Sarah's Training Blog

Pink Cheeks Report

2008-05-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

The weather was lousy (leading up to it, at least) but the race was great! I woke up wondering if the snow had accumulated in Seward the way it had in Anchorage, but luckily no. I figured I'd just take it one leg at a time, and if I was too scared biking in the snow they I could always bail. By the time the run started at 11am, however, the pavement was merely wet and really didn't have any snow on it. In this picture, I'm the 2nd from the right in red. These are my tri-bunny friends who went down and did the race too. Everyone finished!

The swim was fantastic! I wanted my 900yd to be under 15 minutes and was ecstatic when my timer told me 14:34. I was relaxed and felt good the entire time, and I even had enough left over to sprint the last lap. Then it was out of the pool, changing bike tires, and getting ready for the land portion to begin. This is us after the swim.

It was an out and back course for both the run and the bike, the bike just took the same course out a little further. The run was 5K and I'm so proud to say I actually ran the entire run (no walking at all), especially considering that it was somewhat hilly and the last 1/2 mile was uphill. First time I ever did the entire 5K in a race as a run with now walk breaks. I was tired but so happy.

The after the triumphs in the swim and run, if felt like my bike was just a matter of cleaning things up. It was muddy in places and I came back with spots all over, but it was still really fun. Only 6 miles, but again the hills added a lot of challenge. All-in-all, it was a wonderful even and I'm really glad I didn't give up when I saw the snow coming down.

2008-04-25T17:07:00.001-07:00

Another lovely Friday in late April. The birds are chirping, the buds are budding, and the snow is falling. What?! Man, I thought we were done with this! We've gotten almost 6" since this morning and I'm a tad bit concerned about the drive to Seward for the Pink Cheeks Triathlon tomorrow. Hopefully there will be a race and they won't have to cancel it like they did with the Heart Run in Anchorage. I'm crossing my fingers and toes, and it appears the snow is currently limited to the Anchorage area.

My steps have dropped off this last week as I've been trying to take it easy in preparation for the race. I really want to be able to run the entire run portion. That is the biggest goal I have with this race, aside from finishing with a smile on my face. I did a little swim last night, but have mostly been hanging in the 6000 step range since Tuesday. I am looking forward to racking them up after tomorrow. In the meantime I'm dreaming dreams of spring.

Finally, some sun!

2008-04-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

I'm waiting for my friend to pick me up to go running and figured I could get in a blog real quick. It is certainly starting to feel like spring has sprung and we won't see anymore surprise snowfalls. What a relief that is. The weekend was great and I got in a bunch of steps. The Saturday run-swim-walk felt better on the whole than it did last Saturday. I got a stitch in my side at exactly the same place in the run, so I'm not entirely sure what that's about, but the transition to the swim felt better. I never realized how much my shoulders and back are working while running until I tried to swim afterwards. Yesterday's bike ride was great. Marcia is helping me learn the most efficient way to ride hills and it is making a difference. I kept my heartrate in the low 140s while going up the hills just by learning to "spin" my way up the hill. What a difference.

My step count will have to go down for a couple days in preparation for the race on Sunday, but after that its back to it.

another walking program?

2008-04-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness! I had no idea how much I missed the incentive of the walking programs until we started back up. I'm having an blast and again thinking of how I can get more steps in. I was dancing in the shower last night and trying to figure out how many more steps I could count for it. I've also got my husband signed up and he's wearing his pedometer, but no word on if it is having the same effect on him.

Well, last night I did a 10 mile bike ride followed by a quick 15 minute run to work on getting my legs used to that transition. Tomorrow will be a run-swim-walk brick, Sunday a bike ride, and Monday a run (thinking about running the pavement portions and walking the snow/ice portions of the Coastal Trail, which I think will be a lot of fun). Then it is easy walks and such in preparation for the Pink Cheeks Triathlon on 4/26. But how will I get my treasured step??? I will just have to see.

coming up next...

2007-05-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

Next Saturday I am signed up to do an adventure race called Women Rock. A good friend, my sister, and I will hike 5 miles, mountain bike 13 miles, and paddle a mile or so. We will have 6 hours to finish and collect as many points along the way as we can via orienteering. All the teams do it in 6 hours. None of us has ever done anything like this before and we are more than a little nervous. So why bother, I keep asking myself. That is a good question. Why take on something that will be difficult and scary at times? I'm not entirely sure. I guess because it means something to know that you can do it. There is value in showing up and giving it a try. I feel woefully unprepared for the bike in that all my biking has been on bike paths or roads, but we have a long time to finish it, and we'll be together.

