Tri training update

I thought I'd do a quick update on my triathlon training this summer.  It's been going much better than last year (exactly one year ago I was battling a gnarly strain of the flu and was bed ridden - less than 3 weeks before the big race!)

So how is training going better this time around?  Well first of all, I'm actually getting in my proper cycling.  I've done a few 20+ mile rides along Brighton, and into Shoreham and Worthing.  On a nice day like today, how can that not be totally awesome?  It's all along the coast, too, which is a definite (and flat!) bonus.

Here's my little baby:


Last year, I was a little frightened of the drop handles, but I'm finally starting to get the hang of them.  After about 20 miles my neck starts to stiffen a bit, but all in all I feel pretty good on it.

My runs have also been going well.  I was battling some leg/hip/back pains last month, but I took a bit of time off, and now I feel much better.  On Saturday, I did my first ever 7 mile run!  And I felt great, totally in the groove and I definitely fel like I could have kept going.  I've also done a brick workout, with a 12 mile cycle and a 4 mile run, and I felt pretty good.  I'm looking forward to my 27 mile bike ride tonight, and my 8 mile run on Friday.

It's still tough to try and balance in 6 workouts a week, and to be honest, I'm mostly doing about 4 a week.  But as long as I make sure to get my long cycle and long run in, I'm okay.  The other thing I need to focus on is a couple of outdoor swims in my new wetsuit.  I'm not swimming as much as I should be, but I'm glad that I'm focusing on my weaker legs.  Maybe this week I'll get a proper swim in!

I also got my start time - I'm in the 8.30am wave on Sunday morning - look for number 6664!  Last year, I didn't start until around 12 or so, and I felt awful all morning, too anxious.  I'm glad I won't really have time to think about it, I'll get up, eat, head out and go!  All in all, I'm feeling really pumped! :)

triathlon coming up!

I haven't been particularly good about blogging about my triathlon training, but at least I've been a bit better about actually DOING the training (sort of). The tri's coming up in just over 2 weeks, so I've started worrying about what I need for the big day.

I haven't received my pack yet, but I've found out my number is 8446, and I'm in the 12.40 wave (so lucky, as I could have been in the 6.30 wave!!!).

I was finally able to get a (beautiful) bike, as my co-worker's boyfriend is a bike mechanic. It's amazing, and a proper road bike!


I also took a trip into Eastbourne today, and got myself a two piece tri suit, with a separate top and bottom, which can be worn under my wetsuit. They're pretty snazzy! I also picked up a number belt so I don't have to fiddle with my 8446.

And yesterday, I went for my first ocean swim in the UK!!! I'm using R's hand-me-down surfing wetsuit, which actually fits me pretty well (it's a little loose, but does the trick). I forgot how tiring ocean swims can be! While the waves weren't too big, the water in Brighton is always quite choppy, and the current was pretty strong. I drank a lot of water, and got a lot of kelp in my face. Blurg. But all in all, it felt good to stretch out in the sea, and practice swimming outdoors. It was good to train in this, as the water will be much calmer and smoother on the actual day, as I'm swimming in the docklands.

Zonko will also be around for my tri, which makes me very happy! This is the first big race I've ever done, so it's great to have some support (R's coming, too, of course!) I'm already planning my big milkshake and burger when I finish. Yum.

(this will be me in 16 days!)

cross training: pros & cons

Part of the reason I decided to train for the London triathlon was to start doing a bit of cross-training for my workouts. Well, maybe just to start working out. Same difference. Anyhow, cross-training seemed like a good idea for fitness and weight loss. But overall, I'm not sure if it's the way forward for me. Like any good libra, I've decided to weigh up the pros and cons of multi-faceted training.

Pros:
-Enjoying a little bit of everything: it's great to have variety in my workouts
-Less wear and tear as you use different muscles
-When I feel like blowing off a run, that's okay! I can swim or cycle instead!
-When I feel like blowing off a run, that's okay! (I think this point needs to be stated again, as it's a biggie)
-I've enjoyed cycling, and I wouldn't have gotten into it at all if I didn't have the triathlon as an excuse

Cons:
-Limited weight loss: running is really what I need to be doing to lose pounds, and as good as swimming and cycling are, they just don't cut it
-I feel like I'm not able to focus on anything. By swimming once or twice a week, I feel like I'm just maintaining my fitness, rather than improving it. The same goes for running - I don't feel like I'm improving as I can't focus on it.
-Sometimes, I just want to do something different, like the cross trainer or the rower, but I feel like I'm spreading things too far anyway, and there is no benefit to it if it won't improve my triathlon training

Overall, this has been a really good experience, and it's pushed me to exercise 4-5 times a week. I'll have a better impression once I've completed it, but as things stand, I'm pretty sure I'll continue to try and do more triathlons. I'm really looking forward to doing a sprint event, too. But I have to admit, it will be good not having to stick to a precise schedule, and have a bit more freedom with my fitness.

wooo it's been awhile

I have to throw my hands up and admit I'm pretty lame when it comes to keeping up with my blog. I keep thinking, 'oh gosh, I'll wait until something a bit more interesting happens' and then when it does, I'm too busy doing interesting things to blog!

The most interesting thing I've done since my last post is seeing Waiting for Godot with Ronan, Jon and Kate at the Brighton Theatre Royal last weekend. We were lucky enough to see the production with Gandalf and Capt. Picard, er, I mean Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart!

What a fantastic performance! I saw a production of Waiting for Godot back in LA when I was in high school, and I was really struck by the despair and hopelessness of it. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to see a production that was a bit more lighthearted throughout, and really concentrated on the bond between Didi and Gogo, because it made the final scenes so much more effective. All in all a wonderful day at the theatre!

