Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Swimming, swimming, but not in the swimming pool...
When I used to teach swim lessons we would have to sing songs with the kindergarten group before getting into the pool. My favorite was:
"Swimming, swimming in the swimming pool. When days are hot, when days are cool, in the swimming pool. Back stroke, side stroke, and fancy diving too. Oh, don't you wish that you could have nothing else to do. "
Well, on most days swimming is my favorite part of training and I do wish that I could have nothing else to do. However, Monday morning this fun little tune that typically runs through my head was not helping. My cousin, Meisha called at 7:45 am to say it was a little windy on the lake, but not too bad and she would kayak while I swam if I wanted to. Yes, another family member helping me train...I swear I am the luckiest person who trains for these races. So I got down to Meisha's house, pulled on the wetsuit, surveyed the lake...a little wavy...and jumped in. I wasn't too concerned with the waves, I had seen worse.
I did a race in Miami last fall where the swim was in the ocean and the waves were so fierce that the buoys got loose and floated into shore before my wave began. I just stood there laughing because what was the point in freaking out and worrying about it...you just have to accept that some days Mother Nature has a mind of her own. I had one of the best races that day because I didn't stress about it. I had no expectations and it worked out in my favor. The difference between that swam and the one I was experiencing Monday was the way the waves were moving. In Miami I had to swim out to the buoy (well, where it had been), then parallel to the shore until I hit the location of the once existing last buoy, and then back in. As the waves crashed in towards shore, you could turn your head toward shore to breath and then you got a nice little ride in at the end of the swim. My training swim here in Hamlin Lake consisted of me swimming directly across the lake and then coming straight back. I could still avoid sucking down water if I breathed to the opposite side of the waves, but no matter which way I was swimming, the waves were never with me. And in the middle of the lake it was even worse. Not to mention the boats that were out and about early that morning...their wake was definitely not helping the matter.
So instead of singing my typically motivating swimming song, I found myself searching for another means to keep me moving. I began thinking about that race in Miami. And then I replayed the 3-6 foot waves that were breaking at the buoys in Grand Haven a few weeks ago. You never know what the swim may consist of. This was good practice for anything, especially when Lake Michigan is involved! Even though this morning I was back to my song as I swam circles at the pool, dreading having to get out and go to work, I know getting thrashed around that morning, and any morning was well worth it. And not to mention the cute little couple who were sitting on a bench about 100 feet down from my cousin's house cheering for me when I got done swimming that morning. I looked tough swimming that morning...that's something Mother Nature doesn't have a say in.
"Swimming, swimming in the swimming pool. When days are hot, when days are cool, in the swimming pool. Back stroke, side stroke, and fancy diving too. Oh, don't you wish that you could have nothing else to do. "
Well, on most days swimming is my favorite part of training and I do wish that I could have nothing else to do. However, Monday morning this fun little tune that typically runs through my head was not helping. My cousin, Meisha called at 7:45 am to say it was a little windy on the lake, but not too bad and she would kayak while I swam if I wanted to. Yes, another family member helping me train...I swear I am the luckiest person who trains for these races. So I got down to Meisha's house, pulled on the wetsuit, surveyed the lake...a little wavy...and jumped in. I wasn't too concerned with the waves, I had seen worse.
I did a race in Miami last fall where the swim was in the ocean and the waves were so fierce that the buoys got loose and floated into shore before my wave began. I just stood there laughing because what was the point in freaking out and worrying about it...you just have to accept that some days Mother Nature has a mind of her own. I had one of the best races that day because I didn't stress about it. I had no expectations and it worked out in my favor. The difference between that swam and the one I was experiencing Monday was the way the waves were moving. In Miami I had to swim out to the buoy (well, where it had been), then parallel to the shore until I hit the location of the once existing last buoy, and then back in. As the waves crashed in towards shore, you could turn your head toward shore to breath and then you got a nice little ride in at the end of the swim. My training swim here in Hamlin Lake consisted of me swimming directly across the lake and then coming straight back. I could still avoid sucking down water if I breathed to the opposite side of the waves, but no matter which way I was swimming, the waves were never with me. And in the middle of the lake it was even worse. Not to mention the boats that were out and about early that morning...their wake was definitely not helping the matter.
