Workouts 3/4/12 – 3/10/12

3/4/12 – Easy swim to try to loosen legs (not counting distance).  Maybe 800ish?

3/5/12 – Boomers Swim

300 Warm up

25 drill, 50 swim, rest :30

Right arm

Left arm

Catch up

Fists

1400 Main Set

4 x 75, rest :30

3 x 100, rest :45

2 x 200, rest 1:00

1 x 400 build, rest until recovered  (8:48)

1 x 200

200 Cool Down

4 x 25 count strokes

4 x 25 breast

3/6/12 – 4 mile City Island run with Amy.  Fastest average ever!  9:12 mile/min average with negative splits for every mile.  Fastest mile ever at 9:02!

3/7/12 – REST

3/8/12 – 4.25 mile run at 10:30 min/mile pace

3/10/12 – 8 mile City Island run with the Running Team.  27 mile ride from Memorial Lake with the Cycling Team.

Adventures in combining sports

I had quite an adventure in endurance sports on Saturday, March 3^rd.  I had my longest training run for the Rock and Roll ½ Marathon (coming up on March 17^th) and then went for a 24.3 mile training ride with the cycling Team.  Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing both Teams in one day.  It’s amazing how much these people have become part of my life in the last year.  The problem arises in the fact that our run was a very hilly run, which we haven’t been doing much of in this training period.  With 1025 ft of elevation gain, I was plum tuckered out after the run.  I did a quick ice bath of my feet and ankles in the Yellow Breeches Creek afterwards, ate a PB&J sandwich, changed into cycling clothes, and was off to meet the cycling Team at South Middleton Park in Boiling Springs. 

My plan was to ride at the back of the group and draft my way through it.  Unfortunately, pedaling slowly just hurt my legs more.  I decided to pick it up and ride with Jenelle, Jeremiah, Dave and Bob.  This was tougher than anticipated because of tired legs and a brutal head wind for the first 8 miles.  Luckily, Dave is a strong guy and pulled us for most of it.  At the base of Kings Gap we stopped and regrouped.  The guys took off after that with a short stretch of cross wind.  Jenelle hung with me as we made the glorious turn onto Route 174 with a tail wind for about a 10 mile stretch!  Nothing like going 20+ mph without really pedaling!

I got home for the day, showered, and didn’t leave the couch until bedtime.  I’ve got a new found respect for triathletes.  Just because you can do each sport individually does not mean it’s easy to combine them!

Workouts for the week 2/26 - 3/3

2/26/12 - Biked 24.6 miles with the Team - Boiling Springs Loop in 1:37 (15.2 mph avg)

2/27/12 - Skipped morning swim.  After work, I warmed up with drills and then swam a small ladder (1000 yds).  After that, I ran 3 miles of intervals on the treadmill (33 mins)

2/28/12 - Core workout for 30 mins.  4.9 mile run in 47:21 with the Team at City Island.

2/29/12 - Swim (Bloomers)

200 Warm up

25 drill, 25 swim, rest 0:30

Right arm

Left Arm

Catch up

Fists

1000 Main set

4 x 75, rest 0:30

2 x 100, rest 0:45

1 x 200, rest 1:00

1 x 300 build

100 Cool Down

4 x 25 Count strokes

3/1/12 - 5.28 mile "Blockbuster run" with Kui - 9:38 average pace

3/2/12 - OFF!  

3/3/12 - 12 Mile Run at Messiah (1025 ft elevation gain) - 10:30 min/mile pace

3/3/12 - 24.3 Mile Ride from South Middleton Park (WINDY!) - 14.5 mph pace due to wind

Workouts for the week of 2/20-2/25

2/21/12 – City Island Run – 4.9 miles in 49 minutes:  Was having upper stomach ache, so I wasn’t feeling my best.  Kui and his gimpy leg stuck it out with me.  The second half was much easier than the first half.