This weekend was also really enjoyable. We planned on doing some spring cleaning before we leave for LA so we can come home to a clean house, but got slightly distracted and ended up at the movie theater to see Monsters vs. Aliens, in 3D! We even got Buddy Holly specs to wear! It was great hearing all the kids go, 'wooooah!' when things would pop out, watching all the little hands grab at the screen :) And it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Afterwards, we had the chance to meet up with Janine and Steve who were in Brighton celebrating their one year wedding anniversary (guess who else's is coming up soon? wink wink). Sunday was lovely and slovenly, and we had a yummy fry up in town and watched Chicago and The Wire (double dose of McNulty, score!)

Now we're getting prepared for LA, and I'm so excited about heading home on Friday! It feels really strange going back so soon - we'll have seen my parents twice before we've seen Ronan's parents, and they live a one hour flight away! But it's going to be a great trip, and I can't wait for my cousin's wedding.

On the triathlon front, training has been going okay. I haven't been great about sticking to my plan, but I definitely feel like I'm getting in proper training sessions, which is good. My swims are feeling strong, and my cycles are definitely improving. I feel strong and steady through them. Runs have been a bit more difficult - I'm getting better at the the distance, and can now run the full 6 miles, but I'm starting to get twinges which aren't good and are most likely a result of an uneven gait. Normally after about 1-2 miles, I get twinge below my left knee, and I've had a constant bruised feeling on the ball of my right foot for several weeks now. When I say constant, I do really mean ALL OF THE TIME, even just walking around in chucks or boots. It's really frustrating, but I'm going to take a week or two off from running and see if that helps at all. Luckily, I've given myself enough time that two weeks now won't seriously effect my training, and as long as I keep up the swims and bike rides, I should be fine! *fingers crossed*

20 week plan, 1 week in

I have to admit, I'm not off to the most brilliant of starts for my 20 week triathlon plan. There was the unfortunately coincidence of St. Paddy's day falling on day 2. Whoops. Cue 2 day recovery, which of course equates to zero exercise.

I think I'm off to a bit of a better start for week 2. Ronan and I went for a 40 minute run on Saturday, felt okay, but I keep getting pain in my left foot, around the arch, as well as my left knee. As I'm not a runner, it's hard to tell what's a 'normal' running pain, and what I need to watch out for.

I did a 52 minute bike ride yesterday at the gym, that felt pretty good, and I got in some crunches and weights. Unfortunately, my double workouts are on Mondays, but it's impossible to get a swim in. I'll have to start going for a swim before work, but this week, I'll just make it up on my 'off day'.

So, what do we have left for the week? I've got a 26 minute run today, I'll do my 26 minute swim tomorrow, the horrific 88 minute bike ride on Thursday, and get in a nice long 44 minute swim for Friday. I'll go off track on Saturday, and try to get in a nice long run with Ronan, I'll be aiming for 6.5 miles. Whew, Sunday will be a well deserved rest day!

On a side note, I'm looking to get my hair cut before I go to LA, hopefully early April. I'll definitely being going blonde blonde blonde for the summer, and I think I'll just go for a nice short bob, with a short fringe, something easy to straighten and easy to muss up with some wax. Perhaps a bit 'Katie':

but without Mr Cruise

Monday's Gym Sesh

Had a really good gym session, just felt really strong. I did 45 minutes on the bike, including my 8x(5x1) minute sets, increasing the level for each 5 minutes, repeating 8 times. I was going to do some weights afterwards, but I wanted to see how I felt springing right onto the treadmill (an early attempt at 'brick work', stacking your training for swimming right into cycling, or cycling right into running), and was surprised at how good I felt. I thought I'd just do 5 minutes, which turned into 10, then 20, and I would have stayed for a full 5k, but there was a big queue for machines (gym memberships skyrocket in January - uh, hello Pea-Funk - but I can't wait for the massive dropouts to start. I'm banking on first week of February?), so I let some other people get on. But it was one of the few times I felt like I could 'just keep going'. I think it's because I don't normally get warmed up enough before I go for a run. The blood was pumping, and I didn't have any tenseness in my quads - just a bit in my calves, but I think they would have worked themselves out.

I made sure to stretch properly, and got in a few crunches. Then, I was treated to my favouritist dish ever, made by my lovely, amazing, chef-f Po, prawn tagliatelle. So so so yum, it totally made my day :)

I definitely need to update the pod - this playist is about 1.5 years old, and includes some major crap (ie, Ronan's music) since we did a combo mix for the drive down to London. But I got a few goodies in there, and they always remind me of special times.

The Killers - Somebody Told Me

Without fail, this song always reminds me of my first year in Scotland, particularly Eve, my fellow American in crime. There's even a little Eve dance that goes with, which unfortunately cannont me translated into html. In general, it just makes me think of studying in Edinburgh, going out and getting pissed (and possibly snogging Irish men). Good times. Good times indeed.

Sugarhill Gang - Apache

Sun God! My university, not particularly well known for it's social aspect, had one redeeming feature - Sun God Festival. Every year, on one special day in May, you get pissed, go to campus (note, campus, not class), and enjoy the concert at night. My favourite Sun God was the one I went to once I was no longer a student. Lauren and I headed down and gate crashed at my old flatties, Artie and Alicia. Gin n' tonics, taboo, fags and Apache (on repeat). What's not to love?

Now I just need to get together an awesome playlist so I can rock out to my bad self at LA Fitness!