Final thoughts

6/18/14

As I write this is am laying on my heating pad.  I have been trying to workout the knots accumulating on my right upper shoulder blade for over a week… no dice.  A bit over a week ago my neighbor Renee and I rode 110 miles on the Silverado Trail between Napa and Calestoga.  I wanted to simulate the Ironman distance as well as try to stay on the time and the ride was pretty successful.  Not only did we make the time but we climbed over 2,000 ft more than Coeur d' Alene does (we climbed 8,400 ft).  However, since that ride I have been down for the count.

For the past month I have had one bodily issue after another from a cold, to what I thought was fever blisters…happened to be a Vitamin B deficiency…who'd a thunk it, another lost toenail and then a medial procedure that kept me out of the water for a week.  It was also tough the past month or so as I finished up with my Thesis which was around 100 pages, graduated from graduate school and finished up with teaching.  The huge undertaking of working FT, being a student FT and training as a weekend warrior defiantly took its toll on me.  Luckily, we're in taper territory now as IMCDA is 11 days away.  The next few days will be very important to keep health up as I am flying to Baltimore tonight for a weekend of music with my buds Cassie and Craig.  This means: liquids (not beer), vitamins, eating well.  After my 3.5 hour ride yesterday I felt strong.  I had a swim planned today but yoga and the heating pad/ice maybe the workout…and chill time.  I have found that chill time is super important to this whole training bit.

Let's talk about "chill time".  I started training in October/November and have gone the whole way through.  I read and found out for times when you're really run-down and crabby, time for a respite day.  For real crabby pants just makes you and everyone around you miserable.  Also, there are days where your body says, "nope" and you got to listen.  I learned that the hard way with a knee injury last year.  Then well there are days were you are just being lazy and you have to make yourself do workouts.  For the most part the other days training went well and I made it through.

There were a few things that I wanted to get comfortable with before I did IMCDA and that was distance biking and open water swimming with the latter being more of a mental challenge to overcome and the biking more of a physical feat.  As for biking, I biked…a lot.  On the average week I would spend between 8-12 hours just on the bike.  Instead of running miles upon miles…I biked.  This was good for two things it kept up my bike stamina as well as running stamina and was not so hard on my joints as running is.  Oh and a third point, I rode a lot on the trainer so got to catch up on Netflix seasons.  As for open water, that took a hot second and I am still not completely okay.  Swimming in Berkeley pier with Odyssey Open Water Swim was good because I had to swim with the water very rough…conditions much more challenging than I hear IMCDA is. I then started swimming in a lake close to my house.  My neighbor Renee and I started swimming the length of the lake once the lifeguards left.  The water is great, and I am actually comfortable swimming in there.  So comfortable that it got boring which for me was good.  For IMCDA I am probably going to check out the lake on Friday so I can get a feel for temperature and layout.

Fears…cut off.  Cut off my friends is real and when you're slow and steady…slow being the key word here that causes me most fear.  I have everything in my head timed out to mere ten minutes for the bike cut off.  Let me tell you…I should take 90-100 minutes for the swim… the swim cut off is 140 minutes or 2 hours 20 minutes.  I expect to be out of the water and through transition in 110-120 minutes, leaving me an excess of 20-30 minutes.  I can bike 112 miles in roughly 7hours and 45 minutes excluding breaks…for this to happen breaks in total can be no longer than between 15-25 minutes.  The cut off is 8 hours and 10 minutes for the bike.  I should have about 20-30 minted extra from the swim to add to the bike so I should be off the bike in 8 hours to 8 hours and 15 minutes.  You see my predicament…I have very little time for flats, bonks you get my drift.  Also, transitions are strictly enforced..all of them. You cannot continue if you get cut off.  There are two transitions on the bike.  If/When I get to bike to run transition I can breathe a bit easier as I expect my marathon time to be around 5:30-6 hours (though at IMNOLA 70.3 I ran around a 2:20 half) though could def run faster if those endorphins want to get me a boost.  The first cut of on run is 3 hours 30 min… I could walk some to do that.  I suppose the strategy is to drink and eat enough…and not get gut funk.  Though as suggested by Ben Greenfield…Tums in special needs bag (special needs bags are bags you pack that are handed out half way through bike and half way through run) is the way to go.

