In true 'non-blogger' blogger fashion, I took zero pictures at the race this weekend. I'll try to keep the recap down to a minimum since I lack selfies to prove I ran. There is no signal in the canyon so I don't bother leaving my phone on.
Snake River is not my favorite half marathon. I've run it 4 times, largely because it's a well timed race, usually partway into a training cycle and a good time to measure my progress. It is also a very cheap race. So even though I never want to run it, I usually do. It is a pancake flat course, and in a good year, can yield an excellent PR. It just has not been the case for me, usually because I am either mid-training, or not quite fit.
This year my plan of attack was ... no attack. I intended to run at my standard long run pace and see afterward what that yielded on my heart rate monitor-without watching it religiously. Well, I forgot the heart rate strap at the start, so that was out. I started with another friend who was running easy due to a big race coming up. In hindsight, we all knew I wouldn't hold back as promised.
The start of the race was great! My long runs tend to start at a very slow pace, and on a good day, edge down. Sometimes they don't. Granted I usually have a long ride on my legs when I run on Sundays, and this being a Saturday, I had slightly fresher legs than usual. We ran a bit faster than planned, and I was feeling super comfortable and relaxed. The race is a straight out and back. The temp was in the high 40s and climbing when we started. It was warm enough to run in shorts, a tank top and arm warmers. We had a headwind going out and picked up a 3rd runner who was hoping to run sub-2... which fell right in line with our target pacing. Of course, people were passing us in droves... which usually happens to me more around the halfway point when I've run a stupid early race and am struggling. It was definitely difficult to hold back as everyone cruised by.
We stuck to our pace, albeit a little fast, but only a few seconds per mile. I had my trusty bottle of Osmo Active which I drink on every long run, so this was no exception. I was also eating Gu Chomps every 2 miles, which was a first with those-I did not like them though and won't be using them down the road.
As we approached the turnaround, all the leaders were flying back past us, which made it fun to cheer and holler at everyone we knew, and of course, made my legs a little anxious to move faster. I tried to keep it in check but as I neared the mats for the turnaround, my competitive side got the best of me, and I sped up (rudely dropping my friend in the process-Sorry!!! Please still be my friend!!). All of my running has been at or above 9 minute pace since I started training by heart rate. In the last 3-4 months I would say I've done MAYBE 40 minutes of running at sub-8 pace... and in 2 minute increments at the longest. I was curious to see what my legs could do.
Without keeping a hawk eye on my watch, I sped up to what felt like a natural tempo pace. That's the best way I can describe it. It was harder than my usual heart rate controlled paces, but my legs were managing it and it felt well under my control. It got HOT on the way back, probably mid-50s, but when you haven't run in that, and have a slight tailwind, you'll feel it, and I was melting. I was using my arm warmers to wipe my face off. I maintained a steady pace, without working too hard to keep it (or putting much thought into it.. hooray for muscle memory!) and kept with my chomps and Osmo. Usually after a turnaround, and hitting 7 miles, no matter how good I feel 6 miles just feels so far. I also have the terrible math skills of thinking that at 8 miles I only have 4 left. Every. Time. I just ran through one mile at a time, debating between backing off my pace, or maintaining the effort. They didn't exactly fly by, but they didn't drag either.
I got a little nauseous in the last mile, and a woman I caught attempted to match my stride for maybe 3/10 of a mile. I didn't care if she passed me or not, I just didn't want her running right next to me. Eventually she dropped back a little more. I started smiling and willing myself not to puke. Mile 13 beeped as my fastest of the day and then a minute later it was done!
Beforehand my coach had told me to keep it to 8s. I laughed a little when she said that, like there was any way I'd run faster?! Well, I kept it in the 8s for half! The other half, not so much, but the overall pace was still 8s, so that's something right? I ran 57:57 for the first half (an 8:50 average) and 50:51 for the back half (7:46 average) for a 1:48:48. It was exciting for me to see that my legs can still run a sub-8 pace for more than a mile, and a whopping negative split wasn't too bad either. Though it wasn't my intent to race, negative split or anything else, it was still a solid day.
That said, I definitely don't intend to race much more, if at all, before Ironman. I have a 70.3 on the radar, but that will be a beast of a different breed so I am not too concerned with 'racing'. However, having a recovery ride instead of a long ride the next day, while smart, made me sad to lose time in the saddle. And the sore hips/butt weren't much fun either. Clearly, I can't be trusted to just 'take it easy'.
One of my favorite things about this race on a good day is how many teammates, friends and acquaintances run. On a bad day, it's just a tool to measure how crappy I'm feeling as certain people get further ahead. This day it was a lot of fun. This is the second time I've run this race with my boyfriend (and last year was the first time he saw how much of a sourpuss I can be when a race doesn't go my way-fortunately, I've come a long way in not being so grouchy). It's a lot of fun to have something like this that we both share an interest in.
And now, less than 4 months until IMCDA!! Bring on the big weeks!!
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
A little Monday Motivation
One of the advantages to living where I do means spending weekends on the IMCDA course. I've done a lot of training on these roads in the past, even before I was training for an ironman. However, now I pay closer attention to it, thinking of the race day that is looming ever closer. I also have the amazing benefit of a boyfriend and kid who are willing to come retrieve me when I run 'out' and refuse to come 'back'. My long run hasn't been long enough to take me to Bennett Bay hill and out to Higgins point where the turnaround is for the run course and the smaller out and back of the bike course. But yesterday was a beautiful (albeit chilly) day so I took some pictures thinking it might inspire my fellow CDA race companions! Happy Training! The course is waiting for us!
