Ok, calling it Fat Tuesday is a bit of a stretch, but I woke up feeling bloated. My mid section feels like a sponge. This was followed by a number on the scale that was up 1/2 a pound. Boo hoo :-(
Upward trend
I've been around the diet block enough times to know that diet claims are not a given. The Bulletproof diet says you can lose UP TO one pound a day. I knew that since I am trying to lose my last 10 pounds that it was not going to be easy...but in the back of my mind I was still wanting to see the number down today.
While the diet stresses not counting calories and eating until you are satisfied, I still want to keep a handle on the amounts going in my mouth. Last night ended with me feeling like I had eaten just a bit too much. The small dish of ice cream (even though it was Bulletproof) was probably not necessary. In fact, after I ate it, I just felt gross...like that feeling on Thanksgiving when you eat another slice of pie even though you have absolutely no room for it...lesson learned.
Looks harmless, probably 250-300 calories
Hoping for a downward trend tomorrow! #dreamingseason
After HS and I finished Les Mills "Pump and Shred", I got to cooking. For dinner I fixed baked chicken with cauliflower "not rice". Since I didn't have any dried mustard, I improvised on the recipe... I marinated the chicken breasts in lemon juice, turmeric, curry, and jalapeno powder. While the chicken baked, I prepped the cauliflower "not rice".
Simple ingredients
This is the second time in four days that I have fixed "not rice". It is much easier to make than mashed cauliflower and much tastier. I used a cheese grater to get the cauliflower into rice like bits. Next, saute the cauliflower in grass-fed butter until lightly cooked (do not over cook).
Saute cauliflower in grass-fed butter
When the cauliflower is cooked, toss in the cilantro, MCT oil and lime juice and serve. Simple, simple.
Finished product
Tomorrow's Lunch
For tomorrow's lunch I fixed BP taco salad's for me and HS. While the meat cooked, I did my best to make a bigger mess of the kitchen.
Messy Marvin ;-)
Don't worry...I cleaned up my mess LOL
Salad without the meat
So pretty!
Dressing on the side
The only thing missing from the picture above is the meat, which is in a separate container so it can be heated tomorrow at work.
First Fail
Since I was on a roll, I decided to try the "ice cream" recipe. Unfortunately, I didn't read the instructions completely and missed the step that said to mix the ingredients until creamy AND THEN add the water & ice. Ugh.
While the ice cream had a good flavor, the bits of congealed butter and or MCT oil was too much for me. I had a small serving but was really disappointed. I should have stopped after two meals tonight ;-)
For a Monday, today started pretty darn good...I got on the scale and fully expected it to have climbed a tic. Not only did I eat a delicious Umami burger yesterday, but things have been a little "backed up" for a few days.
Dinner: Leftover Bulletproof stew with some BP pulled pork
The Plan for Today
Since today is my first day back at work since Christmas it will be a bit of a learning experience for me in terms of this diet. Typically I eat breakfast at 4:30am, have a protein bar for a snack at 8:30am, lunch at 12:00 and then another snack at 2:30pm.
Today I had a cup of BP Coffee at 4:30am and will not eat again until 12:00. If my math is correct, that's 7-1/2 hours a way (or 7 since I'm still sipping my coffee as I write this). Will I be starving at noon? Will I miss my morning snack? I guess I will find out.
Today's BP coffee was made without extra collagen so I don't get hungry as quickly. I am also keeping the option of eating at 11:30am open too ;-)
Lunch is going to be smoked salmon and avocado "not sushi"...basically you slice an avocado (I grabbed a small one) and wrap strips of wild caught smoked salmon around it. Super simple and it sounds much better than my typical can of tuna with mayo :-)
"Not sushi" lunch
Dinner is TBD, but I will probably fix the chicken I was going to do yesterday.
Fingers crossed...hoping the scale keeps heading in the same direction! #dreamingseason
Ok, maybe the wine isn't "bulletproof", but I'm not really ready to go hard core on any kind of nutrition plan/diet.
Sunday's Plan
Already started the day with a big cup of Bulletproof coffee. Based on the portions of MCT and grass-fed butter that I use, my coffee is roughly about 300 calories. I also added collagen based on the recommendation in the book for women my age. I added the collagen yesterday too and can attest that I was hungrier sooner than when I just drank plain Bulletproof coffee.
Hack #3: Eat Protein With Breakfast If you’re over 40 and/or have significant weight to lose, it might help you in the long-term if you add some protein to your breakfast because it helps to reset your leptin sensitivity. In the Bulletproof Diet book, I go into the details about leptin sensitivity, and even how lectin hurts leptin…
Try mixing grass-fed collagen right into your Bulletproof Coffee. This will make you hungrier sooner than regular Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting because it kicks on your body’s digestion process and effectively ends your fast, but it will also help reset your leptin levels, allowing you to both feel better in the long run and lose weight faster.
