjoy the downhills. Talk to the deer, the cows, the horses, the dogs, and the "unidentified llama-looking farm animals as you pass. Watch the miles fly by. Soak up the beautiful, cool fall weather. Push the pace for the last 4 miles just 'cause ya can. Finish strong, and finish under your given pace target. Go home and eat some recovery food and drink a protein shake. Take an ice bath, then a warm shower. Play with the 2 greatest little boys in the world. Listen to them laugh, and soak up the blessings because they are abundant.

There is just something about distance running, or pushing your body to it's limits, especially in this kind of weather, that seems to make me intricately aware of my surroundings. Aware of my blessings. Aware of the gifts that The Creator gives me daily. Aware of my health. I can feel the air circulating through my lungs, and can see it as I exhale. It might be cool outside to someone standing around, but I am warm. My heart beats just enough to keep me warm and to supply the needed oxygen to my muscles. When I get too cocky, it speeds up and reminds me to have respect. After all, there have been 20 milers in the past that have kept me from making it home. I am rich with God's blessings. I have been steady lately. Not too high, not too low. But today I am high on life.

Michele and I had a brilliant 20 miler this morning. We ran our normal 20 mile Normandy bike route. It is hilly, but we handled it well. Target pace was 9:45-10:00/mile. I felt good pretty much the entire way, other than a little knee pain in my left knee, but it didn't seem to be anything serious. I finished in 3:13:47, a 9:41/mile pace. Week 6 running is in the books. Tomorrow I am doing the Delta 100k bike ride here in town.

Here are the mile splits for my 20 mile run:
1. 9:47
2. 10:07
3. 9:41
4. 9:32
5. 9:40
6. 9:40
7. 9:56
8. 9:45
9. 9:50
10. 9:43
11. 9:39
12. 10:07
13. 9:55
14. 9:43
15. 9:48
16. 9:37
17. 9:29
18. 9:16
19. 9:27
20. 8:54

Here's hoping your long runs go as well as mine!

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

The Wednesday Tempo Run

Well, I didn't make it to yoga last night. Bo reminded me that I was to be playing baseball in the backyard with him this evening, so yoga dropped off the priority list. He is getting better, he's almost 5 and can taste his first T-ball season coming up next year. We played and practiced until we could no longer see because of the dark. Then he rode his bike along side as I walked Wrigley up and down the neighborhood for some exercise. Wrigley is our almost 1 year old Cocker Spaniel, and I am considering getting him out to run with me soon.

Anyways, even though I missed yoga, I did stretch on my own...trying desperately to rid myself of the soreness the lunges created. I knew the 5 mile tempo run would be rough at 5:30 a.m. if I was still pretty sore.

5:10 a.m. : beep...beep...beep...beep

My legs(as I roll over) : No Way. Nope. No freakin' chance. Don't even think about making me carry you for 5 miles at this hour at that ridiculous pace you were talking about last night. I HURT. You got that? YOU chose the lunges Monday night...not me...it was your choice. Now you figure something out.

Me: Ohhhh my...this is not good. It's 5 miles at MT...that would be 8:06/mile. They aren't going to do that right now. Not even close. Hmmm...let's see...if I go back to sleep...maybe, just maybe they'll cooperate at lunch today. I could do that. Yes, that's what I will do.

So I turned off the alarm, slept until 7:00 a.m., got Bo off to preschool, myself to work, and tried again at lunch. My legs were still sore, but not like this morning. I stretched, took a deep breath and set out for the 5 miles.

Mile 1 - I felt stiff, very stiff. Split: 8:25 Avg heart rate:156 My thoughts: oh boy...I need to speed up...can I do that?

Mile 2 - Still a little stiff, trying to find a groove. Split: 8:27 Avg heart rate:172 My thoughts: Ouch...I didn't speed up any...I thought I did...try again

Mile 3 - Not as stiff anymore, not feeling the soreness, finally finding a groove. Split: 8:21 Avg heart rate:175 My thoughts: Better. Atleast you sped up that time. You're over half way, you're gonna make it. Kick it, and see what you can do.

Mile 4 - Found the groove, feeling better and more confident. Split: 8:10 Avg heart rate:178 My thoughts: Much better. You were just 4 seconds shy of the target. Close enough...hold steady...you're almost there.

