sometimes days off pay off.

The past couple of weeks have been interesting because I've had SO much work at church, and two retreats where I was out of town. So obviously I missed some training. That was hard because for 5 weeks I didn't miss a day! During those weeks I probably trained a good 3 days/week. I was nervous about how I would perform after the breaks in my schedule, and it actually helped me! The rest helped my body recover and come back harder, faster, better, stronger (thank you, Kanye for the words when I need them).

I rode 20 miles on Monday. Every time I go out now I'm averaging 20-25 mph for my rides, which is a HUGE improvement for me. I've probably seen the biggest improvement on the bike, which is so fun because those are my favorite training days. I spend a lot of time praying and thinking when I'm riding outside. It's encouraging when you're covering a lot of ground and getting to see nice countryside at the same time. I love the wind on my face and the determination that I get when I see a large hill looming up ahead. I feel closer to God when I'm out there chasing the sunrise and enjoying the gifts and blessings that He has given me.

My swimming is smoother now, too. I'm focusing on rotating my body through the water with each stroke, and that cuts back on a lot of time and effort (I'm more thankful for less effort, honestly). I finished my workout this morning and felt like I could've gone much farther. You know what that means....tonight I'm headed out for a run. I'll spend today working up at the church, meeting with people, and eating! I crave protein and cheese! I think that's helped keep me going - high protein and carb diet.

I also got my hair cut this morning. If you're looking for a good place to go, I highly recommend Chrome. It's on University by Wings-n-More. Lindsay Jacobus referred me to Melody and she was great and so fun to talk to. If you go in off a referral you get 25% off! I didn't get anything drastic done, but my head definitely feels lighter. Hmm, I wonder how much faster my times will be...:)

a new PR

Just to keep things up to date, Sunday night I had my long run - 45 min. It was really good! Towards the middle I felt exhausted, but nearing the end I got my second wind. I ran around Reed Arena, and there was one stretch where I was running at an angle battling the wind. Then I turn the corner and I'm running in dead, still air. So half the time I'm dripping in sweat, only to have the wind dry me off and beat me down shortly after. Good times.

Last night the REC closed at 8pm for "clean-up." Dear REC, I hate to break it to you, but I'm just going to come and get you sweaty again as soon as you open. It was too dark for a bike ride outside by that time, so I settled for doing a core workout in my kitchen. Sometimes that happens.

This morning, however, was a small victory for me. I biked 16 miles and averaged 22 mph. That average would have been faster if I hadn't had to stop at stoplights and stop signs toward the end of the ride. Traffic is really a drag when you're in it, but seriously annoying when you're on a bike. Plus, some idiot thought it would be funny to swerve at me. Dear Suburban, you try sitting on a 17 pound bike with a 2 ton 'burb coming at you. You're right. It's not very nice.

Another side effect is a nose full of dust (and bugs...?) that I've stirred up, ridden through, and breathed in (very deeply, might I add).

I'm headed to the gym to swim tonight after work!

rest days are good!

As you know from my last post, I was forced to take a few days off due to work and other circumstances. I did get the unexpected chance to practice an open water swim, however. I was on leadership retreat with church, and we spent the afternoon on Lake Whitney doing some cliff jumping and swimming. I used the opportunity to get comfortable in choppy water. Unfortunately, the weather turned bad and the waves got pretty high, and so an afternoon of leisure swimming at the lake turned into a survival situation. The stronger swimmers had to help the others out, and at the end, everyone was exhausted physically and emotionally. It was good experience for me, though, swimming in choppy, open water.

Yesterday I worked from 8-2 at the Doctor's office, and then headed to the Gym for a Brick workout. I was dreading it, actually, because I was worried that I was going to die within the first 15 minutes of my workout since I've missed some key workouts and not gotten much sleep. It's amazing, though, how well your body does after some rest. Even though I was busy and not sleeping as much as normal, I wasn't exerting myself physically. My Brick was the best one I've done yet! I felt really strong, and I attribute that to the extra rest days I had.

I'm at the Doctor's today from 1-7 if I get off on time. And then I have my long run...45 minutes today. I'm excited about it based off of yesterday's performance. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

The race is exactly 4 weeks from today! I'm starting to get that edgy feeling of excitement. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes!

busy!