Lunch is up in the air. We will be driving our daughter back to SF and will more than likely end up eating out. I'll figure something out ;-)
Dinner is going to be Bulletproof chicken, but I plan on grilling it instead of baking with "Cauliflower (not rice)" as a side dish.
Hoping for another 1/2 a pound by tomorrow morning! #dreamingseason
This is a fairly simple recipe (complete recipe at the end of this post)...provided you have already made some bone broth.
Unofficial step 1... make plenty of bone broth ahead of time
First, brown the stew meat in ghee (good thing I've properly stocked my pantry), toss in some ginger and turmeric and simmer for about an hour.
Veggies
Next, get your veggies ready. I was almost going to toss in some mushrooms but I decided to check the Bulletproof Diet book first. According to the book, mushrooms are "kryptonite" (for various reasons)...so I left them out, even though I am doubtful of the claim. I also like to add an onion occasionally.
Veggies go in at different stages so they don't get over cooked.
Final step...coconut milk
Yeah, I know the book says not to count calories, but I used light coconut milk instead of regular.
Nom nom nom
I have never been a big fan of stew, but this one is unlike any heavy, gravy-coated stew you've had. The coconut milk is creamy and adds a unique flavor that works with the ginger, turmeric and cilantro.
The actual Bulletproof recipe can be found on page 265 of "The Bulletproof Diet" by Dave Asprey. The recipe below is how I tweak it for my family:
1-2 lbs. stew meat (Beef or lamb)
3 tablespoons ghee (I don't always use this, sometimes I'll brown the meat in avocado oil)
1/2 inch fresh ginger (or a tad more if you are like me)
1 tablespoon ground turmeric (I use about 2 fingers of fresh turmeric)
3 cups bone broth
2-3 carrots
2-3 sweet potatoes
1 large zucchini or 2-3 smaller ones
1 large onion (if you aren't following a strict "Bulletproof" diet)
1 can of unsweetened coconut milk (I get the light coconut milk from Trader Joe's)
Fresh cilantro
I was loath to try another diet after last January's utter failure. January 2014 started off with me feeling like crap...sort of like I feel right now... I decided that I was going to an "experiment" based on some of the things I had been reading. The experiment guidelines were fairly simple:
Eliminate grains and sugars from my diet whenever possible
Exercise at least 3 times a weeks for a minimum of one hour
While weighing my self every day can be problematic, not weighing myself was even worse!
Not counting calories can be a noble endeavor, however, I was eating nuts like they were entirely calorie free...not going to do that again.
Not a Diet
Ok, the book says "diet" but a lot of what the author preaches is very similar to how I normally eat...just with a lot of grass-fed butter and MCT oil added. The one thing I learned from the 2014 experiment is that no matter what an "expert" says, I still need to listen to my own body.
I am starting off with what he calls the "2 Week Protocol"...breakfast every day for two weeks is a cup of bulletproof coffee (will probably continue to use Starbucks beans).
The next two meals can really be whatever I choose from the back of the book. The picture below is the Bulletproof Taco Salad that Lindsey and I fixed for lunch on the first day.
Lunch
Let's Get Started
I was going to start this diet on Monday, but I figured why wait...besides, I knew there was going to be a lot of prep work to get ready.
Step 1) Toss out crap. This was a very sad moment for me as I threw away my remaining Christmas mints. Actually, I didn't have a lot of bad stuff to get rid of probably because we went to other people houses for Christmas Eve and Christmas day :-)
Step 2) Stock up. Lindsey and I hit the health food store for gelatin, ascorbic acid, xylitol and some other little goodies. We then went to Podesto's and the real shopping began. I got a pork shoulder for the "BP Pulled Anything", beef marrow bones for bone broth, stew meat, bacon, grass-fed ground beef, cauliflower, carrots, fresh herbs, celery...we looked like very healthy eaters at the checkout stand.
Future bone broth
Step 3) Start. Once we got home I started cooking the pulled pork and I also started the bone broth (which was going to need to cook for at least over night)
Starting Info Got on the scale this morning...2 days after Christmas and a few days before my favorite aunt shows up...147. Not as bad as I expected it to be. In fact, given all of the junk food and crap I have been eating over the last two weeks, I am thrilled to be only 5 pounds above my race weight from last summer. Since the Bulletproof diet claims "Lose up to a Pound a Day, Reclaim Energy and Focus, Upgrade Your Life" I will be weighing myself every day for the first two weeks instead of once a week. A pound a day is asking an awful lot...I will be happy to get to 140 by the end of the two weeks...that is 1/2 a pound a day...still a lot to ask for. Can't wait to see how this turns out :-) #dreamingseason
Week 2 of R&R...starting to go a little stir crazy...hence all the not so interesting posts ;-)
I can't wait to see what my first month of workouts looks like. I can't wait to start tracking my progress...and I got a few favorites ways to do this...
