Lynn, Hayley, and me sporting our wetties at the Stevens Creek Reservoir practice triathlon. Monday, March 31, 2008
neoprene nightmare
Lynn, Hayley, and me sporting our wetties at the Stevens Creek Reservoir practice triathlon. 
still got it
Wow--I had a tiring weekend! That, by the way, is a not-so-great shot from the top of Sierra Road.
Saturday was the team's Ride-n-Tie workout. A great brick for them, and fun for the coaches to watch, as partners come and do the event in costume. People always end up pushing themselves more than they previously thought possible, and they have fun doing it! Always a breakthrough day for lots of people on the team.
Anyway, instead of doing the Ride-n-Tie workout with the rest of the team, Lynn and Hayley (clad hilariously as Fook Yu and Fook Mi) and I decided to run the Lexington Dam later in the day. We met outside Blendz at 4 and struck out on the flats first, so we had a mile or so to warm up before grinding up the steep hills to the top of the dam. We tacked on a bit extra at the top by heading out toward the boathouse before finishing the loop up another steep, curse-worthy hill and then heading down the switchbacks back into Los Gatos. Not sure how far we ran--probably around 5 miles or so.
As if that weren't enough...Sunday, Lynn had a buddy ride planned. The route was to be the Sierra Loop backwards, heading up Old Calaveras and Felter Road, and then descending Sierra back into San Jose. Holy HILLS. I don't think I have ever gone up a hill that big. It was 2000+ feet of climbing and it just went on and on! On the other hand, it was a beautiful ride. Heading along the crest of the hills on Sierra was amazing--I've never climbed so high on my bike. At the top, we celebrated. The last four or five of us to round the corner (we were plagued with some mechanical issues) were treated to the sight of five bare butts in the middle of the road. The participants really got to know their mentors and captains, I tell ya. After getting a quick group shot from a passing cyclist, we headed for the descent. Descending Sierra was just about the steepest 4 miles I've ever rolled down--I happily rode my brakes all the way in. My hands and wrists sure are feeling it today!
Friday, March 07, 2008
Building a pyramid
It's week 5 of the season, and everyone is looking absolutely amazing.
Last night at track, we did a pyramid workout. This is a great component to add the build phase of a running program, and very valuable for beginners just learning the pacing associated with different rates of exertion.
This week I was paired up with Barney and we were responsible for coaching the Age group. A little background: our team has about 100 people on it, of very different fitness levels. For each sport, we encourage them to seed themselves into different groups based on their ability--beginner, intermediate, advanced and/or slow, medium, and fast. There are three racing divisions in the sport of triathlon: Age (where the masses are sorted by their age), Elite (super-fast amateurs with day jobs AND sponsors), and Pro (triathlon IS their day job). Hence, our three groupings are Age, Elite, and Pro.
Anyway, our Agers did a 200/400/600/400/200 pyramid, with the expectation that they would be running harder (read: more out of breath) as the pyramid progressed.
I have not worked much with the Agers on the track. It takes patience, because coaching Age groupers means spending a lot of time explaining, encouraging, reassuring, and reiterating. In short, it takes more, well, coaching. This is a challenge for me at times, because I work with individual clients all day long who require a lot of teaching and cueing, because it's what they pay me for. I love coaching the Pros because they know what they're doing; I can rattle off the workout, recoveries, and intensity--and they get it the first time. They know the terminology. They keep track of their own splits; I just have to call them out. Once they're off on a set I can just sit back and watch what the human body can do, which I love.
Coaching Agers, though, is rewarding in so many different ways. Often Agers didn't even know that they could run around the track once, much less that they could make a mile without stopping. Agers ask me the best, most probing questions about my training knowledge. Agers make me a better coach, and by trying my patience, a better person.
Becoming a better athlete is like building a pyramid. You have to have all the basic elements, a base, in place--tissue and joint integrity, and aerobic foundation, decent strength, and decisiveness before you can see steady improvement.
Becoming a better coach is the same. I need to be reminded occasionally of what it was like just starting out. I have to prove myself, TO myself, over and over again.
Last night at track, we did a pyramid workout. This is a great component to add the build phase of a running program, and very valuable for beginners just learning the pacing associated with different rates of exertion.
This week I was paired up with Barney and we were responsible for coaching the Age group. A little background: our team has about 100 people on it, of very different fitness levels. For each sport, we encourage them to seed themselves into different groups based on their ability--beginner, intermediate, advanced and/or slow, medium, and fast. There are three racing divisions in the sport of triathlon: Age (where the masses are sorted by their age), Elite (super-fast amateurs with day jobs AND sponsors), and Pro (triathlon IS their day job). Hence, our three groupings are Age, Elite, and Pro.
Anyway, our Agers did a 200/400/600/400/200 pyramid, with the expectation that they would be running harder (read: more out of breath) as the pyramid progressed.
I have not worked much with the Agers on the track. It takes patience, because coaching Age groupers means spending a lot of time explaining, encouraging, reassuring, and reiterating. In short, it takes more, well, coaching. This is a challenge for me at times, because I work with individual clients all day long who require a lot of teaching and cueing, because it's what they pay me for. I love coaching the Pros because they know what they're doing; I can rattle off the workout, recoveries, and intensity--and they get it the first time. They know the terminology. They keep track of their own splits; I just have to call them out. Once they're off on a set I can just sit back and watch what the human body can do, which I love.
Coaching Agers, though, is rewarding in so many different ways. Often Agers didn't even know that they could run around the track once, much less that they could make a mile without stopping. Agers ask me the best, most probing questions about my training knowledge. Agers make me a better coach, and by trying my patience, a better person.
Becoming a better athlete is like building a pyramid. You have to have all the basic elements, a base, in place--tissue and joint integrity, and aerobic foundation, decent strength, and decisiveness before you can see steady improvement.
Becoming a better coach is the same. I need to be reminded occasionally of what it was like just starting out. I have to prove myself, TO myself, over and over again.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
this week's workouts...
...were sparse following a three-day, mostly downhill backpacking trip sat, sun, and mon.
tues and wed, off.
thurs: rx'd x-fit workout: 400m followed by 50 squats, 4 rounds for time (12:44), then balance and agility with the team, 6 rounds.
friday: modified x-fit workout: max reps of DB press and pullups, 5 rounds. used 20# dumbells and medium sized band. totals were...
30/7
32/9
26/8+
24/7+
18/8
really died on the chest press. shaking wildly on last set. pullups are getting a lot better, though.
now, i'm trying to whip up the desire to go work out again...after freezing my butt off on the pool deck all morning. sigh...when nothing but a mug of hot chocolate and a book sounds any good to me.
tues and wed, off.
thurs: rx'd x-fit workout: 400m followed by 50 squats, 4 rounds for time (12:44), then balance and agility with the team, 6 rounds.
friday: modified x-fit workout: max reps of DB press and pullups, 5 rounds. used 20# dumbells and medium sized band. totals were...
30/7
32/9
26/8+
24/7+
18/8
really died on the chest press. shaking wildly on last set. pullups are getting a lot better, though.
now, i'm trying to whip up the desire to go work out again...after freezing my butt off on the pool deck all morning. sigh...when nothing but a mug of hot chocolate and a book sounds any good to me.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
and another thing...
My spin class rocks. My legs are shaky and burn-y, 1.5 hours after its end.
This past weekend, I was a lot faster on the road. A lot faster.
Go to Trek Bikes in San Jose. It's the best!
This past weekend, I was a lot faster on the road. A lot faster.
Go to Trek Bikes in San Jose. It's the best!
all about me
I haven't checked in on myself in a long while...at least not in the blog.
I have temporarily abandoned endurance training in earnest for a while. While I am coaching, it's too time-consuming. Too, I've decided that my body could benefit from an extended rest, so I am dropping the long runs and rides (mostly) for the next macrocycle or two.
