Saturday morning was the team practice tri. It was a beautiful day out at Stevens Creek reservoir, perfect for the fall participants to work in one last dress rehearsal before beginning their final taper for Treasure Island.
Everything seemed to go off pretty smoothly. We had all the volunteers we could have hoped for, mostly from the spring team. It was a great chance to catch up with some people, however briefly! It further cemented my decision to hang around for one more spring season.
I spent the morning as a buddy swimmer--helping less confident swimmers cover the distance without psyching themselves out too much. The water was colder than any of the swims we've done so far this season, I'd guess neighborhood of 59-60 degrees. The reservoir sits in a narrow canyon that holds onto cold air and sees less sunlight than open areas.
By the time I got out of the water, the faster cyclists were finishing up and heading out on the run. Everyone did a fantastic job and completed all three disciplines looking strong.
I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone does at their event in two weeks.
Sunday, I managed to drag my butt out of bed for the captains' ride up in Portola Valley. It felt good to be out and about on Eddie again. I've limited myself to spinning while my car has been in the body shop; my bike rack didn't fit too well on the rental and I didn't want to risk getting grease all over the backseat interior. Anyway, the ride was meant to be leisurely, but since I'M not tapering for anything, I kept it at a brisk spin the whole way. No hills or anything, anyway.
Unfortunately, in Woodside, one of the guys on our team got a vicious tongue-lashing from a motorist in a Land Rover. I'm not sure why she singled him out--there were about ten of us sitting at a red light together and we'd all been descending Woodside Road single file. She kept screaming at him to share the road, and that she'd had to get into the left lane to get around him. He held it together pretty well, and for how I tend to react to those situations, so did I...in that I managed to keep my mouth shut. Nothing constructive would have come from me at that moment. I had to bite back the urge to tell her if she didn't need such a big gas-guzzling car for her lazy, bony, day-spa lurking ass, maybe there would have been enough room to pass him safely without changing lanes. Followed, of course, by the extension of a strategically chosen digit.
In any case, what someone should have said was that California law states that motorists are to treat cyclists like slow-moving vehicles, and if you must change lanes to safely pass them, SO BE IT. Besides, the bike lane on Woodside road is, like, eight feet wide. So, she was full of crap to begin with.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
momentum
It never ceases to amaze me. I can utterly wreck myself with weights in 45 minutes or less, especially after laying off the resistance training for a bit. Right now it would take hours of running up and down steep grades to create the same delayed-onset muscle soreness I was feeling today.
Physiologically, it makes sense to me. Hey, I wrote [most of] a thesis on DOMS. :-D Still gets me every time.
Anyway, yeah, legs were talking a little bit today. Adductors mostly. Could have to do with the leaping around I did at track last night--I ended up circuit training with the AG's, half of whom had run the Nike half on Sunday. They were dead. I don't think even a hit of crystal meth would have energized them, but I did my darnedest and led some rather spritely strength drills, if I do say so myself. Good thing, too--I ended up not having time to get any sort of a run in.
Today, I set the stage for six weeks of speed benching. Got a 3 rep max (so shi-shi I am not sure I want to post it) and did some other work, too. I was feeling a bit uninspired, so I didn't work any functional stuff in,unfortunately.
Spin 10
Dynamic ball warm up
Speed Bench warmup (Superset 6x6 rep sets of powerbench--with giant rubber bands for resistance, would have to draw a picture for it to make sense, I think--with wide-grip lat pulls, 5x12 at 70#)
Speed bench to 3 rep max (It was 85#, okay--now stop laughing)
SS1: DB row 3x12x60#/Invert tri DB extension 3x12x20#
SS2: SA DB Incline press 3x12x20#/Tricep pushups (narrow hands) 3x12
And then the upper body was good and tapped. Nice transient hypertrophy, too. I had to resist the urge to flex it like Aaahnold. I held off on the abs, because after a good session of powerlifting technique, I am really feeling them anyway. They were pulling pretty hard under the bar.
Would be nice to spin for an hour tonight...yeah, right, like that'll happen. Dinner is mine to cook this evening, and it's not like I have an event hanging over my head...yet. :-)
Physiologically, it makes sense to me. Hey, I wrote [most of] a thesis on DOMS. :-D Still gets me every time.
Anyway, yeah, legs were talking a little bit today. Adductors mostly. Could have to do with the leaping around I did at track last night--I ended up circuit training with the AG's, half of whom had run the Nike half on Sunday. They were dead. I don't think even a hit of crystal meth would have energized them, but I did my darnedest and led some rather spritely strength drills, if I do say so myself. Good thing, too--I ended up not having time to get any sort of a run in.
Today, I set the stage for six weeks of speed benching. Got a 3 rep max (so shi-shi I am not sure I want to post it) and did some other work, too. I was feeling a bit uninspired, so I didn't work any functional stuff in,unfortunately.
Spin 10
Dynamic ball warm up
Speed Bench warmup (Superset 6x6 rep sets of powerbench--with giant rubber bands for resistance, would have to draw a picture for it to make sense, I think--with wide-grip lat pulls, 5x12 at 70#)
Speed bench to 3 rep max (It was 85#, okay--now stop laughing)
SS1: DB row 3x12x60#/Invert tri DB extension 3x12x20#
SS2: SA DB Incline press 3x12x20#/Tricep pushups (narrow hands) 3x12
And then the upper body was good and tapped. Nice transient hypertrophy, too. I had to resist the urge to flex it like Aaahnold. I held off on the abs, because after a good session of powerlifting technique, I am really feeling them anyway. They were pulling pretty hard under the bar.
Would be nice to spin for an hour tonight...yeah, right, like that'll happen. Dinner is mine to cook this evening, and it's not like I have an event hanging over my head...yet. :-)
Monday, October 22, 2007
back at it
I'm having trouble deciding right now if I want to do one more season worth of triathlon. I have some other goals that will put tri on the back burner for a while, and I just haven't figured out a timeline that I feel 100% committed to yet.
I think I'd like to train for Wildflower again I also had a friend remind me the other night that we'd been talking about doing the tri at Memphis in May next year.
I'm waffling.
In any case...I decided that just because I have not made a definite decision as to whether I'll be training for more races next spring, I can go ahead and get on with my off-season as if I WERE going to train for more races in the spring.
So...today. Back to strength training, this time with a specific focus on bring up absolute strength rather than muscle mass:
10 minute spin
Dynamic stretch
Specific warmup:
I think I'd like to train for Wildflower again I also had a friend remind me the other night that we'd been talking about doing the tri at Memphis in May next year.
I'm waffling.
In any case...I decided that just because I have not made a definite decision as to whether I'll be training for more races next spring, I can go ahead and get on with my off-season as if I WERE going to train for more races in the spring.
So...today. Back to strength training, this time with a specific focus on bring up absolute strength rather than muscle mass:
10 minute spin
Dynamic stretch
Specific warmup:
- Superset 1x3: Speed squat 6x55#/GH raise x8
- Superset 2x3: Speed squat 6x75#/Reverse hyperx12
Main set:
- Box squat to 3 rep max: 95, 115, 135, 155# (ROM started to suffer @ 155)
- Superset 3x3: Split squat 12x45#/Sumo squat 12x60#
- Superset 4x3: Diag. woodchop 12x50#/Leg raise x12
Then, I got my butt on the foam roller to work the IT bands a bit.
Everything felt pretty good. Hamstrings a little tight, left knee did okay. I've lost some strength in the past two years, but for it I gained endurance. Not so bad. I'd like to bring my max squat up to 200# by January. I'd also like to start cycling some Olympic lifting back in to work on flexbility and on fast twitch fibers in my lower body.
I also need to make sure I work in lots of single leg strength and stability work.
I'm such a different athlete than I was two years ago. I used to focus mainly on Olympic lifting and could regularly clean ank jerk 100#+. I used to love to speed squat and got up to 305#. I'm not so interested in that anymore, but I would like to be stronger than I am now...maybe somewhere in the middle.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
checking in/SJRNR
Today was the San Jose Rock n Roll Half Marathon.
I wouldn't say I ran it, but it sure was a lot of fun!
I've become the coach I didn't want to be--detrained, unorganized and unmotivated in terms of my own training and workout schedule.
On the other hand, coaching is rewarding. It's been wonderful to watch the fall team progress. A great thing about working with the "everyman" population of Team in Training is that they continually amaze me and more importantly, themselves. Their changes are not about a podium spot, a better PR, or even a finer physique. It's about discovering (or sometimes re-discovering) the athlete they always were. It's about adopting (and usually keeping) a new lifestyle. It's about about finding out they CAN run all the way around the track, or clip in and out of bike pedals, or transform from a total non-swimmer to an open water stud!
Today I ran the whole distance with two great ladies from my team, Kathryn and Meredith. We had a blast! It was smiles and high-fives all around from miles 8-13. Neither of them had ever run farther than 7ish miles in their lives! They did awesome, and though they kept telling me at first that I could go ahead if I wanted, the truth is, I couldn't have gone faster. They've been doing speedwork; I have not. They have been swimming, spinning, and biking regularly. Even if I were in the same shape I was in back in May and June, I'd much rather have run with them anyway!!!
