for the love of...

I had a crazy good training week this past week. I'm totally falling in love with all of this training. When ever I'm frustrated with anything in my life, I just pick up my bike or go for a jog or swim. After my head is clear, my body is relaxed and I feel like I can approach most anything in a calm manner. Case in point: Thursday morning I had a small non-related triathlon frustration. Details are unimportant at this point. Just know I wanted to tear my hair out. So I loaded up my bike, and I had one of the best 16 mile rides of my training. After I came home, I was calm. I even took a practice GRE and earned my best score ever. This scenario makes me want to learn more about how exercising impacts emotions and stress-levels. Obviously, I know there that exercise and stress levels are linked, but I would be interested in learning more about the biology behind it. hmmmm....

Wednesday, I ran 6 miles again. My thought process behind this: I'm trying to mentally prepare for the fact that I will already have ridden 12 miles and swam a 1/2 mile before my feet hit the pavement on race day. I figure if I can run 6 miles, 3.1 after all of that other stuff won't seem so terrible. From someone who previously loved running just about as much as undergoing a root canal, it is a pretty exciting accomplishment for me to run 6 miles and actually enjoy it:)

Tuesday, I swam the distance of the race. All 16 laps. Not my favorite training session of the week, but I had to do it. I want to know that I can do it before I get into the open water.

I think what I have to keep in mind is that this triathlon is an endurance event. I cannot necessarily run, swim, bike my hardest in every training session or my body will say something like " dude, WTF?" With that attitude in mind, by body doesn't hate me as much in training. It is more about who will be able to mentally endure a 1/2 mile swim, a 12 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile run at the end of the day. I want to make sure that this kid will be able to endure with 100% certainty on race day.

Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "Wounds and hardships provoke our courage, and when our fortunes are at the lowest, our wits and minds are commonly at the best."

limits? bah, those don't exist.

This morning I ran 6 miles. I have never ran that much in one setting in my entire life. I didn't run for time, but for the pure enjoyment. I even left my sports watch behind. I didn't want to be in training mode today. I just wanted to run. I think that is a good indication that being physically fit and learning to eat right really is a complete lifestyle change. This change is here to stay for me:)


Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "You can't think your way into a new way of living - you have to live your way into a new way of thinking."

A banner weekend

There was some pretty intense training to be had over the past couple of days. First, on Saturday, we did another swim then run combo in Vienna. Kali and I felt like champs during the run. We give credit to the intense Burke Lake runs we've been doing on Mondays. With the varied inclines and gravel terrain at Burke, a flat surface feels like buttah ;)

Sunday, Kali and I rode our bikes 16 miles then ran two. My legs were a little jello-like during the run, but by the second mile I started to feel my grove.

Monday, Kali and I had a mental break through at Burke Lake. Over the past couple of weeks, we have only been able to run 20 mins straight, breaking for 2-3 mins then run for 20 more. We ran for 35 mins straight without breaking, and on top of that we felt good. No "oh my gosh, if I run one more step, I'm going to heave over" No, "I'm soo thirsty" No, "Burke Lake is the bane of my running existence" We kept positive and the result showed. We are anxious to see how we do in the 9/11 5K in September.

I have taken to the habit of pushing myself harder towards the end of my workouts. Running a little faster at the end, pedaling a little harder, extending my stroke a little more. Call it a small competitive spark left over from my days as a junior USTA tournament junkie or call it heart. Whatever you call it, I would like to think it makes people around me work a little harder too. For me, I know that I have just given my workout my all whether it is a run, a bike ride or a swim. My dads voice sometimes drifts back through my workout thoughts: "It's not how you start, Kathleen, it's how you finish"

Today, my body screams for a well-deserved break and it will get one :)

Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "This is about limits. Reaching them, exploring them, exceeding what you thought yours were. Coming to the conclusion that there aren't any limits."- Unbekannt

hitting a wall? no, cycling through it :)

Today in spinning class Rhonda introduced her Wall interval. A timed combination of a sprint, seated climb, standing run, hard climb and jumps. As the puddle around my bike kept getting deeper and my mental toughness waned, I actually felt my legs kicking in and feeling stronger. I'm anxious to go for a ride on my bike to see if I feel a difference.

