Swimming

Sunday is normally my treadmill and swim day, but I've developed tendinitis in my right Achilles tendon and have decided to avoid the treadmill for a couple weeks until it heals up a bit.  So my workout tonight was all swimming!  I wanted to stay in the pool for a half hour so I broke up the laps with some pool running to give my legs a workout.  It is HARD to run in the pool!

Anyway, I swam a total of 650 yards tonight when all was said and done, but I'm a bit concerned about my breathing.  I find that my most efficient stroke is freestyle, breathing after every 4th stroke.  However, after about 100 yards I find that it becomes harder and harder to take a full breath to carry me forward and my throat starts to feel constricted.  Breathing after every other stroke is a bit better but it throws off my rhythm and slows me down.  And in general I find that my breaststroke is extremely slow as well as more tiring.  Is there anyone out there with advice on how to improve my breathing?  I think this will end up being the limiting factor in my ability to complete the triathlon in August, so I'd better find a solution to this problem!

I Took The Plunge!

Well folks, I took the plunge this morning and officially entered the 2010 Philadelphia Danskin SheRox Triathlon.  I'm super excited about it, and have started researching training plans.  I've had the book Slow Fat Triathlete by Jayne Williams on my bookshelf for awhile, and now it's time to pull it out and give it a read. 

I'm pretty sure I could complete the entire event right now if I had too - I'd need to walk most of the 5K, and I'd be dead last overall, but I could finish.  And with a little over 9 months to train, I've got nowhere to go but up!

Second Triathlon Training Goal!

Today was a frustrating day - for the second time, I attempted (unsuccessfully) to upgrade my laptop to Windows 7.  Simultaneously I was trying to learn to edit HTML code on my desktop computer (also unsuccessfully).  Perhaps my failures had something to do with dividing my attention between 2 things that really needed my full attention?

Regardless, by about 5pm I was so irritated and annoyed that I decided the only thing I could do was go to the gym and work it out on the treadmill.  And so it is with great pride that I announce to you.......drum roll please....I ran a quarter of a mile tonight!  Actually, I ran a mile and a quarter if you add up all my intervals, but one of those intervals was 3 minutes long at a 5mph pace, thus...A QUARTER OF A MILE!  Yippee!!!

Anyway, this was my second training goal (the first one is here) and I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now.  I planned to be there by mid-December and I'm right on target.  Oh yeah - I also swam 300 yards without stopping after my spectacular showing on the treadmill.  Pat, pat, pat...

So I guess it's time to set my next goal...let's see, how about a 10 mile outdoor bike ride?  I don't know how realistic this is since I've only been doing spin classes and my actual bicycle is in the basement right now, covered with dust and sporting two flat tires...but there's no time like the present to clean it up and take it for a spin. 

Now I'm attempting once again to upgrade my laptop.  At least I'm in a better frame of mind to deal with it after getting some success into my day!  Let's hope the third time's a charm.

First Training Goal Achieved

Last night I achieved my first triathlon training goal: swim 200 yards without a break.  A small goal, yes - but more than I could do three weeks ago, so I'm feeling pretty good about that!  I've decided my next goal will be to jog 1/4 mile at a 5 mph pace.  Right now I can jog about a minute at 5 mph - so I basically need to work up to 3 minutes of jogging to hit that quarter mile target.  Hopefully I'll be there by mid-December!

Facing Down Fear...or...Why my butt really hurts today

This morning I faced down one of my long-standing fears: spinning class. For the uninitiated, spinning is indoor cycling on a special stationary bike, in a group setting, with an instructor that talks you through moves designed to simulate riding on different terrains. It is touted as one the highest calorie burn workouts you can do, and the creator, Johnny G, has achieved cult-like status among his ‘disciples’. He invented spinning as a convenient and quick way to train for races - and with the cold weather coming on, I need to find an alternative to outdoor cycling to keep up with my triathlon training.