I felt great fitness wise, and of course, mentally. I wasn't nervous about this one; it was just for fun. As for tissue integrity....starting at about mile 6 or 7, my left knee started to complain a bit. IT band was not happy--I haven't been giving it the appropriate attention lately. No surprise, this has been a challenging week. Amazing, I heard barely a peep from the calves, which were hurting so much during my two runs earlier this week that I had to cut them short by a mile or two. So overall, did okay. As of my last couple rides, the post-WF knee issues seem to have completely resolved themselves with diligent rolling and stretching.
I wouldn't say I ran it, but it sure was a lot of fun!
I've become the coach I didn't want to be--detrained, unorganized and unmotivated in terms of my own training and workout schedule.
On the other hand, coaching is rewarding. It's been wonderful to watch the fall team progress. A great thing about working with the "everyman" population of Team in Training is that they continually amaze me and more importantly, themselves. Their changes are not about a podium spot, a better PR, or even a finer physique. It's about discovering (or sometimes re-discovering) the athlete they always were. It's about adopting (and usually keeping) a new lifestyle. It's about about finding out they CAN run all the way around the track, or clip in and out of bike pedals, or transform from a total non-swimmer to an open water stud!
Today I ran the whole distance with two great ladies from my team, Kathryn and Meredith. We had a blast! It was smiles and high-fives all around from miles 8-13. Neither of them had ever run farther than 7ish miles in their lives! They did awesome, and though they kept telling me at first that I could go ahead if I wanted, the truth is, I couldn't have gone faster. They've been doing speedwork; I have not. They have been swimming, spinning, and biking regularly. Even if I were in the same shape I was in back in May and June, I'd much rather have run with them anyway!!!
I felt great fitness wise, and of course, mentally. I wasn't nervous about this one; it was just for fun. As for tissue integrity....starting at about mile 6 or 7, my left knee started to complain a bit. IT band was not happy--I haven't been giving it the appropriate attention lately. No surprise, this has been a challenging week. Amazing, I heard barely a peep from the calves, which were hurting so much during my two runs earlier this week that I had to cut them short by a mile or two. So overall, did okay. As of my last couple rides, the post-WF knee issues seem to have completely resolved themselves with diligent rolling and stretching.
Monday, September 10, 2007
over the weekend
Friday: nuttin. total recovery day.
Saturday: rode an easy 12 miles with the sprinters. should've done more, but was swamped by chores at home.
Sunday: long run, on my own because i forgot to set my alarm to run with the team at 8. just went out to campbell park and knocked off 90 minutes at L1-2. bit slow; think I only covered 7.5-8 miles.
Saturday: rode an easy 12 miles with the sprinters. should've done more, but was swamped by chores at home.
Sunday: long run, on my own because i forgot to set my alarm to run with the team at 8. just went out to campbell park and knocked off 90 minutes at L1-2. bit slow; think I only covered 7.5-8 miles.
Friday, September 07, 2007
uvas canyon loop 9/6
I decided to go for a ride last Thursday, despite the smoke in the air from the Plumas and Coe wildfires. I resolved to stay out of the hills and keep it sorta long and sorta flat to mitigate the effects of the ashy air.
I drove over to Almaden Lake Park and set out toward Santa Teresa at about 440pm. I'd mapped out a modified version of the Bailey loop so that it was about 10 miles longer. I headed south out Santa Teresa for a long, flat spin to warm up my jello-y legs.
Now...Santa Teresa is notorious for becoming a wind tunnel in the late afternoon, but I can never seem to remember which way the wind usually blows. It seems like I battle unrelenting headwinds everytime I roll out there, whether it's north or south. I figured I'd be okay, since the last time I was out there the wind was markedly worse as I headed back home (north).
Holy shite. Whatta headwind! It was worse than the winds at Wildflower back in May...and I'm not even in long course shape anymore. Seriously, I was spinning along at a moderate-high gear, and I was making about 12 mph on flat ground. By the time I got to Bailey, I was feeling a little wiped. My right trapezius was screaming bloody murder, having not had much time to recover from shouldering a heavy backpack over Labor Day weekend.
I hunkered down into my drops to get as aero as I could and kept grinding my way forward, getting buzzed by the occasional jerkoff in a sports car or F-150.
8 miles...9 miles...10 miles...11 miles... I was getting a bit demoralized. Shouldn't the turn be coming up soon? The headwind was fierce, and I kept having to squirm around and rub my neck to make it feel better--it was STINGING.
Finally, I rolled up on the turn to Willow Springs Road. I pulled around the corner and stopped for a drink and to much a few sport beans. As I set off again, I sighed with relief. No wind here; I was headed between some hills. The climb up to Chesbro reservoir was winding but not at all steep. I was only passed by a few cars, including one of those stupid stretch Hummer limos. Huh?!? When I reached the reservoir, my jaw dropped. I could see why CaliMan had been cancelled earlier in the year...it was dead empty! Only a few puddles and there. Eek. I turned right and skirted the eastern edge of the reservoir, and then turned right onto Uvas road.
After a brief flat spin followed by a short climb, I was rewarded with a long, smooth descent. I relaxed and actually went kinda fast...for me, anyway. I looked up at the sky to the west. The sun was beginning to set behind the smoky haze, making a weird fireball above the horizon.
Uvas turns into McKean before it hooks back up with Almaden. At Almaden, I started to feel the right knee a little bit...but not so much that I was overly concerned. It was okay out of the saddle. In fact, it is the worst now when I'm getting started from a dead stop in the middle of the ride, but other than that it's okay.
I spun comfortably down Almaden back to the park and my car.
31.5 miles in 2:04:00. A bit pokey, but not bad.
And you know what? I didn't even need to ice my knee. :-)
I drove over to Almaden Lake Park and set out toward Santa Teresa at about 440pm. I'd mapped out a modified version of the Bailey loop so that it was about 10 miles longer. I headed south out Santa Teresa for a long, flat spin to warm up my jello-y legs.
Now...Santa Teresa is notorious for becoming a wind tunnel in the late afternoon, but I can never seem to remember which way the wind usually blows. It seems like I battle unrelenting headwinds everytime I roll out there, whether it's north or south. I figured I'd be okay, since the last time I was out there the wind was markedly worse as I headed back home (north).
Holy shite. Whatta headwind! It was worse than the winds at Wildflower back in May...and I'm not even in long course shape anymore. Seriously, I was spinning along at a moderate-high gear, and I was making about 12 mph on flat ground. By the time I got to Bailey, I was feeling a little wiped. My right trapezius was screaming bloody murder, having not had much time to recover from shouldering a heavy backpack over Labor Day weekend.
I hunkered down into my drops to get as aero as I could and kept grinding my way forward, getting buzzed by the occasional jerkoff in a sports car or F-150.
8 miles...9 miles...10 miles...11 miles... I was getting a bit demoralized. Shouldn't the turn be coming up soon? The headwind was fierce, and I kept having to squirm around and rub my neck to make it feel better--it was STINGING.
Finally, I rolled up on the turn to Willow Springs Road. I pulled around the corner and stopped for a drink and to much a few sport beans. As I set off again, I sighed with relief. No wind here; I was headed between some hills. The climb up to Chesbro reservoir was winding but not at all steep. I was only passed by a few cars, including one of those stupid stretch Hummer limos. Huh?!? When I reached the reservoir, my jaw dropped. I could see why CaliMan had been cancelled earlier in the year...it was dead empty! Only a few puddles and there. Eek. I turned right and skirted the eastern edge of the reservoir, and then turned right onto Uvas road.
After a brief flat spin followed by a short climb, I was rewarded with a long, smooth descent. I relaxed and actually went kinda fast...for me, anyway. I looked up at the sky to the west. The sun was beginning to set behind the smoky haze, making a weird fireball above the horizon.
Uvas turns into McKean before it hooks back up with Almaden. At Almaden, I started to feel the right knee a little bit...but not so much that I was overly concerned. It was okay out of the saddle. In fact, it is the worst now when I'm getting started from a dead stop in the middle of the ride, but other than that it's okay.
I spun comfortably down Almaden back to the park and my car.
31.5 miles in 2:04:00. A bit pokey, but not bad.
And you know what? I didn't even need to ice my knee. :-)
swim 9/5
400 warmup
8x50 drill (25/25) 15"
8X50 kick L2 15"
1x800
...and knocked off the 200 cooldown because i had a client.
8x50 drill (25/25) 15"
8X50 kick L2 15"
1x800
...and knocked off the 200 cooldown because i had a client.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
end of summer
Ah, so end the days of summer.
I have not posted in a while. I was out of town for a week because of the death of my grandmother, followed by a planned backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail.
My own training has been a bit sluggish, but coaching has been going well.
I enjoy working with the team on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It's a small group of people (about 30 or so) and attendance has been sparse, but I expect that to change now that Labor Day has come and gone. We just started our first build phase and added our first brick workout last night. Everyone is doing well and most are proficient swimmers...unusual for a group of complete beginners. I love answering questions about injuries and strength and conditioning. Yesterday a guy on the team asked me if I felt like I was still at work when I came to practice. I realized I hadn't thought of it before, but the answer is no--it's just too much fun!