Garmin
What can I say, I love my 910XT! I wear it swimming, cycling, running and racing. During the summer months I sport a Garmin tan line ;-)
5150 just about sums it up
I absolutely hate those odd occasions that I forget my Garmin or the battery is dead. It's even worse if I mess it up during a race!
Training Peaks
Yes, Garmin Connect tracks most of what I want, but Training Peaks is just a little more robust. One of my favorite things is the ability to track equipment usage and shoe mileage. I know this seems like something silly, but I had actually tried tracking my shoe mileage on Garmin Connect by entering the shoe in the comments...not exactly the result I wanted...I wanted it to total up the mileage.
Training Peaks, however, lets me tag the bike I rode or the shoes I wore so I know when maintenance or replacement (shoes not the bikes) may be required.
Time for a new pair of shoes?
Training Peaks offers a free program as well as a premium program. I would suggest checking out the free program first to get a feel for the system but keep in mind the premium version gives you much, much more data. Also, if you are a USAT member, login to your account for a discount code on Training Peaks.
UPDATE: Garmin now offers bike and shoe tracking on their Garmin Connect site!
Tinke
Another gadget I love is my Tinke. I learned about this cute little tracking device from Ben Greenfield's book "Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance Health & Life". The Tinke plugs right into my iPhone and within minutes it gives me a reading on:
Heart Rate
Blood Oxygen Level
Respiratory Rate
Heart Rate Variability
The last item, heart rate variability, is supposedly a good indicator of overtraining. My issue is remembering to take my reading first thing in the morning ;-)
Today marks the end of my first week of R&R. Since it followed the California International Marathon, it wasn't that difficult to endure. However, Tuesday afternoon, as I drove home from work, I thought "This would be a nice day for a run".
Today was my first run since the marathon. I left the Garmin and my iPod sitting on the kitchen counter and I went out for a run just for the sake of running. Of course, whenever I do this, my mind tends to wander...
Random Thought #1
I wonder if I would be able to go to the USAT Age Group National Championships following Vineman? This is the second time I have qualified and the second I've already signed up for a race in the same time frame...
Sadly, since it's two weeks after Vineman...I just don't think trying to do this race is wise...maybe if I qualify again, I will go in 2016.
Random Thought #2
Vineman? Ugh...what was I thinking? LOL Oh, yeah...now I remember what I was thinking...I was thinking that if I could do a half iron distance race, I could do a full.
Random Thought #2.1
I wonder if those time prediction calculators are right? I've read that if you take your 70.3 time, double it and add 40 minutes that should give you an idea of how long it will take you to do 140.6. Hmmmm...5:49 x 2 + 40...that puts me somewhere around 12.5. I would be happy with 13 hours.
Random Thought #5
Starbucks smells much better than McDonalds.
Random Thought #6
I wonder what Captain America thought when he got home from CIM and saw what the back of his running tights looked like. Maybe he already knew...I wonder if he knew...I think I would know...LOL
Random Thought #7
I keep looking at my wrist...ugh...no Garmin...I miss my Garmin.
Random Thought #7.1
Without my Garmin, I won't have any data for Training Peaks :-(
Vineman sounded like a good idea several weeks after completing Barb's Race for the second time.
This is not the face of someone that thinks she can finish an "Iron" distance race
Vineman sounded like a horrible idea about mile 18 of the California International Marathon (even worse above!) How was I going to run a full marathon after a 2.4 mile swim and 112 miles on the bike? I was suffering just running a straight 26.2 mile race! Honestly, last Sunday during the middle of the marathon, I wanted to cry when I thought about what I had signed up to do. What was I thinking???
Registration
I registered for Vineman on November 1st...day one. It was more symbolic than anything. I wanted to commit to the race.
I made HS push the [Enter] key with me as our joint commitment to this race. I've been doing triathlons for over two years now and I know there are going to be days when I'm done with the whole thing and there are also going to be days when my loving husband is just as sick of it as I am...this photo represents our agreement to tough out those times.
The Original Plan
Back in October, I blogged about my plans for Vineman...
I figured would just read The Triathlete's Training Bible for the fourth time and I would figure out what I needed to do to survive Vineman. In fact, I had a very rudimentary training calendar planned by the end of the month. However, everyone I talked to that had done a full "iron" distance race, told me that I needed to get a coach that had raced this distance. Ugh!
The Revised Plan
My dilemma was solved when Coach James posted this on the team's Facebook page...
