My Training Log

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:52:45 GMT

Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.
And it makes me wonder...

~Jimmy Page & Robert Plant

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:00:28 GMT

i didn't realize how bad i felt until i started feeling much, much better on saturday. it was like a light turning on or maybe a fog lifting. i re-read emails and text messages i sent on tuesday and wednesday... this is funny to me (although i realize not to everyone): they are the narcotic equivalent of drunk dialing!

mr. traininglog has taken very tender care of me. i consider myself blessed but unworthy to have him in my life. i am happy to be home today, although the unpacking, laundry, and freezer of rotten food are all rather overwhelming. little by little, it will all get done, no worries.

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 22:37:41 GMT

Typing w/ 1 hand

The break was in middle of hand, not finger. However it was finger flopping that was easiest to see w/o xray

"home" (hotel) from surgery. Since it was diifferent dr, he wanted to do different pocedure, which I think is actually better. Instead of incision on top of my hand (scar!) and permanent pin, he went in thru the side with a different kind of pin (2 actually) that will be removed in about 3 weeks.

The nurse let me have coffee & jam toast in recovery!!!

Drugs r good.

Thank you, all of you, for your kind words. Now I sleep...

Ironman CdA 2007

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 20:20:44 GMT

Let me see if I can describe this with as little drama as possible...

During the swim, I got my share of elbows and kicks. On the 2nd lap, my left hand hurt pretty bad. I thought it must be the worst case of Reynaud's I'd ever had. It was weird though, because I was having a hard time making my hand work. I can't explain it, but it didn't work.

In the transition tent, I saw that my ring finger was sort of dangling and pointed the wrong way. I kept saying (to no one really listening), "That doesn't look right, does it?" I decided to go to the med tent. The medic taped that finger to the fingers next to it. He said it wouldn't make any difference if i got it checked the next day.

I started the bike ride, but I didn't want to. I stopped for some love from mr traininglog and mizmizuno. I tried to decide whether to keep going. All I could think was that I didn't want to wake up the next day and be disappointed that I quit without trying.

The bike course was challenging, especially because I couldn't shift or brake with my left hand. In fact, it hurt to hold on, so I used that hand as little as possible, like to balance/steer when I used my right hand to eat or something. After the first loop, I had to find a medic to re-tape it, because my hand had swollen and was cutting off the circulation. The new tape felt more secure and I thought I could try another loop.

The second bike loop was easier on my legs, but harder on my hand. But I figured if I could just get to the run, things would be better. Except that my hand swelled more and was throbbing/pulsating. I finished the run and went straight to the emergency room, without eating or even changing clothes.

The x-ray showed that my 4th metacarpal was broken and that the 2 ends of the bone were more than a centimeter apart and overlapped. The doctor on call consulted with an orthopedic surgeon, who said it would need a pin to align it. He arranged an operating room and we were to be at another hospital at 6 a.m. I got drugs and went home for a couple of hours.

Ok this is already longer than I can deal with right now. So basically the rest of the story is that I woke up the morning after Ironman and drank some water. The anesthesiologist would not administer a general because of that, so I go back tomorrow to get it done.

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:55:39 GMT

Looking for some inspiration, I found a journal entry from 2004. I still like it.

Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Or, in the more contemporary words of Lyle Lovett: "But what would you be if you didn't even try? You have to try."

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:31:52 GMT

Andrea called on my way home from Barton Springs this morning. They got stuck in Toronto and she wanted to check up on me. I told her I'm fine, and that my latest obsession is whether or not I'll regret not having a 27 on the back.

She said she doesn't think I need it, but that it would give me peace of mind to have it. She suggested I "throw it in my suitcase" (umm, I'd need to buy the cassette first) and that Jamie would put it on for me on Friday.

I don't know. I'm not sure why I waited until the last minute to deal with this, or even if I should deal with it. If I really wanted it, I could have put it on a couple of weeks ago when the thought first crossed my mind.

Lots to do today. A trip to the shop isn't in the cards. Oh yeah! It's TUESDAY! A trip to the shop is definitely not in the cards! Ok, that's too funny!! Not really. It just struck my funny bone. Ok, no more coffee.

