Week #15 - Boot Camp!

This week's workouts ended in a Boot Camp. Boot Camp was a two day coached workout that tested my nutrition strategy and my fitness level up to this point in the season. I passed!!!
Saturday we were in Livermore at Del Valle Reservoir for Day One.
The lake is one of a few locations in the Bay Area where open water swimming is permitted. Now I know why, the water temp was around 52 degrees. Of course I was wearing a wetsuit but still, that water was COLD. When I first got in, I thought to myself - this is going to be a VERY long day. My swim coach was with us and said on the count of 3, everybody go under water. She counted 1, 2, and 3 and she was the only person to go under water. LOL - yep it was that cold. I doggie paddled for a little bit until my hands went numb, then it was time to put my face in the water. After my face stopped burning from the cold water, I was able to swim for a little bit. I do not like cold water! So, we did that for about an hour or so and it was time to get out. I was sooo excited. Our coached prepared some hot chicken noodle broth for us to drink so we could warm ourselves up from the inside out - literally. Then we headed out on our bikes. Since we were at lake level we had to climb out of the area and starting off a bike ride with a climb after being in cold water was a challenge. My muscles were cold and did not want to function the way I needed them too. I made it up the hill, eventually. The entire ride was around 30 miles with a 4.5 mile climb back into the park at the end of the ride. When I got in from the bike ride, it was time for a 1 hour run. We ran along this trail that followed the water. It was a 30 min out and 30 min back in. As I was returning from the run part, my teammates were all there at the finish line cheering every single person in. That was a GREAT feeling! Day ONE of Boot Camp completed in 6 hours and we finished with everyone cheering everyone.
Day TWO of Boot Camp was down in San Jose.
We started off in a heated pool - a great way to start your day. We swam for about an hour and then got on our bikes for a 17 mile bike ride. Off course there were two hills on the course and of course it was raining so I was soaking wet. Why were we riding more hills when the day before, there was plenty of them? Well, it was called Boot Camp for a reason. After I got in from the bike ride, it was time for a run. Yep - another 1 hour run. So, I'm thinking to myself - Ok, so far I am doing pretty well. When we got back from the run, it was time to get on the bike trainer for a spin workout. Ok, really? Yep so that's what I did. Oh but wait, there is more. After the first bike trainer workout, we went back out for another run. This time we were on a track and had strength exercises thrown in there too. My body was holding up well and I was feeling pretty good despite everything. After we were done with that track workout, we went back to the trainer for another bike trainer workout. I was starting to feel the hill workout on the trainer now and I really felt the multiple all out sprints. Believe it or not, after the second bike trainer workout, we went back to the track for another run workout. I was doing really well until we had to climb stadium stairs in the middle of the workout. That's when my knees told me off. And we had to get down on the ground for crunches - wow that was really hard to get down on the ground and just as hard to get up. Oh but we were not done yet. After the second track workout, we went back to the pool for another swim. Although, it felt great to do some drills, allow my muscles to stretch and kinda relax. After 2 swim workouts, 3 bike workouts (1 road and 2 trainer) and 3 run workouts (1 road and 2 track), and 7.5 hours later, I was DONE WITH BOOT CAMP!
I was thinking I was gonna be REALLY sore today but surprisingly my knees are the only things that are sore. Now that the weekend is over, I am very please with how my body responded to all the things I put it through. I am very much looking forward to the week ahead which is a recovery week.