Ok so bit of random tangents…but wish me luck…think thoughts of party cloudy weather, upper 70s, and Little WIND…=)

Jean9

Overcoming Open Water Swimming

For a long time I have been very nervous about the open-water portion of the Ironman.  In Coeur d'Alene the water is just about the same temperature as they bay and from what I read it can be pretty choppy.  I decided a while ago that I did not want to have a repeat of IM 70.3 New Orleans where it took me well over half the 1.2 mile swim to calm down.  That in mind I have been planning for months to start open-water swimming.  Originally, I was going to have my friend follow me in a kayak but that never really worked out.  I did find a group in Berkeley, Odyssey Open Water Swimming which I have been swimming with on Tuesdays for the past couple of Tuesdays.  Initially, the first Tuesday it was just getting used to swimming in a wetsuit as well as getting used to the water.  That evening the water was fairly calm and it was a good vibe with just two other lady swimmers-- a ladies night of sorts.  I went back last Tuesday and the water was "choppy" I could see the water white-capping and was a bit nervous.  The triangle of buoys was set to be just about a mile but decided before the swim not to swim entirely to the second buoy as the water was a bit too wavy for me.  I would say I cut off the last 100 and made sure my Kayaker who watches over the swim knew I was heading to the second buoy.  At that point I felt as if I was not swimming at all just staying put as the current was pushing me in the right direction of the buoy but off to the left a bit.  I managed to get there and one of the better swimmers caught up to me. As she did, a wind-surfer got very close--too close for comfort.  The whole time I was swimming ten strokes then put my head above the water. Coming from pool swimming this is the best I could do to remain calm. I noticed that my new partner was having some trouble with the swim as well.  We both chatted a minute and both seemed a bit nervous but I know I appreciated the company.  Upon rounding the second buoy I got very panicky.  And all I have read about the IM open water swim is deep-breathe, float on your back if you need to--just stay calm.  BUT let me say when you are starting to panic that does not work.  It takes the rational part of your head to offer viable suggestions.  "calm down, float on your back" and of course "just stand up".  Lucky for me the tide was going out and it was just about to hit low tide and I could stand.  From that point I was fine, I took breaks and finished up.  At the doc the other swimmer was scrapping mud off her face as the bottom is pure slimy mud.  I came to find out that she was in panic mode as well.  As much as I hate that kind of water, doing the worst and most difficult of swims, hills, etc. etc., will only prepare me more for the IM course. All in all my solution is: in training to do the things that I dislike and do them often.  For me that is once a week open-water swim and biking and running hills.

Jeannine

Locking it Up

T-107 Days

In the past couple of weeks I have really been trying to lock it up.  I have been religiously following through with each work out that is on training peaks.  I may or may not have chipped five minutes off here and there before =)  I was not super pressed when I started ten months out.  Now, it IS time.  The first pic was with my Dre beats on after run intervals at the YMCA.  I stole the Wings shirt from Brooke and sweated it all up.  The second pic is from my new wetsuit.  I started Odyssey Open Water Swimming Tuesday.  I only swam half a mile so an 800 to get used to the water.  I was thrilled how much I floated.  I still find open water swimming tough as it is such a new concept to me.Tomorrow I will do a mile in the Bay.  I am sure it is really clean and bacteria free.  Other than that, I will start with Bulletproof coffee tomorrow which has been recommended by every Ironman or Ben Greenfield and Adam ;) I also started a herbal routine that Adam and Ben recommended TainChi

which so far with the combination of that and MCT oil have had a lot more energy.  Also, since I have been working out so much I have dropped a couple pounds…guess I'll have to amp up the cheeseburgers…kidding.  Actually I will also be trying DHA (fatty acids), flaxseed and chia seed for better brain functions and poops…

So as I train for this, I am a bit pressed for time with teaching and trying to write my thesis.  I am having to be very busy and watch my time and manage time.  Thus far I have been putting in 15-16 hour days during the week and weekend.  I have ridden on the trainer the past couple of weeks to catch up on seasons on Netflix.  Anyway, I write this today as I did a three hour bike ride this am, run the dogs at the dog beach, ran errands and cleaned rest of day.  I will then try to write a couple hours on Thesis.  Vive la vide hora,

Jean9

A Marathon and a Ride to Sacramento

T- 141 Days

Since my last post I have been a pretty busy lady. A couple months ago I signed up for the Ultra Trail Run 50k in Pacifica.  Let's be honest, I was a bit bad at training and my training partner was the same =). Anyway, we climbed about 7,000 feet, a little perspective on that is we climbed for about 10 straight miles.  After we finished the marathon portion we were advised to just call it and not finish the last four miles.  I was A-ok with that.  It took us about 7 hours.  That seems slow as I ran the San Diego Rock N' Roll Marathon in 4 hours and 55 minutes….but that was flat….this was several mountains.  Anyway, it was super tough but very rewarding, minus the toe nail on my right foot I am going to lose.