I now have to get a bit more serious about my own training; I've got an half-marathon looming on the horizon. Last night I did a timed 2 miler after a decent warmup and some speed drills. I still suck, but not as badly as I'd thought. I ran a 17:26, mile 1 in 8:22 and mile 2 in 9:04. Pretty crappy split, but I have some time to improve it. I'll fit in some hill work tomorrow, a long run this weekend, hopefully 7+ miles, and maybe some mile repeats or a pyramid next week at the track. I guess, in retrospect, I don't have to feel too bad about my timed 2 mile run...after all, I was recovering from hauling a 40# pack around at 10k of altitude for 4 days!
Sigh. Off to swim a bit.
I have not posted in a while. I was out of town for a week because of the death of my grandmother, followed by a planned backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail.
My own training has been a bit sluggish, but coaching has been going well.
I enjoy working with the team on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It's a small group of people (about 30 or so) and attendance has been sparse, but I expect that to change now that Labor Day has come and gone. We just started our first build phase and added our first brick workout last night. Everyone is doing well and most are proficient swimmers...unusual for a group of complete beginners. I love answering questions about injuries and strength and conditioning. Yesterday a guy on the team asked me if I felt like I was still at work when I came to practice. I realized I hadn't thought of it before, but the answer is no--it's just too much fun!
I now have to get a bit more serious about my own training; I've got an half-marathon looming on the horizon. Last night I did a timed 2 miler after a decent warmup and some speed drills. I still suck, but not as badly as I'd thought. I ran a 17:26, mile 1 in 8:22 and mile 2 in 9:04. Pretty crappy split, but I have some time to improve it. I'll fit in some hill work tomorrow, a long run this weekend, hopefully 7+ miles, and maybe some mile repeats or a pyramid next week at the track. I guess, in retrospect, I don't have to feel too bad about my timed 2 mile run...after all, I was recovering from hauling a 40# pack around at 10k of altitude for 4 days!
Sigh. Off to swim a bit.
Friday, August 17, 2007
splash and dash #3
Last night I participated in Splash and Dash 2007 #3 (it's a series of three races; I missed the first two). It's (supposed to be) a 1500m swim in Stevens Creek Reservoir, followed by a 5k trail run around Stevens Canyon Park. It was started by a bunch of local pro triathletes who donate all the proceeds to various charities, and it's a cool concept to have a "tune-up" race on a Thursday night to test your fitness throughout the season.
Anyway.
I emerged from the whole to-do feeling like I'd had a great workout, and above all else, feeling like....I. Suck. Ass.
There are many reasons for this. Some of them were my fault, some of them were not.
My fault:
1) I have been slacking since SJIT. I had not been in the pool for the past month (I swam TODAY!). I've been running maybe twice a week, no more than 45 minutes slow, maybe 30 minutes tempo at a time. No track work.
2) I did not wear a wetsuit (they actually make you swim faster). But then, the water was 78 degress; I might have cooked. Anyway, the drag from my tri-top was definitely noticeable on the second loop.
Not my fault:
1) The swim course was mismarked. Normally I can swim 1500m in 30-35 minutes. This swim took me 43:25. As I exited the water, a race volunteer read me my time and said sorry, the buoys had been blown around by the wind...or something. No biggie--it's pretty much entirely volunteers out there, out of the goodness of their hearts. Besides, I needed the workout.
2) Most people interested in a quickie aquathon on a Thursday night are, um, kind of hardcore. So I was dusted. I"m used to the Everyman crowd...who I usually outswim without even trying. But these peeps? FAST. Every time I tried to draft off somebody, they were just a little bit faster than me. Every time I sighted, I could see the pack ahead of me, just a little further away. Kinda demoralizing for a girl who thinks she's a fast swimmer.
The good things:
1) I had a chance see some old teammates. Mary was there, and Sachin, and of course Trista from the fall team. Also, Christine's friend Sarah--poor girl is terrified of open water!
2) I got a kick-ass workout, for how much I've been slacking. The swim was tiring, and I got to see what an open water swim sans wetsuit feels like. The run was beautiful, and not too tough. I could have gone out harder, but I was enjoyng the twilight and not sure where and when the hills would strike.
3) Knee feels awesome!
Now...time for me schedule some speed work during the week, and some long runs on the weekends. I have officially signed up for the San Jose Rock and Roll Half Marathon, on October 14th!
Anyway.
I emerged from the whole to-do feeling like I'd had a great workout, and above all else, feeling like....I. Suck. Ass.
There are many reasons for this. Some of them were my fault, some of them were not.
My fault:
1) I have been slacking since SJIT. I had not been in the pool for the past month (I swam TODAY!). I've been running maybe twice a week, no more than 45 minutes slow, maybe 30 minutes tempo at a time. No track work.
2) I did not wear a wetsuit (they actually make you swim faster). But then, the water was 78 degress; I might have cooked. Anyway, the drag from my tri-top was definitely noticeable on the second loop.
Not my fault:
1) The swim course was mismarked. Normally I can swim 1500m in 30-35 minutes. This swim took me 43:25. As I exited the water, a race volunteer read me my time and said sorry, the buoys had been blown around by the wind...or something. No biggie--it's pretty much entirely volunteers out there, out of the goodness of their hearts. Besides, I needed the workout.
2) Most people interested in a quickie aquathon on a Thursday night are, um, kind of hardcore. So I was dusted. I"m used to the Everyman crowd...who I usually outswim without even trying. But these peeps? FAST. Every time I tried to draft off somebody, they were just a little bit faster than me. Every time I sighted, I could see the pack ahead of me, just a little further away. Kinda demoralizing for a girl who thinks she's a fast swimmer.
The good things:
1) I had a chance see some old teammates. Mary was there, and Sachin, and of course Trista from the fall team. Also, Christine's friend Sarah--poor girl is terrified of open water!
2) I got a kick-ass workout, for how much I've been slacking. The swim was tiring, and I got to see what an open water swim sans wetsuit feels like. The run was beautiful, and not too tough. I could have gone out harder, but I was enjoyng the twilight and not sure where and when the hills would strike.
3) Knee feels awesome!
Now...time for me schedule some speed work during the week, and some long runs on the weekends. I have officially signed up for the San Jose Rock and Roll Half Marathon, on October 14th!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
first track practice!
Coaching:
Last night was our first track practice as a team for the fall tri season. It went pretty well; just a light run and some stretching and dynamic flexibility drills. We're hurting for participants, which is a bit disappointing for me. Our goal had been to recruit 50 people and so far we've only got 22. :-( I'm trying to stay optimistic; we've got three more weeks to accept new participants, after all! The staff is a really great crew; a few familiar faces from spring season, including one of my ride buddies, Trista, as a training captain. Awesome.
Training:
I've just come off a two-week hiatus from training. I was on vacation in China! I went for one short run, but it was so hot, humid, and smoggy that I was pretty well toasted after about 20 minutes. Other than that, I did LOTS of walking, including quite a few steps hoofing it up and down the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Turns out that a total break was a good thing. The knee is doing a lot better, and I was able to get some good bodywork, including a Shen (Xen?) session and a couple Taiwan style sessions.
Since my return on Monday, I have been trying to get back on the California clock. Last night at practice I ran a pretty easy mile. Today I went for a nice, easy ride--about 24 miles to Calero and back. I went up Bailey--my first sustained climb since Escape from Alcatraz on June 3rd--and the knee felt pretty good! Didn't pinch at all until I only had about 5 miles left...not bad. As I was coming down McKean, Linda Gallo passed me and said hello! Always fun to sight a local pro. :-) If only I could swim like her! Now I'm at home, kicking back with the knee on ice. I'm feeling pretty good. The break did me good, and I don't think I've lost too much fitness.
Last night was our first track practice as a team for the fall tri season. It went pretty well; just a light run and some stretching and dynamic flexibility drills. We're hurting for participants, which is a bit disappointing for me. Our goal had been to recruit 50 people and so far we've only got 22. :-( I'm trying to stay optimistic; we've got three more weeks to accept new participants, after all! The staff is a really great crew; a few familiar faces from spring season, including one of my ride buddies, Trista, as a training captain. Awesome.
Training:
I've just come off a two-week hiatus from training. I was on vacation in China! I went for one short run, but it was so hot, humid, and smoggy that I was pretty well toasted after about 20 minutes. Other than that, I did LOTS of walking, including quite a few steps hoofing it up and down the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Turns out that a total break was a good thing. The knee is doing a lot better, and I was able to get some good bodywork, including a Shen (Xen?) session and a couple Taiwan style sessions.