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:49:26 GMT

Weekend update:

I left my bike ("it's like a real bike! only smaller!") in Jack's hands. My parting thought was, "I'm going to wish I had put a 12/27 on there."

Friday, another 16 lengths at Barton Springs. Mentally, it went by much more quickly than Tuesday's. I practiced with a borrowed wetsuit. It chafed my neck (good to know ahead of time where to apply the body glide) and my hair kept getting caught in the velcro. deankat helped me figure out what to do about that.

Saturday, I drove to Pflugerville for a lovely 2 hour ride with cam_ray. I drove more than twice as far as we rode! Yummy wine and dinner organized by trichellee to celebrate the fact that cam_ray is joining the best age group. This was followed by more festivities to celebrate imzadi's birthday. Home at 1:20 a.m. and in bed by 1:30.

Sunday, alarm at 5:45. Ouch. I was "slumping" on the bench when Mr. Enstone arrived at Barton Springs for our run. 30 minutes easy, separated for our 24 minutes tempo because his is more upbeat than mine, regrouped for 30 minutes easy. I love when I get back to my starting point in EXACTLY the time I started. 1:24. Soaked in Barton Springs. Swim class was not on my schedule, which was a little disappointing as I will never obtain that elusive <5:00 if I don't get to do the end of session time trial. Also disappointing in that it's not clear that I earn a breakfast taco with a short run and no swim class. But we ate tacos nevertheless.

Called Dad to wish him a happy Father's Day. He wondered what the difference is between a triathlon and an Ironman.

Earlier in the week I had the obligatory pre-race melt-down, so I'm good to go. Except that my house runneth over with laundry.

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:16:47 GMT

Questions, questions, I get questions.

"Are you ready?"
I dislike this one, but I work hard not to let on when people ask. Am I ready? I don't know. I guess I'm as ready as I'm going to get. It is what it is. Are there things I wish I'd done differently? Of course. Did I do what I could, when I could? Yes, absolutely. Do I think I'll get the job done? I'm going to give it my best shot!

"Are you nervous?"
I like this question. Sure, I'm nervous. Being nervous is not a bad thing. Being nervous means I have a healthy respect for what I am about to undertake.

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:13:25 GMT

At Metroplex Sprint, I was surprised to see a lot of people stand up before the swim exit and try walk through chest-deep water. That's not very efficient. I swam right past them until it was too shallow to swim anymore.

This is me, completely sub-consciously pulling my singlet down so my belly won't be hanging out:

On the run, I used the first mile to settle in, then during miles 2 and 3, all I did was pick out someone in front of me and get up to them. Didn't matter if the person was male, female, young or old. With about 1/4 mile to go, my victim was about to be a 21-year old guy. I gasped, "I am... old enough... to be... your... mother... Do NOT... let me... pass you!" He thought about it for a second, saw how close he was to the finish, and took off.

Here I am, working way too hard to realize that my belly is hanging out:

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:47:42 GMT

1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 lengths at Barton Springs. I do believe that just might be the longest swim I've ever done.

My coach got there in the middle and I saw her as I finished. She had an expression of "you are such a dumba$$" on her face. I am an advocate the training principle "Consistency Trumps Volume". And physically, I fully believe that is true. But mentally, I needed this swim. It was a confidence builder.

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:51:19 GMT

I'm happy with my race. Especially considering the fairly big workout I had 2 days before it. My swim wasn't fast, but it was solid. I had a much better bike than I thought I would. My run wasn't stellar, but it was the 3rd fastest in my age group, and that doesn't suck. I had a lot of fun cheering for all my friends. So yeah, I'm happy with my race.

Female 40 to 44

Overall*

------- 800m Swim -------

------- 27K Bike -------

------- 5K Run -------

Total

Place

Name

Bib No

Age

Rnk

Time

Pace

Time

Rnk

Time

Rate

Time

Rnk

Time

Pace

Time

Amy Anderson

107

15:37.0

1:57

1:42.2

49:16.8

20.4

1:02.9

25:03.7

8:02

1:32:42.8

Metroplex Sprint Triathlon results

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 23:01:48 GMT

Back to PNF for a second. She wasn't saying "don't have a time goal". I probably didn't write enough about what she said. It was a great talk and I wish everyone could hear it.