For now, I'm focusing on cycling and strength training. On the side, a little bit of running and always the avid pursuit of hiking up great big hills with a pack on! :-)
Lately I've been playing around with crossfit workouts. I do some of them as posted, but I'm also writing, naming, performing, and prescribing my own based on a lot of the same principles. It amazing, I'm seeing changes already...in me and in some of my clients.
Yesterday I did 20 dips, totally unsupported. Big step for me.
Some of my goals for 2008:
Do at least one wide grip pullup
Do at least one L pullup
Do at least 5 handstand pushups
Someday, somehow...do 1 muscle-up
Become a vicious climber on the bike!
I have temporarily abandoned endurance training in earnest for a while. While I am coaching, it's too time-consuming. Too, I've decided that my body could benefit from an extended rest, so I am dropping the long runs and rides (mostly) for the next macrocycle or two.
For now, I'm focusing on cycling and strength training. On the side, a little bit of running and always the avid pursuit of hiking up great big hills with a pack on! :-)
Lately I've been playing around with crossfit workouts. I do some of them as posted, but I'm also writing, naming, performing, and prescribing my own based on a lot of the same principles. It amazing, I'm seeing changes already...in me and in some of my clients.
Yesterday I did 20 dips, totally unsupported. Big step for me.
Some of my goals for 2008:
Do at least one wide grip pullup
Do at least one L pullup
Do at least 5 handstand pushups
Someday, somehow...do 1 muscle-up
Become a vicious climber on the bike!
thus begins week 2...
Wow. Week 2 of Spring season already!
Week 1 flew by. Track practice on Thursday night was a ton of fun. About 75% of the team turned out at Foothill for a little bit of running, a little bit of strength training, a little agility, and a lot of ice-breaking!
Saturday morning we had our first swim/bike practice at Burgess. What we thought would be a logistical problem turned out to be a boon--we are now finding ourselves with ample extra time for clinics and extra strength and stretching...and a set-up that permits all riders to go out at once. This is great because it keeps the staff from getting overly split up, and makes SAG a lot easier.
Unfortunately, while we were out on our ride, we came upon a man laid out in the left turn lane who had clearly been badly injured. He was being tended to by several other cyclists and a motorist, and an ambulance was already on the way. I don't know what has become of him, but it's likely that he suffered a pretty severe head injury. It was scary and sobering, and probably upsetting for the participants that saw it. I was riding with a group of about 10 people, and once I was sure it wasn't one of ours who had gone down, I sped past everyone and shouted...
"Always wear your brain bucket!"
Week 1 flew by. Track practice on Thursday night was a ton of fun. About 75% of the team turned out at Foothill for a little bit of running, a little bit of strength training, a little agility, and a lot of ice-breaking!
Saturday morning we had our first swim/bike practice at Burgess. What we thought would be a logistical problem turned out to be a boon--we are now finding ourselves with ample extra time for clinics and extra strength and stretching...and a set-up that permits all riders to go out at once. This is great because it keeps the staff from getting overly split up, and makes SAG a lot easier.
Unfortunately, while we were out on our ride, we came upon a man laid out in the left turn lane who had clearly been badly injured. He was being tended to by several other cyclists and a motorist, and an ambulance was already on the way. I don't know what has become of him, but it's likely that he suffered a pretty severe head injury. It was scary and sobering, and probably upsetting for the participants that saw it. I was riding with a group of about 10 people, and once I was sure it wasn't one of ours who had gone down, I sped past everyone and shouted...
"Always wear your brain bucket!"
Thursday, January 24, 2008
detoxified
I quit caffeine last Thursday. It's now day 8 and I'm doing pretty well. The headaches are gone and I'm sleeping better than I have in a couple years! I do crave the sweet java, though...drool... Anyway, since I felt so good today, I celebrated by doing the workout (well, most of it) that I had slated for last Thursday when my headache was too deep and clangy for me fathom such a feat.
Filthy Fifty:
50 Box Jumps
50 Jumping Pull-ups
50 Kettle Bell Swings (18kg)
50 Steps Walking Lunge
50 Knees to Elbows
50 Push Press (45#)
50 Back Extensions
50 Wall Ball Shots
...and the last two, which I ran out of time for and so didn't do today:
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders
I was trying to finish in less than 1 hour--in time to get [marginally] cleaned up for a client. I had to modify a few things to get through them. I was surprised by which things ended up being easy and which were hard for me.
Box Jumps: no problem. I probably didn't use a big enough box. I hear I have decent hops for a white girl.
Jumping Pull-ups: Holy crap. This took forever.
KB swings: Had to break it up into two sets of 25, to keep the back from kicking in.
Walking Lunge: Burned, but easy overall. By now legs were pretty wobbly, though.
Knees to Elbows: Yow. I managed 25 from a hanging position, and then had to switch to floor jackknife.
Push Press: Unfortunately, this became 5 sets of 10 Push Jerk. Still--tough.
Back Extension: First 25 on the GH Raise, second 25 on the LB Ext.
Wall Ball Shots: There is no suitable target indoors here, and it was raining outside...so these ended up being oblique med ball wall tosses. Arms now complete jello.
And...I'm kind of glad I didn't get to the Burpees or Double Unders. I think that I might very well have puked.
Anyway. I'm not training for any endurance events now, but I am dabbling a bit in crossfit and trying to cycle and spin more. The effects are already apparent to me after about 3 weeks. My quads are looking pretty good to me! :-)
Now, about all that wine consumption...
Filthy Fifty:
50 Box Jumps
50 Jumping Pull-ups
50 Kettle Bell Swings (18kg)
50 Steps Walking Lunge
50 Knees to Elbows
50 Push Press (45#)
50 Back Extensions
50 Wall Ball Shots
...and the last two, which I ran out of time for and so didn't do today:
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders
I was trying to finish in less than 1 hour--in time to get [marginally] cleaned up for a client. I had to modify a few things to get through them. I was surprised by which things ended up being easy and which were hard for me.
Box Jumps: no problem. I probably didn't use a big enough box. I hear I have decent hops for a white girl.
Jumping Pull-ups: Holy crap. This took forever.
KB swings: Had to break it up into two sets of 25, to keep the back from kicking in.
Walking Lunge: Burned, but easy overall. By now legs were pretty wobbly, though.
Knees to Elbows: Yow. I managed 25 from a hanging position, and then had to switch to floor jackknife.
Push Press: Unfortunately, this became 5 sets of 10 Push Jerk. Still--tough.
Back Extension: First 25 on the GH Raise, second 25 on the LB Ext.
Wall Ball Shots: There is no suitable target indoors here, and it was raining outside...so these ended up being oblique med ball wall tosses. Arms now complete jello.
And...I'm kind of glad I didn't get to the Burpees or Double Unders. I think that I might very well have puked.
Anyway. I'm not training for any endurance events now, but I am dabbling a bit in crossfit and trying to cycle and spin more. The effects are already apparent to me after about 3 weeks. My quads are looking pretty good to me! :-)
Now, about all that wine consumption...
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Movin' on up!
Well, it's official. I'm an assistant coach for the Spring 2008 tri team!
I had initially been torn between deciding whether to coach or to race this season. I gave it some thought, and concluded that I need to take advantage of the opportunity to coach this team while the option is open to me!
It's going to be a big job. The spring team usually has around 100 participants, and we train them to participate in one (in some cases both) of two of triathlon's marquee events: the Wildflower Triathlon Festival at Lake San Antonio and King's Trail in Maui.
I'm so excited!
I had initially been torn between deciding whether to coach or to race this season. I gave it some thought, and concluded that I need to take advantage of the opportunity to coach this team while the option is open to me!
It's going to be a big job. The spring team usually has around 100 participants, and we train them to participate in one (in some cases both) of two of triathlon's marquee events: the Wildflower Triathlon Festival at Lake San Antonio and King's Trail in Maui.
I'm so excited!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Two things, in brief
...to re-establish my blog presence.
1) I had the good fortune of spending last weekend at a tri clinic with Dave Scott. He added volumes to what I learned earlier this year at USAT in Colorado Springs. More to come.
2) I have a new favorite LBS (that's local bike shop). Trek Bikes (formerly ST Bikes) in South San Jose. Excellent customer service, knowledgable staff, and one kickass Tuesday night spin class...for free! More to come.
Now, off to the dentist to finish the major overhaul. :-)
1) I had the good fortune of spending last weekend at a tri clinic with Dave Scott. He added volumes to what I learned earlier this year at USAT in Colorado Springs. More to come.
2) I have a new favorite LBS (that's local bike shop). Trek Bikes (formerly ST Bikes) in South San Jose. Excellent customer service, knowledgable staff, and one kickass Tuesday night spin class...for free! More to come.
Now, off to the dentist to finish the major overhaul. :-)
Monday, November 12, 2007
so ends the fall season...
What a weekend!
Due to a huge, horrible oil spill in the bay, the SF tri at Treasure Island was a bit altered. While this was disappointing for our participants, me, and the other coaches, it was obviously far more detrimental to the delicate and already tenuous ecology of the SF bay. I feel terrible thinking about all the birds and fish that are dying.
At any rate, once we heard about the oil spill and the extent of the damage, the event was touch and go. On Friday afternoon Tri Cal finally posted the official announcement, the water was deemed unsafe for swimming and the swim portion of the event was to be cancelled.
However...the show had to go on! This year's tri at T.I. just happened to be the ITU Pan Am championships, and a double points event for pros and elites trying to qualify for slots at Beijing next summer. It was settled then--the event would happen anyway, modified to be a duathlon.
This was great news, but I still felt pretty bad for our participants. These people had been training for a triathlon for the past 14 weeks. For most of them, it would have been their first tri. Between them (and there were barely 30 of them) they have raised over $75k for cancer research. For some of them, their triumph would have been magnified by the fact that they could barely swim at the beginning of the season! All of them were ready for their first competitive open water swim.
Luckily, the LLS stepped in at the last minute and gave them the choice of rolling 75% of the money in their Paycor accounts to another fundraising season; that way they'd be able to salvage most of their fundraising efforts and train for a different event.
It was a tough choice for some members of the team. Some people had friends and family that had arrived from out of town to support them. All of them had made room in their lives for nearly 3 months to train for a multisport event--a time consuming committment, especially for people who already have full-time jobs and families--and were unsure about committing to another season.
In the end, about 40% of the team went through with the event as a duathlon. I don't think a single one of them regretted it. By the time you finish a 10k run immediately after a 40k bike ride, evidently you're too tired to care (or even remember) that you didn't get to start with a swim as originally planned.
In training for a triathlon (or any endurance event), it's the journey that counts. Race day is one day. Only ONE DAY. What's to say you won't wake up that morning with the stomach flu? What if you get a flat or two and run out of tubes? What if there IS a catastrophic oil spill? Whether the race gods are with you or not--if you didn't enjoy the training leading up to it, it was all pointless.
I think TNT people are better off for it than others. They spent the season changing their lives, and getting in shape. They made connections, networked, laughed, smiled, and learned about things like how to change a bike tire, what the hell Body Glide is, and that you're never too old to pick up a new hobby. At the end of the day, they did something selfless; they raised thoursands of dollars that will save lives. They honored their fighting and fallen friends and family members stricken with blood cancers.
Due to a huge, horrible oil spill in the bay, the SF tri at Treasure Island was a bit altered. While this was disappointing for our participants, me, and the other coaches, it was obviously far more detrimental to the delicate and already tenuous ecology of the SF bay. I feel terrible thinking about all the birds and fish that are dying.
At any rate, once we heard about the oil spill and the extent of the damage, the event was touch and go. On Friday afternoon Tri Cal finally posted the official announcement, the water was deemed unsafe for swimming and the swim portion of the event was to be cancelled.
However...the show had to go on! This year's tri at T.I. just happened to be the ITU Pan Am championships, and a double points event for pros and elites trying to qualify for slots at Beijing next summer. It was settled then--the event would happen anyway, modified to be a duathlon.