Mile 5 - Held steady, even uphill, finished fairly strong. Split: 8:11 Avg heart rate:181 My thoughts: Whew...glad it's over...It wasn't on target, but it was better than a I thought I would do.

5 miles: 41:37 Pace: 8:19/mile Avg Heart Rate: 172 bpm Max Heart Rate: 185 bpm


Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Cross Training, Honey Grilled Salmon, and My Butt Hurts

Monday night, to celebrate the rec center being opened again (It's been closed for the past week for yearly maintenance) I decided to get back to my strength training. My legs and butt look down right gross lately. So while J.T. took Briar to baseball practice (GASP!! OMG, I'm missing Briar's baseball practice!!) I took my butt and legs to the gym. I started with abs on the incline bench - 30 straight up, 30 twisting, and 5 more straight for good measure. There's probably a technical term for all that, but oh well. Then I got the 7 lb dumbbells and did shoulder, bicep, tricep, chest and back routine that I learned from Cindy's toninig class. Then I started work on my bottom half. First the hamstring machine - 4 sets of 20 at 45 lbs (I am terrified of bulking up...so I do plenty of reps), then the quad machine - 3 sets of 20 at 40 lbs...I think...can't really remember the lbs on that one. The the outer thigh machine - 3 sets of 30 at 70 lbs, and the inner thigh machine - 3 sets of 30 at 70 lbs. And...to finish up, a half lap of lunges on the 1/12 of a mile track. I usually do a full lap, but since I hadn't done them in a few weeks, I figured I'd just do a half lap to keep my butt from being so sore. WRONG!!! Inspite of stretching for 20 minutes last night, my butt still hurts!! BADLY!

But - Briar and I did manage to get back to the rec center this morning for a 2 mile jog (I do that solely for him, to keep him in good shape, because today is really a cross training day for me) and a swim. He wasn't about to brave the cold water in the pool, so while a swam a mile in 37:01, he bobbed around in the warm water therapy pool with the old people...hahaha. The swim was slow, but I felt pretty good near the end...I'm back to working on my recovery stroke like Coach Dan told me. Hopefully in a few days I can get J.T. to video me, so that Coach Dan can take a look and give me some more pointers.

While at work today, I got to thinking about Applebees' Honey Grilled Salmon...mmmmm....so I placed a "Carside To Go" order before getting on my bike. I did 14.68 miles in about 48 minutes...mostly flats and little rolling hills. It was tough with all the soreness from last night...but the thought of the Honey Grilled Salmon with rice and broccoli was enough to get me through.

Tomorrow is a 5 mile tempo - it will be tough - let's hope the sore muscles feel better soon. I think I'll go to Yoga tonight and try to stretch it all out again.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Starting Week 6

To wrap up week 5 after Friday's long run, I did a 15 mile bike ride Saturday morning. It was a slower pace, but was against wind and up several hills, so it was enough. I was actually riding out to check out some land that is being auctioned off soon. I don't think J.T. is going to be convinced to buy or build in a subdivision, even if it's on a golf course, so I am in hot pursuit of a pretty piece of land. This one looks kind of nice actually - lots of oak trees, rolling hills, 10 acres. I think I can see my future house on it. Alot of those trees will have to be cleared though, so that there is ample room for baseball practice. How much does that cost?

And Sunday, Briar's fall baseball games were rained out, leaving me a perfect opportunity to ride with the group. "The Group" is whoever Tracy, Michele and Amy can round up on a Sunday afternoon. This time we had me, Michele, Tracy, Amy, Don Jr., David, and Julie - very nice!!! Our little town is going to grow accustomed to sharing the road with cyclists before they know it. As of now, they still react in the same way they do when seeing a deer on the side of the road....but it's getting better. Rome wasn't built in day. I am so cliche it's pathetic. Anyways, it was a nice ride. I love riding with people.

So, that leaves us with Monday morning. And FIRST brought me 2 x 1200 w/2min RI and 4 x 800 w/2min RI. Target for the 1200s was 5:28, and target for the 800s was 3:31.

Here's the splits:

1.77 mile warmup:19:26

2 x 1200m w/2min RI
1. 5:28
2. 5:31

4 x 800m w/2min RI
1. 3:38
2. 3:35
3. 3:32
4. 3:31

1 mile cooldown: 8:48

Not too bad. I like the negative splits on the 800s.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

LVM Training: Week 5 Long Run

A black "Gym Girl" Triks running skirt bought with a $10 off coupon: $60

A 4 bottle "Endurance" Fuel Belt to hold Gatorade and a Hammer Gel: $33.95

Nailing week 5's long run of 18 miles through wind, rain, and hills...and still feeling strong at the end: Priceless

And it's too bad I don't have a photo of us after our run. I've got to get a cheap little digital camera that I can carry easily while I run. Yesterday was The Long Run - 18 miles. Ofcourse I was worried about it after what happened Sunday, but I was glad to get another chance to redeem myself, too. I met Michele at 6:00 a.m. at the rec center. We complained a little to each other, stretched, talked to Amy who is training to do her first triathlon next season, and then took off. We ran the Star Triathlon bike route with a couple of detours. We ran through Whispering Winds, Fredonia Village, and Hunter's Landing instead of staying on Fredonia road. We crossed Fredonia Rd to get to Gowen Rd around mile 5.7, and then Gowen Rd to Old Woodbury Hwy at mile 6.6. On Old Woodbury Hwy, we saw another local triathlete, Joe, as he was heading to work. As we got to the end of Old Woodbury Hwy and crossed Hwy 53 quickly to beat the traffic, we heard HONK!! - and it was our friend Laurie. The other side of Hwy 53 is Pomroy Rd(mile 7.8). As we were running down Pomroy Rd., I told Michele that I was really needing a bathroom. We laughed about it, and soon after, she had the idea to run through a subdivision that is just now beginning to be developed. As we turned into the road, we saw the bright orange Port-a-Potty, and I was extremely excited!! I got some relief there, and we continued to run. I hated to mess up our pace with a bathroom stop, but boy did I feel better. I knew we had been under a 10 minute pace, but saw that we were back over it after the stop. There were headwinds, crosswinds, hills - you name it. Michele even rescued a turtle on Maple Springs road. I never realized that Maple Springs road was a steady uphill until you get to the elementary school, but after 12 miles the inclines become extremely apparent!! We got back to Old Woodbury Hwy, finally came to the short, steep uphill behind Cracker Barrell, and ran up it without much problem. Michele gave me "Five" as we got to the top, and we knew the hard part was over. We were at about mile 16.1, and about a mile from our starting point. When we got back to the rec center we kept going and got on the greenway for an out and back to finish the 18 miles. During the last half mile, rain was pouring from the sky, but we didn't care because we were FINISHED!!! 18 miles in 2:57:51. Average Pace: 9:52/mile.

Elevation and Pace:


Splits:


And I think I did everything right afterwards. I went to sonic and got a Power Aide Slush and drank as much as I could - which wasn't much because it was just too syrupy...so I ate a banana, drank lots of water, mixed up a scoop of my vanilla protein powder and poured it down my throat, then took an ICE BATH!! And the ice bath wasn't that bad - I wore a sweatshirt and drank a cup of coffee while sitting in the ice for about 7 minutes. I took a nap a couple hours later and felt fully recovered the rest of the day. I got out this morning and did an easy 15 mile bike.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Missing my Oly Tri Sunday, gorgeous weather, and better nutrition...

...make for a surprisingly easy, rockin'-n-rollin', OMG-IHITMYTARGET Tempo Run!!! I was SO dreading this run. I do not like the tempo runs because I can't seem to meet, or get anywhere near, FIRST’s tempo expectations of me thus far in the program. Last week I did the tempo with Michele and could barely finish the tempo miles...I couldn’t keep pace, and I couldn’t keep up with her either. I figured today would be a struggle as well, especially since I just did my intervals yesterday morning (I am trying to get my schedule back to where I can do my long run this Friday). I waited until lunch to do the run today, instead of getting up at 5 a.m., to give my legs a little extra time (about 19 hours) to get ready. And I also ate half a banana and half of a whole grain bagel this morning for breakfast. When I walked out of the office, I thought “Man, it’s cold! But I bet it feels good in a few minutes.” So I got changed, got the Garmin ready (I did NOT set up alerts this time) and took off. The first 2 miles were supposed to be easy, and I did them in 9:50 and 10:08. It was beautiful outside, there was a slight wind blowing against me, but I felt great as I picked up the pace. I was staying around 8:10/mile, and I knew the goal was 7:51. I picked it up a little more, clocked the first tempo mile at 8:02 and turned around to head the opposite direction. That’s 11 seconds too slow, but it’s a lot better than the last time I did an ST pace run. And to my surprise, I still felt strong. I knew I could do better, so I picked up the pace again. I now had the wind at my back, which was nice, and I just felt like I was really rocking this run and didn’t want to ruin it by being lazy. I kept singing “She’s rockin’ the tempo!” in the same tune that the Trailer Choir sings “She’s rockin’ the beer gut”. Side note – if you don’t know the Trailer Choir you seriously have to check them out…they play in some bars around here and other parts of the U.S., and they rock! Second tempo mile – 7:47

Am I seeing things?!?!? Did I just get UNDER the target of 7:51?!?!

