Swim, Swam, Swum

Two days of training. Two days of swimming...

The first day was planned. We wanted to do a medium sized swim, a 20 minute straight one, because there were post swim plans. Then we were off and swimming, all going well, 'till Kate's foot cramped up something awful and it was towards the end anyway so we stopped.

The thing is, at this point of the training, we have to go hard but we also have to be careful. A little nagging injury now could easily become a more serious one and then become something we are dealing with either close to race time or, even worse, during the actual race. So it was good to stop and tend to Kate's foot, and because of the issue we opted to swim the next day too since that's the lesser of the evils when it comes to handling a foot issue. And it felt good.

So two days of swimming, 'cept the second one was quite different. This time we tried to do a shorter, faster swim. I thought it would help us gauge our race pace better, since all along we've been swimming longer steady distances. So this time we took turns, one person swimming for 10 minutes and the other person timing, counting laps, and alerting the swimmer how much time was left by submerging a hand with the appropriate amount of fingers displaying the time. I thought it was awesome because it added a little bit of a nerve factor in there and let me see how I was doing timewise and lapwise. I learned a few things: I can go faster if I just tap in to the moment, I need to breathe more evenly and thus calmly, and I need to get new goggles. Stopping every 6 or so lengths to let water out is, well, just LAME.

So that's the latest here. Today was spent "cross training" if you dare call it that: Took a long walk with Kate and my dog Jaya and then have spent the evening doing an intensive cleaning job on the house. And since I'm stalling on that now in lieu of writing this blog, well, I guess I oughtta get back to that. More soon...

xo,
K

P.S. Just days away from the article in the newspaper...can't wait!!!

P.P.S. Please support AWB, donate today: http://www.acuwithoutborders.org/donate_online.php
***Be sure to put 'Kristin Althea' in the notes field!

Almost Famous...

Yesterday we had our tiny little brush with fame.

We got interviewed and had pictures taken for an article that is slated to run in the Daytona Beach News Journal this Sunday. YIPPEE!!! Of course I'll supply the link when it happens. Of course.

It was a funny process all around. Kate and I found ourselves talking non-stop about the training experience, too fast for the reporter to keep up with us. Then we got to have pictures of us taken while stretching and running. It brought a whole new level of worry to the exercising aspect. Thoughts like "Is my hat crooked? Is my shirt flipped up? Is my nose running?" flew through our minds. But we made it through the experience, even the part where the photographer was driving slowly next to us as we ran, leaning out the window and snapping zillions of photos as he drove. I think we handled it all with grace. Maybe? I guess I won't know for sure 'till the paper comes out on Sunday...

...and till then all there is time to do is exercise! So since my hammies felt a little sore from my yoga weekend, we debated about what kind of run to do yesterday. It was either the fast 20 minute or the semi-fast 40 minute. I figured we should shoot for the latter since it would be an easier pace. It was feeling good but we opted to go for a 30-ish minute run instead, just to keep it on the down low for my whiny hammies. Good times.

Today, in a little bit, we'll go for a swim. That will be about the same time, but will be a quickie (lack of conversation) as Kate has a post-exercise dinner to attend...

So that's that on my newly almost famous life. More later...

K Gets Her Groove Back?

Two days of solid workouts, two days of getting the groove back...

Yesterday we swam. A solid 26 min swim which left us with leadlike arms and blissfully tired. It was that 'warm fuzzy tired' you get from a good solid exercise. The hot tub sucked us in and was heaven. I know Kate came home and hit the hay early, and I myself showered, had a burrito and beer (thanks to my boyfriend) and hit the hay early myself...

Today was a bike. Picked up my bike at the shop (Fox Firestone Bike Shop in NSB, they're great!) with its new SECURE seat, new pedal cages, and a fresh tune up. Felt great. The guy at the shop pointed out to me that my bike handles are actually crooked, a sign that the bike had been in a previous wipeout. He then paused and eyed me suspiciously. "What?! It wasn't me. Honest!" I said. I chuckled as he instructed me to push the right handlebar down in the event of a future accident in hopes of correcting the current imbalance. Nice.

Anyway, so Kate & I went out for a ride, a "short" one that would only take about 30 mins. The ride out was great. I felt like I was keeping a good pace with Kate and the bike felt smooth. Found the right gear, found the right rhythm, and we were off!

Then we turned to come home. OOOOOOOOO, wind! Strong strong gusts of wind, but mostly wind blowing right at us. I watched as Kate plowed ahead of me yet again and I felt my muscles ache as I pedaled and pedaled. It felt like a giant invisible hand was pushing back at me, telling me I couldn't move forward. It wasn't easy. But what could I do? Give up? Walk? Of course not. So I plugged on. Finally met up with Kate for a much easier ride home since we were on a side street away from the stronger wind.