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| US 95 bridge to the big (windy) loop and back into town |
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| It might be subtle but that little incline after 100+ miles might suck?! |
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| Sherman Avenue!!! The long (downhill) finishing stretch. |
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| Hey there lake, get warm! |
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| City Beach-where it all begins |
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| The hill that used to intimidate me. Not so much anymore! (because bigger hills) |
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| Cresting the hill just past the resort |
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| Free speed! (or... don't trip tired legs) |
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| Along the lake |
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Behind the scenes of a first time ironman-in-training
10(ish) weeks into my IMCDA training and I've learned a lot. A lot. About watts. Heart rate. Shoes. Nutrition (more calories, all of them). The need for chamois butter or Ruby's Lube. There are things I've learned that are valuable, overwhelming, helpful and handy. But then there's just the reality of being an iron-distance athlete in training. In no particular order of importance or value... the things I've learned about life in training for IMCDA:
My hair is going to be in a bun 99% of the time. Odds are it's dirty too.
My chin has gotten so dry from swimming that I slather it in Vitamin E oil several times a day. I keep asking my boyfriend if he still loves me even though my face looks like sandpaper.
Goggle lines will last all day. I'm accepting the fact that I will probably still have goggle lines at the Ironman finish line.
Oh, and swimming at lunch will SLAY you for the day. I can't hold my eyes open and my second workout feels like 'The Walking Dead'.
Yoga pants are where it's at. I'm not sure my quadzillas will fit into jeans much longer and I just can't bring myself to put them on anyway.
Oh, and taking 'before' pics to see my body's progression? Ouch. Reality.
There is a line of enough caffeine to function, without pushing my heart rate into hummingbird range. It's a very thin line.
My sugar cravings are through the roof. I never DON'T want pastries, ice cream, desserts.
I am so hungry that I sometimes dream about food. Like being in a bakery with HUGE cakes to be eaten.
I kind of expected to lose a little weight. I haven't. Actually, I've gained (muscle, right?) weight, but it's not thrilling me. (Do calories from dream food count?)
Looking for a bike isn't SO MUCH FUN YAY! It's stressful, and nauseating, and anxiety inducing. Saying "no, I'll pass, sorry" is painful for me. But I can't just buy all the bikes.
Comparing is bullshit. Don't do it. Social media might rock in so many ways, but when it comes to seeing other people's training, it can be really discouraging if you let it.
Bike shoes you've worn for 6 years, without socks, smell awful . Like roadkill. That fell into a porta-potty. On a 90 degree day. In a swamp. Get new shoes.
Plan more food. Or you will just eat like a frat boy, and then feel like a garbage disposal.
Buy more lube. All the lube.
SLEEP! Training is like having a newborn. When your bike sleeps, you sleep. (Or you read Harry Potter til an hour past bedtime, even though you've read it 28190 times, or the Deep Dark anxiously seeing how the Silver Valley tragedy plays out)
Turn off the headphones, the netflix, the stimulus, and just pedal in the zone sometimes.
Mood swings are no joke. I get irritated whenever Jordan blames IM training for my shifty mood. But then he feeds me froyo, and it's all okay. So maybe he has a point.
Running gets sooo slow. And sometimes, slow feels fast. And those days kind of suck. When it feels so fast, and then you realize your concept of fast is completely ass backward.
When your amazing team kit comes from Coeur Sports and you try to think of a cute way to photograph it... it comes out something like this: #makingCoeurproud #nappingundermykit
You have to say no to things. Not everything though. But sometimes, it's okay to miss things. People will forgive you in the end. Sometimes you are working out, and sometimes, you just need to rest and relax.
But don't miss everything. Don't let training be the reason you don't get out and do things. Am I the only one who is already so tired that it's hard to be motivated for stuff? Mostly during the week. I can do a lot in a weekend.
Sometimes it really is a battle between eating that stick of butter, or rubbing it on your dry scaly face after a swim. (hint: neither is a correct choice)
It's still an amazing journey. I love riding, and look forward to every time I can get on the bike. That's new! I never used to look forward to my trainer. Now I love being on the bike. I feel like apologizing to Jordan on a daily basis when he is sweet and supportive of my rest, tells me to eat more, helps me out, and encourages me. I was a little less patient when he trained-granted our relationship was newer then and I selfishly wanted ALL THE TIME. I may be half asleep on my keyboard around 2:30 pm if I swam at lunch-kills me. But I love it. I. Just. Love. This.
My hair is going to be in a bun 99% of the time. Odds are it's dirty too.
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| Bun. Always the bun. |
My chin has gotten so dry from swimming that I slather it in Vitamin E oil several times a day. I keep asking my boyfriend if he still loves me even though my face looks like sandpaper.
Goggle lines will last all day. I'm accepting the fact that I will probably still have goggle lines at the Ironman finish line.
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| Why do I always smirk like this? No goggle lines yet but rest assured they're real. |
Oh, and swimming at lunch will SLAY you for the day. I can't hold my eyes open and my second workout feels like 'The Walking Dead'.
Yoga pants are where it's at. I'm not sure my quadzillas will fit into jeans much longer and I just can't bring myself to put them on anyway.
Oh, and taking 'before' pics to see my body's progression? Ouch. Reality.
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| They might be strong, but they are also insulated. |
There is a line of enough caffeine to function, without pushing my heart rate into hummingbird range. It's a very thin line.
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| All the coffee. All the tea. Tazo Awake tea is my new obsession. |
My sugar cravings are through the roof. I never DON'T want pastries, ice cream, desserts.
I am so hungry that I sometimes dream about food. Like being in a bakery with HUGE cakes to be eaten.
I kind of expected to lose a little weight. I haven't. Actually, I've gained (muscle, right?) weight, but it's not thrilling me. (Do calories from dream food count?)
Looking for a bike isn't SO MUCH FUN YAY! It's stressful, and nauseating, and anxiety inducing. Saying "no, I'll pass, sorry" is painful for me. But I can't just buy all the bikes.
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| Baby I still love you but I might need to see other bikes. |
Comparing is bullshit. Don't do it. Social media might rock in so many ways, but when it comes to seeing other people's training, it can be really discouraging if you let it.