A Kona finisher that was willing to coach the likes of me? Let me be frank...when I first heard about this training option I Googled Coach K...I then Googled athletes that I found that had been coached by Coach K (serious stalker status, really!). All I can say is "Wow!" I feel incredibly fortunate that he wants to spend time coaching someone at my level. I hope I don't disappoint...I hope I can keep up... I hope I am coachable!
My Blog
I will be taking a page from Meredith Atwood in her book "Triathlon for Every Woman" and I will not post my actual training calendar/schedule. Of course, I will continue to post about individual trials and tribulations, but if you want the experience and guidance of Coach K, then you need to pay him his due ;-)
Stay tuned! In the mean time, I'm enjoying a three week break before things start to get real ;-)
I heard a great line in a commercial last week..."I am not a control freak, I am a control enthusiast."
I'm sticking with "enthusiast"
One thing that racing teaches you is that you really aren't in as much control as you think or would like. You can have a pacing plan, a nutrition strategy, a goal time. You can control what you wear, what music you will listen to, what you are going to eat before the race. Unfortunately, there are certain things you have absolutely NO CONTROL over and you learn to just deal with them (which has been a very difficult lesson for me).
Needless to say, I didn't make my goal time. Not really sure what happened...it just wasn't in the cards for me on Dec. 7th.
Pre-Race
A week before the race I got a message from my new triathlon coach (more about that in another post) asking me if I was fired up for race week. For some reason, I don't have the same level of anticipation for a marathon that I do for a triathlon...perhaps its because I know I can't drown or crash in a marathon ;-)
Instead of looking forward to the race, I found myself focusing on logistics. What if I over sleep? What if we don't get to Lindsey and Max's place on time? What if roads are closed around the convention center and we can't get to the bus? What if? What if? What if? I knew I wasn't going to relax until my butt was in a seat on the bus. (Minor control issues LOL)
I went to bed at 7pm the night before the race. Unfortunately, I was awake at 10:30 tossing and turning for the next 5 hours. I managed to doze off right before my alarm went off at 2:50am. UGH! Breakfast was a bagel with lox and cream cheese. I also had one cup of coffee and 1/2 a banana. On the bus ride to Folsom, I drank my chia fresca.
Race
Pace
This year I decided to follow the 3:55 pace group (turning over control of my pace was a scary thought!). Last year my chip time was 3:55:04, so I didn't think it was going to be a problem sticking with the pack. However, when I run, I like to start slow and speed up as I go. Last year I had my Garmin programmed for a progressively faster pace.
Last Year's Plan (me in control)...worked until mile 20
The goal of the CIM pace team is to take a more steady approach.
"A Pace Team Leader is an experienced distance runner whose primary objective is to evenly pace runners to their set time goal. They achieve this by setting an even pace (min/mile) from start to finish (with slight variations for terrain)."~ CIM Website
When the gun went off this year it took me approximately 2-1/2 minutes to get across the starting line. These 2-1/2 minutes were going to have to be made up somewhere...unfortunately, I think most of them were in the first mile! In fact, I heard one of the pacers talking to a runner in the group telling him that we were a second over in the first mile and a second under in the 2nd mile.
Even HS, who ran with my group for a bit, commented that it seemed pretty fast in the beginning. It may have just been the long down hill, but it did seem quicker than I would have liked to have started. I should have listened to myself then, but I didn't want to give up on the group that quick.
First 12 miles
Actually, when I look at my splits, they don't seem as bad (fast) as I thought they were. However, mile 3 at 8:46 is much too quick for me that early in the race. In last year's plan, I wouldn't hit an 8:46 pace until about 1/2 way through the race.
Last Half
Around mile 22-23, both of my calf muscles started to cramp a bit (no way to control this). The pain/injury I inflicted on myself at Avenue of the Vines flashed through my mind. The last thing I wanted to do was mess up my pending Vineman training which starts in 3 weeks. I made the difficult choice and walked out the cramps (three times!!!)
Fueling
During the first six miles I nibbled on watermelon Chomps and drank my Nuun electrolyte drink. This year I opted to carry a water bottle instead of having to make frequent stops at the aid stations. I carried the bottle on all of my long training runs, and knew it wasn't going to be an issue. Every 5-6 miles I ate a GU (I don't want to see another GU for a while).
When I eventually drained my bottle, I stopped at and aid station and refilled it with 3 cups of electrolyte drink, I repeated this exercise again about an hour later but this time filled the bottle with water. The weather was much warmer than last year and I was sweating much more than usual. I felt like I was drinking enough, but maybe a little more would have prevented the cramping at the end of the race.
Heart Rate and Other Stuff
This year I decided to wear all of my tracking gear. This was going to be a data collection mission. Not only was I wearing my heart rate monitor, but I also clipped on my cadence sensor just for giggles.