One Genetics final. One Biochemistry final. One intruder in the night. One curriculum for church next fall. Road trips to Impact. Not very much sleep.

This is not a good combo for training well. So Monday and Tuesday I didn't train. Sunday I had my long run and it went really well. I felt stronger!

This morning I left for my leadership retreat at Church. We're at a "resort" that is a time-machine back to the 70s. No joke. Shag carpet, vinyl walls, and retro yard decorations complete this treasure.

Despite being tired, I went on a slow jog just to get back into things. There is a small pool outside so hopefully I'll be able to swim some tomorrow. We shall see...

Race day is only 1 month away tomorrow!!!

covering some ground.

I'm almost halfway done! I'm smack dab in the middle of week 5, meaning I have 5 measly weeks left for training. I can't believe it, honestly. In the beginning, I questioned whether or not I would make it, especially since I have such a busy schedule, but I made it a priority and it's working. I'm learning a lot about the benefits of making things a priority, especially as it translates into my spiritual life with the Lord. Progress is made when you put forth effort and time. That applies to anything, I think.

Just to recap, last time I wrote about my 40 minute run on Friday. Saturday I went on a bike ride. I rode the "Bird Pond" route, although the ride was unfortunately cut short. My friend's chain popped off and the situation was unable to be remedied. Those things happen sometimes, you just have to pray it doesn't happen on the race day.

Sunday I completed my first Brick workout of my training. A Brick is where you bike and then immediately get off and run. I biked for 30 minutes and then ran for 10. The purpose is to train your body to grow accustomed to jumping off the bike and immediately starting into the run where you'll be using different muscle groups, a different pace, a different rhythm, etc. Initially, your legs just feel like jello, and you have to mentally psych yourself up to start running like you're in a race. It's tempting to just jog out the stiffness in your legs, but you have to quickly switch gears and try to make your times. It's a fun addition to my already diverse workout, and I'm looking forward to my next one tomorrow.

Monday was my much-needed day off. My legs were a little sore, so I was glad to rest, and Tuesday when I did my running, I was refreshed and recovered.

I still love every aspect of training. I'm going to go lift weights and swim today, and I feel lame saying this, but it's probably going to be the highlight of my day. I can noticeably tell a difference in my heart rate and it's efficiency when I work out. It doesn't get as high when I'm exerting myself, and it takes little to no time at all to decrease back to its normal rate. When I'm resting, I can tell that I'm really resting now, because my heart has gotten stronger. Sure, these aren't drastic changes after only 5 weeks, but it's changed enough that I notice a difference.

I think something that has helped me is to remember that I'm not racing tomorrow, I'm racing in 5 weeks. Because of that, my progression can be and should be gradual! Sometimes it's frustrating not to see much progress in one week, but keep telling yourself that you're working for 10 weeks to accomplish a goal, not just one. It's a slow and steady climb. 5 more weeks!

feeling good.

I missed a workout yesterday and so I doubled up today. Initially I was hesitant, because I wanted both my run and my swim to be worthwhile, but I decided to give it a shot. I had to do the two workouts back-to-back because of my work/class schedule, but I went into it determined to go hard during both sessions.

I started out with my 40 minute run. I've been training around a 7:30 min/mile pace, and I incorporated 6 one-minute walks to recover. About half way through it felt like I hit a wall; my muscles were contracting, I was feeling tired, and I was breathing hard. I kept telling myself that I would be so mad at the end if I stopped midway through my run, so I ran 3 miserable laps around the track, hoping that it would get better since I still had 20 minutes left.

It was crazy, because all of a sudden, as I was pushing through, my pace got quicker, my breathing slowed, and my legs stopped hurting. It was an instantaneous change. I was shocked, and yet thrilled at the same time. I think my last half was faster than my first half! This phenomenon is encouraging, and I'll have to remind myself that pushing past the "wall" is worth it. So don't stop when you think you have to!