Bike shoes you've worn for 6 years, without socks, smell awful . Like roadkill. That fell into a porta-potty. On a 90 degree day. In a swamp. Get new shoes.
Plan more food. Or you will just eat like a frat boy, and then feel like a garbage disposal.
Buy more lube. All the lube.
SLEEP! Training is like having a newborn. When your bike sleeps, you sleep. (Or you read Harry Potter til an hour past bedtime, even though you've read it 28190 times, or the Deep Dark anxiously seeing how the Silver Valley tragedy plays out)
Turn off the headphones, the netflix, the stimulus, and just pedal in the zone sometimes.
Mood swings are no joke. I get irritated whenever Jordan blames IM training for my shifty mood. But then he feeds me froyo, and it's all okay. So maybe he has a point.
Running gets sooo slow. And sometimes, slow feels fast. And those days kind of suck. When it feels so fast, and then you realize your concept of fast is completely ass backward.
When your amazing team kit comes from Coeur Sports and you try to think of a cute way to photograph it... it comes out something like this: #makingCoeurproud #nappingundermykit
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| I'm sorry Kebby and Hailey. I had some cute idea in my head and then I fell asleep mid picture! LOVE THIS KIT!!! It's excellent to nap under too. |
You have to say no to things. Not everything though. But sometimes, it's okay to miss things. People will forgive you in the end. Sometimes you are working out, and sometimes, you just need to rest and relax.
But don't miss everything. Don't let training be the reason you don't get out and do things. Am I the only one who is already so tired that it's hard to be motivated for stuff? Mostly during the week. I can do a lot in a weekend.
 |
| hair did, make up did, snacks made, house cleaned, superbowl party!! |
Sometimes it really is a battle between eating that stick of butter, or rubbing it on your dry scaly face after a swim. (hint: neither is a correct choice)
It's still an amazing journey. I love riding, and look forward to every time I can get on the bike. That's new! I never used to look forward to my trainer. Now I love being on the bike. I feel like apologizing to Jordan on a daily basis when he is sweet and supportive of my rest, tells me to eat more, helps me out, and encourages me. I was a little less patient when he trained-granted our relationship was newer then and I selfishly wanted ALL THE TIME. I may be half asleep on my keyboard around 2:30 pm if I swam at lunch-kills me. But I love it. I. Just. Love. This.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Training update: Midway through base phase
It's become pretty clear to me I probably will not post weekly training recaps. I'm lazy, and blogging weekly about what I have done-after uploading it to Strava, updating Training Peaks, updating my spreadsheet and dissecting it with my village (coach, boyfriend, friends) it's just another place to track information and to be honest, I just don't want to.
That, and comparison is the thief of joy. I follow a few people on Strava who are also training, and some of it inspires me, and some of it makes me feel woefully behind... really? already? I'm a mere 6-7 weeks through training, I shouldn't be feeling inferior already. And because I don't want someone else to look at my training week and judge it one way or the other (or more unlikely, compare themselves to me.)
That said, weekly recaps aren't going to be a part of my Ironman journey. If anyone is just twitching with curiosity, you can find me on Strava and it's all there. Weekly over consumption of calories? That will be a part of it. I plan to just summarize progress and developments in each discipline (plus whatever else I feel is completely irrelevant).
Swim:
Most of my swims are still at masters swim, although over Christmas break, I did a few on my own. I've been working on my rotation after the coach of masters had pointed out that I swim flat. I've asked her since, and she says it looks better, so that's something! I am also focusing on my pull through the water. I am feeling a lot stronger in the water now. Thursday we did a workout including 4x25 yard swims with 5 seconds rest at each wall. The coach gave us our total time including rests, from which we subtracted 15 seconds and attempted to hit the new time in a 100 timed swim. When I hit the wall with a 2:03 and had to aim for a 1:48 swim, I was petrified. I've swum under 2:00 for 100/yd a handful of times in the pool, and not easily. I was stunned to finish with a 1:47, and on the next go-round, improved to a 1:46. This was huge for me! The 200 yard swim next was not as well paced. However, I feel more confident in my swim and super excited that a goal that seemed completely out of my reach was possible.
Bike:
I'm getting more comfortable on the trainer! Now, I don't get agitated when it's only been 8 minutes, and I have another however many minutes to go and get me off this thing right this minute not Netflix not music nothing can distract me from this misery except concocting run on sentences obviously. I can settle in and get through a ride of varying lengths without much impatience. Sort of like when you adapt to a treadmill. Eventually, it's less awful and just necessity. I'm still not sure I have it set up right though. This is my biggest (hopefully irrational) fear: that I will not do proper training on the trainer and get outside only able to ride 10mph. Speed is a useless tool on the trainer, really, and mine is all over the map. My boyfriend noted I had the flywheel pressed too hard against my rear tire, and changed it. It improved my riding, but also made the speed faster. From my experience, everyone says their speed is slower on the trainer, so having mine read faster was also unnerving (I know. I'm seriously crazy). I try to focus on cadence and heart rate, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little (a lot) concerned with this.
My workouts have been great and when I get off the bike with tired legs, I figure that counts for something. A friend is planning to let me use his power meter for a little while, so hopefully that will either affirm I am doing it right, or get me on the right track. I have been loving the workouts I get to do on the bike since the run is still mostly aerobic. I miss the satisfaction that comes with pushing yourself hard and nailing a tougher workout. I've definitely discovered the pain cave. I've ended intervals feeling like my legs literally cannot spin one more revolution and I'm not attached to them anymore. I have to grit my teeth, shut my eyes and just hang on for dear life. It's awesome!!!
Run:
Oh the run. The bane of my training for the first few weeks is coming around. I've always been a runner and in my experience, it was always about pursuing pace/distance. But pace. Pace was/is always on our minds. It's been such a huge shift to focus on a sustainable ironman run rather than my continual pursuit of 'faster and faster'. Especially when it comes to comparison. I am doing exactly what I should be, and I trust the process and the build up that I am working on. However, it's a little unnerving when other athletes training for the same race are doing much longer runs at this point. I know I am doing what I should be, but it gets in my head. That said... I've had some huge breakthroughs in my run. I'm working harder on controlling the variables that impact HR-namely, alcohol... after a mimosa laden New Year's Day, I had to slog along in frustration the next day with a high HR and slooooooooow pace.