More data than I know what to do with
Actually, I look at this stuff and really don't know what it means. LOL Was my heart rate too high? Too low? Should I be taking longer strides? Less strides? Actually, I do know that my running form needs some work. If you can have your stroke corrected in swimming, why can't someone do that for running? There has to be something I can do to improve my running form.
Post Race
After the race, HS remarked that I was walking much better than I did last year after the race. Well, there's one positive.
This is me two days after the race ;-)
Another positive was a message I got from my coach telling me that if I pulled everything out of myself then that is all I can expect. When I look back on the race, I have no regrets about my level of effort. I feel like a ran a good race and did what I needed to do to finish and not injure myself (one of the few things I could control).
Post race photo op
It was great getting together with the team! Can't wait until our next event!!!
Goals for 2015
Learn to listen to myself
Enjoy the marathon during Vineman
Convince HS, Lindsey, Max, and Ashley to run CIM with me!
Happy B-day (early) to me!
Since I know that I'm going to give this another shot, I went ahead and took advantage of the $89 re-run special. 2015 CIM here I come!!!
I've got about 10 more days before registration opens for the Vineman events. I have been giving serious consideration to doing the full Vineman in 2015. Of course, I have lots of questions...Am I ready for this distance? Why do I want to do this race? What happens if I get injured on the way to the start line? What kind of training am I going to do? Will HS train with me?
The simple act of even writing about considering this race takes me one step closer to actually signing up. Of course, I have floated the possibility of doing Vineman with a few people in my inner circle. I have also discussed the idea of this race with HS... with more care and forethought than if I had told him I was thinking about having another kid. LOL
If I do this race, I am all in... and I need my man, my best friend, my training partner, my sponsor, the love of my life (aka HS) to be all in too! It will probably be just has hard on him somedays as it is for me. I wouldn't ask him to support me in this endeavor if it wasn't important.
Vineman is ready. Am I?
Why?
Why Vineman? Well, after completing Barb's Race twice, I am familiar with the course. I like the swim venue and the bike course is beautiful. I also like the fact that the race promotes itself as a race for everyone...
"In 1990 the Vineman was designed to be "the people's full distance event" with an emphasis on making the average athlete's experience of completing the classic distance the most enjoyable and personalized as possible."
Of course, I have no delusions that "enjoyable and personalized" means easy. This is going to be a 140.6 mile journey...with lots of pain (and probably tears) along the way. During Barb's Race, as I approached the finish line, I would look at the Vineman competitors completing the bike leg of their race and vow to never put myself through that. The realization that they had a full marathon to run when I was dead tired after racing half of their distance made me question my sanity for even considering it. Why Not? During my first year competing in triathlons, I read book after book...story after story of Ironman competitors...their journeys, their training, their failures and their triumphs. The thing that got me every time was their recollection of crossing the finish line and hearing themselves announced as an Ironman. Well, since Vineman is not a trademarked Ironman event, there will be no such announcement. However, I have moved past that...the announcement is not important. I don't need everyone watching to hear my name announced as an Ironman. I need to know...in my heart...that I can complete the distance. The challenge is what is important, not the title. The Plan
My plan is very basic at this point in time:
1) Sign up for the race (commitment is key)
2) Delete Candy Crush and all Facebook time sucking activities. I waste a lot of time on stupid games. If I'm going to seriously train, I need to use my time wisely. Instead of Candy Crush...housework, laundry, my man (not in that order)... you get the picture. I won't have time for crap.
3) Finish my annual training plan. Right now my plan is easy because it is basically just running to get me through CIM. Things change in January 2015.
Still working on this plan
4) Focus on form. I need to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses and decides which disciplines may require some private coaching.
5) Enjoy the ride! This is going to be awesome!!!
There are some days when you just need to get out the door and do what you have to do...regardless if you feel like it or not. Today was one of those days...
As I was leaving work the outside temp was around 93 (according to my car). This was not what I wanted to see. I was already feeling mentally beat up from a long day at work and the last thing I wanted to do was run in the heat. It was one thing when I was training for Barb's Race and I knew it was going to be hot during the run. However, last year at CIM it was 27 freakin' degrees out! If I had managed to break a sweat in that race, it would have frozen!
Probably the only thing that got me out of the house today
So, as I was saying, I really didn't feel like running today. On top of that, my legs felt like they weighed 500 lbs. after Sunday's 18 mile run. There was just no way...let me repeat...no way I was going to be able to do 4 x 1 mile repeats at my 5k pace...NO WAY! Why 4 x 1 mile repeats? Because I found a marathon training plan for my ability/skill level that fits with my annual training plan.
Yes, as a matter of fact I do follow random training plans I find on the internet.