In the last 5 years I have taken on various events that I shouldn't have been able to do at my size, at least on paper. I have completed every single one of them. I am never fast, but I am dogged and tenacious and that gets me past the finish line. I do worry that this will be the first event I don't finish. But, I think the greater tragedy would be for me to let fear keep me from lining up in the first place. Wish me luck. Send good thoughts.

Gold Nugget Triathlon

2007-05-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the 25th Gold Nugget Triathlon for women. It was a gorgeous day - couldn't have asked for better weather. I was really looking forward to it. I had several goals for the race:
1. Beat last year's time
2. Beat my individual times
3. Break 8 minutes in the swim
4. Finish in under 2 hours.
5. Finish the run in under an hour

All-in-all, I had a great race and meat most of my goals. The swim was difficult because I was faster than both of the other women in my lane and had to make 3 passes. More than once I was doing breaststroke and had to do at least one open turn. My time was 8:22, which I'm actually pretty happy with. It is only 1 second slower than last year, when I had smooth sailing in my lane. I think I am getting faster.

I dropped a couple minutes on my transition, several minutes on the bike, 6 minutes off my run (and broke an hour), and came in under 2 hours for the entire race. I dropped 11 minutes total off my time, and completed the race 20 minutes faster than I did 2 years ago. Wahoo! I'm very happy with my times.

This is a great time of year

2007-05-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

I love it when the trees are budding out and we have far more summer in front of us than behind us. The trails are finally clear and yet the mosquitoes haven't found us, so it is comparably easier to be outside. It is just wonderful.

Yesterday I did two new activities. At UAA staff development day I played inner-tube water polo. I had a blast and am amazed at how sore my upper body is today. I have a background as a swimmer and really felt like the tube got in my way, but I saw how other players were really helped by the tube, and the end result was that the playing ground was leveled for everyone. I also found out that I suck at shooting goals, but I do pretty well with moving the ball. I wish I had a picture to post of us all scootin' around in the water. It was a terrific way to start my day.

The other new thing I did was go to a track workout for a women's running club. This club has no speed requirement, but I was still mightily intimidated. I went alone, without my training partner, and that was the bigger stretch than the running. It was important for me to face it and make myself do it. I couldn't do the whole practice, but I did the best I could, sweated a lot, and met a couple nice women who are about my speed. I think I'll try again in a couple weeks.

Sunday is the Gold Nugget Triathlon. I am hoping to beat my times from last year, but I'm pretty tired right now, so we'll see. Happy training!

Then and now pictures

2007-05-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

The first picture of me is from 2003 at the Danskin Women's Triathlon in Seattle. This is between 10 and 20 pounds under my top weight, which I hit within 6 months of this picture.

The second picture was taken yesterday, lol, in the University Center. Seventy-five pounds below my top weight, and also much more physically fit which I see as something related, but separate, from weight and size.

It is kind of strange, but I still have trouble seeing a difference in my body between now and then. I guess that is just part of my particular brand of craziness. I know how I feel, though, and I am very grateful that I have a more active, less fearful life. I have slowly built up confidence in my body and what it can do, and what it can do has changed as my body has gotten smaller. It is a chicken-and-egg proposition, I think.

Thanks very much to Karen for suggesting I pull these pictures together! It made me think about my weight-loss journey from a different perspective, and I connected some mental dots.

Happy training!

another weekend, another week

2007-05-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

I had a great time on Saturday. Biked to meet a friend and then walked the Heart Run with her. Then I biked around town with another friend, and then home. I don't know what the distance was on the bike, but it was a lot of fun and I felt terrific! The Heart Run is always a nice event although this year I was feeling particularly crowded by all the people and strollers. Every year I say that I'm going to run it next year, and I'm saying that again in the hopes that my knee cooperates.

Speaking of my knee, I got out for 50 minutes last night and jogged almost half of that. I promptly iced when I got home, but I'm very pleased with how I'm feeling today. I'm not really supposed to run that much but it just felt so darn good! The knees are sore but not abnormally so, at least for me.