After my run, I headed to the pool, and I must say I was feeling pretty tired and incapable of busting out a swim workout. My main set was a 6x50 with 10 sec. rest in between. Each swim workout has warmup, cooldown, drills, and a main set that's usually the set that you're looking to dominate, basically. The main set is the speed work that helps you improve. Thankfully, I had a little swim coach to yell at me to keep going. Tiffany had run with me, and stuck around to time my swim. It was motivation and accountability to have her there, and so I did all of it. I wasn't as fast as I would have liked for my main set, but I was consistent and I finished.

One glass of milk, one PB&J, one cup of cottage cheese, and one Gatorade later, I'm exhausted.

up to speed.

So the last time I posted was Monday. Today is Friday....

I definitely worked out in between there. Yesterday I couldn't because of a chemical fire in the area, so I had to evacuate and the REC was closed. So today, tomorrow, and Sunday I'm going to be hitting it extra hard. These are key weeks in training and I need to be diligent.

I guess I can't really help a chemical fire, though. I'll blog about training this weekend. Ask me how it's going if you see me! Even though I love making time for this, I need to be pushed!

I'll write more later. The only noteworthy thing that I feel like I can add here is that I'm slowly but surely radically altering my diet. I ate pizza for lunch on Tuesday with some pasta, thinking that carbs would be a good route to go. My stomach was killing me the rest of the day (a weird feeling for someone used to downing a couple of burgers at a time) and when I was swimming and lifting I barely had enough energy to do anything. I needed protein, and more complex carbohydrates without the grease.

From the many articles that I have read, it seems that I need about 60% of my diet to be from complex carbohydrates (whole grains, pastas, brown rice, root veggies, oats), 20% from protein (meat, dairy, beans), and 20% from unsaturated fats (like fish, nuts, avocados, vegetable oil). I must say that I don't really find myself craving much else. I do enjoy homemade desserts occasionally, but nothing processed and packaged.

For those of you who have known me for a while, I realize this is such a shocker, and I apologize that I am no longer the girl eating entire boxes of cinnamon sticks from dominos (yes, I did this on several occasions...and there were witnesses). That was a fun stage of life, but one that I'm afraid needed to end.

i'm back!

I missed a few days because I was sick, but today I'm back in action. I ran....it was rough after being gone a few days. I think my biggest problem was that I caved while I was off and ate grease and drank Dr. Pepper......

Oops.

I could definitely feel it. My legs were really tight as well, and so apparently I lost some flexibility during my time off. Hopefully it won't take me long to get back into the swing of things.

Tomorrow I swim! And this week begins weeks 4-7 which are the peak training weeks...so it's really important that I push myself and don't slack off. These weeks are key (from what I've been reading) preparation for race day. Wish me luck!

effective (yet unlikely) motivation.

Anyone who watches TLC knows about the Duggar family. 18 children. None adopted. Mrs. Duggar gave birth to all 18 kids.

I was not aware of the Duggar family until this evening. Apparently, the oldest Duggar child was recently married, and they are now expecting their first child. I know this, because as I was cycling my 8 miles tonight at the REC, I was obligated to learn about the Duggars' lives thanks to the flat screen T.V. tuned to TLC. Riveting.

I was bored with the whole scene, struggling to find motivation to push harder, until I heard "Mother Duggar" telling new pregnant "Daughter-in-law Duggar" how many years of her life she spent nursing her children. Take a quick guess. You're probably wrong.

TWENTY-FIVE.

25 years, nursing 18 children is too long. It made my 30 minute bike ride seem like a piece of cake. I immediately started riding harder. I was tired afterwards, but not tired like Mrs. Duggar.

Whatever keeps you going...

tough day.

I wouldn't say that I hit a wall, but today was tough for me. It was the first day of training that I felt like I was really pushing myself...maybe I was trying harder or something.

I ran this morning and pushed through, keeping pace the whole time. It was a challenge, for sure. I had a busy day ahead of me.

Endorphins kicked in, though, so post-run I ran by the house, danced around the kitchen a little, ate some salmon spinach salad, and then headed up to the church to work. Then right after work I headed to the pool.

On my last set in the water, I felt like I was sinking. That's not really a fun feeling. But I pushed through and came home to cook some dinner with some friends, study, and watch the torrential downpour.