Have a great week.
Cheers,
Dana

Week #14 - Run Focus Week

Getting back into my routine this week was hard after missing two workouts last weekend while I was attending my friend's wedding. Once I got back in town, I felt like crap. My body was fighting against me as I was attempting to swim, bike and run. I felt like I had no energy and it took 2 solid days before I felt like I was back on my training track. Plus, this the run portion was increased in volume and that is not my strongest part. Although I must say, I am feeling the positive and negative effects of the hill repeats. Positive is my legs feel really strong and I seem faster on flatter routes. Negative is my pelvis is not happy. My right side seems to be rotating a little bit, make my hamstrings tighter than normal and I have some pain in my gluts. I've had to increase my frequency to the chiropractor this week.
Tuesday was a swim and spin workout and they were not my best. The swim felt blah and the spin was focused on cadence and my right hamstring was just so tight, it wasn't a good workout for me.
Wednesday was running hills. I ran Oakland Ave between Grand and Highland, if you are familiar with the area. The hill was no joke. It resembled a SF hill.
Thursday was another swim and run workout and those felt great compared to the ones on Tuesday.
Friday was another run workout along with core strengthen.
Saturday had an on your own swim scheduled but I didn't get it in due to a work retreat.
Sunday was a 45 mile bike ride from Benicia to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield and back. We started at the Benicia waterfront and came close to the Valero oil pipelines, California National Guard Armory, along Suison Bay past the Mothball fleet, along the marshes with beautiful white egrets, the Jelly Belly Factory, through beautiful Suison Valley wine region, over a 100-year old historic United States bridge built in 1909, onto Historic U.S, route 40 and back to Benicia. There was also a run scheduled after the bike ride, but I had female cramps that started half way through the ride so I wasn't feeling my best when I finished the bike ride.

We have our first open water workout of the season next weekend. I'm hoping it's at least 50 degrees or more.

Have a great week.
Dana

Week # 13

Is 13 lucky? 13 identifies a transition in my training, build phase. I'll let you know if it is lucky in later posts. Workouts in this phase will continue to work my aerobic capacity and will have some anaerobic workouts to hopefully increase my stamina and ability to race at a higher output level.
February is hill month for the run portion. What fun. My yardage in the pool is going to increase and while my time on the bike is going to increase too. Of course the coaches will throw in some faster intervals to continue to develop the heart and lungs.

Two highlights of my workouts this week were hill repeats in Piedmont (I know you are asking - why is that a highlight?) Well, it's a highlight because I completed 5 of them and my knee felt good. It kinda bothered me on the way down so I just walked back to the start. Did I mention the distance was 1/2 miles long? Yeah and it wasn't raining so that was a huge plus. My other highlight was the brick workout (biking and then immediately transition to the run) the next day. Good times. It was raining that day so my knee was kinda upset and swollen.

I was attending a friend's wedding so I missed the coached workout that focused on open water drills, as we are heading into open water in about 2 weeks. I also missed a 30 mile "hilly" bike ride that apparently went up Claremont, Grizzly Peak, through Tilden, and some other East Bay spots.

I did take in workout clothes so I was prepared to workout but the only working out was walking and going up stairs, lots of them.

Finally, my Super Bowl Fundraiser came to a close. Thanks to all those who purchased a box or two and participated. Congrats to Sedonia, Heather B., Frank N., and Suzie for winning.

Have a great week.
Dana

Week #12 - Recovery Week

I am 12 weeks into my training and this week was a recovery week which also meant a marker week as well. I complete markers in each of the sports so I can gauge my progress. Despite it being a recovery week, we still had some challenging workouts/marker sets.
The spin on Tuesday was focused on drills. It was a good reminder of the technical aspect of the sport. The run marker set on Wednesday was 10 X 800's. That is correct folks, I completed 2 laps around a track, 10 different times. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good after completing this. Thursday was just a quick 30 minutes on the bike trainer to keep my legs fresh. Friday was a 1000 yard swim marker along with an additional 1000+ in drills. I also completed a core workout. Saturday I was in the city for a 90 minute run along Crissy Field. It was such a lovely day to be running along the ocean. Then we worked on stretching and core strength for about an hour. We ended our day with a nutrition lecture series that focused on fuel for endurance exercise. I received some great and valuable information that will assist me in the coming weeks and months. Sunday we did a bike marker set in Orinda. I think it's one of the harder marker sets since it is a slight incline for the entire marker, but as long as I complete the same marker, I'll see my progress in time reduction.
Here's to the week ahead.

Week #11

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

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

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