My neighbor, Renee and I sometimes work out together and I had promised her that we would do a ride to Sacramento… she hit me up a few weeks after the marathon.  Needless to say last Saturday we geared up and did the 85 mile ride.  Again, this was not flat by any means and we climbed over the American Canyon.  We also, had many turns and navigation was a challenge as well as riding in many cities with stop light after stop light…all in all it took us about 9 hours but we felt pretty proud of ourselves as that was the longest distance either of us had done on a bike before.

Anyway, worked out three hours today, a run, weights and ended with a 2.5 hour bike ride on the trainer.  It was nice as I talked to a bud who is doing the HTC 140.6 series in March so she is knee deep in training so always great to talk to someone going through it. And Adam of course =)

Keep on Keepin' On,

Jeannine

Car Verses My Bike

Today I went on a 30 mile ride, within the first four miles I almost got plowed by a Trail Blazer on the Bay Trail.  I understand that in this part of the trail it is a bit industrial as Subaru and Honda have shipping yards there.  However, the SUV blew past a stop sign and I had my hands on my aero bars and  didn't have my breaks ready and just missed being side-swiped and being road kill. In the past I have had a semi trailer truck push my bike off the bike lane, I've been cut off (its hard to just stop when you are literally fastened to your bike via clip shoes). I get that people get annoyed by bikes but here are a few points to consider: the first point (the main point), a car versus a bike. We know who is going to win. What point is being made by pushing a bike off the road or cutting them off? I see it as a car weighs over a ton and the bigger the vehicle the heavier it is…me on my bike weighs approximately 160 pounds.  If I get hit, I get hurt or possibly seriously hurt. The nonsensical point that a driver is trying to make is lost.  Secondly, a bicyclist is on a bike not driving they are getting exercise.  No matter how fat, skinny, slow or fast they may be they are burning calories.  As a driver of a vehicle just remember people are out there trying to better themselves.  Third and last,  I know bikes can get annoying and sometimes get in the way but take a deep breath and settle down and remember we are all human.  I know not all drivers try to hit and run over bicyclists and I know that a lot of bicyclist do not follow basic traffic rules but just remember if you're angry-- you're car is powerful and can seriously injure a person operating the bike.  For drivers who are aware that people are running, biking, skateboarding, etc and are cautious, I appreciate it.  If you get all riled up at people biking, skating, etc. chill out and be nice.

Jeannine

12/10/13

6 month, 6 months! I have been dreaming of Ironman, some dreams were more nightmares of me unprepared at the race, like bike stolen or not properly trained… they subsided once I really started getting on the ball and not messing around.  This weekend I went on a 10 mile run and a 26 mile ride…it was cold…I was frozen! For next weekend's ride I want to shoot for 50 to 60 miles and as much as I am resisting it--hills, oh bless you hills.

Tonight, I lifted 30 minutes and followed Nate's strength training training plan and it went well.  My neighbor Angie suggested tonight that I take my 7 month pit bull Jameson out tonight for a run as he had some energy to run out.  Jameson was a trooper and ran with me for about a mile and a half before I turned around.  On the way home though he had other plans and wanted to walk, so we walked.  My neighbor spotted us as we were climbing our last enormous hill (well we were on side of road as Jameson was smelling the vegetation) and offered to give the dog a lift.  He hoped in the car and I finished up my 45 min run.

On a side not, my favorite time to run is around 9 p.m.- I have energy.  I have nothing else planned for the evening and it is just me and the darkness.  Each time I run the stars are always so bright as there is no light to take away from them (we have no street lights on the mountain).  It is just my favorite time to be in and out in the world.

Tomorrow I have around a two hour bike ride planned, still avoiding hills but will try to get some speed in there.  I did get a new computer today as my last one bunked, 45 big ones…

Lastly, I will be doing IMCDA for a charity and have the perfect one involved but those details are to come in a few days.  I am horrible at fundraising…but for this I will try a BIT harder.

HAPPY TRAILS,

Jeannine

I had a rather slow week but I feel like I finally got motivated to really get to business. Last week I met with Nate, who has offered coaching services.  For me this is a great opportunity to pick his brain about nutrition, training and workout help.  Nate is a professional biker who has a vast knowledge about anything endurance and has placed well at many races and tours so am excited about him helping me out.  I also rode two weeks ago with a group of great bikers from FMRC, they were fast.  I lost them pretty much after the first mile but the leader Doug suggested that the more I ride with the group the faster I will be and at some point be able to keep up.  From suggestion of Nate, I am increasing my bike volume as that is imperative in order to really be able to build strength on the bike.  Today I swam a 3000 which is 1.8 miles or around 120 laps in the pool.  I killed it, I concentrated on good form, which for me is a constant reminder to keep my head down, elbows out of the water and staying streamline.  Today was also great as 3000 meters is the most I have ever swam at one time and really the work out did not have me dying on the pool side deck.  All in all finally off to a decent start.

Jeannine