I have wanted to try spinning for years - devotees rave about the calorie burn and the toning, and their physiques certainly speak for themselves. But I have observed a few classes (from a safe distance on a nearby treadmill) and was skeptical about whether I could actually keep up with the pace. During class, which takes place in a very dim (read: creepy) room, there is a lot of grunting and yelling going on. The seats are narrow and hard. Really narrow, and really hard. All of the participants are drenched in sweat within minutes. In fact, most instructors leave the door to the spinning room open during class so the humidity doesn't get so high it rains.

And of course virtually everyone in the class has a rock-hard body and carries an air of intensity and determination that quite frankly intimidates the hell out of me. They all wear skimpy, form fitting clothes - some even have special shoes that look really uncomfortable. Normally, I have no objection to uncomfortable shoes - think pointy toes and 4-inch stiletto heels - but these fancy cycling shoes are anything but pretty, and I doubt they will do much to show off my pedicure:

Are you kidding me? These things are U-G-L-Y-you-ain’t-got-no-alibi ugly.  They make my MBTs look almost sexy.

Shoes aside, I was just plain scared and intimidated, and had built my fear up to mammoth proportions.  But this fitness journey I'm on is all about changing my way of life, and facing fear is a big part of that process.  So this weekend I decided it was time to (wo)man-up and just go.  At my husband's advice, I got myself a gel seat cover (seriously, those seats are HARD) and picked a 45-minute class early on Saturday morning in hopes that it wouldn't be too packed with regulars.

I arrived early to get a good spot, then sort of slunk towards the back row and claimed a bike near the door in case I needed to beat a hasty retreat. I tried to adjust the seat and handlebars on my own, did it wrong (almost tipped the bike over on myself in the process) and then found a kind woman in the front row to help me set up. She told me to just go at my own pace, regardless of what the rest of the class was doing, and reminded me that everyone is a beginner at some point. Wise advice, that. The instructor, Toni, was also encouraging, and the woman on the bike next to me was very kind and supportive. So far, so good. I got my gel seat cover situated, and found that the seat was still really hard. Sigh.

Class started, nice easy pedaling - hey, I can do this! - and then....then...all hell broke loose. The instructor started yelling things like 'Gimmee some tension - I need more tension' and this weird guy a couple bikes to my left started yelling 'WOO' at random intervals. WTF? Get out of the saddle, lean forward, focus, go half your max, gimmee some tension...I was so confused. In an effort not to look like a complete idiot, I just copied whatever the guy in front of me did.  The class was really hard, and there were several times that I just couldn't keep up. But the instructor came over a couple times to give me some tips, and the kind woman next to me said I was doing 'fabulous'. After about 30 minutes my legs were so shaky that I could no longer stand up on the bike so I just stayed seated and changed the tension on the bike when she shouted (all the while trying to ignore the fact that my butt bones were screaming in pain). The music was great (AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Guns-n-Roses), and LOUD - just the way I like it - and at the 40 minute mark I thought "Wow, I just made it through my first spin class and survived! Nothing left but the cool-down!". That's when the instructor announced we would be going for a full hour...

After class, I hopped on a treadmill at a nice easy pace and walked for about 15 minutes to loosen up my legs and reflect on the morning's accomplishment. Then I caught up with Ken, who was just getting out of a step class in the next room, and gave him my verdict: Challenging but fun. I'll definitely do it again - hopefully regularly. And it feels amazing to have faced down my fear and survived.  But wow, does my butt hurt!!!!  And I'm not wearing those stupid shoes until Kate Spade comes out with a line of cycling gear.

Watersports

I think that the most challenging piece of triathlon training will be the swim.  Although I was on the swim team for a year in high school, it has been years since I have done more than just splash around in the water.  This past weekend I did 200 yards in the pool at the gym and was so winded that I had to rest after every other lap!  I'll approach this the way I came at the 3-Day training - one step (or stroke) at a time.  First goal, to swim 200 yards without taking a break.  Ultimate goal, to swim 1000 yards at a decent pace.  First step, get back in the pool this weekend and swim some laps!!!

To help motivate me to train, I ordered a fun swim cap: