So far...

1/27/07
Short, easy team run today at Manhattan Beach. 3.5 miles trying to keep the heart rate low. I think I like this “recovery week” thing. :) Next week we are supposed to work on taking in nutrition while running. So far I have mastered walking and chewing gum at the same time, so hopefully running and slurping down Goo won’t be too much harder.

1/22/07 I am looking forward to this Recovery week. Part of me wants to keep up the progress I’ve been making and just hit it hard with some long runs, but I’ll take the coaches’ word for it that I need this one. Considering I slept away the whole weekend, I think my bod needs a little rest. I feel asleep Friday, Saturday, and Sunday around 7 pm and slept through the night all three nights….

1/21/07
Did a 26 mi bike ride in Palos Verdes today. Went with a few Boeing guys, and they kicked my @$$!! We went up the back way to the switchbacks (up Hawthorne) which is a longer, more gradual hill. Just to make it fun they tacked on an additional hill at the end. I got beaten in sports by more middle age men than I care to admit this week. It especially made me feel better to learn that they did a second whole loop after.

1/20/07
Another brick today. 16 miles biking in PV then a 2x1.5 mile run loop through the neighborhoods, with a killer hill. I should’ve done it 3 times, but it was a good workout nonetheless. Definitely got busted for not drinking enough water! I only made it through one bottle and most of it was after I got back from my run. Paid for it the rest of the day with a massive headache.

Today we learned about transitions. (again, the mere mention of the race makes me so nervous!) The main rule is comfort versus speed and figuring out what you need to wear to feel good biking or running and then setting it up properly to make it easy for you. Ahhck! I’m getting nervous again just writing about what might happen on race day.

1/19/07
OhmygoshI’msotiredfromthisweekofworkingout!
This was definitely the toughest week I’ve done yet. Did a slight alteration of the Redondo Beach 10k route on Monday night (6.4 miles, ~58 mins), a 7 miles run Tuesday night-~63 mins then a quick swim to work on technique, 1 hour of spin class then soccer on Wednesday, Thursday night swimming.

1/18/07
Lots of pressure tonight. I improved a lot last week so I wanted to make sure to keep it up. I had the first real “workout” from swimming this week. It was pretty tough. We did some warm up drills and then did (eek!) timed full lengths. It was either with a set rest time or with a set time to complete each. I can hardly believe I can do it. Not sure how many laps we got in.

1/16
Went running (7 miles) with a group that meets up at Village Runner in Redondo. The collective running experience of the people there was like 41282 marathons. It was nice to have a group to start out and end with, but since people go at many different paces, and stop at different points along the course, I was by myself for much of the time.

1/14/07
Light workout at the gym. Better than nothing.

1/13/07
Bike ride in PV 16-ish miles? I forget. It didn’t feel too hard, but it was soooooo cold! Clinic on what to wear during the triathlon. Everytime Coach mentions the race, I get chills. Hehe I’m going to be so nervous!

1/11/07
I had the BEST night of swimming tonight! I’m not quite sure what it was. Hahaha, finally it clicked. I think Coach Mike was pretty proud of me, and by “I think” I mean he told me he was. I did practice last night on the roof-top pool at Gold’s, but what really made it click today was getting my breathing in order. (haha and also having to carry the Styrofoam pool buoys between my legs to stop my from kicking about so wildly). Coach Mike spent some 1-on-1 time working on breathing out underwater and getting a breathing rhythm. That did it!

1/7/07
Well, I did it. At last. I sent out my letters. Basically since Christmas I had been having a lot of doubts about whether or not I wanted to continue training and so had put off doing my letters. I had two reasons for quitting, both closely linked. One was that I felt like I had started from a place so far out-of-shape that I would be disappointed by my performance in the end; that I might not even be able to do it in the end. The second was that I was going to be taking classes, changing jobs, and volunteering at the hospital and wouldn’t have enough time to dedicate myself enough to training to get me to the level of athleticism that I knew I would want. If I had 3 hours a day to train then I might be able to, but life was sort of getting in the way.
Several long talks with Coach Jeff and Coach Mike, plus some encouragement from my mentor Scott and I was back on track. Coach Mike reminded me that the sport of triathlon is a very humbling sport. Everyone has their challenges with it, and that is the is really the appeal. (Did I think this was going to be easy??) Supposedly, I am one of the better beginners (I guess I can deal with that). Coach Jeff also reminded me that I don’t have to be ready today. I still have a lot of time before the race, and in fact I won’t be ready until right there in April when the time comes. Plus, it’s my first time! No matter what it will be a success—come the endof the day April 22 I will be a triathlete. He too had to the most trouble with the swim, but got better with each progressive race he did. He related to some of my feelings about remembering past athletics where things came easy, and I might have been used to just “being good” at sports. It’s tough to not have that anymore, but again it is a great part of the challenge!! I felt better after all of this reassurance. Whew, thanks Coaches.