She was asking, "If you don't meet your time goals, then was it all worth it? The new bike, the evenings and Saturdays away from home, etc." It (specifically she was referring to Ironman, but it applies to the marathon or any other race or something else important in your life that you are trying to achieve) has to be more about the intrinsic value to you, rather than whether or not you meet some arbitrary time limit that you've set for yourself.

She stressed that you don't have to tell anyone what your reason is; no one else has to know. Some people do it because they aren't challenged in other areas of their lives, everything has come easy to them. Some people have something to prove, like "My parents called me a quitter because I dropped out of school and I am NOT a quitter." Whatever your reason, you can call on it when the going gets tough. When the little demon is sitting on your shoulder saying, "it doesn't really matter". When you've found your limit and you need to push that limit out a little further.

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 21:09:53 GMT

Last long workout DONE! It feels soooo good to check off that box! Not quite 4 hour ride and not quite 1 hour run. That was the hottest run (2 p.m.) I have done in a long, long time. Un freaking believably hot and humid. AND I FELT GREAT!

Taper starts Monday! There is that pesky little thing to get past on Sunday, but since I have zero expectations on such fatigued legs, it's just going to be a good, solid workout.

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 01:46:36 GMT

Mark your calendar! June 30th (4 p.m.) is Austin's fourth annual World Naked Bike Ride. You should do it! Because I sure as hell won't ...only because I'll be out of town... uh yeah, that's why...

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 22:21:52 GMT

As a reminder, both to myself and also to my Ironman-bound friends: A little refresher on WWPNFD.

Paula Newby-Fraser

Nothing is more disappointing and frustrating to PNF than to hear the level of expectation that people line up with on the starting line. They ask her, if I've done this, this, and this in training, is it reasonable to expect that I could finish in XX:XX?

They say, "If I'm going to [pick the one that speaks to you] hire a coach, pay for camp, buy a new bike, spend my entire weekend on training... Then I have to [pick the one that speaks to you] qualify for Kona, place in my age group, finish under X hours, whatever".

IF YOU SPEND YOUR WHOLE RACE FOCUSED ON YOUR EXPECTATION OF THE OUTCOME, YOU ARE GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED.

People focus on time. What time is it? Am I on pace? How much time do I have?

No. What you focus on is RIGHT NOW.

RIGHT NOW, what do I need? Do I need to eat? Do I need to let my stomach settle down? Do I need to pick up my cadence? How's my turnover? Do I need to drink? RIGHT NOW what do I need? Am I hurting? If so, what can I do to take the edge off of it?

If you think about those things, instead of time, pace and extrapolating, then it only makes sense that you will perform to the best of your ability. You can't race any faster than that! It's about being present and dealing with the present moment.

She said that when she sees us on the course, she's going to ask us what time it is. Our answer is, "It's NOW and I need ______" (some Gatorade, to stretch for a second, whatever).

It's a long day. The fewer expectations you have, the better you are likely to do.

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:19:09 GMT

My old ones had gotten smeared-smudged from riding in the rain, so just now I put fresh stickers on my helmet. They look great! This makes me happy. This makes me really, really happy.

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:31:02 GMT

Dang! You know it's a combative open water swim practice when ONE OF your dearest training partnerS tries to drown you!

I had a pretty good swim. Better than I expected. I fell off the pack during warm-up, but I found some excellent feet for my cooldown. Long story, but I feel bad because I forget his name (need to ask Andrea so I'll know next time) and the reason I feel bad is that I know his wife, his mother, and his brother. I really should know his name.

Another swim today. That's three days in a row. Maybe it's my coach who is trying to drown me?

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 22:30:35 GMT

I was at the shop today, chatting with Jack who won't sell anything if he thinks he can fix it, rig it, patch it or.. wait, I digress. So I was chatting with Jack when I realized that I have to turn my bike in to TriBike Transport next week. NEXT WEEK?