It was a nice, full day, and I'm ready for bed.

texas heat.

Well, my day off was yesterday, so I'm back to it today. Saturday, however, I had the brilliant idea of running at 12 noon. It didn't feel too hot when I stepped outside, and there were some trees in the neighborhood that I was planning to run in. Worst idea of my life. It was as if the sun knew that I was outside running and so it intensified the heat and humidity as I went, leaving me exhausted, dehydrated, and unable to get cool!

It probably didn't help that I drank a Dr. Pepper the night before...

It's amazing how your body knows what you've put in it! I felt like I was at an extreme disadvantage: one, because of the heat, but also because of the mexican food and D.P. that I had eaten. Never again. I'll stick to water, gatorade, and non-greasy food.

Non-greasy food. I can't believe I'm endorsing this.

better together.

I rearranged my schedule this week since my parents are moving on Friday and Saturday. So instead of doing my 10 mile bike ride on Saturday, I did it yesterday. Lucky for me, I didn't have to go alone :). My good friend Pilar went with me, and we loved it! Despite it being at least 95 degrees outside, we rode 5 minutes from her house and hit up some country roads. You would have never thought that just prior to our quiet, rolling roads we were dodging cars and construction. It was only 50 meters of busy road, but trust me, it was not fun to ride on. Normally there's a shoulder, but I guess construction has overtaken that, leaving me with a measly white stripe to ride on. All I was thinking was "stay on the line, stay on the line," but my thoughts were distracted by the cars buzzing by. Thankfully this was a route frequented by cyclists, so people aren't surprised to see them, and will often make room.

So for 10 miles we explored countryside with cows, horses, miniature horses (which are for sale I might add), tractors, farmers, and front-porch sitters. Along the way we conquered some minor hills as well. It was delightful. It solidified my love for training. I didn't think it could get much better, but having Pilar along for some company made it wonderful. And it looks like I'll have her along for more than just some of my bike rides! She is going to do the race with me. I'm so thrilled! Everything is better when you have someone to share it with!

Here is a picture of us after our ride yesterday. See how happy we look? It's as if we're just setting out.

i woke up this morning a little bit sore.

Well the past couple of days have been busy due to Biochemistry and Genetics obligations, but I've still completed my training! I biked Tuesday and swam yesterday. The biking was an easy 6 miles that I had already done last week. Swimming was a bit more challenging as I increased my distance.

Tiffany was great, and went with me to time my laps as I swam, which prevented me from cheating and taking longer rests in between lengths. It was a challenge, but I surprised myself with what I was able to do, and it felt good afterwards.

I think, as a rule, you can always do more and better than you think you can. Give that philosophy a try today and let me know what you think!

week 2!

Well I went and bought some biking shorts. Unfortunately, not the ones with the padded seat, but ones long enough to cover my legs and prevent chafing on the bike. Apparently, the situation that I talked about in my previous post was a bit more serious than I thought.

I had broken the skin on a sizable portion of my leg, and it was bleeding. Bleeding. From riding my bike. I realized the severity of it when I tried to walk around at church the next morning. Walk. I was so embarrassed. And so uncomfortable.

The thought of running the next day, and/or even trying to bike, made me feel even more miserable, and so at the risk of humiliating myself, I told the nurses at the doctor's office of my predicament, and my need to continue training. They kindly gave me a band aid pad and some tape to wear under my shorts the next time I rode to make sure it healed as quickly as possible. As soon as I left work, I bought my shorts.

They are Underarmour, and let me tell you, that was the best $24.99 that I've ever spent. I wore them tonight when I went on my run, and it was as if I was wearing nothing. I must admit that I was nervous about hitting the gym in spandex. You know, the kind those girls with chicken legs wear (no offense if you have chicken legs...I just don't). Before I left, I asked my roommate Tiffany if she thought people would think I looked funny. She laughed at me. That certainly solidified my fear. But I went anyways, sporting the spandex. Much to my surprise (although it shouldn't have been), I fit in very well in my spandex, and no one seemed to notice. It is, after all, a gym.