Learned a couple of things today...
1) Riding low is DEFINITELY the best move to avoid the stronger winds.
2) Pedal cages RULE! I don't know how I would've gotten through that strong wind today without those damn things which helped me pull and push.
(Please note, if you are reading this and plan on competing against me in the race, I was just joking. Pedal cages are a complete waste of money and really challenging to use and will barely help you at all!)

I have to say too, the race is SOON! Less than 2 months away now and I think of it EVERY SINGLE TIME I go out to exercise. It's amazing how long ago we started this training. When all is said and done we would've spent SIX MONTHS training for this race! Back when we started it seemed like a lifetime away until the race but now it just feels so close and like every workout counts. I know many people don't start to train for an event like this until there is only 2 months until the event, and knowing this makes me want to step up the pace more. I'm hoping for a solid weekend of yoga followed by a solid weekend of exercise. Hopefully next week we'll hit a nice solid groove and become, well, totally groovy? (I know, I'm corny!)

One is the lonliest number...

Tonight we planned for a 'short run' night. Originally that was going to be 3 miles. Instead, I came up with the brilliant idea that we should try to do 2.75 miles exactly (our race mileage) to see how fast we could do it. I figured it would be good to have a base time and go from there...

So after the warm up, the stretching, the calculating (1/2 mile to the grey house, etc.) we were off and running. 'Cept Kate was off and flying and I was, well, off and crawling. I will say it was one hell of a windy day and I will say that I kept a solid clip for how I was feeling. I mean, I felt like I pretty much gave it my all. Just the same, Kate was a la Road Runner and I was operating as the turtle that didn't win the race.

I kept running with a wide stance in hopes that I'd cover lost ground. I know that was probably a bad idea, and even as it was happening I was trying to stop it, but I just couldn't. Somewhere, the wiring in my brain tells me "You have long legs, use them to your advantage and stretch out that run!!!" and I'll be damned if I can stop my own brain. Anyway, when I was finished and checked in with Speedy, I found she gave it her all too. :) Kate was actually really close to her goal pace and I was, well, 2 minutes and change behind my overall time. Ah well, better run next time. For both of us. Although it was lonely running without Kate (she was a little ant in the distance) it was a good opportunity to have the 'race' feeling of trying to catch up. And really, I was proud of her!

Now I am left with super tight calves (a result of my wide stance running???) and this nagging question: I have been sluggish lately working out...WHAT GIVES?! Kate has been running (and biking) circles around me. I'm not feeling the rush I felt from a good day of exercising, I'm not feeling fast and full of life. It is less than two months now (yesterday was 2 months!) to race day and I should be powering it out now. Instead, it's blah. Why?!

And as I ran tonight alone, I did me some thinking. I have a new potential theory. Diet. Perhaps the culprit to my lack of energy is the fact that I didn't eat healthy in December and haven't really cleaned up my act much lately. I mean, could it be??? Could chocolate chip cookies and ice cream not be the energizers that I thought them to be? ;) I have been sleeping fine, working fine, keeping busy cleaning the home but nothing too crazy. Hmmm...interesting interesting. So at this point I think changing my diet might not be a bad idea. Well heck, it wouldn't be a bad idea anyway but now it's seeming even more and more appealing. It will be interesting to see how the change affects me. I'll keep ya posted. :)

That's all for now, I'm going to take my slow butt to the shower for a quick rinse & do more calf stretching...and less cookie eating...

Bikeride From H-E-L-L...

It seemed like a simple enough task: An hour bike ride. Even though I had never really done that before I was sure it wouldn't be a problem because we could be flexible on speed. No big deal.

I bought a new bike seat in anticipation for the ride. Well, I needed a new one anyway since my old one is just too hard, and this seemed like the right time. I was really excited about it because it is really squishy soft and it was on sale. Bonus! I brought it home and even managed to put it on all by myself. I was feeling pretty good about things. Pre-ride we inflated our tires and I learned that mine were severely low. Now equipped with a new seat and freshly inflated tires, I was sure we'd rock out on the ride.

We got to the park, rode a little, and stretched. The seat felt like it was kind of angled upwards kinda funny, but I figured I'd get used to it. After the warm-up I got back on my bike I noticed the seat was a little bit loose. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal. I was wrong. But first I had to ride 22 minutes in to discover how wrong I was...