I'm awfully posty today.

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:59:38 GMT

This journal started as a way for my friends and family to see what I was doing as I trained for my first Ironman. Hello? My user name is "traininglog". That ought to be a hint. Nearly 5 years and nearly 5 Ironman triathlons later, I'm still writing mostly about my training. I post the occasional-to-rare protected entry that is unrelated to swim/ride/run, but not often.

It may come as a suprise to people who only know me through Live Journal, but I am a fairly well-adjusted, ~~well-rounded~~ balanced person. I do give you the occasional tidbit: faithful readers know that I love Mac, I lust after Dr. House, I'm self-employed, I spend a lot of time cooking (there are brownies in the oven, but they aren't for me), my son's tattoo makes me cry (not because he got a tattoo, but because he put thought into it and it makes my heart hurt), and I enjoy evenings at the Paramount. Ironman doesn't consume my every waking thought. Training doesn't rule my life. It is, however, what I'm most comfortable putting in a public journal.

I have no way of knowing who reads this journal. I only recently found out that I accidentally hurt someone's feelings with an entry. Maybe it has happened more than once, but I certainly hope not. I wish more people would comment if and when they stop by. My journal accepts anonymous (non-lj user) comments, which I haven't had a reason to regret... yet.

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:06:11 GMT

Last night's run was some weird hill workout that Jamie came up with in a dream or something. It was ok.

1.5 hour bike this morning. Intervals on South Mopac. It was surprisingly windy. My avg mph was a bit high, which makes me suspect that my new computer isn't calibrated for my sweet little 650 wheels. Either that or I've gotten magically fast in the past couple of weeks since my old computer went on the fritz.

Open water swim tonight. I can't imagine that the water quality is any better at Mansfield than it is at Barton Springs. Makes me kind of gag to think about it. At least at Barton Springs, the water is flowing.

-----
edit: I want to go do my bike workout all over again, now that I've got the proper wheel circumference in the computer. I can't (obviously) but I want to :(

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:43:32 GMT

Since Barton Springs is closed, I was stuck swimming at the Y. Not the same, but it is what it is. I have a bunch of workouts in little ziplock sandwich bags and I picked one that I thought would be bearable to do alone.
500 w/up (200 sw, 100 k, 200 p)
8 x 50 kick (descend 1-4, 5-8)
4 x 100 pull
5 x 100 swim on 2 min. Mine were 1:50, so I was getting 10 seconds at the wall and that felt like plenty
200 c/d (free/back)
I was missing mizmizuno.

When I got home, I had company which made me super happy as I've been lonely (and sort of moody) the past couple of days.

Sweet boy knows that when he bikes by here, I'm good for for banana bread, Gatorade, ice, Clif Blocks, etc. He shared excellent gossip in exchange! I feel much better.

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 17:34:35 GMT

Planning ahead: I'll be doing a 4 hour ride on Friday, with an hour run off the bike. Anybody want to ~~call in sick to work and~~ join me?

My current plan is to start mid-to-late-ish morning, from Barton Springs, to 360, Bee Caves, maybe a couple of loops, back through Rollingwood, run on the trail. I'd be willing to entertain other ideas in exchange for company.

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 02:08:24 GMT

Rain is coming down sideways and hail is hitting the deck & the back door. I have been looking forward to a long swim with deankat at Barton Springs on Tuesday. I need this. I need a lot of things. But I really need this. Please don't close the pool due to run off. Please?

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 23:47:21 GMT

I saw handsome, darling Mr. Spencer towards the end of my run today. I haven't seen him in so long and it made me so happy that I gave him a kiss. At swim class, Laurie told me he started grad school. I guess that would make me disappear too.

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 18:28:11 GMT

Saturday bike: I felt good, but I didn't eat enough. I came home with 330 uneaten calories.

Sunday run: I didn't realize I was so tired of running alone. It's nice having someone to run with.

swim class: Nothing like underwater hypoxic sets to bring a girl down to reality.