SandyLand

First Marathon

2008-09-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's been awhile since we finished OIGWT and I haven't really had a reason to post. Not that anyone has really been reading and waiting with anticipation for my next blog entry... :-)

Well, the next adventure I have planned is my first marathon! I have my sights set on the PF Chang's Rock n Roll Marathon here in Tempe in January. Again, not that anyone is particularly interested in my next adventure or in the training for it, but I find that blogging my preparation keeps me on track and honest. You know, kind of like having a workout accountability program. If I know someone might be checking up on my progress, I'm more likely to be more consistent. Well, that's the theory anyway.

My friend Tab will be a training partner with me. She's done a lot of marathons and is a great source of advice and support! Kay, another good friend, is also a marathon machine, and when her Plantar fasciitis (sp? and will from now on be known simply as PF) heals, we'll all be training together on some long runs I hope!

I've done I think four half marathons before, but never a full. I'm not doing it for any special reason but to just see if I can finish, so hopefully that will be motiviation enough to be faithful to my training plan. :-)

Phil and I will also be doing the Soma Half-Ironman triathlon on October 26th, so I'll have my training attention divided between that event and marathon training until the end of October. This will be the same distance as the Mountain Man Half-IM distance race I did back in July. I know I can do the distance so my goal this time is to shave off (well actually take some huge chunks off) my 7 hour and 2 minute time. That's a really long time to be doing anything and I sure hope I can cut it down a bit!

Okay, that's all for now. I've been logging my training so far this week - all 2 days of it so far - so I'll post that training update next week. Somebody read it and at least tell me you will check up on it the next week so I know someone is watching!! :-)

OIGWT Days 2 and 3

2008-08-03T10:09:00.001-07:00

Well, we made it!! We are actually getting ready to check out of the hotel and take Tom back to the airport, but I wanted to at least get a link to some photos up and maybe a brief description. Phil will be back up here to tell me it's time to go in just a few minutes. :-)

Day 2
We started out our swim at Ventura Beach Pier. Adrian wasn't feeling well, so Tom and I swam, with Phil and the kayak right with us. The surf was much calmer today and I didn't freak out once!! Just felt a bit queasy after getting out from the rolling motion of the waves. We swam about 40 minutes, I think.

From there, we hopped on our bikes to start the journey south to Huntington Beach. We stopped near Pepperdine University for some lunch at this great place called Howdy's. After lunch, it was back on the bikes. We were running out of time, however, to get to the day's closing ceremony and service at the Veteran's memorial at the Huntington Beach Pier. We cut our ride short at about 70 miles and hopped in the trucks until we hit Dog Beach, just north of Huntington Pier. From there we ran about 2 miles in and finished the day.

Day 3
We started the final day there at Huntington Pier. This morning, I decided to sit out the swim. The surf looked way too big for me, and I just couldn't calm my nerves. The lifeguards were great and provided support on a jet ski, but they wouldn't allow Phil to be out with us on the kayak. Tom and Adrian did a great job on the swim.

We left Huntington for the 75 mile journey south to La Jolla. From there we transitioned about 4 miles below the cross where we started our run straight up the hill to Mt Soledad Memorial.

Wish I had more time to write, but Phil says it's time to go. I'll update more later, but until then, here are some pictures!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sandy.plentzas/OIGWTDays2And3

OIGWT Day 1

2008-07-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

Whew, I'm EXHAUSTED!!! So, this will be short. Just wanted to get some pictures up and give a brief update of the day.

We started with a short opening ceremony overlooking Point Conception. We were unable to get permits to get to the lighthouse, and swimming in that area was too dangerous. So, we had the ceremony there, then drove to Gaviota State Park for the swim. Logistically it was difficult to get between locations quickly, so our day started a bit late. Also, because of not being able to swim at Pt. C. our bike was only about 60 miles instead of 90. That was certainly OK with me!!

I had a rough time swimming today. The current was tough, I could have sworn I saw a HUGE fish of some kind swimming right below me at one point (begin freak out), then coming back toward the shore, we got into a bunch of kelp so thick it felt like it was grabbing onto me and pulling me down. Of course it wasn't, but I was already in beginning freak out mode because of the submarine-sized fish/animal I thought I saw, so my imagination was ripe for running rampant (commence full-throttle freak out). I called for Phil who was just ahead of me in the kayak and I swam over to him and had him pull me in most of the rest of the way. Once I got close enough to the shore, I swam the rest of the way in but didn't see a breaking wave that pummeled me. And I lost my goggles. Hopefully that will be the worst of the swimming! Adrian says that Ventura is much nicer and much calmer.

The run was good. I think we might have been half a mile or so short of 9 miles, but again, that was completely alright with me.

Adrian and his crew put together an awesome worship service at the cross. They really put a lot of work into it and it showed.

Our support crew of Mike Murphy and Phil were great too. I know it can't be fun following three bikers going around 17 mile an hour down the road, or leapfrogging us as we ran every mile and a half or so. They really made the day so much better!