WARNING!!!
Think about it! ;-)
Just Do It
I came home and synced my Garmin so it would have the workout I created on Garmin Connect. I programmed in a 2 mile warmup, 4 x 1 mile repeats with a minute rest in between, and ended with a 10 minute cool down.
Workout as planned
After all of my planning, I forgot to start the workout! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
Instead, after checking my satellite status, I pressed start and began my warmup. HS eventually took off and ran at his own pace because my warmup was a little on the slow side. Honestly, it was as much a mental warm up as it was a physical warm up. Every step presented a new reason to stop... Ooooh? What was that? Something feels like it is rubbing my leg? Is that a real pain? I don't like the way my new water bottle feels in my hand. I can't pick up my feet. It's hot out! And on and on and on... for two miles! Two miles of walking and jogging and excuse making.
Yes, please! LOL
Time to Move
Eventually my two mile warm up ended. I think it took somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 minutes. It was at that point I realized I didn't start the "workout" on my 910XT. Normally, if you are running a workout, it gives you a countdown to the next pace or interval. Nothing happened this afternoon. Hmmm. I looked at my watched and started running at my 5k pace. Eventually it dawned on me what the problem was. Ugh! Another excuse to stop. I mean, why not? I didn't start the workout, why keep going?
Why keep going? Because I am training for 26.2 miles that kicked my butt last year. Because I am also in training (mentally) for running 26.2 miles after a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike ride. That's why I need to keep going. Besides, not having the workout running on my watch is not exactly a deal breaker...I know how to work my Garmin with or without a pre-programmed workout running.
So I manually worked my Garmin and did my repeats. I had planned to run at a 8:10-8:20 pace. I thought I was being conservative because my legs were tired. The first mile felt pretty good and I tried to ease up a bit so I would have something left for repeats 2-4. My one minute rest was extended a bit due to a traffic signal and because I'm 46 and can do whatever the hell I please! So there!
Mile 2 felt a little bit better (probably due to another traffic break LOL). Mile 3 was good too. At that point, all of the negativity that plagued me during my warm up disappeared and my attitude did a 180! Bring on mile 4!!! During the last half of mile 4 I pushed it a bit more just because I knew it was almost over. As I eased into my cool down, I congratulated myself on starting and finishing...I'm so glad I didn't call it quits :-)
On August 1, I posted a very rough outline of what I planned for the coming year. By August 6, I had actually made a little progress and put my outline down on a calendar!
Recovery weeks penciled in :-)
Unfortunately, that's about as far as it went...I kept reading the book (The Triathlete's Training Bible) but kept getting overwhelmed with all of it. I scheduled my recovery weeks and a few potential races, but that was it. This week was one of my recovery weeks and it gave me the opportunity to revisit my plan.
One Bite at a Time
You've probably all heard the saying "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." That's how I'm approaching my annual training plan. Every day I'm fine tuning it just a little bit more...
With my recovery weeks scheduled, I then focused on my annual training hours. In the TTB (Triathletes Training Bible) there is a table showing the range of annual hours based on what your goal distance is.
Can this be right?
According to my Garmin data, between Aug 1, 2013 and July 25, 2014 (the day before Barb's Race) I put in 358 hours! What??? According to the table above, I didn't even train enough for an Olympic distance race. Can this be right? Even if I figure some additional hours to compensate for the rare occasions that I forgot my Garmin...I would still be at the bottom threshold for an Oly race. What would happen if I actually trained in the correct range for my race? What if I put in 700 hours for a half-iron (or full) race?
Another Bite
After deciding on the number of training hours, I went to another table that shows you how many hours you need to put in each week based on the the training phase. For example, a recovery week on a 700 hour annual plan would include 10 hours of training. The first week of a build phase is 17.5 hours.
I picked the low hanging fruit and penciled in my recovery week training hours...as well as some of the hours for the upcoming weeks.
Annual training plan work sheet
#dreamingseason
With the training hours in mind as well as CIM, which less than 3 months away, I am laying out my workouts for the next few months. Since my next A race is a marathon and not a triathlon, my focus is going to be towards running, with cycling as an option, and swimming as a recovery workout.
Recovery week is not a new idea for me and Hot Stuff. We were introduced to the idea of a recovery week back in 2008 when we tried P90X for the first time. P90X promotes the idea of muscle confusion, but also built into each training period is a week of rest (wink, wink).
I love Tony Horton! LOL
As you can see from the calendar below, there are 3 intense weeks that include strength training, plyometrics and yoga. You can also substitute your "off" day for Stretch-X (which is what HS and I ended up doing)...so for 3 weeks, you are doing something every day. Then comes the end of the month. If you look at the 4th week, you will see yoga, kenpo, stretching, core synergystics, etc...not super hard, but you also aren't sitting on your butt for a week.
P90X is still my all-time favorite workout program... can't argue with results!
Interestingly, Joe Friel (author of The Triathlete's Training Bible) also prescribes to the idea of a monthly recovery...
"Monthly recovery. Build recovery into your monthly training plan every third or fourth week. This regular period of reduced workload may be three to seven days depending on what you did in the previous hard training weeks, how fit you are becoming and other individual factors." (Full post)
So, here I am... end of week three and feeling pretty worn out...
Tired Legs
Today marked the end of my 3 week training cycle (3 weeks on / 1 week off). I can honestly say that I'm ready for some recovery! Last year I don't remember feeling this tired and sore. I always felt like I could just keep going and going. This year I definitely feel different, so I decided to look at my Garmin history...
The last year (Sept 2014 - partial)
Just from looking at this graph, it is obvious I've been doing a lot more training. In the last month, my cycling has increased and so has my running. However, I must remind myself that since May my Achilles injury hindered my run training. Regardless of the reasons, my training has increased over the last several months...
Monday, July 28 - Sunday, Aug 17: 260 miles
Swim: 4.5 miles
Bike: 210 miles
Run: 45 miles
Monday, Aug 18 - Sunday, Aug 24: Recovery Week
Took things easy except for our ride around Lake Tahoe
Monday, Aug 25 - Sunday, Sept 14: 355 miles
Swim: 2 miles
Bike: 276 miles
Run: 77 miles
Upcoming Recovery Week
I plan to take Joe Friel's advice
"First of all, a recovery "week" should not be taken literally to mean seven days. Some recover very quickly and may find that in four days they are ready to go back at it again. Others need six or more days...The bottom line is that I'd suggest doing only short duration workouts at low intensity for two or three days. "
My plan for this week is to focus on sleep and nutrition. Monday will still be a swim night unless the pool is freezing (maybe I should bring my wetsuit just in case). Tuesday night, Fleet Feet is hosting one of their famous "pub runs" and I don't want to miss it (even though I don't drink beer)...it will be a nice, easy 3 mile run. My Wednesday evening ride will be swapped out for a swim. Thursday is typically an "off" day for me but for this week, I will be doing P90X Yoga. I will play next weekend by ear ;-)
HS and I decided to get away for a few days. He suggested we go to Tahoe and take our bikes and dogs with us. This was going to be a first. We've brought the bikes before on a long weekend, but never the dogs. Since our trip coincided with my recovery week, I imagined lots of long, leisurely walks with the dogs and one very specific ride.
Once HS suggested Tahoe and bikes, I started looking for routes in the area. I came across Tahoe Adventure Sport's website and knew immediately I had found the ride for us...
"The ride around Lake Tahoe is almost an obligatory ride for any serious road bike enthusiast, but even for recreational riders, the tour around the lake is within the range of possibility. At 72 miles with a vertical gain/loss of over 4000 feet, however, the ride around the lake requires some training before riding. With only two long, steep hills, the lake is well within reach of intermediate riders."
Let's Go
The trip got off to a rocky start as Buster's nervous gut kicked in before we even got to Highway 99...maybe we should have taken a different route than the one we normally take to the kennel ;-) Eventually he settled down and the rest of the drive was uneventful.
Nothing like hanging your head out the window to calm down
We found our "cabin" and quickly settled in. HS made some repairs to his bike and then we took the dogs on a much shorter walk than I had planned. Our 12-1/2 year old female got about 1/2 a mile away from the cabin and then basically stopped walking. HS had to carry her back which did not make him very happy.
Once HS finished his repairs, we decided to take a short ride down the road to Camp Richardson so we could get a rum runner at The Beacon. South Lake Tahoe is making a big effort on creating a bike friendly town. We were able to ride on a path or route all the way to our destination.
Beauty and the Beach
I hate to admit it, but we were not very well prepared. When we got to The Beacon and saw the bike racks, we realized we didn't have any bike locks. Ugh! Of course there was no way we were going to leave our bikes out of sight and unlocked, so we walk on to the beach (in our bike shoes) and leaned the bikes against a tree that allowed us to keep an eye on them while we ate.
I only came here for the rum runner
We each had a rum runner and HS ordered us fried calamari and Wagyu beef sliders. It turned out to be WAY too much food and I was thankful we rode our bikes...at least we would burn off some of the calories. The round trip was roughly 12-1/2 miles...not bad for our first day.
The Big Ride - First Half
When we woke up Friday morning, we had no set plans. We weren't even sure what day we would ride around the lake. I checked the Tahoe Adventure Sport's website again and noticed this warning...
"Advisory: This ride can be dangerous in heavy traffic. During the summer, especially on weekends, there are lots of angry drivers out there who resent your prescence. Add to those freaks the "lets rent an RV and go to Tahoe" set and you need to exercise extreme caution, especially around Emerald Bay, Tahoe City, and South Lake Tahoe."
I read the warning to HS and he said we should do the ride now. Alrighty then! We changed into our bike gear, aired up our tires and filled our water bottles.
The first part of the ride basically mirrored our ride to Camp Richardson the day before. I made one wrong turn as we followed the bike route through a neighborhood, but that would prove to be the only time we got off course the rest of the day.
After passing Camp Richardson, we continued on our journey along a dedicated bike path that followed Highway 89. My only wish was that we could have the bike path for the entire route. Unfortunately, I knew we were approaching the portion of the route marked as "Caution: Little or no shoulder"
Blue and yellow dashed line = Caution
It was also along this yellow and blue caution section that we encountered our first climb. It wasn't especially steep, it just seemed to climb forever. Throw in some hairpin turns and the fact that there weren't many places to safely stop, and I found myself completely forgetting about how much I hated hills...I just needed to keep going.
Views like this make the ride worth it!
The ride was beautiful and traffic was pretty light. On top of that, the condition of the road was good and there were several freshly paved sections that made our descents quite fun. We made a few stops for pics and to refuel. The day seemed perfect!
Anybody want to go for a swim?
Well, perfect until HS got a flat. It was actually a ghost flat. Once HS got the tube out, we could not find a leak or puncture...nothing sharp in the tire and the valve was closed and holding air. In fact, the tube was still holding air, it was just a little flat. Hmmm... Just to be safe, he put in a new tube.
HS fixing his flat and me just goofing around
Just in case you don't have a signal on your cell phone ;-)
Some where around Carnellian Bay / King's Beach, we stopped and got something to eat. We were both starving and realized that in our haste to get out the door and on our bikes, we really didn't eat enough breakfast. I had 100 calorie Greek yogurt and a peach and HS had a few cinnamon rolls... not exactly the best thing when taking on a 72 mile ride around Lake Tahoe.
Lunch time...still smiling :-)
We scarfed down our lunch and got back on our bikes. We were at roughly the half-way point and I needed to keep moving.
The Big Ride - Second Half
No pics, no goofing around...things got real in the second half of the ride as the wind started to pick up.
My Garmin reported a 14 mph SSW wind. Weather Underground reported a 9 mph SSW wind with a max wind speed of 26 mph and gusts up to 38 mph...more on this later. All I will say right now is the wind SUCKED!!!
Not sure I would have gotten on the bike if I knew this info in advance
At this point in the ride, the climbs seemed to be unending. How can you climb and climb and climb and never get to go down hill? Is it just in my mind? We finally crested a hill and it appeared that we would finally get to pick up some speed and coast for a bit. Unfortunately, this was my first battle with the wind gusts. HS was getting blown around and so you can guess what was happening to me. The wind was so strong that I was temped to get off my bike and walk DOWN HILL!!! Down hill? Seriously, Tracy? YES!!! I was terrified.
I think my biggest fear was getting tossed into the path of a vehicle coming up behind me (not much shoulder again). I rode my brakes and prayed for the wind to stop.
More of the yellow & blue = caution route :-(
As we progressed along the lake, we got occasional breaks in the wind...usually when the path traveled away from the lake. Unfortunately, the wind was something we had to battle for the rest of our ride, and if I thought it was bad before now, it was about to get much worse!
I'm not much of a map reader. I focused on the written descriptions of the route sections. I focused on stupid stuff like this...
"From Spooner Summit, turn right onto US 50 and enjoy the four mile downhill with gorgeous views of the Lake Tahoe. On the way you will pass Glenbrook, home to the rich and famous."
What didn't register in my pea brain was the fact that we would be riding on a four lane section of Highway 50. On top of that, the wind got worse! Terrified does not adequately describe how I was feeling. Here I was on a four lane section of highway desperately squeezing my brakes in order to try and crawl down the hill and not get blown into the grill of a semi!
We then came to a tunnel that required you to press a crosswalk style button to activate the flashers so the cars screaming by on highway 50 would know there were bikes in the tunnel! WTF??? If I wasn't so tired and wind/sun burned, I would have turned around and gone back the way I came. Thankfully the tunnel was extremely short.
The rest of the ride consisted of small to virtually non-existent shoulders, increasing traffic, wind, and seemingly never ending climbs (it was probably all in my head). I couldn't wait for it to be over. State-line was a welcome sight and a few miles later we were back at our cabin. Yay!!!
We celebrated with a little champagne I picked up after Barb's Race
All in all, it was a great day, and I'm glad it's something HS and I could do together ;-)
.jpg)
.jpg)
