Weather

It's March, in Texas, which should mean gentle spring breezes, sunshine and mild, warming temperatures.  Perfect training weather.  What I have to contend with is cold, overcast and a predicition of Thunderstorms later. Not exactly the optimal weather I was hoping to train in during race week. 
      I spent the winter spinning my wheels on the trainer, and longed for the days when I could finally get my bike outdoors.  When it finally warmed up, every ride was against what felt like gale force winds. Once, I was actually blown off balance by a gust of wind.   And I spent my rides looking forward to summer when the wind dies down.  But once it's summer, I'll gripe about the searing heat and wish for the wind to be back to cool me off.
     Running weather is the same. I look forward to the first cold front in the fall when I can finally pull out my running tights.   I love running in the fall when the temperatures really cool off.  Until we get our first freeze. Then I spend the winter getting used to the cold weather, trying to find the right balance between being overbundled and feeling frozen, and feeling unmotivated to leave my warm house to get out and run. Just as I start getting used to running in the cold, it starts to warm up. And I get so excited to get out for those first training runs in the spring.  As the spring temperatures rise I find myself fighting to get acclimated to running in the heat. And then summer hits with a vengeance. And I hate having to get up early to run before the swealtering heat sets in.  But I do it, looking forward to the fall and return to cooler temps.  And sometimes i just give up and hit the treadmill. 
    I'm never satisfied with swim conditions either.  The pool is indoors and heated in the winter. I never enjoy gettining up at 5:15 am, to get out of my nice, toasty bed to head to the pool. It always feels cold getting in, and  hot and soupy by the end. Even in the summer I'm cold for the first 5 minutes in the pool.
    Whatever weather mother nature would have brought me this week, I wouldn't have thought it was perfect. Because really, there are very few perfect days. And training in different conditions helps prepare me for race day.  Which the weatherman has forecasted to be a perfect day.

Goals and Expectations

My first race of the season is a week away, and I need to set some goals.  The best way to do this is to review my results from last season, and compare them to where I am in my training.

2010 Races
Tri-Rock Rockwall
300 M Swim 8:24  Rate 2:48
T1 1:55
20K Bike: 44:33  Rate 16.7
T2 1:008
 5K Run 28:14 Pace 9:44 * The results from this race were mixed up and I don't believe the run time is accurate.  That pace would reflect closer to a 29 minute run.
Total Time 1:24:16
7th in Age Group

Toyota US Open Triathlon
800 M Swim 20:47 Rate 2:23
T1 3:57
20 K bike 44:44 Rate 16.6
T2 1:45
5K run 28:33 Pace 9:13 Total time 1:39:45
4th in Age Group

Swim Goal: The swim at Kemah will be 500 M which is right in the middle of the last two swim distances. I haven't had much time in the lake this season, and haven't yet built up my confidence in open water. My goal here is to remain calm during the swim, and to not spend the first two minutes in the water debating whether or not I will quit ( which is what I did at Toyota). Reminding myself that this is a shorter distance than a race I've already completed should help.  My goal is to keep my pace close to what I accomplished at Toyota, which would mean completing the swim in under 15 minutes.Not being able to swim for 2 months while my ankle healed was an issue in training for this race. I don't feel I am as strong in this area as I was in October.

Bike Goal: I've struggled with my bike training so far this season. The wind has beaten me, and I don't feel like my legs are as strong as they were before I injured my akle. However, I  do have actual bike shoes and new pedals, which I hope will contribute to faster bike time.  My time at  Toyota was actually a bit slower than at Tri-Rock. The obvious goal here is to beat both times from last season, so a pace of 17. 
Run Goal: Running is my strongest area.  I feel stronger in the run than I did in October, and I haven't struggled nearly as much here as with bike and swim after the ankle injury. The goal here is the keep below a 9 minute pace and finish in under 27 minutes.

Tranisition: T1 should be close to my time at Toyota, hopefully faster since I've had more practice shucking the wetsuit. I expect T2 to be slower since I'll have to actually change shoes here.

The main goal is the same for every race. To enjoy the experience and try my hardest. I'm looking forward to the entire weekend and can't wait to watch my husband race the following day.

Open Water

"Swimming is the worst part of a triathlon, if you stop pedaling on a bike you coast. if you stop running, you walk, but if you stop swimming you drown." -Unknown
      I dread open water swimming.  I hate putting my face in the cold, murky water. I despise the suffocating feeling of wearing a wetsuit. Somehow a giant lake can make me feel clausterphobic.  I can't divide my swim up into neat 25 yard streches from one wall to the other. Swimming 300 yards from the shore to the first buoy feels endless, like I'm making no progress.  I start to panic. I can't  catch my breath.  5-10 minutes swimming in the lake stretches into an eternity. I have to work the fear out of my head. I have to remind myself that most of my pool swims are an hour long and that I can swim 1,500-2,000 yards in that amount of time.  I know that if I get tired, I can switch strokes.  If I can't breathe, then I can pop my head out of the water and take a breath, any time I want.  Sometimes, I close my eyes when I'm underwater and picture the clear water of the pool that I'm used to swimming in.  I remind myself that I've practiced and raced in open water and survived.  I reach out in front of me, stroke after stroke, remembering everything my coach has taught me and eventurally find my rythm.   The panic subsides a little, and I start to make progress.   And realize that if I stop swimming I won't drown. I'll just float.