Well, I'm tired and I need to get some sleep. Adrian will be here to get us at 7:30, so we can at least try and sleep in a little. :-)

Here's a link to some of today's pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/sandy.plentzas/OIGWTDayOne

On Our Way

2008-07-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

Phil and I loaded up the truck and left the house about 6:30 this morning. We got to the North Hollywood area about 12:30pm and were able to have lunch with Julie! It was perfect timing and she found a Chipotle just off the highway for us to meet. It was great to get the chance to see her. Wish I'd have thought to take a picture with her, but I was so hungry by the time we got there, I wasn't thinking about much besides food (I know, what's new?!)...

We got back on the road at about 1:15 and made it to Adrian's office right on time at 2pm. Tom got there soon after us and we met and went over the course for the next three days and Adrian passed out the uniforms.

After Adrian and Tom put together Tom's bike, we headed up to Lompoc for dinner at AJ's Steak House (yum!), and now we're all tucked into our comfy rooms at Quality Inn in Lompoc. We saw some really beautiful scenery on the way to the hotel. There were miles of vineyards, and we're pretty sure we saw the pastures of the famous "Happy Cows" of California Cheese fame.

Here's a link to the photos from today.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sandy.plentzas/OIGWTTravelDay

Event Week Is Here!

2008-07-28T10:15:00.001-07:00

Well, this is it! I did my last workout this morning - masters swim class. We warmed up with 16 x 25 on :45 seconds. That was pretty relaxing. I then did 7 x 250 at a comfortable pace. I felt good and didn't feel like I was pushing too hard. Tomorrow is a real rest day, then Wednesday will be spent in the car driving to Ventura, CA.

Before I get into the plan for the trip, I wanted to put up a link to some photos from the Mountain Man race last Sunday. Phil came in 1st in his age group - what a stud! - and our friend Sue got some good pictures that we posted to our tri club's web site. http://www.firstwavetri.com/Albums/MountainMan2008/photo_album/index.asp

I've posted PDF versions of some of the swim and run routes from Adrian. You can find links to them along the right side of the blog screen. -->

Phil and I will hop in the Yellow Submarine (Phil's truck) at the crack-o-dawn on Wednesday morning for the long drive to Ventura. We have an event meeting there that afternoon and hope to also have time to swing by and have lunch with Alex's girlfriend Julie who works not far from there. You can check out the schedule of events for an idea of what we'll be doing when.

Then, after we are all done on Saturday we'll spend the night in San Diego, then head to Newport Beach on Sunday for a much-needed vacation! Ruby's Balboa Pier, here we come!

I hope to have time and internet access to post updates each day, so please check back!

Week 20: Training Update

2008-07-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

Week 20
1 Week To Go!

This was what is called the "taper" week. All the hard training is done, and now it's just keeping the body moving, but emphasizing REST to allow the body to repair itself and restock energy stores. I love rest! But for whatever reason, my rest was disturbed by a general icky feeling - almost like I was coming down with the flu. Some of my triathlon friends say that's kind of common during taper week, or maybe I really was fighting off some bug. Who knows. I'm just very thankful I'm feeling better now!

Mon 7/21
Scheduled Workout:
Rest or Light Swim
Actual Workout:
REST!

Tues 7/22
Scheduled Workout:
Bike 1-2 hours Easy
Actual Workout:
Spin 45 min

Wed 7/23
Scheduled/Actual Workout:
Masters swim

Thurs 7/24
Scheduled Workout:
Bike 1-2 hours Easy
Actual Workout:
Rest – just wasn’t feeling well.

Fri 7/25
Scheduled Workout:
Run 8 miles
Actual Workout:
Run 8 - Felt better this morning, but started feeling achy/feverish mid-morning. By noon I was feeling pretty bad and ended up going home sick right after lunch. I slept all afternoon but couldn’t get rid of the body aches.

Sat 7/26
Scheduled Workout:
Bike 35-50 miles moderate
Actual Workout:
REST – felt a little better this morning, but still sluggish and a bit achy. Didn’t want to be out in the heat and bring my resistance back down.

Sun 7/27
Scheduled Workout:
Rest
Actual Workout:
Run an easy 30 minutes – Woke up feeling much better and the run/jog felt good. Felt much better the rest of the day. Not quite sure what it was, but I hope that it is now gone!

Week 19: Training Update

2008-07-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the few other pictures we took. Wish we'd have gotten a picture of Phil with his plaque for winning 1st place in his age group in the Olympic!! http://picasaweb.google.com/sandy.plentzas/MountainMan2008

Week 19
2 Weeks to go!

Mon 7/14
Scheduled Workout:
SSS 70 min, maybe Run 3 mi
Actual Workout:
Run 3 mi, Masters swim (20 x 100 on 2:15, 50 kick cool-down), 50 min Lake Pleasant swim in afternoon

Tues
Scheduled/Actual Workout:
Run 2 hours
Ran straight for 50 minutes, then practiced run 8 min, walk 2 for remainder. This is my planned strategy for the run of Mountain Man on Sunday.