Lesson learned. I've focused more on hydration and limited my caffeine consumption a little more. My afternoon runs last week were amazing. I got to run paces I hadn't run since starting this MAF/HR zone training journey. Even my easy recovery runs are getting a little faster while sustaining a lower heart rate. There are still ups and downs to it, but it was so exciting for me to finally feel a little more like a runner than a shuffle jogger. Yesterday's long run was a little more flexible in my zones, and I allowed my rate to creep up more. Overall I still finished with a very good average heart rate, but it was nice to feel the burn of pushing just a little more. I am trying to respect the importance of building the aerobic base for ironman, while still balancing that zen feeling of running in the zone a little more.
Heart Rate:
As mentioned in the run, it's starting to pay off a little more. I remind myself constantly that I am building an aerobic machine. Especially in running. These are continually slower paces than I am used to running yet I KNOW that I am running smart for my training. The chances of sustaining this effort at Ironman is much higher than my chances of sustaining low 8 pace, for instance, no matter how bad I want to just go run like I used to. If I can create this aerobic capacity, it will pay off. I am trusting the process that I will be able to sustain a solid run if I train at the proper heart rate and effort.
Food:
ALL OF IT! I feel like I shouldn't be as hungry as I am yet, again, because I look at it like running. "I barely ran X miles today, WHY do I want to cover the couch in butter and eat it?". Just me? Anyone else? I woke up several times last night because I went to bed hungry. Trying to balance eating enough calories without overeating because I think I can have whatever I want. It's a fine line. Fortunately, I've got a boyfriend who did ironman last year and is constantly telling me to eat more (that's the dream, right ladies?!). By the time he got to the start line, he was much lighter than he probably SHOULD have been, and he's encouraging me not to do that. I may be the first athlete to toe the line without losing a pound. Not that weight loss is the goal here.
All in all...
So far so good! I'm working on writing up my 2015 goals and intentions. Training is going great, I am happy and just tired enough. I am testing out working with my ironmentor as a coach as well now. I have my trusty little book plan, but I also trust that she knows what she's doing given how HAPPY her ironman experiences have been in the past. As that progresses I'll share more of the changes from my book to her strategies. Heart rate training is still my beast to contend with, but the plan should involve MORE RUNNING YAY! And just lots of happy training and pushing my limits. Which is already happening (hello bike pain cave). All in all, it's a pretty awesome journey so far. Now if I could just decide what pair of Coeur shorts I want to purchase with my gift card (fleet foxes? Blue Checkmate?)... you know, the big decisions for training.
That, and comparison is the thief of joy. I follow a few people on Strava who are also training, and some of it inspires me, and some of it makes me feel woefully behind... really? already? I'm a mere 6-7 weeks through training, I shouldn't be feeling inferior already. And because I don't want someone else to look at my training week and judge it one way or the other (or more unlikely, compare themselves to me.)
That said, weekly recaps aren't going to be a part of my Ironman journey. If anyone is just twitching with curiosity, you can find me on Strava and it's all there. Weekly over consumption of calories? That will be a part of it. I plan to just summarize progress and developments in each discipline (plus whatever else I feel is completely irrelevant).
Swim:
Most of my swims are still at masters swim, although over Christmas break, I did a few on my own. I've been working on my rotation after the coach of masters had pointed out that I swim flat. I've asked her since, and she says it looks better, so that's something! I am also focusing on my pull through the water. I am feeling a lot stronger in the water now. Thursday we did a workout including 4x25 yard swims with 5 seconds rest at each wall. The coach gave us our total time including rests, from which we subtracted 15 seconds and attempted to hit the new time in a 100 timed swim. When I hit the wall with a 2:03 and had to aim for a 1:48 swim, I was petrified. I've swum under 2:00 for 100/yd a handful of times in the pool, and not easily. I was stunned to finish with a 1:47, and on the next go-round, improved to a 1:46. This was huge for me! The 200 yard swim next was not as well paced. However, I feel more confident in my swim and super excited that a goal that seemed completely out of my reach was possible.
Bike:
I'm getting more comfortable on the trainer! Now, I don't get agitated when it's only been 8 minutes, and I have another however many minutes to go and get me off this thing right this minute not Netflix not music nothing can distract me from this misery except concocting run on sentences obviously. I can settle in and get through a ride of varying lengths without much impatience. Sort of like when you adapt to a treadmill. Eventually, it's less awful and just necessity. I'm still not sure I have it set up right though. This is my biggest (hopefully irrational) fear: that I will not do proper training on the trainer and get outside only able to ride 10mph. Speed is a useless tool on the trainer, really, and mine is all over the map. My boyfriend noted I had the flywheel pressed too hard against my rear tire, and changed it. It improved my riding, but also made the speed faster. From my experience, everyone says their speed is slower on the trainer, so having mine read faster was also unnerving (I know. I'm seriously crazy). I try to focus on cadence and heart rate, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little (a lot) concerned with this.
 |
| Keeping it real out of the pain cave. Can a girl medal in sweating? |
My workouts have been great and when I get off the bike with tired legs, I figure that counts for something. A friend is planning to let me use his power meter for a little while, so hopefully that will either affirm I am doing it right, or get me on the right track. I have been loving the workouts I get to do on the bike since the run is still mostly aerobic. I miss the satisfaction that comes with pushing yourself hard and nailing a tougher workout. I've definitely discovered the pain cave. I've ended intervals feeling like my legs literally cannot spin one more revolution and I'm not attached to them anymore. I have to grit my teeth, shut my eyes and just hang on for dear life. It's awesome!!!