Disturbing revelation in Yoga class: The mirrors in the gym intentionally make you look unflattering so you spend more time there. Honest to goodness. I felt like a I was in one of those cheesy fun houses you see in movies. You know, the ones with scary clowns that are more creepy than funny.

Maybe some truth in those mirrors??? Yikes, I hope not. Regardless, back to the weight lifting routine and a jog tomorrow morning:)

Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "Your biggest challenge isn’t someone else. It’s the ache in your lungs. The burning in your legs. And that voice in your head that yells "CAN’T," but you don’t listen. You just push harder. And then you hear that voice whisper, "can" and you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the person you really are."

Spinning out of control

So in order to keep myself on this upward motivational trend, I decided to switch up my training regime yet again. In addition to yoga, I have now added a spinning class to the mix. The class I have decided to take at the gym is taught by the Virginia State Cycling Champion. Awesome. I never knew I had it in me to sweat that much. There was definite drippage. Literally a puddle around my bike by the end. It totally kicked my ass. When I silently pleaded with the instructor to lighten up on the ass kicking, she kicked it harder. It's black and blue today. But the ass kicking will be good for my bike time so the spinning class will become a mainstay in my routine. Since when does trying to stay fit make people into a glutton for punishment? Nah, deep down, in a twisted way, I do enjoy the challenge. Otherwise, why would I be training for this triathlon in the first place? So I guess I shouldn't complain. In the spirit of my new attitude change (see previous post) I would rather say "bring...it...on..."

I took about a half hour break in between spinning and yoga. Change clothes, refuel and hydrate. Hydration before a 75 minute yoga class = bad idea. Yoga is supposed to be a mind clearing, Zen like experience. Not when all you can think is "I have to pee, I have to pee" Lesson learned. DO NOT drink 25 ounces of water before yoga. Got it.

Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up."

Never under estimate the power of a muse even if it comes from yourself...

It has been a long time since I've written. For good reason. I have been utterly unmotivated and uninspired as of late. A big mental challenge that I've had to deal with. My body aches, my workouts seem monotonous and October seems like it is taking its good ol' time to get here. But something happened this weekend. After last week where my thought process was more like: "I have to work out, grumble, grumble, grumble. This sucks." and not "Yeah, I LOVE training for this triathlon" It was a pretty low point. On Saturday though, I did my second brick. For those of you new to triathlon speak: brick = training for two consecutive events in one time period. Exhausting in every sense of the word. My first brick attempt worried me. My breathing was heavy, think 65 year old smoker who starts wheezing when he walks from the kitchen to the dining room. Mentally, I wanted to bag it. This was last Monday and the thought that I wanted to quit anything made me angry and it totally set the tone for the week.
But I digress, back to Saturday, we did a swim lesson then a 3.5 mile run. I felt great! Sweaty, but great. This was the first day I felt like I was a little faster in both events, and I felt physically stronger. Then yesterday I did a 16 mile bike ride. Four miles more than our race day mileage, but the longest distance I've ever rode yet. A personal triumph that made me feel like a million bucks. The difference between this weekend and the week of grumbling: my attitude. I was determined not to give up. I started to convince myself that quiting was not an option. Just a little more. You can do it. For whatever reason, I feel renewed and empowered. Empowered, you ask??? No one but me knew about my mental and physical fatigue last week, and I pulled myself out of it. Pretty sweet.

Cheesy motivational quote: "I think Western culture has it backwards. We equate comfort with happiness, and now we're so comfortable we're miserable. There's no struggle in our life, no sense of adventure. I've found that I'm never more alive than when I'm pushing and I'm in pain and I'm struggling for high achievement. In that struggle I think there's magic. Unless you're pushing yourself, you're not living to the fullest. You can't be afraid to fail, but unless you fail you haven't pushed hard enough. If you look at successful people and happy people, they fail a lot, because they are constantly trying to go further..."

Today it wasn't all about the bike

I went for a bike ride today. It was unfortunately not as fun and exciting as previous bike rides. I'm afraid my training may be getting monotonous. No hot guys this time. No movie montages. All I could think about was how much my legs hurt. hhhmmmm, what to do, what to do...

Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "This is the true joy in life--being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." --George Bernard Shaw

Training together...

The last bike ride I went on last Sunday, I went with April. Yesterday, I jogged with Kali. I was a bit nervous about the first time we did any training together. My thought "What if I can't keep up?" But yesterday I realized that I'm not really competing with anyone but myself. Trying always, not to out do them, but to out do myself. It makes me want to work harder :)


Cheesy Motivational Quote of the Day: "It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit." - George Sheehan

Today was swim lesson day :)

April and I had our first Stroke Development Swim Lesson today at our local YMCA. It was pretty tough, but extremely helpful. Our super cool instructor Donald was already giving us tips to help us improve and it worked! The 50 mins flew by and we can't wait to go back. Did I mention that Donald is kind of cute? Yeah that certainly doesn't hurt ;)

Now that I smell like a pool, must go shower!!!

Cheesy song of the day: "We will Rock You" ~Queen

Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "When the student is ready the teacher will appear"

Kathleen 1. Bike rack 0.

YES! I won the battle of the bike rack. I successfully reattached it to my car. I even ventured to trust my bike to it, and it didn't fall off. SWEET!

It was suggested to me once that everyday a person should do at least one thing that scares them just a little. I take that to mean trying new things. That is exactly what I did yesterday.

First new thing of the day: Yoga class.
I thought it would be good cross training for the tri. Not to mention a little variety in my exercise routines might spice things up a bit and keep me motivated. In the past, I've been pretty hesitant about the whole Yoga thing, but again, in the spirit of trying new things, I said what the hell. Not wanting to totally appear to be the new kid that doesn't know what was going on, I looked around when I entered the class to see what gear I needed. I collected the foam block, my mat, a blanket and a band. I set up my station. I took a clue from my fellow classmates and took a nap until the class started. We got started, and I'm thinking to myself, I can totally do this. A stretch here. A lunge there. A twisty pretzel position into a squatting dog. Nameste. Done. Done and done. Then I woke up this morning. Places I didn't know could be sore are definitely sore today. I have a new found respect for Yoga. I'm going to make it a part of my exercise routine. Yay for trying new things :)

Second new thing of the day: Biking on the W and OD Trail. 12 miles in an hour. Not bad. Will do better. The Washington and Old Dominion Trail is quite delightful. I passed through historic Herndon, Sterling and turned around in Reston.
As I have mentioned before riding my bike is very meditative and I definitely let my mind wonder. Not at the expense of being careless, but if I find a moment to coast, I let the thoughts flow.
Yesterday, I was applying my bike ride to movies. For instance, when I started off, the trail had a slightly uphill slope to it so I was working pretty hard. I imagined I looked like the Elmira Gulch from the Wizard of Oz. Also known as the Wicked Witch of the West. Picture the scene where Elmira has Toto in her bicycle basket with the creepy, wicked music playing. Yup, that was me.
Second movie montage of the ride: Tommy Boy. Think: "Fat man in a little coat. Fat man in a little coat" My bike ride version: "Hot guys playing golf." "Hot guys playing golf." It seems that bike trails inevitably cross through golf courses. Golf. Hot guys. Nice. I love riding my bike ;)

I rounded out the day with a little nap next to the pool. No swim training here. Just a nap. Well deserved, I'd say;)

Cheesy Motivational Song of the Day: "Happy Trails" ~Dale Rogers

Cheesy Motivational quote of the Day: " "Be Patient. This pain will be useful to you one day."

Next battle, the bike rack...

Super good news!!!: I was back in Pittsburgh for a couple of days and I did some running training at my old high school track. I ran 3.1 miles in 34 mins! Woohoo! Shaved off two mins! yay :) TRIUMPH!!!

I did go back to the pool last week. More good news: I ploughed through the old guy. I swam 500m in about 25 mins. Contributing factors for my speed:

1. my way sexy swim cap
2. decreased rest time between lengths
3. drowned the old guy

On a somewhat cloudy note, the car inspection guy took my bike rack off of my car. It took me and the Bike Lane guy 20 mins to get it on in the first place! So my next battle, me and the bike rack. I WILL WIN and get it back on my car!!!