So instead of singing my typically motivating swimming song, I found myself searching for another means to keep me moving. I began thinking about that race in Miami. And then I replayed the 3-6 foot waves that were breaking at the buoys in Grand Haven a few weeks ago. You never know what the swim may consist of. This was good practice for anything, especially when Lake Michigan is involved! Even though this morning I was back to my song as I swam circles at the pool, dreading having to get out and go to work, I know getting thrashed around that morning, and any morning was well worth it. And not to mention the cute little couple who were sitting on a bench about 100 feet down from my cousin's house cheering for me when I got done swimming that morning. I looked tough swimming that morning...that's something Mother Nature doesn't have a say in.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Our Own Tour...
And the great workouts just keep coming. After working at the marina all day and feeling a little sore from the run the night before, I was thinking a nap sounded better than riding. But that's the great thing about my brother, he doesn't leave me that option...and yes, that is a good thing. I had told him I wanted to do an easy 2.5-3 hour low-intensity ride. Even though he's just getting back into riding and has been going 20 miles, he was up for the challenge. So as soon as I pulled into the park after work I saw him walking the bikes over to the shop to air up the tires, adjust the derailleurs, and all that other good stuff. Thirty minutes later our bikes were aired up, water bottles were filled, and we were ready to roll.
After the first ten minutes of consistent hills, we finally got into a rhythm with our cadence ranging between 90-100. I've really been trying to work on this...that and keeping my heels down. Earlier this week I took my bike in to get it professionally fitted. All I can say is Corey is a genius. Ok, so maybe it's just the fact that he's gone through a lot of training and he's done races so he's incredibly knowledgeable, but I was blown away by how much more comfortable I was on my bike. As he put it, you should just feel like you're hanging out on the bike while your legs spin. That's exactly how it was. Even though I had told Rob I wanted to do this ride at a lower intensity, I was feeling so good with the new adjustments and the higher cadence that the low intensity wasn't even an option. And this is why I love training with my bro, he's such a good sport, he kept right up, pushing me the entire time.
We got to our turn around point and I could feel myself shifting slightly in my seat. Nowhere near what it was the previous week when I rode 65 miles with my dad and I was crying before the turn around. Yes, that's right crying because it hurt so bad...all I could think is I was never going to be able to finish the biking part of the half ironman in three weeks. Well thanks to Corey and his crew at Village Bike Shop, this was no longer a concern. And the shifting in my seat was just due to the saddle being slightly too wide. A new one had already been ordered for me and should be here next week.
When we got within ten minutes of home I could tell I was getting a little tired, but I don't think the hills were helping with this. After turning into the campground and dismounting, we quickly changed shoes and started walking. We did one lap around the park and my legs felt surprising good considering I had just rode 50 miles. So I ran a mile and was amazed at how much easier it was after spinning at a higher cadence than I used to. Before, I was all about forcing the pedals around, not spinning, and my legs paid for this in the run. Now I felt like I could keep on running. So bring on that half ironman...now I'm ready.
After the first ten minutes of consistent hills, we finally got into a rhythm with our cadence ranging between 90-100. I've really been trying to work on this...that and keeping my heels down. Earlier this week I took my bike in to get it professionally fitted. All I can say is Corey is a genius. Ok, so maybe it's just the fact that he's gone through a lot of training and he's done races so he's incredibly knowledgeable, but I was blown away by how much more comfortable I was on my bike. As he put it, you should just feel like you're hanging out on the bike while your legs spin. That's exactly how it was. Even though I had told Rob I wanted to do this ride at a lower intensity, I was feeling so good with the new adjustments and the higher cadence that the low intensity wasn't even an option. And this is why I love training with my bro, he's such a good sport, he kept right up, pushing me the entire time.
We got to our turn around point and I could feel myself shifting slightly in my seat. Nowhere near what it was the previous week when I rode 65 miles with my dad and I was crying before the turn around. Yes, that's right crying because it hurt so bad...all I could think is I was never going to be able to finish the biking part of the half ironman in three weeks. Well thanks to Corey and his crew at Village Bike Shop, this was no longer a concern. And the shifting in my seat was just due to the saddle being slightly too wide. A new one had already been ordered for me and should be here next week.