It's not about the shoes

Last summer I read Christopher McDougall's book, Born to Run.  After reading about barefoot/minimalist running and its benefits, I bought some minimal shoes, and gradually started using them in my training.  I loved running in them.  They were lightweight and felt natural to run in. I looked forward to the days when I was training in them, and dreaded training in my old, bulky traditional running shoes. My form got better, my paces got faster, and I was hooked on those Saucony Kinvaras. They made me a better and faster runner.

I wore them in my first and second triathlon, and started training for my next half marathon in them. But as my long run mileage increased, so did a burning pain in my left ankle. I tried the usual remedies, rest, ice and elevation, but it just wasn't getting any better.  So I made the dreaded trip to see my Orthopedist.  The diagnosis was posterior tibal tendonitis and treatment meant several weeks in a boot, and absolutley no running, swimming or biking.  For the second year in a row, I had to drop out of  White Rock, and my off season began earlier than planned. After I rested and rehabbed my ankle, I was told to get some new running shoes, with a good amount of cushion and support, and to give up the idea of minmalist running.  I wasn't looking forward to switching back to what I considered my old "slow" shoes, and dissapointed that had to give up training in my "fast" shoes. For Christmas, I got some Nike Lunareclipse+.

And instantly loved them.  My paces improved, my form stayed good, and I ran my fastest 5K ever in them. I had mistakenly believed that my improvement in the fall was because of my shoes. But, shoes don't make a runner better or faster. What makes a runner better and faster is the time and effort that goes into training. Dedication and drive. That's what makes me run better and faster.

In my new shoes.

Training Partner

Most of the time, I train alone. It's a time of reflection for me. I get a lot of thinking done on my long rides, and when I run.  And I can go at my own pace, speeding up or slowing down when I feel the need.  I've never really thought I wanted or needed a training partner.   But then, last week, I was lucky enough to have my husband as a training partner.  Being a teacher, I had the luxury of having a week off for Spring break and he was able to juggle his work schedule around a little so we could train together while the kids were at school.  To kick off the week, we ran a 5K race together, and he pushed me to run my fastest race ever.  Later in the week we took a hilly 5 mile run around our neighborhood golf course.  My orginal plan was a shorter, flatter route. Every time I felt like slowing down a little I just looked next to me and was inspired to try and keep up with his pace. When we rode together it was the same. I followed along as he navigated us along some hills on a country road, and I tried my hardest not to be too far behind.  I pedaled harder and faster than I normally do when I'm all alone.  When he asked if I wanted more hills I said yes, even though I was tired.  And my legs burned going up those hills, but I was also rewarded with the free feeling of racing down the other side of those hills.  We went to the lake for our first open water swim of the season. I wanted to jump out and run back to the car as soon as my feet touched that 57 degree water. I couldn't stand to put my face in the frigid water. He reminded me that I would feel warmer if I got moving, and helped encourage me to get going.  Then he made it look easy. It didn't feel easy for me, but again I trusted and followed him.
     What I realized over this last week, was that I do need and want to have a training partner. Because just like every other aspect of our life, he encourages me and pushes to me work a little harder, to be better than I am, to do more than I would on my own.   

Proverbs 27:17   As iron sharpens iron,so one man sharpens another

Dash Down Greenville 2011

It's been a couple of years since I've run a 5K.  I've been concentrating on half marathons and triathlons lately, and I was really looking forward to running just a 5K to see how fast I could complete it.I was also really looking forward to running a race with my husband.  For this course, my best time was 33:50, and I believe it was the first 5K I ever ran.  The night before, at dinner, my husband and I talked about what my time goals were for this race, and how fast did I feel like I could go. My goal was to average around 8:45 a mile, and finish in under 27 minutes.  On the morning of the race we were up early and spent the morning relaxing in our hotel before jogging a mile to the start. We were lined up at the start line about 30 minutes before the gun went off.  We tried to get close to the front to avoid getting caught in the crowd at the start.  The first mile was mostly spent trying to lose the pack of people we started with, as the crowd thinned out and runners started to slow down. There were cones in the middle of the street, and I almost tripped a couple times trying to get around them.  We really pushed it for miles 1 and 2, and I started to lose a little steam after we ran uphill and started on mile 3.  But George kept pushing and encouraged me to keep up, reminding me that we only had about 1/2 a mile to go. That last half mile was the most painful half mile I've ever run. My pulse was racing, my heart was pounding,  my legs were burning and at  1 point I thought I might hurl.  Then we turned the corner, I saw the finish line and pushed as hard as I could until I crossed the line to recieve a giant hug from George and a "that's how you run a 5K !" I love this race because of the fun atmosphere, the crazy costumes the other runners wear, and watching the St. Patty's parade after. What I loved most on this day was getting to run with George. The moments we spend together in our training and racing are moments I treasure.  It's also amazing to me how far I've come from running my first 5K to now, and I enjoy seeing the progress. That's one of the reasons I love to race, seeing the improvement from season to season.  Official chip time was 25:50.