Since my return on Monday, I have been trying to get back on the California clock. Last night at practice I ran a pretty easy mile. Today I went for a nice, easy ride--about 24 miles to Calero and back. I went up Bailey--my first sustained climb since Escape from Alcatraz on June 3rd--and the knee felt pretty good! Didn't pinch at all until I only had about 5 miles left...not bad. As I was coming down McKean, Linda Gallo passed me and said hello! Always fun to sight a local pro. :-) If only I could swim like her! Now I'm at home, kicking back with the knee on ice. I'm feeling pretty good. The break did me good, and I don't think I've lost too much fitness.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
coyote creek
Last night the knee was feeling relatively good and Fast Eddie looking rather dejected against the dining room wall, so I went for a spin on the Coyote Creek trail.
It's a 15 mile paved recreational trail that runs from San Jose down to Morgan Hill. I've been on it a few times to run or to rollerblade and seen lots of cyclists, so I thought I would give it a try. Talk about an awesome spin course!
It's not a challenging trail by any means. It's pretty flat along its entire course, although there is a gradual gain in elevation as you head south, which makes for some pretty fun, fast spinning on the way north. Also, at 630pm last night it was deserted. I biked a total of 16.53 miles and passed 3 cyclists and two park rangers.
The northern end of the trail is not necessarily in the greatest neighborhoods, but once you get south of Bailey, the fields open up around you and there are awesome views of the hills to the east and west. Quail and wild turkeys abound. *Once when I was out for a run on this trail, I saw a great big red bobcat crossing up ahead of me.* As I was headed northwest back to my car, the sun was setting dead ahead and the breeze was filled with the scent of manzanita.
Anyway, it made for the perfect low-key ride. Knee kicked a bit after 6 miles or so, but not too bad. Best of all...today I don't even feel it! It's finally showing signs of being on the mend. :-)
It's a 15 mile paved recreational trail that runs from San Jose down to Morgan Hill. I've been on it a few times to run or to rollerblade and seen lots of cyclists, so I thought I would give it a try. Talk about an awesome spin course!
It's not a challenging trail by any means. It's pretty flat along its entire course, although there is a gradual gain in elevation as you head south, which makes for some pretty fun, fast spinning on the way north. Also, at 630pm last night it was deserted. I biked a total of 16.53 miles and passed 3 cyclists and two park rangers.
The northern end of the trail is not necessarily in the greatest neighborhoods, but once you get south of Bailey, the fields open up around you and there are awesome views of the hills to the east and west. Quail and wild turkeys abound. *Once when I was out for a run on this trail, I saw a great big red bobcat crossing up ahead of me.* As I was headed northwest back to my car, the sun was setting dead ahead and the breeze was filled with the scent of manzanita.
Anyway, it made for the perfect low-key ride. Knee kicked a bit after 6 miles or so, but not too bad. Best of all...today I don't even feel it! It's finally showing signs of being on the mend. :-)
Monday, July 09, 2007
active recovery
In training:
I did end up going for that ride on Tuesday evening. I followed my client and his friend (a former racer, as it turns out) on the Portola Loop...or so I thought. We took a couple new twists on one of my old favorites, making it a hiller, slightly longer ride. It was fun!
My knee held up. It didn't feel great, but it certainly didn't feel as crappy as it did on my last ride. Interestingly, it feels just fine when I'm climbing out of the saddle. Maybe I need yet another seat height adjustment; I still find myself shifting my position backwards an awful lot.
I also learned how to draft. Whee!
Since then, it's been active recovery all the way. A light (somewhat hot) hike on the 4th, a light functional hip workout on the 6th, and swimming in Lake San Antonio for about 45 minutes on the 7th. Incedentally, it was about 20 degrees warmer than the last time I was in it. :-)
Today I took my first real swim since SJIT. For a total of 2300m:
300 swim
300 kick
300 pull
8x50 drill
300 pull
250 swim
200 pull
150 swim
100 cool down
Yes, I will definitely sign up for Ti2Y and, I think, the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon.
In coaching:
Nothing new yet! Next meeting is this Thursday evening.
I did end up going for that ride on Tuesday evening. I followed my client and his friend (a former racer, as it turns out) on the Portola Loop...or so I thought. We took a couple new twists on one of my old favorites, making it a hiller, slightly longer ride. It was fun!
My knee held up. It didn't feel great, but it certainly didn't feel as crappy as it did on my last ride. Interestingly, it feels just fine when I'm climbing out of the saddle. Maybe I need yet another seat height adjustment; I still find myself shifting my position backwards an awful lot.
I also learned how to draft. Whee!
Since then, it's been active recovery all the way. A light (somewhat hot) hike on the 4th, a light functional hip workout on the 6th, and swimming in Lake San Antonio for about 45 minutes on the 7th. Incedentally, it was about 20 degrees warmer than the last time I was in it. :-)
Today I took my first real swim since SJIT. For a total of 2300m:
300 swim
300 kick
300 pull
8x50 drill
300 pull
250 swim
200 pull
150 swim
100 cool down
Yes, I will definitely sign up for Ti2Y and, I think, the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon.
In coaching:
Nothing new yet! Next meeting is this Thursday evening.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
set adrift
So, I guess now my entries will cover two realms: my adventures in training and my new adventures as a fledgling tri coach.
On the training side:
Aaaahhhhh... After SJIT I took 8 days completely off from training. A little bit of flexibility thrown in as stretching, sticking, and foam rolling. My body and mind both needed the time, I think. Knees are feeling up to par for ADL's, which for me is saying a lot, demonstrating lunges and squats as I do all the livelong day.
My first real workout was about 30 minutes ago. I headed over to the pool for a short session, only about 1600m or so. I didn't even do a good job of keeping track! Felt great, though. Christine was there when I got there, so I shared a lane with her for a while. What luck, huh? She hardly ever swims at Burgess. We made tentative plans for a morning 4th of July ride.
Next, I'm meeting a client (and one of his friends) for a short ride at 530 today. Just the Portola Loop. I'm hoping it goes well--last time I got onto my bike was two weeks ago, and about 5 miles in my right knee was screaming for mercy. Oh, when will I ever learn that superhero-personal-trainer-girls need to stretch, too?
With nothing to traing for or look forward to at the moment, I'm feeling a little drifty. I need something to sign up for. Unfortunately, now that I'm a coach I can't race at Treasure Island; it's now my job to help others through it on their big day.
Some thoughts in the meantime:
*Treasure Island to Embarcadero open water swim
*Happy Fish 10k run (Kinda gotta do that one!)
*Santa Cruz Sentinal Olympic Tri
*Triathlon at Pacific Grove (Maybe I'll try a sprint for fun!)
On the coaching side:
Not too much is happening quite yet.
I signed up to work three informational meetings, and the first was last night, down in Gilroy. We actually got THREE people to sign up! You may be saying "big whoop," but at a meeting where only 15 people show up, snagging three of them is quite a haul for the tri team! Most people are interested in the run and cycle teams; I guess a triathlon just sounds hard to them or something... *wink*
Anyway, other than that, the coaching staff has been finalized. Seems like a pretty good crew; I'm looking forward to a fun season!
On the training side:
Aaaahhhhh... After SJIT I took 8 days completely off from training. A little bit of flexibility thrown in as stretching, sticking, and foam rolling. My body and mind both needed the time, I think. Knees are feeling up to par for ADL's, which for me is saying a lot, demonstrating lunges and squats as I do all the livelong day.
My first real workout was about 30 minutes ago. I headed over to the pool for a short session, only about 1600m or so. I didn't even do a good job of keeping track! Felt great, though. Christine was there when I got there, so I shared a lane with her for a while. What luck, huh? She hardly ever swims at Burgess. We made tentative plans for a morning 4th of July ride.
Next, I'm meeting a client (and one of his friends) for a short ride at 530 today. Just the Portola Loop. I'm hoping it goes well--last time I got onto my bike was two weeks ago, and about 5 miles in my right knee was screaming for mercy. Oh, when will I ever learn that superhero-personal-trainer-girls need to stretch, too?
With nothing to traing for or look forward to at the moment, I'm feeling a little drifty. I need something to sign up for. Unfortunately, now that I'm a coach I can't race at Treasure Island; it's now my job to help others through it on their big day.
Some thoughts in the meantime:
*Treasure Island to Embarcadero open water swim
*Happy Fish 10k run (Kinda gotta do that one!)
*Santa Cruz Sentinal Olympic Tri
*Triathlon at Pacific Grove (Maybe I'll try a sprint for fun!)
On the coaching side:
Not too much is happening quite yet.
I signed up to work three informational meetings, and the first was last night, down in Gilroy. We actually got THREE people to sign up! You may be saying "big whoop," but at a meeting where only 15 people show up, snagging three of them is quite a haul for the tri team! Most people are interested in the run and cycle teams; I guess a triathlon just sounds hard to them or something... *wink*
Anyway, other than that, the coaching staff has been finalized. Seems like a pretty good crew; I'm looking forward to a fun season!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
she's back with a vengeance
Christine, that is!Today was the San Jose International Triathlon. The good people at J&A Productions were kind enough to let me change my individual entry to a relay entry at the last minute.
Christine bravely volunteered to ride the bike leg for me, to spare my tricky knees. It was her first official event since being diagnosed with Crohn's this past winter.