I still felt good. My heart rate was up there pretty high but nothing else was complaining…so I kept the pace…kept turning over the legs…and kept telling myself how foolish it is to get so down on myself when I have a bad day or two – because the good days far make up for any bad days. I went over a couple of rolling hills without much of a pace change and realized that I was going to get the third mile under the target as well. Third tempo mile – 7:44

YESSSSS!!!! I love FIRST!!!

Yes, I know…I’ll probably be cursing the very likes of FIRST come Friday’s long run. But that’s okay…I know it’s making stronger. And faster. And more prepared for Las Vegas, baby!!!

I slowed it back down for the final mile which was supposed to be easy, and finished it in 9:50. A total of 6 miles in 53:24, average pace of 8:54/mile.

Now, since I never posted about my intervals which were done at 5:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, I will do so now. I did NOT want to get out of bed, but then I thought about that video that Flatman posted and heard “Rock nnnn Rolllll aaaaain’t noise polluuuution…” in an AC/DC kinda of voice and decided after a couple snooze buttons that I could get out of bed too. As I pulled up in the darkness and parked at the track, there was State Trooper parked there with his headlights shining straight toward the track.

Well good grief, what’s he doing here??? Oh well…I’m not doing anything wrong…I don’t have to jump the fence now that I have the combination to the lock…I guess if there’s an escaped convict out here or something he’ll let me know…

So I got out and walked on over to the track. I unlocked the gate with the combination my Dad got for me and proceeded to start my warm up. I was a little nervous that he might try to tell me I shouldn’t be there, but I just acted like I knew what I was doing and had every right to be doing it. After 3 of my warm up laps he pulled out and left. I don’t know what the deal was. It’s not everyday you have an audience at the track at 5:45 a.m.

FIRST said I was to make my second attempt at 3x1600m Intervals @7:16/mile w/1 min RI…with a 10-20 minute warmup and a 10 minute cooldown. Here are the results:

2 mile warmup: 9:59

3 x 1600m Intervals w/1 min RI:

1.7:24

2.7:29

3.7.29

I had to cut the cooldown short because I was out of time, and I had kinda sorta messed up my Garmin workout trying to get it stopped, so I just jogged a 400m and took it the house.

My interval times are not as good as when I did them in week 1, and I have a good explanation for that. In week 1 I had just gotten my Garmin and was letting it determine the distance on the track. That proved to be inaccurate as the 1st and 3rd intervals of that workout were really short of the true distance. I think Garmin has issues with the turns on the track. All that being said, I wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t too disappointed with these times. I didn't feel all that great doing them, and was pretty spent by the time they were done.

And I think I have written enough for a single post.

Over and out.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Answers

"Ask, and you shall receive" - right? I have answers. It's amazing what you can find out about yourself when you take some time to really think, meditate and pray. For the most part, I have had the answers all along, but I get distracted and get all caught up in achieving the latest and greatest. I have this crazy need to win...to achieve... and I forget why I am doing what I am doing in the first place. So when I don't win(speaking figuratively)...and when I don't achieve...when I have to miss a race...or when I bonk at mile 11 like I did yesterday, I lose my enthusiasm quickly. And that is a problem that needs to be resolved. As a matter of fact, that is precisely what I am trying to do by running another marathon in December.

I want to be steady.

I want to establish myself as a marathoner. I want to knock out several century rides. I don't want to have any doubt in my mind that this is a fad. It is part of who I am, and I want to absorb this evolving part of me slowly. I am notorious for diving head first into things and then getting burned out. I've told you before - I am all or nothing. But this is a chance to change that.