Run:
Oh the run. The bane of my training for the first few weeks is coming around. I've always been a runner and in my experience, it was always about pursuing pace/distance. But pace. Pace was/is always on our minds. It's been such a huge shift to focus on a sustainable ironman run rather than my continual pursuit of 'faster and faster'. Especially when it comes to comparison. I am doing exactly what I should be, and I trust the process and the build up that I am working on. However, it's a little unnerving when other athletes training for the same race are doing much longer runs at this point. I know I am doing what I should be, but it gets in my head. That said... I've had some huge breakthroughs in my run. I'm working harder on controlling the variables that impact HR-namely, alcohol... after a mimosa laden New Year's Day, I had to slog along in frustration the next day with a high HR and slooooooooow pace.
 |
| Snowy run after a day of mimosas = Monica having an internal foot stomping watch throwing tantrum cursing MAF |
Lesson learned. I've focused more on hydration and limited my caffeine consumption a little more. My afternoon runs last week were amazing. I got to run paces I hadn't run since starting this MAF/HR zone training journey. Even my easy recovery runs are getting a little faster while sustaining a lower heart rate. There are still ups and downs to it, but it was so exciting for me to finally feel a little more like a runner than a shuffle jogger. Yesterday's long run was a little more flexible in my zones, and I allowed my rate to creep up more. Overall I still finished with a very good average heart rate, but it was nice to feel the burn of pushing just a little more. I am trying to respect the importance of building the aerobic base for ironman, while still balancing that zen feeling of running in the zone a little more.
Heart Rate:
As mentioned in the run, it's starting to pay off a little more. I remind myself constantly that I am building an aerobic machine. Especially in running. These are continually slower paces than I am used to running yet I KNOW that I am running smart for my training. The chances of sustaining this effort at Ironman is much higher than my chances of sustaining low 8 pace, for instance, no matter how bad I want to just go run like I used to. If I can create this aerobic capacity, it will pay off. I am trusting the process that I will be able to sustain a solid run if I train at the proper heart rate and effort.
 |
| Coffeeeee I love you stop making my heart beat so fast! Only the boyfriend should cause that! |
Food:
ALL OF IT! I feel like I shouldn't be as hungry as I am yet, again, because I look at it like running. "I barely ran X miles today, WHY do I want to cover the couch in butter and eat it?". Just me? Anyone else? I woke up several times last night because I went to bed hungry. Trying to balance eating enough calories without overeating because I think I can have whatever I want. It's a fine line. Fortunately, I've got a boyfriend who did ironman last year and is constantly telling me to eat more (that's the dream, right ladies?!). By the time he got to the start line, he was much lighter than he probably SHOULD have been, and he's encouraging me not to do that. I may be the first athlete to toe the line without losing a pound. Not that weight loss is the goal here.
All in all...
So far so good! I'm working on writing up my 2015 goals and intentions. Training is going great, I am happy and just tired enough. I am testing out working with my ironmentor as a coach as well now. I have my trusty little book plan, but I also trust that she knows what she's doing given how HAPPY her ironman experiences have been in the past. As that progresses I'll share more of the changes from my book to her strategies. Heart rate training is still my beast to contend with, but the plan should involve MORE RUNNING YAY! And just lots of happy training and pushing my limits. Which is already happening (hello bike pain cave). All in all, it's a pretty awesome journey so far. Now if I could just decide what pair of Coeur shorts I want to purchase with my gift card (fleet foxes? Blue Checkmate?)... you know, the big decisions for training.
 |
| Get in there. Stay in there. Do all the sleeping. (Really this was just to show my mom I'd put my new sheets on the bed. Thanks mom!) |
Monday, January 5, 2015
2014
So I changed my mind. No surprise there! 2014 was an awesome year. I wasn't great at taking pictures that will help my blog, but I do have pictures of a bunch of stuff I won't blog about (including, but not limited to 289180 pictures of my boyfriend becoming an Ironman, lemurs at the zoo, screen caps of text convos, and nasty sweaty selfies that nobody wants to see!)
2014 was the year I PR-ed the half marathon, finally! Not by as much as I wanted but a PR is a PR and it was hard fought. I raced without a watch, and it was as much a mental victory as anything else.
 |
| This is obviously not me actually running said race, but beforehand, with the boyfriend, who also PR-ed! |
2014 was the year I had a BLAST racing the CDA Scenic Sprint triathlon!
2014 was the year I signed up for my first Ironman! CDA 2015!
2014 was the year we moved from North Spokane to Liberty Lake after 5+ years out there. Eastward bound!
2014 was NOT the year I met my boyfriend. But that was late December 2013 and we got to go through a lot of great experiences in this whole first year. I'll take more years with him please.
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| If a man can rock a sweater vest, you keep him around. |
2014 was the year I saw everyone else train hard and race! I saw my sister run huge PRs in pretty much every race she toed the line in. My mom ran her first half marathon at 58 years old. Ben did a few triathlons and PR-ed the mile! Jordan became an ironman and kicked ass at many other races. The families that race together...
 |
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| Cousins tri together |
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| Mom the half marathoner! |
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| Oh hey, just getting 3rd place like NBD |
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| Best. Hoodie. Ever. |
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| Coeur Chevron kit!! And bucket sized hat. |
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| I can't scientifically prove that wearing my Coeur kit caused this AG win but... I'm not a scientist so it was totally the kit! |
2014 was the year that challenged me. It had highs and lows. But neither was especially high or low. It was a smooth year. There were amazing moments and memories I love. There were times I had to learn how to handle things differently than I used to, and grow more.
It was a really good year.
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| Byeeeee 2014 |
But then, 2015 is the year they put 'Friends' on Netflix. So it's hard to beat that!