I had a great swim, very fast, I think. I'm still waiting for the results. I ran out of the water up to transition, handed the timing chip to Christine, and she was off! I was a teeny bit jealous of her for getting to ride the bike course; it's a very fast, straightforward course, along roads that I am accustomed to riding. Only difference was that Christine wouldn't have to heed the red lights!
I gave her about an hour and a half, and she rolled back into transition right about on time. She ran her bike up to me and threw her arms around me, crying. She was back. It was sweet.
I took the timing chip and ran my little heart out for 6.2 miles. It probably wasn't my greatest run. My left knee started to complain around mile 3.5 and wouldn't shut up. I focused on cadence and ran off pavement when I could. It was hot and the course was uncomfortably flat. I ran across the finish where Christine was waiting for me and grabbed a couple bottles of water, a bagel, and some excellent barbecued chicken.
I spent the rest of the afternoon on my laptop with my knee on ice, and rewarded myself later with a Thai chicken burrito from Aqui.
Altogether a good day and a fun race.
Now...time to shift my focus to coaching newcomers to the sport of triathlon, and to designing and implementing a new resistance training regimen for myself.
Friday, June 15, 2007
ready for a hiatus
I'm anticipating my last scheduled race a week from Sunday; the San Jose International on June 24th. My intent has been to race it for fun; Wildflower sorta ended up being an A race, Alcatraz a B, and this will be my C.
It will be fun; it will give me a chance to see a lot of my friends from TNT who I haven't really seen at all in the past month. I'm looking forward to it, but still and all, I'm ready for a break.
My knee has been holding steady, but it's definitely not 100%. I had a great session with Kristi before she went on maternity leave that helped immensely for Alcatraz, but I have not been as diligent about stretching as I should be, and the effects are starting to accumulate once again.
I'm suddenly less motivated. I don't look forward to my workouts as much; it's been close to 100 degrees out for a couple days, and I haven't even wanted to go for a swim.
Perhaps it was the added volume of training for a longer event. Perhaps getting REALLY sick, twice this past winter, derailed me more than I've realized. Maybe I've just got a lot on my mind--I'm trying to plan the next couple years of my life and need to figure out if triathlon will even fit into it at all for a while.
I want to get back to strength training and rebuild my platform. While in many ways my overall fitness has improved since I took up triathlon, in many ways it has also deteriorated--particularly in the past six months. I know I'm nearly 30, but I don't think that accounts for all the extra aches, pains, and slower recovery turnaround I've had this season. I take care not to overtrain, so I don't think that's the problem. Rather, I think that the heart of it is kinetic imbalance. I simply don't have enough hours available to me to train myself in what I feel is the proper way for a longer event. Because of what I do for a living, it is very important to me to maintain a position of overall fitness, not just fitness for swimming, biking, and running forward in a straight line. If I were a pro and training were essentially my day job, I'd have the extra time to devote to ancillary functional training to maintain balance, stability, and overall joint integrity.
The reality is that I work full time--in a profession that requires me to be strong, agile, and competent moving in all planes, all day long. If I train for a longer event, most of my training hours are allocated to longer swim, bike, and run workouts--I simply don't have much time to train function. I don't have a desk job, so I'm not as willing to tolerate the breakdown caused by extended workouts. I can't sit on my ass the next day from 9 to 5 drinking Endurox to recover.
I know I'm pontificating. What does it all mean?
Next time maybe I'll stick with Olympic distance and sprint tris.
Next time I might schedule my races closer together, so I can peak for a month and be done with it.
Next time I'll stretch more.
Next time I'll bump a couple of mid-season swim/bike/run workouts for light functional training.
It will be fun; it will give me a chance to see a lot of my friends from TNT who I haven't really seen at all in the past month. I'm looking forward to it, but still and all, I'm ready for a break.
My knee has been holding steady, but it's definitely not 100%. I had a great session with Kristi before she went on maternity leave that helped immensely for Alcatraz, but I have not been as diligent about stretching as I should be, and the effects are starting to accumulate once again.
I'm suddenly less motivated. I don't look forward to my workouts as much; it's been close to 100 degrees out for a couple days, and I haven't even wanted to go for a swim.
Perhaps it was the added volume of training for a longer event. Perhaps getting REALLY sick, twice this past winter, derailed me more than I've realized. Maybe I've just got a lot on my mind--I'm trying to plan the next couple years of my life and need to figure out if triathlon will even fit into it at all for a while.
I want to get back to strength training and rebuild my platform. While in many ways my overall fitness has improved since I took up triathlon, in many ways it has also deteriorated--particularly in the past six months. I know I'm nearly 30, but I don't think that accounts for all the extra aches, pains, and slower recovery turnaround I've had this season. I take care not to overtrain, so I don't think that's the problem. Rather, I think that the heart of it is kinetic imbalance. I simply don't have enough hours available to me to train myself in what I feel is the proper way for a longer event. Because of what I do for a living, it is very important to me to maintain a position of overall fitness, not just fitness for swimming, biking, and running forward in a straight line. If I were a pro and training were essentially my day job, I'd have the extra time to devote to ancillary functional training to maintain balance, stability, and overall joint integrity.
The reality is that I work full time--in a profession that requires me to be strong, agile, and competent moving in all planes, all day long. If I train for a longer event, most of my training hours are allocated to longer swim, bike, and run workouts--I simply don't have much time to train function. I don't have a desk job, so I'm not as willing to tolerate the breakdown caused by extended workouts. I can't sit on my ass the next day from 9 to 5 drinking Endurox to recover.
I know I'm pontificating. What does it all mean?
Next time maybe I'll stick with Olympic distance and sprint tris.
Next time I might schedule my races closer together, so I can peak for a month and be done with it.
Next time I'll stretch more.
Next time I'll bump a couple of mid-season swim/bike/run workouts for light functional training.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Escape from Alcatraz race report
Here I am...I'm back at work after Alcatraz race weekend, overlapped (actually engulfed) by a one week visit from my family. Before and after the race, I had plenty of time to hang out and relax with them up at Sanborn-Skyline where they were staying in their truck camper. They left this morning, and it's always too soon. :-(
Saturday morning, I got up and checked all my gear. Packing for Alcatraz was not nearly as complicated as packing for Wildflower--no camping involved, and I would be eating dinner out that night. I met up with Liz E. (also doing the race) around 11-noon and we headed up to the city to pick up our race packets and go to the pre-race information meeting. We got to the city a bit after 1, checked out where our hotel was, and headed down to Crissy Field.
We picked up our race packets and got the best race swag I've gotten yet: a solid drawstring messenger bag, nice t-shirt (not dry-fit, unfortunately), a race number belt, and a new pair of goggles. Cool! Toured the expo (same old stuff) and then headed over to the Sports Basement, so I could replace my arm warmers (they'd fallen into a vortex earlier in the week and I could not find them ANYWHERE). Ran back to the hotel and checked in--is it just me, or does San Francisco have more than it's fair share of scuzzy-ass hotels? And then zipped back down for the 4pm meeting.
About 300 athletes hunkered down in the damp grass at Crissy Field. It was cold, less than 60 degrees, and foggy. I had my beanie pulled down tight over my ears, and I'd already switched out the lenses in my sunglasses to red for low light conditions. The weather was supposed to me more of the same on Sunday, and of course, I'd be out MUCH earlier. The course review was pretty comprehensive, and the info about the swim turned out to be very helpful. I found out later that they have someone swim the course the day before the race every year to determine conditions as accurately as possible. Anyway, the water temperature was 57 degrees, which, if you can believe it, is WARM for an Alcatraz swim. The current at 7am would be flowing west toward the Golden Gate at roughly 4.8 knots, about 5-6mph. It sounded like my best bet would be to sight on the middle pier at Fort Mason as long as I could, and once past it, swim straight toward the Palace of Fine Arts. I'd already driven the bike course, and the run didn't sound all that daunting (aside from the Sand Ladder) so I was feeling pretty confident.
After a light chicken and pasta dinner and Pasta Pomodoro, Liz and I turned in around 830-9pm.
The alarm went off at 2:55am. Why so early? First-timers are expected to be on the first few shuttles to the San Francisco Belle.
Anyway, I got up, pulled on my tri shorts and tri top, sweats, fleece, fluffy socks, Crocs, and beanie. Choked down a pear bar and a Clif bar and chased it with some Propel. Geeesh. Tummy not so happy with having to accept food at such an obscene hour. Scrambled to get all our gear and other stuff out the door, and managed to get down to the parking area under 101 at about 350am. Loaded down precariously with our heavy transition bags, we mounted our bikes and rode down Mason Avenue to the Marina Green. It was dark, and it was a bit eerie to ride our bikes without lights on them. We could see the transition area up ahead, awash in bright splashes of headlights and the hurried ministrations of several hundred nervous triathletes.
At the entrance to the transition area, there was a big Enterprise truck waiting with race volunteers to collect our swim-out gear. I handed them a white bag with my bib number on it, trusting that the spare running shoes, socks, powergel, and hoodie it contained would be waiting for me when I emerged from the Bay onto the Marina Beach sometime about 745am.