Wed 7/16
Scheduled Workout:
Bike 2hrs in zone 2
Actual Workout:
LA Fitness spin class (45 mins)

Thurs 7/17
Scheduled/Actual Workout: SSS 45 min

Fri 7/18
Scheduled/Actual Workout:
1 hr bike, 30 min jog – I survived my first experience of going over the handlebars on my bike this morning! Phil and I rode an hour with FWT, starting at Starbucks there at 67th & 101. Just as we were pulling back into SB parking lot to drop my bike off so I could do my 30 min run, my front tire caught one of the seams in the concrete area of the parking lot, and I was going just the right speed (thankfully, very slow) for my wheel to decide to follow the seam instead of the direction of the rest of my body, and over the handlebars I went! Phil said he looked up and there I was rolling in front of my bike. All I could hear was your voice saying “you can NOT get injured between now and the event!” J My right elbow got scraped up, but thank the Lord, that was all. Phil put my bike in the truck and I took off on my run, and all was good.

Sat 7/19
Scheduled/Actual Workout: REST

Sun 7/20
Scheduled/Actual Workout:
Mountain Man Half-Ironman!! Swim 1.2, Bike 56, Run 13.1
Came in 77 out of 89, and dead last in my age group, but this wasn’t a race for me anyway. Even if it was, I doubt I’d have been any faster since I was trying very hard to conserve energy to get through the run. The bike was harder than I expected with the hills. I just haven’t been training hills at all, or altitude, and since I didn’t drive the course beforehand, all I had to go by was my memory of the Olympic course from last year. My legs were pretty beat by the run, but I just kept plodding away. Wish we had some pictures from when Phil saw me at the aid stations at miles 10 and 11.5. It was raining SO hard, it was comical.

Results: http://www.mountainmanevents.com/results.htm

FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44
Place Firstname Lastname City Sta Swim Trans#1 Bike Trans#2 Run Time
===== =============================== ====================
1 JILL FUTIA CHANDLER AZ 43:36 2:28 3:11:08 2:47 2:22:54 6:22:51
2 CAROLYN FRUTH PAYSON AZ 40:58 5:37 3:35:23 6:12 2:15:29 6:43:36
3 JUDY CROSSON CHANDLER AZ 31:55 3:50 3:23:04 3:51 2:43:41 6:46:19
4 SANDY PLENTZAS GLENDALE AZ 47:13 6:24 3:17:48 6:57 2:44:18 7:02:37

Week 18: Training Update

2008-07-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

Week 18
3 Weeks to go

Mon 7/7
Scheduled workout: Masters swim
Actual workout:
Run 10.2 miles
50 minute open water swim at Lake Pleasant in afternoon
Since the Mexico workouts were a bust, I felt that I needed to get a long run in instead of just masters swim.

Tues 7/8
Scheduled workout: Bike 2 hours in zone 2
Actual workout:
Bike 1:54, 1:21 in Z-2, 131 avg HR, 32 miles

Wed 7/9
Scheduled/Actual workout:
Run 2 hours

Thurs 7/10
Scheduled/Actual workout:
SSS 70 min

Fri 7/11
Scheduled workout: Bike 100-ish
Actual workout:
Only 68 miles. Between the rain and low energy levels I decided to cut the ride short. What I got in was good, but I just didn't have what I needed to go further. Not quite sure what the deal was.

Sat 7/12 – Sun 7/13
Scheduled/Actual workout:
AF Drill Weekend - REST

Week 17: Training Update

2008-07-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

This little piggy went to Mexico and went waahhhh, waahhhh, waahhhh, all the way home!

Week 17
4 Weeks to go

Mon 6/30
Scheduled workout: Run 6 miles, Masters Swim
Actual workout:
Run 6 miles
Masters Swim – 4 x 300
Lake Pleasant open water swim in afternoon, ~ 1.4 miles

Tues 7/1
Scheduled workout: 2 hour bike ride in zone 2
Actual workout:
Bike 1 hr in zone 2 on indoor trainer – 15 miles
Took it a bit easier because of the extra swim workout yesterday
Avg HR 134

Wed 7/2
Scheduled and Actual workout:
Run 4 miles
Masters Swim – 1 x 800, 8 x 100 @ race pace, :30 rest, 6 x 50 kick only

Thurs 7/3
Scheduled workout: 100+ mile bike ride
Actual workout: 75 mile bike, then hopped in the car to drive to Mexico for vacation.
The ride was a disaster! I rode on the trainer from 2:30-4:30 am and it was a struggle from the start. I couldn't get my speed up past 14-15 mph and my legs were being spent. I couldn't figure out what the deal was. I headed out for the outdoor ride at about 4:45 and pushed myself to the upper boundary of zone 2 because I just wanted to get the ride over with. I stopped at the gas station in Anthem for water and a break, and kept pressing on. Wind was already picking up, but coming from the opposite direction today, so it was actually at my back much of the way out. But I was still having to work so hard and my legs were wiped. Coming back from New River, I stopped at the gas station right there near Carefree and I-17 and found the reason for my struggles. I had popped a spoke on my rear wheel (I have no idea when that happened) and it was totally out of round which was causing it to rub hard on my brake every single revolution. Arggghh! No wonder it was so hard! Also, my chain kept slipping every few pedal strokes no matter what gear I was in. Don't know if the wheel issue was causing that or not, but I'll be sure to have Kevin check it out this coming week. I did manage to get a total of 75 miles in before I had to call Phil to come get me and my limping bike. :-) So, all was not lost, but I was sure hoping for a better bike experience today though. :-)

Fri 7/4
Scheduled workout: Run 8-9 miles
Actual workout:
I rested on Friday. My legs were toast after hitting the wall on Thursday morning.

Sat 7/5
Scheduled workout: Straight, steady swim (SSS) 70 minutes
Actual workout:
On Saturday, we were only able to get about 15 minutes of lap swimming in at the pool before the pool Nazis made us get out. But we played very hard in the ocean for 2 whole days, body surfing in big waves and just generally trying to stay alive, so I think I got enough water workout while we were there. It was too wavy to swim, but I had hours of time in the water.

Sun 7/6
Scheduled workout: Run 7-8 miles
Actual workout:
Sunday was another rest day thanks to a little injury I sustained to my toe (see the beautiful picture above) trying to get out of rough surf when it crashed into some coral. No break in the skin thankfully, but it’s many shades of purple and I couldn’t walk on it too well on Sunday. We drove back to Phoenix that afternoon. But, have no fear, it must not be broken because I was able to run Monday morning without any pain whatsoever!

Bike update:
I did get my spoke fixed on Monday (7/7), then I rode yesterday (Tuesday) morning. Much better! But my chain was still slipping some so I took it back to the shop and they are putting a new chain on today. The guy said the chain was slacking quite a bit (it’s the original chain on my bike and it’s never been adjusted –oops!) and he hoped that I hadn’t chewed the teeth on gear thing-a-ma-jig (of course he used the real bike terminology) too much riding with such a sloppy chain. I’ll test ride it tomorrow and see if it slips or if I need to take it back in for some new thing-a-ma-jigs – you know, the things with the teeth…

OIGWT Schedule of Events

2008-07-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here is the tentative vent schedule for OIGWT

Day 1 – Thursday, 31 July 2008
0700 – Arrive at Point Conception US Coast Guard reservation & Lighthouse
0730 – Opening Prayer & Ceremony
0745 – Setup for Swim and Bike Transition
0800 – Begin swim (1 mile+)
0900 – Exit water, wash down and clothing change
0915-0930 – Begin Bike to Ventura, CA.
1200 – 1215 Lunch Stop, water & nutrition refills
1215 – Continue Bike to Ventura
1530 –Arrive at Rincon Beach (9 miles out from Ventura)
1530 – 1545 Transition to Run, clothing change, water & nutrition refills, meet up with Run support crew who are on bikes.
1545 – Begin Run to Grant Park Cross in Ventura, CA. Last mile is all uphill..!
1700 – Arrive at Grant Park Cross, rest, water, nutrition, clothing change.
1730 – 1800 - Closing Prayer and ceremony for the day.

Day 2 – Friday, 01 August 2008
0730 – Opening Prayer
0745 – Setup and prepare for Swim and kayak support crew
0800 – Begin swim (1 mile)
0900 – Exit water, wash down and clothing change (showers available at beach and RV Transition area)
0915-0930 – Prepare for Bike, load up water and nutrition
0930 – Begin Bike to Huntington Beach, CA. (100+ miles)
1200 – 1215 Lunch Stop, water & nutrition refills
1215 – Continue Bike to Huntington Beach
1630 –Arrive at Huntington Beach 9 miles out from Pier Plaza.
1630 – 1640 Transition to Run, clothing change, water & nutrition refills
1640 – Begin Run to Huntington Beach Veteran’s Memorial at Pier Plaza at the flag pole area in Pier Plaza.
1800 – Arrive at HB Vets Memorial, rest, water, nutrition, clothing change.
1830 – 1900 - Closing Prayer and ceremony for the day.

Day 3 – Saturday, 02 August 2008
0730 – Opening Prayer
0800 – Begin swim (1 mile)
0900 – Exit water, wash down and clothing change (showers available at beach and RV Transition area)
0915-0930 – Prepare for Bike, load up water and nutrition
0930 – Begin Bike to La Jolla, CA. (100+ miles)
1200 – 1215 Lunch Stop, water & nutrition refills
1215 – Continue Bike to La Jolla
1630 – Arrive at La Jolla 9 miles out from Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross.
1630 – 1640 Transition to Run, clothing change, water & nutrition refills
1640 – Begin Run to Mount Soledad Veteran’s Memorial Cross (this is an uphill gradual climb from sea level to 822’)
1800 – Arrive at Mount Soledad Vets Memorial, rest, water, nutrition, clothing change.
1830 – 1900 - Closing Prayer and ceremony for the day.

Week 16: Training Update

2008-07-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

Week 16
5 weeks to go...

Linc and I met again on Wednesday and mapped out July's training plan. This is it until the event!!!