This was great news, but I still felt pretty bad for our participants. These people had been training for a triathlon for the past 14 weeks. For most of them, it would have been their first tri. Between them (and there were barely 30 of them) they have raised over $75k for cancer research. For some of them, their triumph would have been magnified by the fact that they could barely swim at the beginning of the season! All of them were ready for their first competitive open water swim.
Luckily, the LLS stepped in at the last minute and gave them the choice of rolling 75% of the money in their Paycor accounts to another fundraising season; that way they'd be able to salvage most of their fundraising efforts and train for a different event.
It was a tough choice for some members of the team. Some people had friends and family that had arrived from out of town to support them. All of them had made room in their lives for nearly 3 months to train for a multisport event--a time consuming committment, especially for people who already have full-time jobs and families--and were unsure about committing to another season.
In the end, about 40% of the team went through with the event as a duathlon. I don't think a single one of them regretted it. By the time you finish a 10k run immediately after a 40k bike ride, evidently you're too tired to care (or even remember) that you didn't get to start with a swim as originally planned.
In training for a triathlon (or any endurance event), it's the journey that counts. Race day is one day. Only ONE DAY. What's to say you won't wake up that morning with the stomach flu? What if you get a flat or two and run out of tubes? What if there IS a catastrophic oil spill? Whether the race gods are with you or not--if you didn't enjoy the training leading up to it, it was all pointless.
I think TNT people are better off for it than others. They spent the season changing their lives, and getting in shape. They made connections, networked, laughed, smiled, and learned about things like how to change a bike tire, what the hell Body Glide is, and that you're never too old to pick up a new hobby. At the end of the day, they did something selfless; they raised thoursands of dollars that will save lives. They honored their fighting and fallen friends and family members stricken with blood cancers.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Treasure Island time!
Race weekend is almost here!
Right now the team is in the middle of a taper: a period of reduced activity following intense training. This allows for tissue repair/rebuilding and gives the body a chance to top off its liver glycogen and muscle glycogen stores.
Most of our participants are racing Saturday morning in the Olympic distance event, and a handful are doing the sprint on Sunday morning instead.
I'm so excited--I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone finish on their big day! So many of our participants have come so far, and I'm so proud of them. There isn't anyone who isn't fully capable of finishing on race day. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and will away illness, injury, disqualifications, and mechanical issues with bikes!
I hope we've truly prepared them. I hope we haven't forgotten anything in training, and that they have all the information they need. I hope it doesn't RAIN!
Right now the team is in the middle of a taper: a period of reduced activity following intense training. This allows for tissue repair/rebuilding and gives the body a chance to top off its liver glycogen and muscle glycogen stores.
Most of our participants are racing Saturday morning in the Olympic distance event, and a handful are doing the sprint on Sunday morning instead.
I'm so excited--I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone finish on their big day! So many of our participants have come so far, and I'm so proud of them. There isn't anyone who isn't fully capable of finishing on race day. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and will away illness, injury, disqualifications, and mechanical issues with bikes!
I hope we've truly prepared them. I hope we haven't forgotten anything in training, and that they have all the information they need. I hope it doesn't RAIN!
a busy weekend
This past weekend was a busy, active one!
Saturday morning, met up with the team for a light swim and run down in Aptos. Two laps around the USS Palo Alto, followed by a two mile run along the shore.
Saturday afternoon, went surfing for a couple hours. The weather was beautiful and the waves were perfect. Low tide was smack dab in the middle of the day. Conditions at the Hook were just right: nicely formed, regular sets, about shoulder high. A bit crowded, but didn't get barked at by any locals.
Saturday night, dinner with friends, followed by an awful (if not slightly amusing) movie.
Sunday morning, an easy bike ride out and back on Canada with a few members of the team (who had joined me in surfing the day before).
Sunday afternoon, a friend's baby shower.
Sunday night, dinner at home with my cousin: scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, and champagne. ;-)
Saturday morning, met up with the team for a light swim and run down in Aptos. Two laps around the USS Palo Alto, followed by a two mile run along the shore.