So yes, 22 minutes in we stopped for Kate to adjust her foot cramp. It was at that point that my seat really loosened up. And we realized that not only was the seat loose from side to side but that it could be tilted forward and back. And not only could it be tilted up and down but it wouldn't stay in one spot but kept shifting with every minute movement. It was at this point I knew I was in for a long ride back...

...but I had no idea how long of a ride back it would be. You see, the seat wouldn't stay still for a moment, but kept shifting and shifting. I was left with two options: To either do my best to ride on it and keep it still, or to try to stand lifting myself off the seat for most of the ride back. I chose a little bit of both options. Neither was pleasant. The first option meant that all of my weight was distributed on my, well, let's say it was not on my butt but further forward. OUCH. Yeah. And the second option just meant more engaged muscles and a sore back.

At this point you're getting the drift that it wasn't a good time. Eventually I got annoyed enough that I asked Kate to stop with me so I could take a break. She graciously volunteered to ride my bike on out and let me use hers. Perhaps she is a masochist. I think she was just being nice. Anyway, of course I took her up on that offer. As she sped off into the distance (she opted for the "pedal hard and then cruise while being off the seat" method) I proceeded to get my pants caught in the bike's gears. As I watched her fade away in the distance, I tried to go forwards, backwards, but there was no budging. "I can't believe this" I mumbled and pulled off the road to fix it. It was stuck pretty good and after much yanking I finally got the damn pants out of the bike. Chuckling, I rolled my pants up all dorky style and pushed on the pedal to finally catch up to Kate.

Ah, but not so fast! I had pulled the chain off while dealing with the pants fiasco. Now if you recall, I'm not exactly a "bike person" and what I mean by this is, yes, this is my first time dealing with a chain being off a bike and having to fix it myself. What to do? It was at this time that I saw a truck approaching and felt a mix of delight and embarrassment as I heard it slow down. Park Ranger. Don't I feel like the cool kid now. I tried to get some words together but probably didn't make much sense. I fumbled with the chain as he stood there for a moment and then I felt like I worked it out OK and told him I was set. He was pretty much on his way out anyway. As I started off again, I could see him stop up ahead in the distance, talking to Kate. I finally approached to find out that the nut had come flying off the seat, leaving Kate worse off than before. Thankfully we were by the exit at this time and since he didn't have a wrench, Kate rode off the seat for the end of the ride.

So you think the badness ends there? Nope. We got back to the car, stretched, packed the bikes in, and headed home. When we got home we were pulling the bikes out with what little strength we could muster. It wasn't much. The bikes were a little tangled (we stack them in the Jeep, etc.) and when we got them out I told Kate to check hers out to see if it was riding OK since the chain incident. She said it felt a little funny and then we noticed that the front line was severed-- the breaks! So now Kate needs to get her bike to the shop to replace the break line (if that is even what it is) and I need to bring mine in for a seat adjustment. UGH!!!

Well, they say he who has not tasted bitter cannot taste sweet. I'm waiting for the sweet to come, baby!

It has been awhile, yet it hasn't been awhile...

I haven't written on here since Dec 12. Whoops. But don't worry, I have been exercising. Promise...

There was a little exercise in the rest of December and things have picked up much in January. There have been bikes, swims, runs. All of them feel like starting over from the beginning, when really we have had over 3 months of training under our belts. I'd have to say its mostly mental, the struggle. The body hangs in there fine, hasn't even been extremely sore like normal. It's the mind that says things like "I can't do it, I can't do it" during a 45 minute run, etc. Ridiculous. Oh don't get me wrong, we're working out hard and I'm tired like normal from the intensity, but it's really a mind game here, folks. I am sure it will all come around again soon, we'll establish a groove. And this promises to be a solid week for us. We're going to get 5 solid workouts in, the "long days" we'll get over with first (including tonight's 43 minute run) and a few brick workouts in there too. I'm looking forward to it.

Also making some mental notes about things I'll need to get more organized. After having one too many bike rides with a sore butt, I've decided I am definitely getting a new bike seat. A nice cushy gel one. I also have been eying Kate's bike pedal cages, which I think will give me more strength. The bike portion is still clearly my weakness in this race, I really have to step it up in that area and I think hard work, a tune up, and a few new items will get me stronger. As the time nears I also realize I have to get my clothing options in check. Originally Kate & I planned to get something fun and funky and now that I'm running for AWB I need to figure out a way to get their stuff printed on my gear, etc. Decisions, decisions.

I'm too tired to keep writing. ;) Just had to post a little note so you know that I AM still working out over here and that you should still support me for this great cause...pretty please!!!

xo,
K