Mon 6/23
Run 6.4 mi
Masters swim
1x300, 3x100, 1x400, 3x100, 1x300, 5x100 – 2100 total

Tues 6/24
Bike 2 hrs in zone 2
Time – 1:56, 1:28 in Z-2
Avg HR – 131 bpm

Wed 6/25
Run 4 mi
Masters swim
12x50 on 1:10
4x400, 1:00 rest in between
10x25, sprint half length, slow to ez second half

Thurs 6/26
Run 12 miles
From my email to you:
Today’s 12-miler went great. I felt absolutely wonderful for the first 10 miles! I couldn’t believe how good I felt. The last 2 miles were pretty tough, but I think that may have been more psychological than anything. I decided to run my 10 mile course that took me right back to the house, then just loop around the 2 mile loop of the neighborhood to finish up. I think once I passed the house, it made we want to stop in my mind. Then pushing on for 2 more miles was pretty difficult, but I did it.

I just couldn’t believe how strong I felt and how nothing hurt. My hamstring got tight, but nothing like it had been doing, and nothing I couldn’t run through. It just felt amazing to feel so good on a run for a change! I’m very thankful to God for holding my body together during all this training.

Fri 6/27
Long swim – was supposed to go 70 minutes. A small group of us went to Lake Pleasant in the morning and I got in a 1.5 mile swim, which was less than I had planned, but this was the first open water I’ve been in since April’s tri. I wore my wetsuit, but I’m sure that’s the last time here for the summer as it was already pretty warm by 6am. I’ll be going back up there on Monday evening with the group for a wetsuit-less swim. I really need to continue to build my open water confidence.

Sat 6/28
Long bike – 92. 8 miles, 6 hours, avg 15.5 mph, 132 bpm avg HR
From my earlier email to you:
Today was good - 92.8 miles total. Could have been more, but I was so fresh at Anthem that I forgot to put more water in my Camelbak!!! I got to the New River turn to go SW and realized my water was empty - just had ice left. Arrrggghhh! So, instead of going the full 10 miles down and back I just went 5 miles down and back and drank HEED and Perp from my bottles and water as the ice melted in my camelbak. Refilled my water back at Anthem and all was good. Just frustrated at myself for forgetting to check my water supply. :-)

The riding inside beforehand is going to be the way to go for the remainder of these rides. Feels really weird getting up at 2:30am, but I liked that a whole lot more than being out in the heat longer. And there's always time to nap when I get home! Love the naps!!

Sun 6/29
REST!!!

Week 15: Training Update

2008-07-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

Week 15
6 weeks to go...

Mon 6/16
Run 5 mi
Masters Swim
300, 250, 200, 150, 100, 50, all with 30 sec. rest in between
15 x 50 on 1:20 - 4 fast, 1 slow, repeat x 3

Tues 6/17
Bike 2 hrs in Z-2
Time – 2:02
Avg HR – 132 bpm
Time in Zone 2 – 1:34
Avg Speed – 16 mph

Wed 6/18
Run 6 miles
Masters Swim – I forgot that I only did half the workout that day because my shoulder was bothering me. I don’t remember what the workout was that day.

Thurs 6/19
SSS – 70 long, boring minutes!

Fri 6/20
I had a choice between Run 3-4 miles or Rest. I chose Rest.

Sat 6/21
Long, HOT bike ride
8.5 miles inside on trainer, 74.5 miles outside on what felt like the surface of the sun, for a total of 83 miles. I was supposed to go 100. Avg 15 mph.

From my earlier email to you…
Ride was HOT and slow. As it heated up, I found it harder to keep my HR in zone 2 - mostly toward the end of the ride when it was over 100 degrees. My average speed for the ride was 15mph - ugh! I ended up with a total of about 83 miles counting the 8.5 I did before we went out and the 1 I tried to do after we got back. I think the heat must affect me a bit more than the average person as I am completely wiped after being out there in it very long. It's a shame because I know my body had more left, strength-wise, but the heat just sapped it all out of me. I slept for about 3 hours after we got back!

I think from now until the event, I'm just going to have to plan on riding the trainer for a couple of hours before hitting the road. I just won't have anything left to try and do any indoor riding after being in the heat.

Sun 6/22
REST

Week 14: Training Update

2008-07-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

Week 14
7 weeks to go...

Monday 6/9
Run 4.6 miles – was supposed to go 6 but I got to ACC late and didn’t have enough time.
Masters Swim
8 x 100 on 2:15 – Avg pace 1:50
3 x 400
2000 total

Tues 6/10
Zone 2 Bike Ride
27 miles, 1 hr 30 mins. In Z2 for 1:06

Wed 6/11
Run 6 miles
No Masters Swim today because I had to be at a meeting in Tempe at 8am

Thurs 6/12
SSS Swim – I swam 70 minutes today. Felt good but I was bored to tears!

Fri 6/13
Bike 82 miles – Today was supposed to be a 95 miler but between the wind and the heat, and the pain (more on that next), I had to cut it short. But, it still took me as long as the 90 miler last week thanks to the head winds, so I think I put 95 miles worth of effort into it! Okay, those gel shorts I got at Performance are either going back to the store or will be burned in effigy of the person who made them. I don’t know if the women’s version is different than the men’s but those things were the most uncomfortable things I’ve ever had on my body!!! I was sore by mile 15, and half way back up New River (the wind at my face and going an average 8 mph) at about 45 miles I was in so much pain I seriously considered taking the darned things off and riding without shorts at all! Luckily the heat hadn’t turned me delirious yet and I decided against that. I eventually got off my bike and readjusted my seat which took some of the pressure off the most painful areas and I limped my way home, stopping frequently for “saddle rest”. I kept remembering what you said about how those shorts could make sitting on a 2x4 comfortable, and I would gladly have traded them for a 2x4 before the ride was done – splinters and all! Ugh! You just never know about stuff like that. I guess introducing new equipment on a long ride like that isn’t such a good idea. J

I will be splitting up my remaining long rides between the road and inside. It’s finally too hot to be riding so late. We did get pretty fortunate with a longer spring this year so I am happy I got the long rides in that I did.