When we got within ten minutes of home I could tell I was getting a little tired, but I don't think the hills were helping with this. After turning into the campground and dismounting, we quickly changed shoes and started walking. We did one lap around the park and my legs felt surprising good considering I had just rode 50 miles. So I ran a mile and was amazed at how much easier it was after spinning at a higher cadence than I used to. Before, I was all about forcing the pedals around, not spinning, and my legs paid for this in the run. Now I felt like I could keep on running. So bring on that half ironman...now I'm ready.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Just Keep Running...
I love those days where it just falls into place...where you actually lengthen your workout instead of cut it short because it just feels good. After sleeping for roughly 3 hours last night (thanks to being a procrastinator and finally finishing my web site around 3 am), driving to AQ, sitting through class, meeting friends for lunch, and then driving back home, running wasn't top on my list. I figured a power nap would revive me. But after getting up I managed to waste a few hours doing something unmemorable that probably accomplished nothing, but passing the time...ok, so I was really procrastinating and making up excuses about being tired. Finally around 7:30 pm I snapped out of it and decided I would just go for a 4 mile run. That was better than blowing it off all together, right? So off I went, slow and steady. Well by the time I hit mile 3, slow and steady had turned into a decent pace and I was in the zone. I felt good, so I made a right turn, relaxed into the run and just hung on for the ride. 9 miles later I was sprinting up my hilly backdrive, swatting mosquitos away from my face, but smiling the whole time. I love training workouts like this, don't we all. It's reassurance that we've been doing something right, and that's exactly what I needed after today.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Road to Reality
As I was driving home from class tonight I had a million ideas going through my head for this web site. There was so much I wanted to include, so much I wanted to tell everyone, but then I started to think about where it all starts. You always hear people say they want to go to the gym, or they want to start running, or they want to lose 5 pounds. How does that want become reality?
My want is to do an Ironman. No wait, let me rephrase that, my want is to qualify for the Ironman in Kona. So as I was driving home I began thinking, how do I stay motivated for my somewhat large want? I looked at my dashboard and saw the picture I had taped in my car. It has four smaller pictures within it, a swimmer, a biker, a runner, and the phrase "Do You Tri?". Along the top, my own addition: "Road to Kona".
That's my motivation everyday, to "tri" my hardest. Not only when I am out training, but on those days when I'm trying to get myself to go train and I just don't want to fathom doing it again.
As I continued driving, my phone rang. It's Rob, my brother checking to make sure we are going to bike when I get back into town. This is my biggest motivator and support system, my family. They know my goals and are willing to do all they can to help me achieve them. As I hung up, I looked at the background on my phone, it's the same triathlon picture as the one on my dashboard. By this point you're probably thinking I am crazy obsessive (can't say you would be wrong on that assessment), but more importantly I'm sure you have probably picked up on the fact that I am a big fan of surrounding myself with motivation. Whether it be pictures, phone calls, or daily reminders taped in my car, if it's staring my in the face all day, it's no longer a choice. Instead it's the road that leads from want to reality.
My want is to do an Ironman. No wait, let me rephrase that, my want is to qualify for the Ironman in Kona. So as I was driving home I began thinking, how do I stay motivated for my somewhat large want? I looked at my dashboard and saw the picture I had taped in my car. It has four smaller pictures within it, a swimmer, a biker, a runner, and the phrase "Do You Tri?". Along the top, my own addition: "Road to Kona".
That's my motivation everyday, to "tri" my hardest. Not only when I am out training, but on those days when I'm trying to get myself to go train and I just don't want to fathom doing it again.
As I continued driving, my phone rang. It's Rob, my brother checking to make sure we are going to bike when I get back into town. This is my biggest motivator and support system, my family. They know my goals and are willing to do all they can to help me achieve them. As I hung up, I looked at the background on my phone, it's the same triathlon picture as the one on my dashboard. By this point you're probably thinking I am crazy obsessive (can't say you would be wrong on that assessment), but more importantly I'm sure you have probably picked up on the fact that I am a big fan of surrounding myself with motivation. Whether it be pictures, phone calls, or daily reminders taped in my car, if it's staring my in the face all day, it's no longer a choice. Instead it's the road that leads from want to reality.
Welcome
After all this time, I'm finally blogging...welcome to my world!
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