Friday, December 12, 2014
The jumping off point: Not really a training recap
The first week of my official training plan for IMCDA is behind me! The workouts were short and manageable (I'm being lured into a false sense of 'I can handle this!'.) but the week itself was kind of a mess. This post will be kind of a mishmash of what's going on the first week of training, and a brief mention of the actual workouts. I haven't really decided how much detail I want to provide in my recaps of training.
Training this week kicked off with a rest day Monday!! My training weeks are written Mon-Sun and I liked having a rest day. At first I felt a little lame beginning my training with a big fat 0 in the training spreadsheet, and I had considered a short run because this week's workouts, as I said, were short, so rearranging, or throwing in a 20 min run wouldn't have been a huge issue. I ended up having a ton of errands to handle though (including taking my car for emissions and renewing my horribly overdue tabs. Whoops?!) so the rest day stood.
As far as swimming goes, I haven't been in the water since August for my sprint tri, and only about 2-3 swims before that-none longer than about a half mile of swimming. My first lunch swim this week was ROUGH. My shoulders were burning before I made 100 yards, and my splits on my watch weren't exactly promising. I kept reminding myself "what if this was your first run in 4-5 months? what if you had only run 3-4x this year?" which helped me keep my focus in check. That is why the road to ironman is so long. I wish I had been swimming sooner, but it's okay that I wasn't.
The second swim of the week was at Master's swim! That was intimidating as all get out. I emailed the coach beforehand to ask her/reveal my skill level and make sure I wouldn't be a hindrance to the class. She reassured me I would fit right in, so I showed up, nerves and all. There were only a handful of women there, since most athletes are still slowly coming back from off season. This allowed me some extra 1:1 time with the coach though, which I greatly appreciated. She told me she didn't see any major issues with my stroke, and it actually looked "really good" and that she had been under the impression my swim would be a lot worse than it actually was. Turns out though, that I swim flat, and need to work on body rotation. I started working on this and whoa wake up call! It feels so exaggerated and awkward to rotate enough for her to say "that looks right".
On to #bikelove! Since summer, I have been increasing my rides, and simply spending more time in the saddle than ever before. My bike, which is named Baby, as in "Nobody puts Baby in the corner" because she spent a lot of time in corners, has seen more of my butt than in the last 5 years combined. I've LOVED my bike time, other than the saddle! I was battling some numbness this summer when my ironman boyfriend set me up for a bike fit at the shop he goes to. That included testing a couple different saddles, and finally deciding to try the Cobb V Flow Plus. We took our bikes out the next day to ride a portion of the IMCDA course, and by the last 8 or so miles, I was almost in tears from the pain of the saddle. I was miserable for the next few days, we pulled the saddle and tried another, with no luck. Then I tried his saddle with no split in it, and it was worse. I went back to my stock Scott Contessa saddle and it was okay, but I was sitting pretty far back on the seat, and not using my legs and booty to power myself enough (in my opinion, I'm no expert). After chatting with my ironyoda, I went back to the shop and asked to try the Cobb JOF 55. I was prepared to give it a few weeks, and not assess based on one ride. I bought chamois butter and feared the worst for my lady bits. But, I am in love. This saddle is amazing for me!! I definitely have some residual soreness from adjusting to new pressure points, but I am much more forward 'Off the Front' as the saddle promises, and I don't find myself adjusting repeatedly. I have made an effort to sit up and back on the saddle as well since duh, IMCDA boasts some climbing that will require that position as well. Between the saddle and my undying love of Coeur's seamless chamois, I'm a happy camper!
Running of course, is my comfort zone. I'm working on adjusting to heart rate training though. *Cough Cough* I'm choking on all the pride I have to swallow to accept the paces I'm running. For now, I am utilizing the MAF 180 formula for my numbers. I keep reminding myself I don't have to be fast right now... and that if I could maintain the pace I'm running now at Ironman, it would be a dream. But, it's also within the realm of possibility. I'm not training at a pace that would be completely out of reach on a perfect race day. That is how I stay patient.
The only messy part was that, in typical Monica form, I fell down the stairs! Thursday morning I was (slowly, cautiously) carrying my cereal and coffee down the stairs and I slipped, landed hard on my back, hit my head AND spilled everything all over the new carpet. Fortunately it wasn't as bad as summer's fall, but still did some damage to my ragdoll neck. Fortunately, I still got in all the workouts without hindrance, but what a way to start!
My recaps will probably change format without so much 'background' needed (did anybody need it anyway??) but this first week totaled 6 hours of training and a few doubles.
I am ALREADY so grateful for the mentors and role models I have, both close and far, who are going to be seriously invaluable to this journey.
And away we go!
Training this week kicked off with a rest day Monday!! My training weeks are written Mon-Sun and I liked having a rest day. At first I felt a little lame beginning my training with a big fat 0 in the training spreadsheet, and I had considered a short run because this week's workouts, as I said, were short, so rearranging, or throwing in a 20 min run wouldn't have been a huge issue. I ended up having a ton of errands to handle though (including taking my car for emissions and renewing my horribly overdue tabs. Whoops?!) so the rest day stood.
 |
| The plan. The food. |
As far as swimming goes, I haven't been in the water since August for my sprint tri, and only about 2-3 swims before that-none longer than about a half mile of swimming. My first lunch swim this week was ROUGH. My shoulders were burning before I made 100 yards, and my splits on my watch weren't exactly promising. I kept reminding myself "what if this was your first run in 4-5 months? what if you had only run 3-4x this year?" which helped me keep my focus in check. That is why the road to ironman is so long. I wish I had been swimming sooner, but it's okay that I wasn't.
The second swim of the week was at Master's swim! That was intimidating as all get out. I emailed the coach beforehand to ask her/reveal my skill level and make sure I wouldn't be a hindrance to the class. She reassured me I would fit right in, so I showed up, nerves and all. There were only a handful of women there, since most athletes are still slowly coming back from off season. This allowed me some extra 1:1 time with the coach though, which I greatly appreciated. She told me she didn't see any major issues with my stroke, and it actually looked "really good" and that she had been under the impression my swim would be a lot worse than it actually was. Turns out though, that I swim flat, and need to work on body rotation. I started working on this and whoa wake up call! It feels so exaggerated and awkward to rotate enough for her to say "that looks right".