1/6/07
Completed my first “brick” practice today. A brick is when you do any combination of the three sports together, so for instance, today we did a double brick: a bike, run, bike, run. It was only a 6 mile bike ride and a 1.5 mile run, but it was the first time I’d tried both of them together. Nutrition clinic by Coach Jeff after practice. He gave us a lot of good number rules 55/30/15 carbs/protein/fat, water 5 oz every 15 minutes, eating ~ 2 hours before working out low GI foods, and higher GI foods while working out. The trick will be trying to keep up with them. It’s noticeably different how I have become more in tune with the nutritional needs of my body since working out hard. It’s actually pretty nice.

1/4/07
I had the worst night of swimming tonight. I’m not quite sure what it was. Maybe a hard day at work?? UGH! I’m so frustrated I felt like crying—I almost did….I am having a lot of doubts about whether or not I am going to be able to do this.

1/2/07
Back in action. Running hard down by the beach. I was worried Christmas break would set me back a lot but I’m still feeling good. Maybe a little R&R was just what I needed.

1/1/07
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
I managed to keep up my workouts over Christmas a little bit. It was sooooo freezing! It just figures it’s 60 degrees in Boston every day until Christmas then drops to freezing temperatures precisely the moment I step outside to go for a run. Each breath was like instant bronchitis. With 3 days of skiing and 3 runs I think that’s pretty good considering it’s the holidays. I even managed to get Kristen out for a run one of the days. Kinda gross cause she wore my spandex but it was nice to have the company.

12/25
Merry Christmas! We got a Christmas card from some family friends. On it was a picture of both their daughters, one the college gymnast had just a few inches of hair that had grown back from her chemotherapy. She was diagnosed with Leukemia last year and her family spent the year trying to get her medical treatments while she attempted to continue as best she could in school. It was my favorite card, as the young girl’s cancer is in remission and she’s working on getting in shape for gymnastics again. It wasn’t until I started training and fundraising for LLS that the miracle of this could really hit me.

12/16/06
Today was a fantastic day! (not weather-wise unfortunately) but a great day for TnT. We had a team run at CSU Domingues Hills, which surprisingly are not hilly at all, followed by an Honored Teammate brunch at Rebecca’s house. Mentor, Mike Roberts was cooking up his famous chocolate chip waffles, and we enjoyed mimosas, chicken sausage, eggs, fruit, and laughter with our teammates. This day was all about Connection to the Cause so my teammates brought pictures of those whose honor/memory they are competing for. Our Honored Teammate Ciana attended the brunch with her mom. Its wonderful to see her, as her cancer has been in remission for several years and she’s now just a normal teenager. I wish anyone diagnosed with any of the blood diseases could be so lucky. My teammates have amazing stories and reasons for why they are competing. Today I felt so lucky to be a part of this organization.


12/15/06
I asked mom about our connection to cancer cause I thought it was funny that no one in our family had been diagnosed it. As she rattled off the relatives, many of whom I was too young at the time of their death to even remember, my jaw dropped. I didn’t realize Gandma Szolomayer, Aunt Kay, Grandpa Szolomayer, Grandpa Kohn, Aunt Helen, various other Uncles and Aunts I never even knew. I guess I had never realized it.

Note to self: REI fundraising not really worth it. I brought two tons of wrapping paper and ended up making about $15.


12/14/06
SO practicing actually does make you better…who knew?? I was able to get in two swims this week before our team practice on Thursday night, and I think it is starting to show. Maybe. Or maybe Coach Mike is just being nice (more probable) but I’m at least feeling a little more comfortable in the water.

12/12/06
I don’t know what I did the other night—well actually I do it was 6 set of stairs down by the beach—but my calves are killing me!! I can barely move them when I wake up, but I’ve kept running and swimming, soaking them in the hot tub, and hitting up the cold-warm (generic Icy-Hot) and they’ve been getting better. Note to self: stretch out after your runs you idiot!

12/9/06
Worked out every day this week. Pretty sweet. GO ME!


12/8/06
One thing I hate about “winter:” I got up one morning to go before work and decided to wait until the sun came up before I went. Next thing I know I’m late for work. Whoops. Looks like after work workouts are the only way to go for a while.

Never again will I swim at the Bally’s in Torrance. I think I might get diseased from being in that pool. I’m not kidding. It was soooo grimey. Melissa (my roommate) and I tried it out cause they are one of the few local gyms with a Boeing discount that has a pool. The clientele was like a scene from Deliverance and I’m just praying they shock the pool with a hell of a lot of chlorine. Worth it to get a practice in but I’m definitely looking elsewhere.

Running seems to be getting a bit easier. It’s a big help that Jeremy waits till after work—which is always LATE-- to go with me. The neighborhood is perfectly safe, but I just feel better going with someone else. We’ve been doing loops down by the beach and the piers which are pretty good, and have been kicking up the mileage/time. We do anywhere from 3.5 to 5 miles. We’ve both agreed to run the Redondo Beach 10k in February. I did this race last year and it was tons of fun.