There are many other reasons to run a marathon besides "achieving the next level". I can, as I am doing now, try out a new training plan and compare the results. I can enjoy what it feels like to become an experienced runner. I can work on my speed. I can work on my body composition. I can enjoy the scenery. I can take time to consider raising money for charity - I have several friends and relatives who are enduring or recovering from cancer right now. I can relax a little because this is not new territory.

And so what if I had to miss the triathlon yesterday. So what if I didn't make it through my long run yesterday. The important thing is that I came back today with a good cross training effort. I set out on my bike at lunch, and about 8 miles from work the flood gates opened up in the sky...I was remembering why I do this stuff as I climbed the "3 Steps" (3 stairstep hills out in the countryside where my coworkers and I ride), and it was like celebration from Mother Nature. I took in the rain with open arms and absorbed the experience. And I vowed to do the same with my new marathon journey.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...

...I will fear no evil; for thou art with me..." -Psalm 23:4

There have been times in my life when I have sincerely felt I was "walking through the valley of the shadow of death". That being said, this time in my life does not come close to qualifying as so. However, on a very small scale, I will attempt to use it comparitively. These are not the best of times for TriLana (I think I just made myself a new name)...but I will not fear...and I'll come out stronger. I hope.

So the last time I posted, I was changing some things:

The Diet: check! The diet is better. I feel better. And I haven't had too much of a problem with it. I just can't handle junk food on a daily basis. I have been eating grilled chicken, grilled tilapia, grilled shrimp, lots of broccoli, spinach, almonds, fruit, etc. And NO DESSERT.

Commitment: Well, I can't really give a full check mark in good conscience, but it is improving. I will explain in more detail later.

I did my cross training Thursday, and did it well. I rode 18 miles averaging 19.1 mph. Friday, the plan was an open water swim with Michele after we dropped the kids off at their schools. Briar and I decided we were going to ride our bikes to school that morning - the first time ever. So we got dressed and made the 3 mile ride to his school. It was so fun! I think he really enjoyed it. We even saw my Dad as we turned the corner at the red light. Michele picked me up afterwards at the rec center and drove me out to the lake for our swim. The swim did not go well for me - I swam too far out because I site about as well as a blind person. And I had no time for another workout that day, as I had to hurry back to get Bo from J.T. because he had many appointments to keep. I ended up catching J.T. before I left to pick up Briar, and he kept Bo with him for a few more minutes while I rode my bike to Briar's school. Briar was happy to ride back, and we made our way home safely. I really enjoyed that, and I hope we can do it more before it turns too cold.

Saturday was packed with baseball practice and a friends birthday party, so I took it easy in anticipation of the Music City Triathlon the next day. Which didn't happen for me afterall. :( Last night, Bo was running a temperature of 102 degrees, and I was up most of the night with him. After 2 doses of Motrin and washing his face with a cool cloth, he finally went to sleep at 5:00 a.m. This was the time I was suppose to meet Michele to head to Nashville. Instead, I called and told her I couldn't make it. I felt like I couldn't leave him not knowing what was wrong, or if he was feeling better. I knew I'd be out on the course between 2 1/2 and 3 hours, and unable to be reached. I debated and debated, and finally decided at 4:45 that I had to make a decision. And the fact that Bo was hanging on my arm tightly, pretty well sealed the deal. Maybe that makes me a less committed triathlete, but a mother's got to do what a mother's got to do. Even it means $80 down the drain. And even if it means another knock on my struggling commitment and motivation issues.

And speaking of knocks on motivation, after Bo got to feeling better this morning I did get to go out for a run. I was suppose to run 20 miles, but I knew that would be quite ambitious in the midday heat and on less than 3 hours of sleep. So I decided I would take it easy on myself and go somewhere between 15 and 17, depending on how I felt. I took off at 10:30 a.m. and didn't feel all that great. I was keeping about a 9:45 pace...until mile 8, when I noticed my fuel belt bottles were getting pretty low...and by mile 10, I was out of Gatorade nauseated. I thought I could make it back home, and I actually climbed the very steep hill behind Cracker Barrell with not much trouble...but by mile 11, my legs were weak and I was too light headed to keep running. I walked a mile and a half, then barely jogged the last half back home. I felt horrible. I could barely even talk. And I was so discouraged. I decided that "marathons were not for me" and that I needed to retire. I asked myself a million times "why do you do this?". Nine hours later, I've had time to reflect upon successful runs that I've had. And successful races. And in the mix of all of them, I've had several other unsuccessful runs like this one. I really don't understand why I had such a breakdown during this run. I felt like I was drinking enough. It was fairly warm, but nothing like we've seen this past summer. Sure, I didn't have sleep....but there's lots of times I don't get the right amount of sleep. I haven't been overtraining. So I'm not very sure what's going on, but we'll get through it. I don't still want to retire.

Although today's run was a total bummer, I did come to a conclusion along the course. That conclusion is that I need to define in detail to myself "Why I do this". Months ago when I was training for my first marathon, I think my main motivation was to achieve the "next step". But instead of pressing on quickly to something more, I really feel the need to kind of "level out". To be steady for a while and to improve my performance at the distances I have already acheived. I don't want to rush out and say "I'm doing an Ironman next year!" without knowing that I can hold steady at the level I am currently on and enjoy doing so. Atleast for a while. For a couple of years. And I have a lot of obligations in my life that do not care what kind of race I'm doing next or what kind of pace I run it in. There is something in the back of my head that also reminds me that these obligations will pass quicker than I want them to, but there will always be races, marathons, and running. I know there is a happy median, and I know I will find it soon enough...I'm just having trouble finding it right now. In the meantime, I will do my assigned crossed training workout tomorrow and continue on my plan. I will pray, and I will tell God how much I love to run. How much I love to swim and bike. And how much I love to race. And how much more I love my family. And I'll ask him for some answers. And I'll wait patiently as I press on toward the goal.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 3:14

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

There will be hard days...

...but if it wasn't hard...everyone would be doing it, right? Yes, that's right. Ok, so it's time that I had, what we southerners call "A Come to Jesus Meeting" with myself. AKA, a "Get your butt in gear" talk, or a "Put up or shut up" reminder.

Here's the deal. I've been struggling lately. Struggling with time management, struggling with motivation, struggling with my diet, and for the past couple of days, struggling with a fussy stomach. I've been taking shortcuts. I've been eating too much pizza and way too much ice cream, which has probably caused my stomach to shout the profanities I've been hearing. I've had my priorities out of line.

The good news is, I admit it. The first step to recovery is admission of the problem, right?

My name is Lana and I've been a lazy triathlete lately.

There. I said it.

I've been skipping cross training workouts. I've not been going to Yoga. I haven't been getting enough sleep. And I already mentioned the pizza and ice cream. So early Tuesday morning I awoke to terrible stomach problems, and I haven't felt well since. I didn't go to the pool or yoga Tuesday like I had planned. I haven't been on my bike in over a week.

I got up at 4:50 a.m. to meet Michele this morning for our 6 mile tempo run. I knew I didn't feel well, but I couldn't just not do the run. And let me tell you, it was HARD. I knew I was in trouble when the 1st "Easy" mile was hard. FIRST said I was to run Miles 2-5 @ 8:06/mi pace. I didn't get there, not even close. Those 4 tempo miles averaged 8:30/mi pace. I finished out the 6 miles in 54:09.

Let me remind you, I have an Olympic Distance Tri this weekend, The Music City Triathlon. And it's a tough, hilly course. I am not sure how that's going to work out. I am doing that in substitution of my first 20 miler in the FIRST plan. It's a little late to worry about it now, though.

So, back to getting myself in gear. I'm starting with 2 things: 1)Renewed Commitment, and 2)My diet. Lately, I have been settling for mediocrity. How ironic, because that is what I am constantly preaching to Briar not to do.

DON'T SETTLE!!

I am going to have to plan out my workouts better. After all, they don't just fall in to place - ever. And no more skipping cross training days, no matter what.

My diet - UGH. I so struggle with my diet. I am such an all or nothing person. I have got to regain control. I have to keep the toxins out of my body. It does not respond well, it does not perform well, and it does not look good, damnit when I consume them. Bottom line - just do it. I've just got to do it and know that I will be happier for it soon enough.

On that note, I'm going to find a healthy, low-fat lunch...wish me well.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Starting the week with intervals...