Sat 6/14
Run 10 miles

Sun 6/15
REST!!

Week 13: Training Update

2008-07-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

Week 13
8 weeks to go...

Linc and I met on Wed and mapped out June's training plan. As Linc put it, this is the meat and potatoes month!! June Training Plan

Mon 6/2
Run 5 miles
Masters swim
16 x 25, descending 1-4 on 40 sec.
10 x 100, alternate 15 sec/30 sec rest
16 x 25, no kick, some kick, more kick, exaggerated kick, repeat x 4
1800 total

Tues 6/3
80 min spin

Wed 6/4
Run 5 miles
Masters swim
2 x 300, 2 x 200, 2 x 100
25 fast, 25 slow, 50 fast, 25 slow
75 fast, 25 slow, 100 fast, 25 slow
6 x 50 kick only - w/ or without board (I did most without the board)
25 fast, 25 slow, 50 fast, 25 slow, 25 fast, 25 slow
2075 total

Thurs 6/5
SSS – 60 minutes! I was only scheduled for 50 minutes, but I felt good and didn’t have any other workouts today, so I just went 10 more minutes. Felt strong.

Fri 6/6
Run 8.2 miles

Sat 6/7
Long bike – 91.5 miles!!! Woo-hoo! Thanks to relatively cool temps, I was able to take my time, trying hard to stay in Zone 2. I think nutrition was good, and I felt really good overall and finished everything I brought with me this time (except the e-caps that I forgot I had, but fortunately must not have needed). Except for being extremely saddle sore, I felt good and my legs didn’t get very sore or tired. Even the next day, I only had a little tiredness in my legs. My seat was another story, but I think I may try those gel shorts. The adjustments Kevin made to my bike were extremely helpful. I was getting a lot of soreness in my shoulders, upper back and neck, but hardly any of that this time thanks to the adjustment to my aero bars. While still uncomfortable, it did take longer for me to get saddle sore this time, and it wasn’t the same kind of pain as before. I also didn’t have the extreme hamstring soreness and tightness (right side) the next day after riding this time. So, I think the adjustments were good. May still need a different seat, but it is feeling better. I don’t think any bike seat is going to feel “good” after 6 hours, but I’m at least shooting for tolerable – especially for consecutive days. I doubt I would have been happy about getting back up on that seat the next day. My average pace was 16.2 mph. According to my monitor, I spent about half the time 3+ hours in zone 2. I can’t figure out how to read average HR for the entire ride, but I would guess it was pretty nearly in Z-2. I only left the zone to take a hill or going down the other side or something, or just trying to readjust my HR to stay within the zone for varying terrain, etc.

Sun 6/8
REST – Oh did it feel good to sleep in all the way to 5:30 am!!!

Weeks 10 - 12: Training Update

2008-07-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

I've had very limited access to email for just short periods of time since I've been away [in NJ for Reserve Annual Tour]. I'll try to summarize my workouts and bring you up to date.

Week 10
11 weeks to go...

Monday 5/12 - Run 6.4 miles in AM, then did Lake Pleasant swim workout in afternoon.

Tuesday 5/13 - Spin 80 minutes

Wednesday 5/14 - Run 5 miles - Master's swim class

Thursday 5/15 - Spin 85 minutes

Friday 5/16 - Long bike ride. WINDY!!! Wow, this was a very hard ride. Even though my course was different than the previous week, I ended up exactly the same mileage - 83.3 two weeks in a row. But, thanks to the wind, it took me an hour longer this week. I was on my bike for 6.5 hours. Because the ride was so much longer (time wise) than I'd planned, my nutrition suffered and I felt pretty bad by the time I was done.

Saturday 5/17 - OFF (had to work at the base)

Sunday 5/18 - OFF travel day to NJ

Week 11
10 weeks to go...

Monday 5/19 - Spin 60 minutes, run 3 miles

Tuesday 5/20 - OFF

Wednesday 5/21 - Spin 90 minutes

Thursday 5/22 - OFF

Friday 5/23 - OFF

Saturday 5/24 - 60 minute run

Sunday 5/25 - 5 mile run

My training has really suffered since being gone. Our schedule is making it very difficult to be consistent but I'm trying to work something in when I can. I'm not going to be able to get into the pool at all until I get back. I'm just trying to maintain and I can regroup when I return. We'll get back sometime on Thursday, so I can get some pool time in after that. I'll also be able to do a long bike ride on Saturday morning.

Week 12
9 weeks to go...

The second week of Annual Tour really busted my training. I did get in a long-ish bike ride on Sun Valley Parkway on Friday of that week (maybe 60 miles, but I couldn't tell because my bike computer's battery went out). Time to re-group and start fresh next week!