12/3/07
ow Ow OWWW! Made it from Manhattan Beach to Pepperdine in Malibu and back, 50 miles total. And I think I might be dead. For a good three hours I had to lie on the living room floor and just not move. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to sit again. I didn’t quite realize how far we were going when Joe said it was time for a long flat ride North instead of our usually hilly ride through PV. OW. The way up was wonderful, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect morning. It must have been 75 degrees with a cool ocean breeze all the way up the coast—and IT’S DECEMBER!! Days like these make me really love it in California. The winde definitely picked up in Malibu and we rode on a major highway at a 45 degree angle in order to make it. I was behind the two boys for much of the way—I’m not quite comfortable drafting yet, so I was working hard the whole time. The way there was beautiful and we had a pleasant rest on the grass at Pepperdine, but shortly into the ride home I began regretting giving up my granola bar and was really feeling dehydrate/in need of nutrition. What I wouldn’t have done for a powerbar! By the end of Santa Monica that was it! I was done! Overheard: “ I’m just not going to pedal anymore” Lo and behold I made it home –with help of the ol’ sing-your-favorite-song-out-loud-so-you-stop-thinking-about-the-pain-in-your-crotch-and-keep-pedaling trick lead by Joe. After 4 hours we were back in MB and our post-ride bagels (following the post ride Thanksgiving leftover feast) never tasted so good.

12/02/07
Team bike ride at El Dorado State Park. Note to self (and Scott my mentor/carpooler) PRINT DIRECTIONS! Dad came to the rescue reading them over the phone (cause who else is up at 7:45 am PST??) and deciphering from the map where we were. Thanks Dad! Rode about 14 miles. It was pretty easy cause the course was totally flat.

12/1
So last night was the first swim practice, and oh dear I’m not sure I knew what I was getting myself into. I’m not sure how—after 23 years of every summer at the beach—I can be such an absurdly awkward, horrible swimmer. I guess “racing out to the buoys” and the little kicking to fight the waves boogie boarding doesn’t count as the kind of technique you want to use when doing any real life swimming, because my style is definitely not right. I’ve got a lot of practicing to do.
Last night was about one of the coldest nights we’ve had here in California this fall (it actually went below 50 degrees!) I know, I know shouldn’t seem cold to someone who is most used to swimming in water that cold, but you’d be surprised how quickly I acclimated to the mild weather out here. The “cold” weather did help because it reduced the number of teammates who came to practice meaning we had a lot of 1 on 1 coaching time. Perfect for my first night!!
I am amazed at our coaches patience…truly. I not only belonged in the beginner group, but the remedial beginner…I couldn’t even manage to kick right (apparently from the hips and NOT bending my knees so much) or get my head deep enough in the water. It’s also great that the only other time I donned my red bathing suit was to play Pamela Anderson for Halloween! Mike (one of the coaches) had a nice video phone that he was able to take video of us and show us what we were doing right and wrong (mostly the latter) in real-time! See how technologically advanced we are!

I feel a little bad tonight because I didn’t go workout. I had every intention of doing it. I have my running pants on and everything as I type (everything including my new cycling gloves which is a TAD bit awkward to say the least), but I just can’t manage to get out the door. Plus it’s already 10:30 which I feel like is a little late to take to the streets alone. No worries though. We have cycling practice down in Long Beach early tomorrow morning so I’ll be getting a good workout in a few hours anyhow. Gotta get to bed and be up early for the Team ride in Long Beach tomorrow. It will be my first ride on my new bike, which by the way still remains nameless. Gotta work on that one.
Till later!

11/11
My first official Team in Training Practice. The team’s first bike ride in the hills of Palos Verdes and my first realization that I have no way to get my bike there in the mornings…DOH! I am borrowing a bike “Ol’ Blue” from my friend Joe. That’s the bike I have been riding on several times with him and was in fact my very first time on a road bike a few months ago. I do have my own bike, but I don’t have cleats for my shoes that match it’s current pedals, and when I say, “my shoes” I mean the ones that Joe lets me borrow because I don’t have my own yet. That’s next on my list. Being the genius that I am I thought it was a good idea to just ride Ol’ Blue up to PV from Joe’s house in Manhattan Beach at 7 a.m. to make it to our practice at 7:45. Hah! Fat chance! Of course I got up late, and of course it took a really long time to get there and I arrived huffing and puffing up the hill just as the two groups were pulling away. Oh well, I got my workout in on the way there and back* and it gave me a good chance to meet and talk with Kate, our team manager. I am very excited I started to do this and just have to wait for all these other current commitments to settle down (after Thanksgiving) to get into training hard and raising lots of $$. In 5 months I will be a triathlete J

Can we just talk about the way back for a minute? I RACED like a madwoman from PV to Manhattan Beach—a 40 minute ride—because meanwhile my carpool was already ready to leave for Long Beach Aquarium where we were to attend a Boeing volunteer recognition event and I was to accept my raffle prize-12 tickets in the company box at the Lakers game!! Needless to say I missed the carpool, drove myself, and raced in with still wet hair from the shower, just in time to step on stage, shake hands and collect the tickets. WHEW! Is this really my life?!?