It was probably the most pleasant run I've ever been on. My shorts weren't moving around in weird and unnatural ways; they weren't getting drenched in sweat; it was quite delightful. I followed my run with a swim, and felt great afterwards. I ran at the new pace I've been finding that is quite a bit faster than what I've managed before. I've always thought myself a rather slow runner, and have run sort of laboriously at my slow pace. I've heard of people who just "fall into" their pace - the most comfortable rhythm, gait, and stride that is the easiest on your body. Apparently I've been running too slow and making running much harder for myself, ironically. It will take some time to get used to running faster, and to build up cardiovascular endurance to be able to keep the pace, but it's a heck of a lot more fun to run fast :).

After my workout tonight, my roommate Tiffany (also an ex-cross-country runner), stretched me using the very effective method of "PNF stretching," short for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation. I've been stretching a lot as I've been training and have found that I'm not as sore the next day, and when I start my workout, my legs are already more flexible from the day before. I don't stretch much before I train since I always warmup by starting out slow, but I've found that stretching extensively after each session helps my legs recover faster and better.

So next time you workout, take 10 minutes after to stretch out and cool down! It might be painful while you're doing it, especially for you inflexible folks, but you'll feel great afterward, I promise.

Thanks for keeping up with my training! Any comments, feedback, questions, words of encouragement, advice, etc. is welcomed! I'm new at this, too, so I'll take all the help I can get! Tomorrow, something to look forward to, I'll be utilizing my glorious spandex for my bike ride. Get excited.

days 4&5

Yesterday was packed! I had two classes, lunch with Rikki since she was in town for the day, snocones in the afternoon with Amber, and then off to Houston with the college ministry of Central Baptist Church for an Astro's game, which, might I add, was quite exciting; they scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning. In between all of that, I had to get in my run workout. Well, I was determined to do it, so right after class I headed to the Rec to do my 20 minute run before I went to Chipotle nice and sweaty.

Speaking of sweat, today I had my 8 mile bike ride. Unfortunately, today I also had a busy day. Getting back from an Astro's game at one in the morning isn't what I would call conducive to getting good rest. I slept in until about 10:30, and then met Pilar (a friend from high school) for lunch. She did a triathlon this spring and has continued training since then. I got a great book on Triathlon training from her, and we're going on a bike ride together this week! Finally, some company out on the road. Then I went and worked at the doctor's office from 1-7. By the time I got out and had eaten dinner, it was too late to go ride outside, so I went to the rec.

Back to the sweat. I lifted some weights and then rode the stationary bike. I was going for it. It wasn't quite the same feel as my rode bike, but I was pedaling hard, my legs chafing on the seat (not pleasant, by the way... I'm reminded again by my need for some cycling shorts!). I looked down during mile 7, and all of the sweat on my face poured down onto my bike. Wonderful. There were two guys leisurely walking on the treadmills behind me who definitely commented on the amount of sweat coming out of my body. Perfect.

Regardless, I would say that the amount of sweat was indicative of a pretty good workout. Tomorrow is my day off, and by day off, I mean I'll be working at the doctor's office from 1-7 again...

fun facts

As I've started my training, I've been reading articles everywhere on training, nutrition, recovery, race strategies, etc. I'm not sure I'm at the level where I need to apply everything that I've read, but it's interesting nonetheless! Here are a few facts I found interesting from "Frequently Asked Sports Nutrition Questions" found on beginnertriathlete.com.

- Sodium increases water retention, so eating salty foods prior to your workout, and drinking sports drinks (like Gatorade) that have sodium in them helps prevent dehydration.

- A 12 oz cup of coffee about an hour before you work out can actually boost your workout and improve your performance! More caffeine than that doesn't keep helping you. Instead, it prevents you from getting good sleep to adequately rest for your next day.

- Moderate exercise boosts your immune system! It's only when you begin pushing your body strenuously should you start taking immune supplements to help fight the sickness that can come from your body being too fatigued to fight off bacteria.
(http://beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1793)

Most people think salt dehydrates you, when actually it helps you keep water in your body as you work out! This is in moderation, of course. My daily vitamin (One-a-day Active for Women) has the caffeine equivalence to a cup of coffee, so I probably won't be adding that to my regimen since I'm already getting it.