Week 9: Training Update

2008-07-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

Week 9
12 weeks to go...

Monday 5/5
OFF – Was supposed to do master’s swim/6 mi run or 7 mi run and Lake Pleasant swim. I just didn’t feel good so I took the day off.

Tuesday 5/6
Spin 80 minutes

Wednesday 5/7
Run 5 mi, Master’s swim – 8x100 (rotate fast 25 1st, then 2nd, then 3rd, then 4th) and repeat, 2x (1x200 - EZ, rest for 30 seconds, 4x50 – fast, rest 10 sec in between, rest 1 min, then repeat). Total 1200

Thursday 5/8
Spin 60 minutes – was supposed to go 80 but I had a fasting blood test to take at 8am and wouldn’t be able to have anything but water until afterwards.

Friday 5/9
50 min SSS, 5 mile run

Saturday 5/10
http://www.mapmyfitness.com/view_route?r=133072724937

82.3 mile bike!! It took me just under 5 hours and I think my average MPH was 16.4. Nutrition was good, I think. I still didn’t finish all my HEED and Perp though. I just couldn’t choke enough of it down, but it didn’t feel like I was lacking anything. The worst part about it was being so saddle sore. I’m going down to Kevin’s shop tomorrow after work to see about a different seat, and some new tires to replace the one with the hole in it. God was surely watching out for me on Saturday riding with that bad tire, so I don’t want to push it again!

I definitely think I can go 85 on Friday. What’s a few more miles, huh?! I’m not sure if there’s anything I would do differently, except for having a different seat. I think I will make more of an effort to drink more of the Heed and Perp during the first half of the ride so I’m not trying to choke so much down during the second half. I think I will do the same route as Saturday, but instead of making up the extra miles by doing 2 loops on the Carefree-Cave Creek part, maybe I’ll turn left on New River (under the I-17 in Anthem) and go west to Carefree Hwy then turn around and come back then pick up the course again at the I-17. Have you ridden west on New River from there before? That’s about 10.6 miles from the I-17 overpass to Carefree Hwy. It looks like it turns into 99th Ave for most of the way. Do you know how that road is? Do you know if there’s a bike lane or if traffic might be an issue? I don’t think I’ve even driven that before.
http://www.mapmyfitness.com/ride/united-states/az/uninc-maricopa-county/627515893559

Sunday 5/11
REST

Week 8: Training Update

2008-07-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

Week 8
13 weeks to go...

I met with Linc again on 4/30 to map out May's training plan.

Here is a link to that: May Training Plan

Mon 4/28
Unscheduled rest – just too wiped from the busy move weekend.

Tues 4/29
Spin 75 minutes

Wed 4/30
Run 4 miles
Swim – 8x100 (30 sec. rest in between), 8x50 on 1:30 - goal <50>

Thurs 5/1 Spin 60 minutes

Fri 5/2 Long Bike – 68 miles (was shooting for 70, but my route was short a couple miles and I was out of time to make up the difference)

Sat 5/3 AF Drill – was supposed to get in a short run in AM, but had no time.

Sun 5/4 AF Drill – took annual Physical Fitness test and got a 100% for the first time!

Week 7: Training Update

2008-07-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

Week 7
14 weeks to go...

Mon 4/21
Run 5 miles
Master’s Swim – 6x75 - (25 DPS, 25 Fast Arms, 25 Sprint) x 6, 1 x 500, 4 x 100 – 1350 total

Tues 4/22
Spin 75 minutes

Wed 4/23
Run 4 miles
Master’s Swim – 12 x 25, 6 x 125, 6 x 100, 6 x 75 – 1600 total

Thurs 4/24
Spin 60 minutes easy

Fri 4/25
OFF
Well, except for packing an entire house and moving it…

Sat 4/26
Saguaro Lake Tri – Swim 1300 meters, Bike 30 miles, no run – too hot! My times are not listed in the results because I didn’t finish. But I think my swim was about 40 minutes and my bike was right around 2 hours.

Sun 4/27
OFF
Does 5 hours of shampooing carpets and scrubbing bathrooms count as a workout? It should! I was more tired and sore after that on Sunday afternoon than I am after most Friday workouts. :-D But the rental house is all clean now…

Week 6: Training Update

2008-07-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

Week 6
15 weeks to go...

Mon 4/14
Run 4 miles – I was supposed to run 5, but I was very tired from working the [IronMan AZ] aid station the night before and just did 4.
Master’s swim class – 10 x 200, 2000 total.

Tues 4/15
Spin 75 minutes

Wed 4/16
Run 4.5 miles – I only had to go 4 but made up a bit from Monday.
Swim – 6 x 150, 3 x 125, sprint last 25 of each. 1275 total

Thurs 4/17
Splash & Dash Tempe Town Lake. I’m so slow… http://www.4peaksracing.com/results/2008-04-17_age.HTM#21
I didn’t get my wetsuit pulled up all the way when I put it on and that didn’t give me full rotation in my arms. Ugh, that was hard! My run (all 3k of it) felt really good though, since going to PT for my hamstring/lower back. I actually felt like I was picking up my right foot for a change. I was still embarrassingly slow, but I felt like I had more spring in my step.