On to #bikelove! Since summer, I have been increasing my rides, and simply spending more time in the saddle than ever before. My bike, which is named Baby, as in "Nobody puts Baby in the corner" because she spent a lot of time in corners, has seen more of my butt than in the last 5 years combined. I've LOVED my bike time, other than the saddle! I was battling some numbness this summer when my ironman boyfriend set me up for a bike fit at the shop he goes to. That included testing a couple different saddles, and finally deciding to try the Cobb V Flow Plus. We took our bikes out the next day to ride a portion of the IMCDA course, and by the last 8 or so miles, I was almost in tears from the pain of the saddle. I was miserable for the next few days, we pulled the saddle and tried another, with no luck. Then I tried his saddle with no split in it, and it was worse. I went back to my stock Scott Contessa saddle and it was okay, but I was sitting pretty far back on the seat, and not using my legs and booty to power myself enough (in my opinion, I'm no expert). After chatting with my ironyoda, I went back to the shop and asked to try the Cobb JOF 55. I was prepared to give it a few weeks, and not assess based on one ride. I bought chamois butter and feared the worst for my lady bits. But, I am in love. This saddle is amazing for me!! I definitely have some residual soreness from adjusting to new pressure points, but I am much more forward 'Off the Front' as the saddle promises, and I don't find myself adjusting repeatedly. I have made an effort to sit up and back on the saddle as well since duh, IMCDA boasts some climbing that will require that position as well. Between the saddle and my undying love of Coeur's seamless chamois, I'm a happy camper!
 |
| I used a video to check my form and saddle position! And #noangrykitty |
Running of course, is my comfort zone. I'm working on adjusting to heart rate training though. *Cough Cough* I'm choking on all the pride I have to swallow to accept the paces I'm running. For now, I am utilizing the MAF 180 formula for my numbers. I keep reminding myself I don't have to be fast right now... and that if I could maintain the pace I'm running now at Ironman, it would be a dream. But, it's also within the realm of possibility. I'm not training at a pace that would be completely out of reach on a perfect race day. That is how I stay patient.
The only messy part was that, in typical Monica form, I fell down the stairs! Thursday morning I was (slowly, cautiously) carrying my cereal and coffee down the stairs and I slipped, landed hard on my back, hit my head AND spilled everything all over the new carpet. Fortunately it wasn't as bad as summer's fall, but still did some damage to my ragdoll neck. Fortunately, I still got in all the workouts without hindrance, but what a way to start!
My recaps will probably change format without so much 'background' needed (did anybody need it anyway??) but this first week totaled 6 hours of training and a few doubles.
I am ALREADY so grateful for the mentors and role models I have, both close and far, who are going to be seriously invaluable to this journey.
And away we go!
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Thoughts on the Hanson Marathon Method
A lot of my running happened before I started blogging. My two best marathons (okay, ALL my marathons) were run without training recaps!
If an 18-week marathon cycle is run, and never recapped did it really happen? Yes! Any time someone on Twitter (or anywhere) mentions choosing a training cycle, or the Hanson Marathon Method comes up in the conversation, I jump right on it. I am a strong believer in their training method and philosophy. But, sadly, I wasn't a blogger for the two races I have used their training plan. The best thing I can do now is attempt to recap and review my experiences (and answer ALL the questions!)
The first time I decided to use their method was after reading New Year New You: Way of the Renegades in Runner's World. In January of 2011. I was intrigued, but a marathon wasn't on my agenda. At that point running was barely on my agenda. I had run the Portland Marathon in 2010 and had only run a handful of times since. I saved the article and the plan anyway. I slowly started getting back into shape around March, "raced" a 12k in early May and then jumped into a 6 week quick ramp up to a half marathon. I was training with my sister for her first half, and we had the goal of finishing, nothing else. We ran our half marathon in mid-June and she began toying with a full. We discussed Tri-Cities (a small race a few hours from home in late October). I hadn't intended to run another full, but not so shockingly, the marathon sucked me in anyway. My sister and I both decided to use the article and included training plan.
For that first training cycle, I used the article. I didn't read their book. Our paces were loosely determined at first. We had no idea what our 10k pace should be and we aimed for simply "sub-8 min pace" in our early workouts. She was training for a 4 hour finish, and I was hoping to run a 3:45. My sister followed the plan strictly. In the interest of full disclosure, I did not necessarily do so. I joined a local women's running team midway through training. At this time, instead of following the Hanson's Tuesday speed workouts, I replaced them with the workouts of the group. I also made some variations to the Saturday workouts, occasionally participating in the 'Swifts' workouts instead of simply running easy mileage. Usually this included things like 10 x 1 min pick-ups. I did match the mileage the rest of the time. And the most important part: I abided by the 16 mile long run and did not run further. One 16 mile training run was actually a 25k trail race. On a mountain. That I ended up walking/hiking a large majority of. My paces this training cycle were a little more willy-nilly. I stuck with the goal marathon pace (around 8:25) for Thursday's runs but on occasion, my other runs would be faster. It was all over the map at times. Running with the team had caused me to progress a lot more than I had expected.
Long story short there, I raced my unicorn race. It was perfection. I ran a 1-minute negative split which to me is about as good as it gets. I exceeded my pre-race goal of 3:45 and finished in 3:35.22 feeling strong the whole way, no wall to speak of. My sister also executed a great race, finishing in 3:47 with about a 5 minute negative split.
In 2013 I raced the Eugene marathon with the same plan, based off the book. I followed the advanced plan as it was my 4th marathon. I read it cover to cover more than once, trying to beat into my brain their philosophy on the easy days. I would say I followed it with 97% accuracy. I raced a half marathon about 8 weeks out from Eugene but continued with the plan as written before and after. I missed/altered a few runs due to aches and pains or sickness. As my throwback recap explains, my taper week was a disaster. All things considered, I executed a pretty solid race despite the setbacks, finishing in 3:37.05.