I lost another couple pounds last month which is great. I am most grateful for how mobile I am, as losing my mobility was (is) a huge fear. Kate suggested that I put up before and after pics, which made me chuckle because I really think of it as more like "before and during" since I have more weight to lose. More than the size, though, is that I feel very strong and fit, and that is such a gift.

perseverance

2007-04-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have been a bit remiss in keeping up with my blog, so I'm glad to be back on task. The race was a challenge, but in a bunch of ways I never expected. I lined up at the start physically and emotionally exhausted. I'd spent a couple days either traveling or trying to split myself between he obligations of friends and family, not to mention walking around for a couple hours at the Tulip Festival (very lovely). My legs were somewhat less than "fresh." The night before the race I was mostly awake due to a roommate and bedmate who snored incessantly. I am not kidding when I say incessantly. So, with 3 hours (pieced together in fits and starts) of sleep I suited up and showed up. I went into it thinking that I'd simply do as much as I could, but if I had to scratch, that was just going to have to do. I knew I could do the distance under normal conditions and that I was not under normal conditions. And then I saw the back of a racer's T-shirt which appeared to be hand lettered which said:

The only competition you have is that voice inside yourself telling you to quit.

Wow. So, I had that line running through my head for 13 miles. Oh, and a lot of cuss words about my feet. My legs actually felt OK, but I started to get blisters at mile 3. The word suck just doesn't quite cover that. I was painfully slow (pun intended) and crossed the finish line in only what can be described as an upright crawl. But I finished and got my medal! Wahoo! I had blisters on both feet, but the biggest offender was 2"x1" and at its most swollen was raised about 3/8" - the blister bandaids didn't even fit over it. If that isn't a feeling of bad ass, I just don't know what is!

Now, a more than a week later I'm feeling good and looking forward. Still having some trouble with blistering a little when I go out, but it is tolerable. This weekend is the Heart Run and the following weekend is the Bike for Women. Got outside on my bike on Monday and was lucky enough to see some sandhill cranes. What a beautiful place Alaska is.

clothes and the pedometer

2007-04-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

I have lost about 75 pounds over the last few years, which is great, but it means that a lot of my clothes don't fit very well. I'm not complaining. It is just that I've noticed that I have a ton more trouble with my pedometer being accurate when I'm wearing pants with a loose waistband. It appears that the pedometer falls forward and doesn't pick up my steps very well. I have done some very un-scientific testing: yesterday I my pants fit well and I had almost no trouble calibrating the pedometer; today I can't seem to get the darn thing to work right at all unless I hold the pedometer up as I walk. I think I will be putting on a belt when I wear loose pants.

Last night I bought a nice technical top to wear during the race and a raincoat that very light. I am really excited about the trip and the race and it is a little hard to focus on work, lol. Nothing left but to do it.

Sun feels good

2007-04-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

I managed to go outside during my lunch and walk around the mall. Felt wonderful. I have 5531 steps so far today, and that is a lot more than I'd get if I didn't take my little mall walks. It is amazing how the little things really do add up. I'd like to put some time in on my bike trainer tonight, but we have family in town and I think I may be conscripted into a family thing instead. Yesterday I got my full 500 bonus steps and learned 2 things: first, it takes almost no time at all to do 7 crunches; and second is that 5 minutes of stretching goes quickly, but more importantly it feels pretty damn good!

Two steps forward...

2007-04-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

And one back. I went home sick from work yesterday and my step count was pitifully low. Been fighting this stomach stuff for a month now, and I'm officially sick of it. At least I didn't miss some big training. If it is still going on next week, I think I'll have to go to the doctor.

I can feel more strength in my quads than I had a few months ago. Training for the half and doing my PT exercises is making a difference, and I can feel it, even when I just stretch in bed. What a terrific sensation!

Today is a rest day, so I'll be walking the mall to get some steps in. Tomorrow will be a swim or a little walk.

Monday

2007-04-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

My steps were pretty low on Saturday, but I walked an hour and 40 minutes on Sunday and got a higher count. I feel really ready for the race next Sunday. My workouts will be down to 20 and 30 minutes as part of taper for the event. I'll do 13.1 on Sunday, and the following week long training will be 8 miles. The week after that we are going to shoot for a 16 mile training. My knee is coming back too, so I can start incorporating some short running intervals. Things are lookin' good! My blister is even healing up!

I completely forgot about squiggly and I was within a hundred feet of him yesterday!

Walkin' Fool

2007-04-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well, not today so much, but I'm really happy with how much I've been doing as I get close to the Whidbey Island half marathon on 4/15. Managed to get in a half-hour swim last night and did a teensy bit of butterfly without tweaking my shoulder too much. I'm really excited about the Orient Express challenge and the various races this summer. Gotta go find Sqiggly!

Next week is taper for the race, so my step numbers will decline. Too bad, but maybe I can do some weights or something.