There has been a request for pictures of my training triumphs and trials. mmmm, considering that my wardrobe consists mainly of spandex bike shorts, a helmet, swimsuits, a swim cap and a smile that would be a BIG FAT NO!!!!

I feel like I need to step it up with the training. Since I've been in Pittsburgh over the past couple of days, I feel sluggish. It is go time!

Cheesy motivational song of the day: "Welcome to the Jungle" ~Guns and Roses

Cheesy motivational quotes of the day: "Stay young. Stay hungry." Steve Jobs

"Ride it like you stole it" Steve, my cousins husband, on how to treat my awesome bike.

Is it too early to have a mental block?

My mental block: SWIMMING! I jogged two days ago. I rode my beloved bike last night. Must...swim...tonight...argh!

Maybe it is a mental block since I felt like I was drowning when I did it last week? I think it is mostly an ego thing. I must let it go. I'm a terrible swimmer. Yes, people will see me swimming terribly. I must embrace it. It will get better. It has too!

Cheesy song of the day: "Drowning" by the Backstreet Boys

Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic." Do you think Noah ever trained for a tri? I bet you he was one hell of a swimmer.

Is it possible to love your bike more than anything else?

Here's my reasoning for loving my bike so much: As a 26 year old young whippersnapper out in the real world, my bike is probably the second biggest, most expensive purchase I've made so far, and it would break my heart and my checking account if something happened to it. I have this strange motherly affection for it. For example, yesterday morning when I went to get in my car for work, I noticed that I may have parked my car a little too close to my roommates car in the garage. That is to say I had to suck in some air to make myself thinner to get in my car. The reason being was that my bike was on the other side. Courtney's reaction: YOUR CAR IS SMALL! YOU WILL NOT HIT YOUR BIKE! Me: But I don't want to hurt it.
The things we do for our cherished material possessions ;)
In addition to training for a triathlon, I am also apparently working on my parking skills. Sorry, Courtney the garage may not be big enough for your car. he he he, just kidding ;)

According to my handy training schedule, I am supposed to ride a 10K time trial today. I road 6.5 miles in about 40mins. Not bad, I suppose, but I definitely want to shave some time off of that for the big 12 miles! My goal is to ride the entire 12 miles in an hour or less :)

I really enjoyed my bike ride. It was very meditative in a way. You, the road, the wind. A girl and her bike. A thing of beauty.

Tomorrow might be time for a brick! woohoo!

Something new: Cheesy motivational song of the day: Free and Easy Down the Road I Go, Dierks Bentley

Cheesy Motivational quote of the day: "Life should NOT be a journey to the end with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Cycling, running and SWIMMING?!? what...

No one said anything about swimming. Nah, just kidding. It is a Tri. I get it. But swimming? really? Ugh, sigh, double ugh!

So I did my first swimming training session yesterday afternoon at my gym. Hilarious to onlookers, I'm sure. I can just hear the lifeguards conversing now: "Clear the pool! We have a flail-er! It's that girl in lane 1 with the old guy!" Yes, there was an elderly gentleman who was doing aquatic walking exercises who just may have been going faster than me. My thought is: I can only get better from here ;)

Today was a confidence booster of sorts after yesterdays staggering swimming attempt. I ran 3.1 miles in just under 36 mins. That puts me at about a 12 minute mile. My goal by the end of the summer is to run 3.1 miles in 30 mins. I look forward to the challenge :)

I saw Kali and April (the lovely ladies I am training with) last night and the more we talk about it the more excited we get!

Cheesy quote of the day: "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming!" Finding Nemo (it's funny how Disney movies can dish out surprisingly profound pieces of wisdom from little fish)

Thoughts from a novice Tri trainee...

So I started yesterday training for my very first Triathlon. I'm pretty excited about the whole process, but what I realized last night after running in 95 degree weather, is that this is definitely going to be a case of mind over matter. My body definitely hates me today, and it won't be the last time we fight. But I can do this. I will do it! :)

Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "A strong woman knows she has strength enough for the journey, but a woman of strength knows it is in the journey where she will become strong"