This week was full of rain, every single day. It was a wet week and my knee was swollen due to all the rain, but I was able to complete my workouts at the gym. This training week ended with a simulated triathlon in honor of Louie Bonpua, an Ironteam member who lost his battle against blood cancer.
I completed an olympic distance triathlon (a quarter of my ultimate goal). The distances were a 1500 yard swim (60 laps), a 27.4 mile bike which included Pig Farm Hill, and a 5.4 mile run. I had a great swim completed 60 laps in 34:52. I had a great bike and was able to make it up Pig Farm Hill. I felt stronger than I did two weeks ago. As soon as I made it to the top of the hill, it began to poor. I took that as a sign of I just did that! The run was good I used a run 1 mile, walk 30 secs method to complete the run portion.
In preparing for an endurance event, a number of factors are key. Two big ones are hydration and nutrition. The day/night before, I need to be eating foods that are high in carbohydrates and low in fats and proteins. I need to be drinking water constantly, every 5-10 minutes, thoughout the day. My breakfast the day of an event is two egg sandwiches on wheat bread. My hydration and nutrition for the event is carefully planned out. I eat breakfast 2-4 hours before I start. I have a water bottle for the swim. A full camelback for the bike along with 1 or 2 bottles of Perpetuem (liquid food). I also carry a pack of shot blocks (electrolyte chews) and 2 cliff or power bars for calories and energy. I have a hand water bottle for the run and carry another pack of shot blocks. After the event, I drink a recovery drink within 10 minutes of completion to enhance my glycogen storage and aid in my muscle reparation.
Why do I do all this? It's simple really, because it matters. I lost my dad to cancer and it's very important to me to make a difference, fight to improve others' lives and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society so there can finally be a cure for cancer.
Although I never had the opportunity to meet Louie, I know him. His legacy lives within the Team in Training (TNT) family. Louie joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma's TNT as an honoree, someone surviving the disease and provides motivation to participants. Louie insisted on being a TNT member too. He began training for his first triathlon. His actions motivated many he touched, which included those he met in person, through email, visitors to his website, and even through the many news stories published about his strength and courage to battle his way through triathlons. Louie always had his smile. He even joined the Ironteam because he wanted to "show people that you can still live, even when they tell you you're going to die". He wanted to prove that there is no reason to give up hope, and he did. On August 26, 2001, Louie crossed the finish line in Penticton, British Columbia. Louie wanted to conquer the Hawaii's Ironman next. But first there was this relay that Louie had been nominated for - the Olympic Torch Relay. Louie's teammates nominated him to carry the Olympic Torch when it came through the Bay Area. Louie was hospitalized only 3 days before the Olympic Torch relay. There was no way, Louie was not going to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. He was going to carry that torch. The doctors finally agreed to let Louie out of the hospital for this honor. Louie shocked all his fans by the torch for those .2 miles even though he was in pain from the rapid advancement of his leukemia. He was so happy holding that torch and walking the crowd towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Louie passed away a few days after the Olympic Torch Relay, fighting for every last achievement, living life to the fullest every second, and doing it his way.
http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/VineFIrn10/dbache
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Week #10
I was all excited for a great week of workouts, especially after getting up Pig Farm hill the week prior. The scheduled showed a three swims, two spins, two runs, three strength/core, and a 35 mile bike ride.
It's amazing how I can conquer a 6 hour workout in one day, and can't handle cramps. Menstrual cramps put me out of commission this week. I was able to complete a swim and a spin, but cramps got the best of me on other days. :-(
Tomorrow is the start of a new week and I'm looking forward to getting my workouts in.
Have a great week.
Dana
It's amazing how I can conquer a 6 hour workout in one day, and can't handle cramps. Menstrual cramps put me out of commission this week. I was able to complete a swim and a spin, but cramps got the best of me on other days. :-(
Tomorrow is the start of a new week and I'm looking forward to getting my workouts in.
Have a great week.
Dana
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Week #9
This week was a pivotal week for me and the Ironteam because we passed our first recommitmend date and reaffirmed the commitment to beat cancer by finding a cure. My connection to the cause is my dad as he pasted away from leukemia on December 4, 2006.
My dad definitely helped me this week with some of the workouts. We are starting a new level of fitness and moving into stage 2 of training (there are 3 stages).
The workouts this week included a spin where we focused on progressive speed work.
We got up to 100 rpms per minute (that's moving your legs VERY quickly in one minute). As we are training to build endurance, this technique is an alternative option to build endurance in a short period of time. I also completed 2 swims this week and 2 runs, along with a 30 mile bike ride. Oh and let's not forget about getting the core strong!
My coached workout on Saturday started off with a 30 mile bike ride, which was a preview for the Louie Triathlon (a triathlon named in a memory of a past TNT participant). I will be doing this same course on January 24th in the Louie Tri. We started in Pleasant Hill and road over to the Three Bears (if any of you are familiar with that bike route - it's named that way for a reason - hills) and this bike route involved going up and over Pig Farm Hill. There are 2 hills that are connected and the elevation grade is 8-10%. I wasn't sure my knee was gonna let me go up it, but with the help of my dad - I made it up PIG FARM HILL!!!
After 2.5 hours of bike riding, it was time to get in the pool. Now normally you swim first in a tri so my arms/shoulders felt very funny when I initially started swimming after biking. It took me about half way through the workout for my body to adjust and feel good. We did a number of ladder workouts where we do 2 laps at a low intensity and build up to more laps at a higher intensity and come back down.