The boosted immune system is always a plus, though! I work at a doctor's office and get exposed to everything the patients come in with. The only thing I want to be taking home from work is my paycheck.

day 3

Well today I barely got my workout in. I got off work at 8, the pool closes at 9:30, and the REC closes at 10:00. But I made it! I was actually looking forward to it all day, which is rare, because today was my swim workout. Swimming is definitely my weakness.

I usually dread swimming, so today was a blessing! And my workout was faster than usual, so it felt good afterwards.

Good news, though, tomorrow is my day off! I'm going to relax, grab lunch with Cary, and rest up for a hard weekend workout.

I anticipated it being difficult to keep to this schedule, but it's quickly becoming my favorite part of the day. You should try it! :)

day 2 - glorious

This is the sky that I rode under this evening. It was truly glorious. It had just showered for a few minutes, so the air had cooled off giving me a nice breeze as I rode. The road was glistening with a thin layer of water, just enough to lightly mist my legs as I pedaled. Today was just a 6 mile ride, so it wasn't a challenge, and my backdrop made it absolutely delightful.

I was planning on waking up this morning to ride, but ended up needing that extra hour of sleep. It was worth it. I saw three other bikers on my ride, which was encouraging. It's nice to run into other people taking advantage of a beautiful night and wind in your face.

In other news, I just signed up for the race! There's no backing out now. That both excites and frightens me just a tad. I'm really doing this. Pinch me now, or just encourage me onward.

Today's training was enjoyable and uneventful. Other than one realization I had.
I really need to get me some cycling shorts with a padded seat.

day 1

The first day of training is kind of like January 2nd. It's the day after everyone has compiled their list of New Year's resolutions, and typically "losing weight" makes it in the top 5. So of course, everyone hits the gym. Well, no one skips out on their first day of training, either.

It's exciting! I'm worried that the excitement will fade tomorrow morning when I wake up for my bike ride, but at least for one day there is anticipation and zeal for what's to come. My sore body may start resenting my zeal.

Today wasn't bad though, at all. I think what made it bad was the fact that I had stayed up so late studying for a test, then add to that a full day of classes and work, and I'm pretty tired. Today I had a 15 minute run, followed by a brief swim workout that totaled 200m. It seems small, and I keep looking at the schedule to make sure, but I'm going to stick with it.

I have the tendency to go out and do as much as I can, as fast as I can. Not good for endurance training. This schedule will be a test of my discipline and patience as I struggle to stay on top of things and not get too antsy for results!

For fun, my roommate Jessica and I jumped off the high dive after we finished our swim. I definitely screamed all the way down and was put to shame by a little boy who wasn't more than 5 or 6, jumping off an even higher dive. Nonetheless, it was a nice reward.

on your mark...

Let's call this an experiment. I'm getting ready to train for 10 weeks. I don't really know what I'm doing because I haven't done it before, so I'm no expert. The purpose of this blog is not to inform you about everything I already know. The purpose is to invite you to learn alongside me, and maybe share in the humors and pains of my challenge.

For 10 weeks I will be training 5-6 times a week. This sounds like a lot, but in reality, it only consumes a small portion of each day; it's probably equivalent to the amount of time I currently spend daily on facebook. I would call that a fair trade. I will also be changing my diet. Not too much, though. I want this to be "do-able," and frankly, I love eating greasy, fried food. However, adjustments must be made, and so I will be eliminating the following things from my diet: sodas, fast food, and excessive amounts of sugar. Seems pretty reasonable to me. I will be continuing to take my daily vitamin, and adding in more hydration.

I'm not doing anything life-altering! But trust me, the Dr. Pepper will be hard to resist. And don't worry, if I cheat, I will tell you.

So here begins a daily log of my training. It should be exciting, with ups and downs, do's and don'ts, funny stories, close calls, complaints, victories, etc. As we go I'll include discussions about equipment, maybe some posts from friends I'm training with, as well as photos to spice things up!

I'm following the training plan outlined in depth on trinewbies.com. It's the 10 week beginner program for Sprint Triathlons.
So if you're up for it, I'd love for you to join me in my endeavor! Or at least come along for the ride!