...is always nice. After you're done, that is. I had the infamous war between my lazy self and my strong self this morning about going to the track. But alas, the strong self won in the end and carried my butt over to the track. FIRST said for week 4, Key Run #1, I was to do the following:

10 - 20 min warmup
5 x 1k @ 4:25 w/400m RI
10 min cooldown

To my delight, when I approached the track I noticed that the soccer goals, which were previously in my way, had been moved. I have my awesome dad to thank for that - he always takes care of me. So I took a sip of Gatorade Rain and got started. Here's the result:

1.53 mile warmup in 15:22
1k Interval: 4:40
400m RI: 3:59
1k Interval: 4:26
400m RI: 3:58
1k Interval: 4:36
400m RI: 4:33
1k Interval: 4:32
400m RI: 4:09
1k Inteval: 4:29
200m RI: 2:39
1 mile cooldown in 8:58

I didn't ever actually hit 4:25, although I got close with the 4:26. I'm not sure what went wrong here, but something did. I programmed what I thought was the correct pace into my Garmin last night, and I kept it within the "beeps" that alert me when I'm off pace. One thing that I'm concerned with is the way the track is marked at Westwood. I've never run 600's or 1000's, where I had to add an extra 200 there - and I found out it is marked different than the one I use at lunch time in the town next door. My Garmin actually said ".66" for each 1k I did, so perhaps the distance was off some? I don't know...but I felt good during each interval, and really could have pushed harder if I had known I was that far off pace. Nevertheless, Week 4's track session is in the books and done. That's all I need to know right now. Let's hope I can get through Wednesday's tempo run as smoothly as I did the intervals today.

On to I Run For The Party...man - we had an awesome time!! I haven't got the pictures off of J.T.'s camera yet, but I will hopefully have them tonight. Let me just say we had a blast and everyone did great. And to top it off, I think I have some friends who have caught the...yep, that's right....they've caught the running bug!!! Stay tuned for details soon...

On another note - I haven't seen a post from TriSaraTops yet - but IM Wisconsin results indicate that she battled her way through the horrible conditions and finished in 5:32:32!!!! Magnificant! How awesome...I can't wait to hear the story. And warm thoughts go out to IronWil who suffered from circumstances beyond her control and barely missed the halfway point cutoff in the marathon. I can't imagine how she feels, but I'm sure she'll bounce back and be stronger as usual.

And ofcourse, my prayers and thoughts go out to all families of 9/11 victims on this day. You guys know what real sacrifice is about.

Friday, September 08, 2006

LVM Training: Week 3 Long Run

FIRST said week three's long run was 17 miles. I couldn't stand the thought of running through town on the sidewalks for 17 miles - so Michele very graciously offered to rearrange her schedule so that we could run together in the country. I met her at her house at 6 a.m. and we took off. It was an absolute beautiful morning to run. We chatted, laughed, and fought off a few dogs while the sun came out and warmed everything up a bit. Our pace was supposed to be 9:45/mile and we finished with a 9:44/mile pace. Yes!! The last 3 or 4 miles were pretty much torture, and we each tried to come up with everything postitve we could think of...at one point during the last mile I looked over at Michele and said "Hey - We're Healthy!!" and she said "Yes! Yes! You're right. We should be thankful for that!" Anything we could think of, that would keep one foot moving in front of the other...

It looks like there is going to be no Elk River Ride for me tomorrow...just the I Run For the Party 5k.

Best wishes to TriSaraTops and Wil - who will be burning up Wisconsin this weekend at IM Moo!! Good luck girls!

Thursday, September 07, 2006

LVM Training Week 3: Intervals

I have not done a good job of cross training this week. Tuesday I was pretty tired from the 10k, so I decided to just rest. With everything going on this weekend (Friday:long run, Saturday:Elk River ride & 5k, Sunday: Titans game), I figured I better get some rest while I can. That's probably not in my best interest for the hilly Music City Tri coming up, but oh well.
Yesterday was intervals, since I did the 10k Monday (substituting the 7 mile tempo run). Below is what was planned, and what really happened:















Planned
Interval
Target
Time
Actual
Interval
Actual
Time
10-20min warmupNo Target1.24 miles11:52
1200m5:281200m5:24
200m RINo Target200m walk2:39
1000m4:251000m4:24
200m RINo Target200m walk2:47
800m3:31800m3:33
200m RINo Target200m walk2:37
600m2:34600m2:37
200m RINo Target200m walk2:33
400m1:43400m1:40
200m RINo Target200m walk2:25
200m:45200m0:45
200m RINo Target100m walk1:00
10min cooldownNo Target1 mile9:26


I am finally hitting some targets!! That is good news. I did this workout during my lunch break this time, instead of 5:15 a.m., so maybe that had something to do with it.