2/22/12 – 1500 yd swim (30 laps)

350 yd warm up:

100 easy free

4 x 25 drills (right arm, left arm, catch up, touch back)

1 x 50 sighting

4 x 25 drills (catch up, OJ, fists, catch up)

1000 yd Main set – Descend:

4 x 100s – first at 2:05, last at 1:50

4 x 75s – last at 1:19

4 x 50s (fast, easy, fast, easy) – last at 0:47

4 x 25s (all fast) – 0:22 each time

150 Cool down – 100 free, 50 breast

Notes:  I felt really strong in the pool this morning, which was great after my crappy run last night.  Good morning workouts are a great way to pump me up for the rest of the day!  

2/23/12 - 5 Mile Run with Amy in 50 minutes

2/24/12 Swim:  1700 yards

200 Warm up:  4 x 25 drill (right arm, left arm, catch up, touch back) and 25 swim back

Ladder:  100 warm up, 200, 3 x 300, 200, 100 cool down


2/25/12 - 10.74 Mile Run with the Team from HACC in 1:53 (State Hospital Grounds and Wildwood) - 10:32 min/mile avg

TRI-ing to Find a Cure

Hi Folks.  It's me again.  I'm that crazy girl who went from couch potato to century cyclist and half marathoner last year.  I'll tell you my secret if you want to hear it.  It's very simple really.  The answer for me was Team in Training to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I started my journey last year with the encouragement of my friend, Kui, who is a cycling coach for the Team.  I was looking to be more active.  To make a difference in other people's lives.  To give something back to my community.  Little did I know that I would enjoy the journey even more than the destination.

I completed America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride in 2011 in the rain, fog and cloudy skies.  It was less than pleasant.  I felt such a huge sense of accomplishment, though.  So much so, that I decided to use the extra funds raised to register for the Hershey Half Marathon with TNT.  This was a huge challenge to me.  I had tried to train up for a 5k run at least three times prior (Notice I didn't say race.  Let's face it, at my pace, nothing is a race.)  Each time, I was miserable.  The Couch to 5k program got too hard and I gave up running each time the run was finished.  This time was different, though.  I had an official schedule.  I had people meeting me to run at least three times a week.  I had people who were happy to see me at our Team runs every Saturday.  For me, it was just as much of a social activity as it was a physical activity.  I found I had people I could rely on to help me through.  People with no other motive than to see me get stronger physically and mentally.  I did my share of complaining, but by golly, I finished Hershey one minute under my 2 hour and 30 minute goal!

So, what's next?  I'll tell you what's next.  Triathlon!  Why not combine both sports I was introduced to last year, throw in a little swim, and become a tri-geek?  I'll tell you why...I can't swim.

Swimming lessons began with running friend and Ironman Cory and Tri Assistant Coach, Bob.  Bob goes to my gym, so that is very convenient!  As long as I can get out of bed and be at the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5am, I've got myself some personal swimming lessons!  I've come a LONG way since I first started in November.  I couldn't even make it one length of the pool at first.  My form was atrocious, my kicking was out of control, and I was a little panicky about breathing.

Fast forward three months.  My bestie, Jenelle, has now joined us in the pool.  She's signed up for AMBBR 2012 with TNT, and is using swimming as her cross training activity!  She's a natural!  As Bob says, my form "isn't that bad" and that it's time for big girl workouts.  I'm not sure I like the sound of that, but I'll tell you what I do like.  I really like the gains I've seen in my running since I started swimming.  I'm currently training for the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon in Washington DC on St. Patty's Day 2012.  I did the same 10 mile run last weekend that I did when training for Hershey.  My time was more than a minute per mile faster just five months later.  And I could've kept going!  Awesome.  The feeling of accomplishment is so motivating.

The cycling team started up again this past Saturday.  Did I tell you I'm signed up for AMBBR again this year? Yup.  RNR 1/2 in April, AMBBR in June, a sprint triathalon (to get my feet wet) in July or August, and Nations  Olympic Distance Triathlon in September.  Whew.  I get a little woozy thinking about that.  After my Half Marathon in April, running will take a back burner to cycling training.  After Tahoe, all three will kick into gear. I'll be fundraising for Nations Tri starting in June.  All this activity with the most amazingly positive people I've ever met for a great cause.

Training updates coming soon!  Thanks for following!
Shelly