What I love about this plan:
-The overall mileage. A lot of marathoners, especially newer marathoners run less mileage than this plan will have. For some that works. I learned I thrive on higher mileage. The first time around I peaked around 57 miles in a week. The second time, I hit a 63 mile peak week. I felt amazing. Once I broke that 50 mile barrier I felt stronger than before. For me, the volume was a huge game changer.
-The easy days. I didn't take these as easy as I should have, but I was conscious of my efforts on those days. I was proud of my slower days, knowing there would be another hard workout to push myself. I diligently focused on keeping a pace at least 30 seconds/mile slower than goal pace and paid attention to my perceived effort. I was coached personally in my most recent marathon instead of following HMM again, and there was a lack of proper easy days. I paid the price for pushing hard too much. The easy runs MATTER!!
-Marathon paced tempo. These are a weekly run, beginning with 6 miles and increasing to 10 miles by the end. I ran the same route every time that I felt simulated the Eugene course. I struggled with watch stalking on these, shooting for a 7:58-8:02 range and was all over the place mentally. Eventually I allowed a faster pace (7:51-52) which felt natural, and I could click off mile after mile without adjustment. While I didn't run my race at this pace, I felt that the effort I put into the runs matched what they had written, and saved me from the frustration of trying to keep a pace.
-Speed/strength days. Goes without saying, I love me some speed work. The longer strength intervals were fun too! The paces were a step back from what I was used to running with my group (aiming for more of a half marathon or 10 seconds slower than marathon pace, whereas I was used to 10k paced long intervals). My mantra for all of these days was 'control'. It was too easy to want to push. An interval begs to be pushed, to see what you can do with it. I had set paces that I KNEW I could nail and control was the word to keep me checked in.
-That 16 mile long run. This is the one thing that turns a lot of athletes away from the plan. "What? Only 16? But... but... the marathon is 10 (!!) miles longer than that! How?!". My sister using the plan as a first time marathoner speaks to this. 16 is enough. If you read the book they detail the reasons why a long run should only be 25-30% of your weekly volume, not 50%. I have trained with a 20 mile plan, so I can compare them, and this was effective.
Overall, this plan boosted my confidence so much. Even with the shorter 16 mile long run, knowing I had run a 63 mile week (including a 14 mi Thursday with the tempo plus warm up and cooldown). I was willing to run longer cooldowns to increase my mileage, and more importantly, I had the strength after the workout to do so. I wasn't shuffling through a half mile cool down just to get it done.
I would highly recommend the Hanson Marathon Method to ANYONE! I am also happy to answer questions more in depth about my experience and training with it!
Happy Racing!
In 2013 I raced the Eugene marathon with the same plan, based off the book. I followed the advanced plan as it was my 4th marathon. I read it cover to cover more than once, trying to beat into my brain their philosophy on the easy days. I would say I followed it with 97% accuracy. I raced a half marathon about 8 weeks out from Eugene but continued with the plan as written before and after. I missed/altered a few runs due to aches and pains or sickness. As my throwback recap explains, my taper week was a disaster. All things considered, I executed a pretty solid race despite the setbacks, finishing in 3:37.05.
What I love about this plan:
-The overall mileage. A lot of marathoners, especially newer marathoners run less mileage than this plan will have. For some that works. I learned I thrive on higher mileage. The first time around I peaked around 57 miles in a week. The second time, I hit a 63 mile peak week. I felt amazing. Once I broke that 50 mile barrier I felt stronger than before. For me, the volume was a huge game changer.
-The easy days. I didn't take these as easy as I should have, but I was conscious of my efforts on those days. I was proud of my slower days, knowing there would be another hard workout to push myself. I diligently focused on keeping a pace at least 30 seconds/mile slower than goal pace and paid attention to my perceived effort. I was coached personally in my most recent marathon instead of following HMM again, and there was a lack of proper easy days. I paid the price for pushing hard too much. The easy runs MATTER!!
-Marathon paced tempo. These are a weekly run, beginning with 6 miles and increasing to 10 miles by the end. I ran the same route every time that I felt simulated the Eugene course. I struggled with watch stalking on these, shooting for a 7:58-8:02 range and was all over the place mentally. Eventually I allowed a faster pace (7:51-52) which felt natural, and I could click off mile after mile without adjustment. While I didn't run my race at this pace, I felt that the effort I put into the runs matched what they had written, and saved me from the frustration of trying to keep a pace.
-Speed/strength days. Goes without saying, I love me some speed work. The longer strength intervals were fun too! The paces were a step back from what I was used to running with my group (aiming for more of a half marathon or 10 seconds slower than marathon pace, whereas I was used to 10k paced long intervals). My mantra for all of these days was 'control'. It was too easy to want to push. An interval begs to be pushed, to see what you can do with it. I had set paces that I KNEW I could nail and control was the word to keep me checked in.
-That 16 mile long run. This is the one thing that turns a lot of athletes away from the plan. "What? Only 16? But... but... the marathon is 10 (!!) miles longer than that! How?!". My sister using the plan as a first time marathoner speaks to this. 16 is enough. If you read the book they detail the reasons why a long run should only be 25-30% of your weekly volume, not 50%. I have trained with a 20 mile plan, so I can compare them, and this was effective.
Overall, this plan boosted my confidence so much. Even with the shorter 16 mile long run, knowing I had run a 63 mile week (including a 14 mi Thursday with the tempo plus warm up and cooldown). I was willing to run longer cooldowns to increase my mileage, and more importantly, I had the strength after the workout to do so. I wasn't shuffling through a half mile cool down just to get it done.
I would highly recommend the Hanson Marathon Method to ANYONE! I am also happy to answer questions more in depth about my experience and training with it!
Happy Racing!
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