Fri 4/18
45 minute SSS swim – swim felt good
Run 7 miles – run was stronger than last week. It took longer for my hamstring and back to stiffen up, so that was good. I had PT right afterward, so that really helped.

Sat 4/19
Bike 67.5 miles! Felt strong. Slow, but strong, and my nutrition was good because I didn’t allow myself to get hungry or thirsty. After a quick shower and a short nap, I didn’t even feel like I’d done a long ride that morning. Legs weren’t sore or even really all that tired.

Sun 4/20 - Rest

Week 5: Training Update

2008-07-01T17:14:00.001-07:00

Week 5
16 weeks to go...

Phil and I decided to ask Linc to coach me. This was a very smart move because I've never attempted anything like this before. Linc and I met for the first time on April 2nd and put together the first month's traning plan. Here's a link to it: April Training Plan

This was my first full week under Linc's coaching. All updates from this point are from my email updates to him.

Sunday 4/6 – Rest

Monday 4/7 – Run 5 miles, Masters swim
8x25
(200, 150, 200, 100, 200, 50) x 2
2000 yd total

Tuesday 4/8 – Spin 70 minutes

Wednesday 4/9 – Run 4 miles, Masters swim
8x50 (25 drill, 25 hypoxic)
6x150 (100 EZ, 10 sec. rest, 50 sprint, 30 sec rest)
100 cool-down
6x25 (sprint on 1 minute, goal <>

Week 4: Training Update

2008-07-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

Week 4
17 weeks to go...

I was struggling a bit with confidence last week and went back to Joshua and reminded myself of this and wrote it in my log book:

"Be strong and very courageious. Be careful to obey all the law and do not turn from it to the right or left, that you may be successful wherever you go." Joshua 1:17

Mon 3/31
Run 4.1 miles
Masters swim
6x50 warm-up
12x25 (4x25, :20 rest, 4x25 :15 rest, 4x25 :10 rest)
9x100 (100 fast, 100 not-so-fast, 100 slow, :30 rest in-between) <-- repeat x 3
50 cool-down

Tues 4/1
Spin bike 60 mins

Wed 4/2
Run 4.1 miles
1/2 Masters swim workout
25x16 (25 DPS, 25 fast arms, 25 sprint, 25 hypoxic) <-- repeat x 4
3x150 (50ez-50fast-50fast, 50fast-50ez-50fast, 50fast-50fast-50ez,)

Thurs 4/3
Spin bike 65 mins

Fri 4/4
40 min SSS (Straight Steady Swim - no stopping)
Run - was supposed to run 5 miles but got back spasms at about 2.5 miles, so walked most of the rest of 4 miles. Made appt. with PT.

Sat 4/5
Ling bike 42 miles on Beeline Hwy with Phil

Sun 4/6
Rest

Week 3: Training Update

2008-07-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

Week 3
18 weeks to go...

Mon 3/24
Run 4.1 miles
Masters swim
3x100, 2x100, 1x100, 7x100
Tread water :30, swim flag-flag, tread water :30 <-- repeat x 10
Run 1.5 miles on treadmill @ lunch, stretch

Tues 3/25
Spin bike 60 minutes

Wed 3/26
Run 4.1 miles
Masters swim
300 (25 drill, 25 build, 25 fast) <-- repeat x 4
500, 400, 300, 200, 100

Thurs 3/27
Spin bike 60 mins

Fri 3/28
Rest

Sat 3/29
Long bike 48 miles

Sun 3/30
Rest

Week 2: Training Update

2008-07-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

Week 2

19 weeks to go...

Mon 3/17
Run 4.1 miles
Masters swim
6x150 (25 drill, 75 build, 25 fast)
6x25 on :45 sec.
500 (2x25, 2x50, 2x75, 2x100)

Tues 3/18
Spin bike 60 minutes

Wed 3/19
Run 4.1 miles
Masters swim
12x100(25 fast, 75 recover, 50 fast, 50 recover, 75 fast, 25 recover, 100 fast) <-- repeat x 4
100 @ 75%
75 @ 75%
50 @ 80%
25 @ 90%
50 recover

Thurs 3/20
Spin bike 45 minutes

Fri 3/21
Rest

Sat 3/22
Long bike 36 miles

Sun 3/23
Rest

Week 1: Operation: In God We Trust Training Update

2008-07-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog! I've decided to use this as a tool to document my training for Operation: In God We Trust.

I began training for this event formally on March 10, 2008 and started logging my training in a notebook. Then, at the end of March, Phil and I decided to ask Lincoln Murdoch to coach me. I started training with him in April then began to log my training via email with him.

From my training notebook:

Week 1
20 weeks to go

Mon 3/10
Run 3 miles
Masters swim class

Tues 3/11
Spin bike 45 minutes

Wed 3/12
Run 4.1 miles
Masters swim class

Thurs 3/13
Spin 45 minutes

Fri 3/14
Run 4.1 miles
Masters swim class
2x400
2x300
2x200
2x100

Sat 3/15
Long bike ride - 30 miles / 1 hour