I then made my way to my transition area and did my best to set it up properly. I was a bit addled being up at that hour, and I'd never set up a transition in the dark before. I remembered to fill my fuel belt flasks and set up my run gear. Bike gear no problem; I'm used to that. Set out my arm warmers and a pack towel to dry off with...later it would turn out to be even harder than I thought it would be to pull arm warmers onto damp arms.
I stepped back, took a deep breath, and walked away from all my beloved tri gear--trusting that it would be well-guarded in the interim. Hardest of all: I'd decided to do the race WITHOUT my contacts, meaning that I would essentially be blind until I got to my bike and pulled on my sunglasses, which have prescription clip-ins. I found Liz and we hopped onto the nearest bus.
The bus took us down to the San Francisco Belle, a Hornblower Yacht. I can't remember which Pier it leaves from...28? Maybe 30? Anyway, we got off the bus and found that we were among the first to arrive at the boat. I immediately lined up for body marking. The smell of the ink caused my nervous stomach to churn restlessly. Soon my bib number, 665, was branded in heavy black permanent marker on my hands, biceps, and across my quads. My not-yet age, 30, was written in HUGE numbers across the back of my left calf. Grr.
That chick did a good job, too. Today is Wednesday and I'm still covered with black ink.
After that, it was time to hurry-up-and-wait. We stood around on the pier, willing the sun to come up and the breeze to die down. It was 450am. The conversation was nervous and speculative; after all, we were all early, which meant we were all first-timers.
Gradually, the pier filled up as busload after busload of triathletes arrived from the transition area. Before I knew it, it was 615 and time to board the Belle! I managed to get up front with Liz, and we stepped aboard. Signs posted inside the boat indicated the general areas we were to stage ourselves. 29 and under, first deck fore. 30-39, first deck aft. Everyone else older than that, upstairs. Not sure where the pros were.
I understand that Hornblower cruises are boozy dinner cruises. Well, you can tell! The moment we stepped on board, Liz turned to me and exclaimed "This boat smells like VOMIT!" And it did. Their was no furniture inside and we just tried to carve out a little personal space on the carpet. Lined up at the bar (which was huge, by the way) were hundreds of plastic cups and pitchers filled with ice water, a nice touch.
Once full, the boat pulled away from the pier for the half-hour slog out to the island. Suddenly, you could feel the adrenaline in the air. I looked around, and most people around me were already in their wetsuits. I personally like to wait a bit to avoid overheating. To our left, there were a couple of guys from Canada in SPEEDOS, with no wetsuits in sight. They looked surprisingly laid back about the whole thing. People were hopping up and down, stretching, doing frantic arm circles. I went ahead and put Body Glide on my neck, shoulders, wrists, ankles, elbows and knees, in preparation for the squirm into my wetsuit. At 645, I downed one last shot of powergel and chased it with a big slug of water, then pulled on my suit. I pulled on both swim caps (one for warmth and a red one to indicate my age group) and screwed my earplugs into place.
As we approached the starting point, Terry Davis (the director of Tri California) came over the boat's PA system and led a prayer. Then some girl sang the national anthem. Then, they began announcing the pros and the challenged athletes that would be in the first wave, at 7am. It was pretty cool, actually--there was a relay team of veterans from Iraq who were all amputees.
With 3 minutes to go, I grabbed some ice water and poured it into my suit through the neck. I shuddered and then it immediately began to create an insulating layer. Steph had recommended doing this to help mitigate the initial shock of jumping into the icy-cold bay.
7am, we heard the blast of a horn and the pros were off! Then the excitement really began. Because it is so hard for a boat to hold its position in the bay with the strong currents, there was only a six minute window to unload all 2000 of us off the boat. For perspective, most triathlons that size have a wave of maybe 100 athletes going every five minutes or so...so this had to be FAST. We filed toward the exits on the starboard side in a big crush. It was very WWII, with volunteers jabbing us and shouting "You, GO! You, GO! You, GO! You, GO!"
All my fear and nervousness were gone. Adrenaline and excitement took over. I looked back at Liz, shouted, "see you after the race!" ...and leaped down into the frothy water, shrieking with joy as I did it!
The SWIM: Once in the water, I struck out hard to get away from the boat. I was in an early "wave" so there were still better than 1000 athletes jumping over the side. I didn't want to end up underneath one of them! I went about 100 yards, and then stopped to get my bearings. I could see Fort Mason, a big yellow building, a bit to the west. I began to swim in that direction. There was a bit of a headwind and the swells were a couple feet high for the first 1/4 mile or so. Swimmers were still all bunched up at this point, so I kept having to adjust to get around people or speed up when my foot got grabbed. After I'd gone about 1/3 of a mile, I flipped over on my back to have a look.
Not many people get the opportunity to do this swim; it's really the swim of a lifetime. I had a "seal's eye" view of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate, and city laid out right in front of me. It was amazing, and I probably spent about 90 seconds just gazing around in awe. I knew I would have a slower swim, but I didn't care. It's all in the name of recreation, after all!
After that, I put my head down and set to work. I had to sight pretty frequently. The current didn't so much pull me off course as it turned me in the wrong direction. I kept popping my head up and finding myself veering to far to the west. I got to the point where Fort Mason was to my east, and started sighting for the golden dome of the Palace of Fine Arts.
At this point, I could feel the current picking up. The beach got closer and closer, faster and faster! Unfortunately, because I didn't have my contacts in, I couldn't see where I was supposed to get out of the water until it was too late and the current had pulled me past! A volunteer in a kayak paddled over and hollered at me to swim to my left. I turned and pulled my way in toward the beach, against the current, for about 100 yards. According to my dad, several hundred swimmers got pulled pretty far off course--it tends to be a newbie mistake at Alcatraz. I kept swimming, past wading triathletes, until I could feel the sand touch my hand. Then I popped up and ran onto the beach.
Swim Transition: Once on the beach, I ran up a ramp to a lawn just above the sand. I had my wetsuit unzipped and around my waist and my cap and goggles off pretty quick. I looked around the cheering crowd for my family, but couldn't see them. Once I was in the transition area, a race volunteer grabbed my arm and steered me down an aisle of bags, 650-699! I guess he must have seen the number written on my hand. I ran down the row right to my bag.
I was pretty disoriented and couldn't feel my hands very well. I was moving pretty slow, and decided I was okay with that. I stepped out of my wetsuit and flung off my Under Armour (added on the boat as an extra layer for the cold swim). I downed a gel, dumped baby powder on my feet to soak up the water, and managed to pull on my hoodie, socks and spare running shoes. Then it was off and running toward the bike transition, about 1/2 mile away on the Marina Green. On the way, I ran past my smiling, shouting family and friends!
Bike Transition: Once there, I pulled off my shoes and hoodie and tried to pull on my arm warmers. NOT! It took me a bit of effort to get my arms dry enough. I threw on my helmet and sunglasses. Hallelujah--I could see again! Stepped into my shoes, grabbed my bike, and ran to the mount line. By this time, my family had caught up. I jumped on my bike and accelerated down Mason Ave, past their smiling faces.
The BIKE: I would have smoked this bike course, wimpy descending and all, if I hadn't dropped my chain THREE TIMES. Grrr. I need to get a compact double crank! But I digress.
This was a beautiful, beautiful ride. That alone made it amazing, speed (or lack thereof) aside. We climbed up to the Presidio through thick fog and rode past the Legion of Honor. As I began the second decent ascent on the way out, I had a piece of good fortune. Heading back in descending the other side of the road were the first of the pros! I managed to pick out a few that I recognized. They looked amazing, hunched low over their pursuit bars, announced by the low rumble of carbon disc wheels.
After a few more descents followed by hard corners, I'd made it out to Point Lobos. I'd almost reached the Cliff House when I dropped my chain the first time. It was okay; I was headed downhill and it was off the front chainring. Pretty typical. I hopped off and managed to get it back on in no time, and had no trouble getting started since it was on a descent to the Great Highway.
After heading down the Great Highway for about a mile, the course looped into and around the western half of Golden Gate Park. By this time I was cruising pretty well--I like the flats and my knee was feeling good. Nobody was passing me anymore, and except for the rough pavement here and there in the park I was able to get down and crank pretty hard.
We popped back out onto the Great Highway and went back the way we came, up Point Lobos. As we curved back to the east, the road steepened. I shifted down so I could save a little for the steepest part of Clement...
...and dropped my chain again. I was headed uphill, and this time it had come off my rear cassette. Crap and double crap. I swore profusely, much to the apparent amusement of a nearby cop marshaling the course. I managed to dismount fast enough to avoid tipping over, and then had to walk uphill to a parking lot so I'd be in a spot flat enough to clip back in and get started again. After wrestling with the chain awhile, I finally got it back on. I mounted, clipped in, started pedaling, and promptly dropped the chain AGAIN. I hopped off, pretty mad now. This time I threaded it onto one of the cogs in the middle, and decided I would just go without a few of the easiest gears for the remaining hills.
I jumped on and began spinning madly up the rest of Point Lobos. Everyone I'd flown by in the park was now up ahead of me. Grrrrrrr! We swung a quick right back onto Clement for a nasty short steep SF hill. I was so mad I didn't even downshift, just cranked through it.