My coach was giving me some feedback on grabbing the most amount of water by really extending my right hand and as I was listening to him, I saw a bee in the water. I gently cupped it and move it into the gutter. While the bee must not have made it into the gutter because when I put my left arm on the wall, the damn bee stung me! I had the entire stinger and the bee's butt in my arm. One of my teammates was able to get the stinger out. I haven't been stung in a long time and that hurt. Believe it or not, that was the most painful thing that happened during the entire 5 hour workout.
I continued swimming uptil it was time to get out of the pool and change for core work. We did a variety of sit-ups, planks, and other fun stuff (not that fun).
My run this morning was a trail run on Strawberry Creek Canyon. It was such a beautiful morning and it was my first time all the way up the trail. Exciting times!
I have a huge red circle around where I got stung. I took some meds that will help with the itching, redness and swelling. I took a pic so I'll see if I can upload it.
Have a great week!
Dana
My dad definitely helped me this week with some of the workouts. We are starting a new level of fitness and moving into stage 2 of training (there are 3 stages).
The workouts this week included a spin where we focused on progressive speed work.
We got up to 100 rpms per minute (that's moving your legs VERY quickly in one minute). As we are training to build endurance, this technique is an alternative option to build endurance in a short period of time. I also completed 2 swims this week and 2 runs, along with a 30 mile bike ride. Oh and let's not forget about getting the core strong!
My coached workout on Saturday started off with a 30 mile bike ride, which was a preview for the Louie Triathlon (a triathlon named in a memory of a past TNT participant). I will be doing this same course on January 24th in the Louie Tri. We started in Pleasant Hill and road over to the Three Bears (if any of you are familiar with that bike route - it's named that way for a reason - hills) and this bike route involved going up and over Pig Farm Hill. There are 2 hills that are connected and the elevation grade is 8-10%. I wasn't sure my knee was gonna let me go up it, but with the help of my dad - I made it up PIG FARM HILL!!!
After 2.5 hours of bike riding, it was time to get in the pool. Now normally you swim first in a tri so my arms/shoulders felt very funny when I initially started swimming after biking. It took me about half way through the workout for my body to adjust and feel good. We did a number of ladder workouts where we do 2 laps at a low intensity and build up to more laps at a higher intensity and come back down.
My coach was giving me some feedback on grabbing the most amount of water by really extending my right hand and as I was listening to him, I saw a bee in the water. I gently cupped it and move it into the gutter. While the bee must not have made it into the gutter because when I put my left arm on the wall, the damn bee stung me! I had the entire stinger and the bee's butt in my arm. One of my teammates was able to get the stinger out. I haven't been stung in a long time and that hurt. Believe it or not, that was the most painful thing that happened during the entire 5 hour workout.
I continued swimming uptil it was time to get out of the pool and change for core work. We did a variety of sit-ups, planks, and other fun stuff (not that fun).
My run this morning was a trail run on Strawberry Creek Canyon. It was such a beautiful morning and it was my first time all the way up the trail. Exciting times!
I have a huge red circle around where I got stung. I took some meds that will help with the itching, redness and swelling. I took a pic so I'll see if I can upload it.
Have a great week!
Dana
Monday, January 4, 2010
Super Bowl Fundraiser
I am coordinating a fundraiser around the Super Bowl. Now, you do not need to know anything about football to participate. All you need to do is purchase a box for $10 from me and you will be eligible to win up to $400, $100 each quarter.
The boxes are numbered 1-100 so you can email me directly at dbache@berkeley.edu and tell me the box number you would like to purchase. I'll reserve the box for you until payment is made. AcceptedpPayment is cash or check.
Cheers,
Dana
The boxes are numbered 1-100 so you can email me directly at dbache@berkeley.edu and tell me the box number you would like to purchase. I'll reserve the box for you until payment is made. AcceptedpPayment is cash or check.
Cheers,
Dana
Week #8 Recovery Week
Week #8 of training was spent in Tahoe. I was planning to use skiing and snowshoeing as crosstraining events, but everything did not work out as planned. The day before I left for Tahoe, I started having some sinus trouble. Once I was in Tahoe, my sinuses were not happy. I decided to rest a few days instead of skiing. I did venture out a day for a snowshoeing adventure which was alot of fun. At the end of the day, I had four blisters - at least they were symmetrical on both feet. I decided to rest for the duration of my time in Tahoe so I could be well enough to attend our coached workout yesterday.
We started our workout in the pool. We were swimming for about 90 minutes and the feedback I received this week was to focus on swimming with my chest down. I'll be sure to pay attention to this as it will bring my hips up. Then we had a quick transition to the bike for our road bike ride. It was a lovely day for a bike ride. Alittle windy at times, but just lovely. We road for about 19 miles and completed the Highland Loop. After the bike, we had another quick transition to the run. We were supposed to run for 30 minutes, but since I had the blisters, I walked 3 miles instead of running for time. Once I got back from the walk, it was time to strengthen my core. We did a number of core exercises, some of which were fun and some just hurt. All together, it was a 5 hour workout.
We started our workout in the pool. We were swimming for about 90 minutes and the feedback I received this week was to focus on swimming with my chest down. I'll be sure to pay attention to this as it will bring my hips up. Then we had a quick transition to the bike for our road bike ride. It was a lovely day for a bike ride. Alittle windy at times, but just lovely. We road for about 19 miles and completed the Highland Loop. After the bike, we had another quick transition to the run. We were supposed to run for 30 minutes, but since I had the blisters, I walked 3 miles instead of running for time. Once I got back from the walk, it was time to strengthen my core. We did a number of core exercises, some of which were fun and some just hurt. All together, it was a 5 hour workout.
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