Saturday afternoon, went surfing for a couple hours. The weather was beautiful and the waves were perfect. Low tide was smack dab in the middle of the day. Conditions at the Hook were just right: nicely formed, regular sets, about shoulder high. A bit crowded, but didn't get barked at by any locals.
Saturday night, dinner with friends, followed by an awful (if not slightly amusing) movie.
Sunday morning, an easy bike ride out and back on Canada with a few members of the team (who had joined me in surfing the day before).
Sunday afternoon, a friend's baby shower.
Sunday night, dinner at home with my cousin: scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, and champagne. ;-)
FYI
Question of the day (from a client and fellow trainer):
"How long does it take for the water I drink to enter my bloodstream?"
Hmm. I'll have to give my usual answer to such questions: it all depends. It depends on...
1) The temperature of the water
2) Your current activity level (are you sitting around drinking water, or are you racing in a triathlon and drinking water?)
3) What is already in your stomach (a high carb concentration slows stomach emptying)
4) How much is in your stomach
5) How fast or slow you drink the water (If you drink a lot, enough to slightly distend the stomach itself, stretch receptors in your digestive tissue will trigger faster emptying)
"How long does it take for the water I drink to enter my bloodstream?"
Hmm. I'll have to give my usual answer to such questions: it all depends. It depends on...
1) The temperature of the water
2) Your current activity level (are you sitting around drinking water, or are you racing in a triathlon and drinking water?)
3) What is already in your stomach (a high carb concentration slows stomach emptying)
4) How much is in your stomach
5) How fast or slow you drink the water (If you drink a lot, enough to slightly distend the stomach itself, stretch receptors in your digestive tissue will trigger faster emptying)
Thursday, November 01, 2007
detox
In addition to way too much candy, yesterday's dalliances included an appletini and two glasses of wine. Oh, and that horrid ice cream thingie.
I tried to buy candy that I didn't like, really, I did. And some of it WAS stuff I hated. Twizzlers, for instance, taste like plastic. Why are Twizzlers so popular? I think I might stuff one or two in my bike tool kit--they might be useful next time I need to change a flat or something...
I digress. On top of the fact that I've been consuming way too much garbage this week, I've also been a lazy, lazy girl.
So, today...speed squats.
*10 minutes spinning
*Followed by specific speed squat warmup (as detailed previously)
*8x2 speed squats @ 95# (That's right. Sets of TWO. I'm trying to get fast, here! And there was exactly 1 minute of rest between each set).
SS 1: Zercher press 3x12x95#/Single-leg Deadlift, 3x12x15#DB (each side)
SS 2: BB walking lunge, front squat hold, 3x24x30#/BB side lunge, 3x12x30# (each side)
Now, the hour hath arrived. I must go pull out onto the parking lot usually known as the freeway. But hey, on the way home, I'll get to see my little god-daughter.
Maybe I can muster up the motivation for a run around the neighborhood tonight...or at least a spin on the trainer.
I tried to buy candy that I didn't like, really, I did. And some of it WAS stuff I hated. Twizzlers, for instance, taste like plastic. Why are Twizzlers so popular? I think I might stuff one or two in my bike tool kit--they might be useful next time I need to change a flat or something...
I digress. On top of the fact that I've been consuming way too much garbage this week, I've also been a lazy, lazy girl.
So, today...speed squats.
*10 minutes spinning
*Followed by specific speed squat warmup (as detailed previously)
*8x2 speed squats @ 95# (That's right. Sets of TWO. I'm trying to get fast, here! And there was exactly 1 minute of rest between each set).
SS 1: Zercher press 3x12x95#/Single-leg Deadlift, 3x12x15#DB (each side)
SS 2: BB walking lunge, front squat hold, 3x24x30#/BB side lunge, 3x12x30# (each side)
Now, the hour hath arrived. I must go pull out onto the parking lot usually known as the freeway. But hey, on the way home, I'll get to see my little god-daughter.
Maybe I can muster up the motivation for a run around the neighborhood tonight...or at least a spin on the trainer.
Monday, October 29, 2007
practice tri/evil motorist
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.
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.
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.
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