The ride back in was uneventful for me; a few noticeable hills and one BAD accident on the last sizeable descent. Evidently it involved four riders. It was so bad that there were THREE fire trucks parked around the scene, blocking it from view, as we went past. Scary.
I made it back down to Mason Avenue and cranked all the way in to transition. I passed Liz on my way in; she was already running out. I hit the dismount, and ran in to transition.
Run Transition: I took my time a bit here. My family was right by the fence, taking pictures of me, asking me if I was okay and how was I feeling, so I chatted with them a bit. I'd forgotten to leave my shoe laces loosened and untied, so that slowed me down a bit. Other than that, no problem. I ran out on legs that were feeling pretty fresh--could have gone a bit harder in the hills on the bike! As I ran out, the first of the professional women were approaching the finish. It was pretty exciting; there were news crews everywhere and a helicopter hovering over the finsh line and transition area.
Run: The run was my best event Sunday. It's 8 miles, and it starts out flat through Crissy Field, then heads under the Golden Gate Bridge, and climbs up some stairs and trails toward the Presidio. After a while on the road, it drops back down to Baker Beach, and there's about 1/2 mile out and then back in the sand. After that, it's the dreaded Sand Ladder, several hundred steep steps back up to the road. Then there are 3 miles to go--a long, gradual uphill (which was pretty easy after the Sand Ladder) and then downhill and flat back in.
I was feeling pretty fresh and solid the whole time. I ran it all except the steepest, narrowest parts of the trails and stairs and the Sand Ladder. I even had the opportunity to chat with a few out-of-towners along the way.
It was such a beautiful race, and I couldn't believe it was almost over already! I slowed down a bit under the bridge to have a lok around me. I watched a huge cargo ship pulling into the bay under the bridge, and marveled at the thought that it would soon be motoring its way right through the course I'd just swum. I wondered if it had had to wait outside the bay awhile, until everyone was finished.
As the course flattened out onto Crissy Field, I focused on picking up my cadence. I wanted a strong finish with a smile so my family could get some good pictures. It was almost like I could feel their engery pulling me in; I picked it up for the last two miles of the course.
I hit the Green, rounded the corner into the finish chute, and took one more look back out at the island. My family was right there to my left, cheering me on. I had done it--hailed as one of the toughest tris in the world, something that hundreds of triathletes would love the chance for, I had "escaped" from Alcatraz!
Saturday morning, I got up and checked all my gear. Packing for Alcatraz was not nearly as complicated as packing for Wildflower--no camping involved, and I would be eating dinner out that night. I met up with Liz E. (also doing the race) around 11-noon and we headed up to the city to pick up our race packets and go to the pre-race information meeting. We got to the city a bit after 1, checked out where our hotel was, and headed down to Crissy Field.
We picked up our race packets and got the best race swag I've gotten yet: a solid drawstring messenger bag, nice t-shirt (not dry-fit, unfortunately), a race number belt, and a new pair of goggles. Cool! Toured the expo (same old stuff) and then headed over to the Sports Basement, so I could replace my arm warmers (they'd fallen into a vortex earlier in the week and I could not find them ANYWHERE). Ran back to the hotel and checked in--is it just me, or does San Francisco have more than it's fair share of scuzzy-ass hotels? And then zipped back down for the 4pm meeting.
About 300 athletes hunkered down in the damp grass at Crissy Field. It was cold, less than 60 degrees, and foggy. I had my beanie pulled down tight over my ears, and I'd already switched out the lenses in my sunglasses to red for low light conditions. The weather was supposed to me more of the same on Sunday, and of course, I'd be out MUCH earlier. The course review was pretty comprehensive, and the info about the swim turned out to be very helpful. I found out later that they have someone swim the course the day before the race every year to determine conditions as accurately as possible. Anyway, the water temperature was 57 degrees, which, if you can believe it, is WARM for an Alcatraz swim. The current at 7am would be flowing west toward the Golden Gate at roughly 4.8 knots, about 5-6mph. It sounded like my best bet would be to sight on the middle pier at Fort Mason as long as I could, and once past it, swim straight toward the Palace of Fine Arts. I'd already driven the bike course, and the run didn't sound all that daunting (aside from the Sand Ladder) so I was feeling pretty confident.
After a light chicken and pasta dinner and Pasta Pomodoro, Liz and I turned in around 830-9pm.
The alarm went off at 2:55am. Why so early? First-timers are expected to be on the first few shuttles to the San Francisco Belle.
Anyway, I got up, pulled on my tri shorts and tri top, sweats, fleece, fluffy socks, Crocs, and beanie. Choked down a pear bar and a Clif bar and chased it with some Propel. Geeesh. Tummy not so happy with having to accept food at such an obscene hour. Scrambled to get all our gear and other stuff out the door, and managed to get down to the parking area under 101 at about 350am. Loaded down precariously with our heavy transition bags, we mounted our bikes and rode down Mason Avenue to the Marina Green. It was dark, and it was a bit eerie to ride our bikes without lights on them. We could see the transition area up ahead, awash in bright splashes of headlights and the hurried ministrations of several hundred nervous triathletes.
At the entrance to the transition area, there was a big Enterprise truck waiting with race volunteers to collect our swim-out gear. I handed them a white bag with my bib number on it, trusting that the spare running shoes, socks, powergel, and hoodie it contained would be waiting for me when I emerged from the Bay onto the Marina Beach sometime about 745am.
I then made my way to my transition area and did my best to set it up properly. I was a bit addled being up at that hour, and I'd never set up a transition in the dark before. I remembered to fill my fuel belt flasks and set up my run gear. Bike gear no problem; I'm used to that. Set out my arm warmers and a pack towel to dry off with...later it would turn out to be even harder than I thought it would be to pull arm warmers onto damp arms.
I stepped back, took a deep breath, and walked away from all my beloved tri gear--trusting that it would be well-guarded in the interim. Hardest of all: I'd decided to do the race WITHOUT my contacts, meaning that I would essentially be blind until I got to my bike and pulled on my sunglasses, which have prescription clip-ins. I found Liz and we hopped onto the nearest bus.
The bus took us down to the San Francisco Belle, a Hornblower Yacht. I can't remember which Pier it leaves from...28? Maybe 30? Anyway, we got off the bus and found that we were among the first to arrive at the boat. I immediately lined up for body marking. The smell of the ink caused my nervous stomach to churn restlessly. Soon my bib number, 665, was branded in heavy black permanent marker on my hands, biceps, and across my quads. My not-yet age, 30, was written in HUGE numbers across the back of my left calf. Grr.
That chick did a good job, too. Today is Wednesday and I'm still covered with black ink.
After that, it was time to hurry-up-and-wait. We stood around on the pier, willing the sun to come up and the breeze to die down. It was 450am. The conversation was nervous and speculative; after all, we were all early, which meant we were all first-timers.
Gradually, the pier filled up as busload after busload of triathletes arrived from the transition area. Before I knew it, it was 615 and time to board the Belle! I managed to get up front with Liz, and we stepped aboard. Signs posted inside the boat indicated the general areas we were to stage ourselves. 29 and under, first deck fore. 30-39, first deck aft. Everyone else older than that, upstairs. Not sure where the pros were.
I understand that Hornblower cruises are boozy dinner cruises. Well, you can tell! The moment we stepped on board, Liz turned to me and exclaimed "This boat smells like VOMIT!" And it did. Their was no furniture inside and we just tried to carve out a little personal space on the carpet. Lined up at the bar (which was huge, by the way) were hundreds of plastic cups and pitchers filled with ice water, a nice touch.
Once full, the boat pulled away from the pier for the half-hour slog out to the island. Suddenly, you could feel the adrenaline in the air. I looked around, and most people around me were already in their wetsuits. I personally like to wait a bit to avoid overheating. To our left, there were a couple of guys from Canada in SPEEDOS, with no wetsuits in sight. They looked surprisingly laid back about the whole thing. People were hopping up and down, stretching, doing frantic arm circles. I went ahead and put Body Glide on my neck, shoulders, wrists, ankles, elbows and knees, in preparation for the squirm into my wetsuit. At 645, I downed one last shot of powergel and chased it with a big slug of water, then pulled on my suit. I pulled on both swim caps (one for warmth and a red one to indicate my age group) and screwed my earplugs into place.
As we approached the starting point, Terry Davis (the director of Tri California) came over the boat's PA system and led a prayer. Then some girl sang the national anthem. Then, they began announcing the pros and the challenged athletes that would be in the first wave, at 7am. It was pretty cool, actually--there was a relay team of veterans from Iraq who were all amputees.
With 3 minutes to go, I grabbed some ice water and poured it into my suit through the neck. I shuddered and then it immediately began to create an insulating layer. Steph had recommended doing this to help mitigate the initial shock of jumping into the icy-cold bay.