The bad news is that I did not get out of bed this morning for cross training. Ugh. And I may just have to write it off, as the rest of my day is completely full with work, cooking for a friend whose grandmother passed away, Briar's basketball tryouts, and all the other stuff that consume a normal day. I guess the bright side of that is fresh legs for Friday's long run. It's 17 miles, so I'll need them.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Labor Day Weekend

I had a good 35 mile bike ride on Sunday with Michele, Tracy & Gary, Leslie, and Amy. Amy just got a brand new Trek 1600 WSD - I am so jealous! It was nice to get out and ride with a group of people in nice weather. And let me tell you, we have certainly had nice weather lately.

It doesn't get any better than the weather was Monday morning, Labor Day. Michele, Leslie and I met at 5:10 and headed to Franklin for The Franklin Classic 10k (Leslie actually ran both). We all got registered, and Michele and I walked around and watched the 5k runners come in. I was amazed at some of the younger kids running sub-20 min 5ks...wow! I saw my friend Ross and his wife, Jenny. Ross and I talked for a few minutes about what kind of time we wanted, and he introduced me to one of his friends who was running his first 10k. This was actually my first 10k race also, if you don't count the 10k during an Oly Tri. But we finally got lined up and the gun went off. Michele and I were together, and we took it easy during the beginning. My first mile was 8:16. During this mile, we saw David!! And this time it really was him (you'll have to read Michele's report to understand this-hehe)! We chatted with David for a while, and then I pulled out a little and tried to bump up the pace some. I saw Ross out in front of me several yards and tried to keep him in sight. He would get quite a ways in front of me, then I'd get back close to him. This went on pretty much the entire distance, and I don't think he had a clue that I was back there. I felt good pretty much the entire way...I got into a groove where I knew I couldn't go much faster, but it was a pace that I felt I could keep for the distance. Around the end of mile 5, I finally caught up with Ross. He informed me of a slight incline on the last mile, which was much appreciated. I pulled out away from him for a while, then made the turn into the final stretch. I could see the finish line way ahead, and was giving all I had left. It seemed like I would never get there!! About 20 yards from the finish, I saw a streak of orange fly by me....It was Ross, who had an awesome kick at the end!!! I crossed the finish line in 50:14. A PR, ofcourse, since I don't have one for this distance, but it was exactly where I wanted to be. I have hoped for a while now that I could run a 10k somewhere close to 50 minutes. Now I know where the bar is for the future. We didn't hang around too long afterwards...we grabbed some food, chatted with friends and headed back to the small town.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

LVM Training: Week 2 in da books

Thursday afternoon I met some people at the lake for an open water swim. We swam 3 laps around the buoys, which made about 1200 yards, according to one of the guys who swims out there a lot. It was a good swim, although I was the slowest one out of the 5 of us, ofcourse. I did pay close attention to my recovery stroke and made sure it was nice and relaxed like Coach Dan told me. I don't know if I'm any faster yet, but I do know that it takes a lot less energy than the "forceful and tense" recovery stroke I did have.

Friday morning I met my mother at the gym for some strength training. We mainly concentrated on shoulders, arms and chest. I didn't want to do legs since I had a long run the next morning. I struggle with that conflict a lot...I want to do lunges and weight exercises for my legs, but then they leave my legs sore and tired for my next run. Any advice out there? I just simply do not like the way my legs look when I am just running or cycling. I feel much better about them when I am doing toning exercises a couple times a week. After the strength training Bo and I took a short jog on the greenway and then played in the park.

Saturday morning I got a late start on my long run of 15 miles. I had intended on starting at 6:30 a.m., but I didn't actually start until 7:30. It was a great morning to be running, though - cool and overcast. Around mile 5 I notice some knee pain again in my left knee. I remembered that I had forgotten to stretch my IT band, but it didn't really feel like that afterall. It stayed pretty low key, though, not hindering me very much. The only real problem that I had was that I ran too far away from my house, and ended up finishing my 15 miles about a mile too short. Ugh. I finished the 15 miles in 2:28:45 - 9:55/mile pace. My pace, according to FIRST, was supposed to be 9:45. I was pleased with my effort, though, so no beating myself up over it. I used that last mile as a walking/jogging cool down. My knee felt very sore and tight the rest of the evening. I iced it twice and took some naprosen. We took the boys to the batting cage and to see "How To Eat Fried Worms" to finish up the evening.