Week Four - Rest what?

So last week was supposed to be a rest week and I failed. It's hard to rest when the weather is so nice! I feel like I have to take advantage of it because surely it will get back to normal crappy winter sooner or later. I am due for a rest week - maybe next week because I have friends coming to town. Here's what I did last week:

Total: 10.05 hours, 73.5 miles! oops
Swimming: 1:20, 3175 meters
Biking: 4:27, 61.87 miles
Running: :44, 4 miles
Snowshoeing: 3:00, 5.6 miles (Lake Agnes - beautiful and challenging!)
Strength: 35 minutes

This week I was also supposed to do a bit of a time trail for each discipline. I didn't do the run since we went snowshoeing and my legs (and entire body/mind) were pretty tired after that. So I should probably do that at some point.

For the swim, I found out that my t1 pace is 1:35. I think this means I can swim 100 yards on a 1:35 interval for reasonable amount of time. This seems so slow to me in some ways, I don't know how people do 100's close to a minute. I have decent form swimming, I think, but am just not that fast.

For the bike, I rode 5.37 miles in 16:37 - about a 19.3 mph pace. This is nice because I was below my lactate threshold for this test (at least as far as I could tell since my HRM broke).

It's official! Boulder Long Course, here I come!

I registered for the half ironman in Boulder on Aug. 9 today!!! I know I want to do it, but hitting the "continue" button after filling in all my registration info was extremely nerve-wracking. What am I thinking? I've never run more than 10 miles before - and I want to run 13 after doing all that other stuff, too!? Well, I'm glad it's official now. The race was filling up so I wanted to make sure to get a spot.

In case you're unfamiliar, the race will be a 1.2 mile swim (1900+ meters), 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. Whew!

Week Three - Success!

Well this week I completed all of the scheduled workouts! I felt like that was a good accomplishment. Chris and I went snowboarding Sunday though and my legs were beat after just a few hours on some blacks at Winter Park. So I guess I definitely worked them this week!

Weekly totals:
7:20, 43.66 miles
Swimming: 2 hrs, 5325 meters
Biking: 2:10, 30.3 miles (long 1:10, 18.3 miles)
Running: 1:45, 10.05 miles (long 1:00, 5.65 miles)
Strength: 1:20

Week Two

The greatest thing about last week was the weather. I rode for almost 2 hours on Wednesday in shorts and short-sleeves! That wasn't even a scheduled workout but I couldn't resist the January beautifulness. I rode part-way up Rist and it was tough but magnificent. :) I also enjoyed a great hike up to Arthur's Rock on Monday with our friend from Georgia, Eric.

Weekly totals:
9 hrs, 59 miles
Swimming: 2 hours, 4550 meters
Biking: 3:21, 41.7 miles (long day - 2:36, 34.2 miles)
Running: 1:23, 7.85 miles (long day - :57, 5.45 miles)
Strength: :45
Hiking: 1:30, 3.5 miles

What do I need to work on? Actually doing the two days of strength training scheduled each week!

Week One

Week of Jan. 12-18 ...
I signed up for a 10 week training plan from Gale Bernhardt, a triathlon and cycling coach I know from when I worked at Peloton. Her credentials are many, including coaching the women's olympic triathlon team in Athens in 2004. She's also a nice, encouraging person, from my interactions with her at the bike shop. Plus, her plans (found here) are affordable - $35 each - and she knows the importance of building a strong aerobic base. You get a full plan and the ability to move workouts around to fit your schedule. I'm doing an 8 week plan after this one that ends with a half marathon - and coincides perfectly with the Fort Collins Half Marathon I'm planning on doing in May. So, it's an excellent fit.

I also signed up for Masters swimming at the Fort Collins Club. I plan on going on Tuesdays and Thursdays (6-7 PM) for the next couple of months. As the weather warms and the prospect of group workouts outside becomes more appealing, I am also thinking of joining Team Trifecta, which is coached/led by Wendy Mader. I wish I had more money to devote to racing, but for now I am trying to get the most of what money I (& my husband, who earns the majority of our household income!) am willing to spend.

Anywho, last week totals:
5:43, 39.78 miles
Swimming: 2 hours, 4900 meters
Biking : 2:10 , 30.5 miles (my commuting miles are usually pretty slow)
Running : 1:03 , 6.2 miles
Strength: :30
And two days of snowboarding! :)

The beginning ...

Well this week I started my base training. It's been a little hard since I haven't really been working out on a regular basis for about a month (!!). I've been tired a lot, especially at night and in the morning. It also doesn't help that last weekend wasn't exactly relaxing - my husband and I spent several hours doing fence repairs in our yard.

This morning I meant to go for an hour run, but when my alarm went off at 6 AM it was pitch black and my throat hurt, so I went back to sleep. It turns out it was really foggy, so maybe it's better I wasn't running in the dark. Anyways, I'm hoping I can get better at the early morning wake up calls, but I'm trying to be forgiving of myself as I ease into it this week.

I'm still trying to figure out a coaching situation - if I even want one. It just seems like a lot of money, even though I know it will help me improve. And not sure which races I want to do, either. Once I figure that out for sure I'll post it on here.

The "It's been a while" swim

Last Sunday I swam 2500 yards. It was probably only the 3rd time I've swam in the last couple of months, so it was kind of rough, but a good workout. Here's what I did:

200 choice
8x50 with 25 drill/25 swim and 10 seconds rest

10x100 mainly free on 1:50. Every 3rd 100 was pull/kick/pull (#3/6/9) with 10 seconds rest.
12x50 as 50 back, 50 breast, 50 free on 10 seconds rest.

300 cool down

It took about 55-60 minutes.