7am, we heard the blast of a horn and the pros were off! Then the excitement really began. Because it is so hard for a boat to hold its position in the bay with the strong currents, there was only a six minute window to unload all 2000 of us off the boat. For perspective, most triathlons that size have a wave of maybe 100 athletes going every five minutes or so...so this had to be FAST. We filed toward the exits on the starboard side in a big crush. It was very WWII, with volunteers jabbing us and shouting "You, GO! You, GO! You, GO! You, GO!"
All my fear and nervousness were gone. Adrenaline and excitement took over. I looked back at Liz, shouted, "see you after the race!" ...and leaped down into the frothy water, shrieking with joy as I did it!
The SWIM: Once in the water, I struck out hard to get away from the boat. I was in an early "wave" so there were still better than 1000 athletes jumping over the side. I didn't want to end up underneath one of them! I went about 100 yards, and then stopped to get my bearings. I could see Fort Mason, a big yellow building, a bit to the west. I began to swim in that direction. There was a bit of a headwind and the swells were a couple feet high for the first 1/4 mile or so. Swimmers were still all bunched up at this point, so I kept having to adjust to get around people or speed up when my foot got grabbed. After I'd gone about 1/3 of a mile, I flipped over on my back to have a look.
Not many people get the opportunity to do this swim; it's really the swim of a lifetime. I had a "seal's eye" view of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate, and city laid out right in front of me. It was amazing, and I probably spent about 90 seconds just gazing around in awe. I knew I would have a slower swim, but I didn't care. It's all in the name of recreation, after all!
After that, I put my head down and set to work. I had to sight pretty frequently. The current didn't so much pull me off course as it turned me in the wrong direction. I kept popping my head up and finding myself veering to far to the west. I got to the point where Fort Mason was to my east, and started sighting for the golden dome of the Palace of Fine Arts.
At this point, I could feel the current picking up. The beach got closer and closer, faster and faster! Unfortunately, because I didn't have my contacts in, I couldn't see where I was supposed to get out of the water until it was too late and the current had pulled me past! A volunteer in a kayak paddled over and hollered at me to swim to my left. I turned and pulled my way in toward the beach, against the current, for about 100 yards. According to my dad, several hundred swimmers got pulled pretty far off course--it tends to be a newbie mistake at Alcatraz. I kept swimming, past wading triathletes, until I could feel the sand touch my hand. Then I popped up and ran onto the beach.
Swim Transition: Once on the beach, I ran up a ramp to a lawn just above the sand. I had my wetsuit unzipped and around my waist and my cap and goggles off pretty quick. I looked around the cheering crowd for my family, but couldn't see them. Once I was in the transition area, a race volunteer grabbed my arm and steered me down an aisle of bags, 650-699! I guess he must have seen the number written on my hand. I ran down the row right to my bag.
I was pretty disoriented and couldn't feel my hands very well. I was moving pretty slow, and decided I was okay with that. I stepped out of my wetsuit and flung off my Under Armour (added on the boat as an extra layer for the cold swim). I downed a gel, dumped baby powder on my feet to soak up the water, and managed to pull on my hoodie, socks and spare running shoes. Then it was off and running toward the bike transition, about 1/2 mile away on the Marina Green. On the way, I ran past my smiling, shouting family and friends!
Bike Transition: Once there, I pulled off my shoes and hoodie and tried to pull on my arm warmers. NOT! It took me a bit of effort to get my arms dry enough. I threw on my helmet and sunglasses. Hallelujah--I could see again! Stepped into my shoes, grabbed my bike, and ran to the mount line. By this time, my family had caught up. I jumped on my bike and accelerated down Mason Ave, past their smiling faces.
The BIKE: I would have smoked this bike course, wimpy descending and all, if I hadn't dropped my chain THREE TIMES. Grrr. I need to get a compact double crank! But I digress.
This was a beautiful, beautiful ride. That alone made it amazing, speed (or lack thereof) aside. We climbed up to the Presidio through thick fog and rode past the Legion of Honor. As I began the second decent ascent on the way out, I had a piece of good fortune. Heading back in descending the other side of the road were the first of the pros! I managed to pick out a few that I recognized. They looked amazing, hunched low over their pursuit bars, announced by the low rumble of carbon disc wheels.
After a few more descents followed by hard corners, I'd made it out to Point Lobos. I'd almost reached the Cliff House when I dropped my chain the first time. It was okay; I was headed downhill and it was off the front chainring. Pretty typical. I hopped off and managed to get it back on in no time, and had no trouble getting started since it was on a descent to the Great Highway.
After heading down the Great Highway for about a mile, the course looped into and around the western half of Golden Gate Park. By this time I was cruising pretty well--I like the flats and my knee was feeling good. Nobody was passing me anymore, and except for the rough pavement here and there in the park I was able to get down and crank pretty hard.
We popped back out onto the Great Highway and went back the way we came, up Point Lobos. As we curved back to the east, the road steepened. I shifted down so I could save a little for the steepest part of Clement...
...and dropped my chain again. I was headed uphill, and this time it had come off my rear cassette. Crap and double crap. I swore profusely, much to the apparent amusement of a nearby cop marshaling the course. I managed to dismount fast enough to avoid tipping over, and then had to walk uphill to a parking lot so I'd be in a spot flat enough to clip back in and get started again. After wrestling with the chain awhile, I finally got it back on. I mounted, clipped in, started pedaling, and promptly dropped the chain AGAIN. I hopped off, pretty mad now. This time I threaded it onto one of the cogs in the middle, and decided I would just go without a few of the easiest gears for the remaining hills.
I jumped on and began spinning madly up the rest of Point Lobos. Everyone I'd flown by in the park was now up ahead of me. Grrrrrrr! We swung a quick right back onto Clement for a nasty short steep SF hill. I was so mad I didn't even downshift, just cranked through it.
The ride back in was uneventful for me; a few noticeable hills and one BAD accident on the last sizeable descent. Evidently it involved four riders. It was so bad that there were THREE fire trucks parked around the scene, blocking it from view, as we went past. Scary.
I made it back down to Mason Avenue and cranked all the way in to transition. I passed Liz on my way in; she was already running out. I hit the dismount, and ran in to transition.
Run Transition: I took my time a bit here. My family was right by the fence, taking pictures of me, asking me if I was okay and how was I feeling, so I chatted with them a bit. I'd forgotten to leave my shoe laces loosened and untied, so that slowed me down a bit. Other than that, no problem. I ran out on legs that were feeling pretty fresh--could have gone a bit harder in the hills on the bike! As I ran out, the first of the professional women were approaching the finish. It was pretty exciting; there were news crews everywhere and a helicopter hovering over the finsh line and transition area.
Run: The run was my best event Sunday. It's 8 miles, and it starts out flat through Crissy Field, then heads under the Golden Gate Bridge, and climbs up some stairs and trails toward the Presidio. After a while on the road, it drops back down to Baker Beach, and there's about 1/2 mile out and then back in the sand. After that, it's the dreaded Sand Ladder, several hundred steep steps back up to the road. Then there are 3 miles to go--a long, gradual uphill (which was pretty easy after the Sand Ladder) and then downhill and flat back in.
I was feeling pretty fresh and solid the whole time. I ran it all except the steepest, narrowest parts of the trails and stairs and the Sand Ladder. I even had the opportunity to chat with a few out-of-towners along the way.
It was such a beautiful race, and I couldn't believe it was almost over already! I slowed down a bit under the bridge to have a lok around me. I watched a huge cargo ship pulling into the bay under the bridge, and marveled at the thought that it would soon be motoring its way right through the course I'd just swum. I wondered if it had had to wait outside the bay awhile, until everyone was finished.
As the course flattened out onto Crissy Field, I focused on picking up my cadence. I wanted a strong finish with a smile so my family could get some good pictures. It was almost like I could feel their engery pulling me in; I picked it up for the last two miles of the course.
I hit the Green, rounded the corner into the finish chute, and took one more look back out at the island. My family was right there to my left, cheering me on. I had done it--hailed as one of the toughest tris in the world, something that hundreds of triathletes would love the chance for, I had "escaped" from Alcatraz!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wish me luck this weekend!
A few pictures from the 2005 swim...
Escape from Alcatraz is this Sunday. Wish me luck!
SF forecast that day calls for clouds, a high of 61 and a low of 54. Water temp should be about 55 degrees. Brrrr.
I'm going to check the tide table to see if the current will be a help or a hinderance. Evidently, when the tide is rushing out, the current travels at about 7-8 mph. That may sound slow, but it isn't when you only swim about 2+ mph.
My start time will be between 7 and 7:06 am...actually, all of us will be starting then. Eeek.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
a few pics from wildflower 2007
Christine, me, and Stephanie, shortly after my successful finish back up at camp. My personal cheerleaders/coaches, inspiration, and two of my dearest friends! :-)
I took this photo of one a the Olympic swim starts on Sunday. You really do feel kinda like you're in a blender full of humans.
This is as much of the transition area as I could fit into my lens. 3500 bikes racked in there! Can be hard to find yours when your brain is a bit addled after an adrenaline fueled open-water swim. The bike and run terrain is pretty much like the hills you see in the background--dusty, exposed, and neverending. :-)
This is what a swim start looks like from the front. This is a professional ASI photo.
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