Week 8

After two weeks of no training, I finally got back into the swing of things. And it feels great. Two weeks off is just what I needed.

My swims were great. During the first swim workout (in addition to a warm up and cool down) I swam my race distance (0.5 miles) non-stop for the first time. My next swim workout was even better; I swam twice my race distance non-stop. This is great progress and huge confidence booster for me.

I added a second run workout to my week. The first run workout went really well -- I'm now running 5 minutes of every 6 minute interval for a total of 30 minutes. My second run came the day after my first and didn't go quite as well. I was sore and tired from the first run. Next time, I'll space out my run workouts. But, I achieved my primary goal which was to add a second run to my week.

My bike workout directly followed two days of running. So, I kept it relatively short. My mountain bike was complaining more and more when shifting so I took it to the shop for a tuneup. They say it needs to be recabled, but that should only take a few days.

I bought a new road bike this weekend from Helen's Cycles in Santa Monica -- a 54cm Trek 1500 WSD. Unfortunately, they didn't have one in stock and I had to special order it. It could take several weeks to get it. I hope it will be here before my first race on November 21.

Week 7

This was my first week back from vacation and I was exhausted. No training was accomplished this week. If I'd had any energy at all, I might have been disappointed at missing an entire week of training.

Week 6

We spent the week at the Island. Although I took running clothes with me, I didn't do any running. It rained most of the week and there was plenty other physical work to do -- chainsawing fallen trees, moving cut logs, lots of hiking up and down hilly trails -- typical Island living.

Week 5

My training this week was a little rocky. I've been feeling a little under the weather and missed my Sunday swim workout (for a MINI caravan to Oktoberfest in Big Bear). But my Saturday swim was 48 minutes. I think once my swims are up to 60 minutes and feeling comfortable I'll join the Master's Swim group.

My run also went well. I'm now running 4 minutes of each 6 minute interval. These runs are alot easier than they might be thanks to my running partner, Bugaboo. She's always ready to go on a run with me. As soon as she realizes I'm going running she gets very excited and won't get more than 5 feet from me for fear she may be left behind. I love that girl!

My bike workout didn't feel quite as good as last week. Although I went the same distance (9 miles) in the same time (50 minutes), I started to get this twinge in my right knee. It felt like a tendon or ligament was catching on something right behind my knee cap. Eww! It felt sooo gross! I think the problem is that my mountain bike simply doesn't fit me properly. I now have new motivation to buy a road bike.

Jason and I are headed up to the Island for a week of vacation. The water is too cold to swim and I won't be taking my bike. So I'll be doing a lot of running. This is a great opportunity for me to spend more time on my running and, hopefully, make some good progress.

Week 4

More improvements in Week 4.

Swim workouts are up to 44 minutes (following the 10% rule).

Bike workout increased to 9 miles (not quite following the 10% rule) in 50 minutes.

And, I'm now running 3 minutes of every 6 minute interval for a total of 30 minutes. :)

Week 3

Week 3 went pretty well.

My swim workouts are now 40 minutes long (I started at 30 minutes) and my endurance is improving. I can swim 400m fairly comfortably, but my race is 800m. I think I'll be ready; I have 2 months until the Great Pumpkin Man race.

My run workout didn't go so well. I tried to increase my running time to 3 minutes (walking another 3 minutes and repeating for a total of 30 minutes). But, after 2.5 minutes I would lose all my steam and have to walk until my next interval. I think I'll add another run workout to my week.

My bike workout went great. I rode farther and easier than I have in the past. I think my ride was about 7 miles in 40 minutes (I really should get a computer to track my distance). This is a slow pace, but a big improvement for me. I'm excited that the biking is getting easier but concerned about how to extend my ride to cover 14 miles -- the race distance. I could do the same route twice, but that would be a little boring. I'm sure I'll figure this out. I have a route in mind.

Stretching is becoming more important. My muscles are getting stronger but at the expense of some sorness and tightness after workouts. I think yoga might help with this. I'm going to try a class at the local studio and see how I like it.

And, finally, I've put a little more effort into buying a bike. I've visited two shops already, Montrose Bike Shop and Helen's Cycles in Santa Monica. Unfortunately, neither salesperson I talked to was an experienced road cyclist or triathlete. And both gave me differing opinions on bike size. So, I sent an email to the LA Tri Club eliciting advice. The resonse was incredible, almost 25 replies. The most valuable bits of advice given were referrals to work with specific people at various bike shops. Maybe next week I'll come home with a new bike. :)

Week 2 cont.

Yesterday was my bike workout. I had my bar ends on the handlebars -- they helped tremendously with the tendonitis. But, they are still spread a bit too wide (wider than my shoulders) to be comfortable.

My ride this week was alot easier than last week's. Although my bathroom scale seems to think that my progress is in the wrong direction, the increasing ease of my workouts contradicts that. :)

I'm convinced now that I'll get a road bike soon. It's just a matter of finding the right one. Tuesday evening we went to the Montrose Bike Shop where I bought my mountain bike. I looked at a Trek 1500 and a Specialized Allez Elite. I liked both (haven't ridden either yet, just checking out what's available). But, with further research on the web, I discovered that both models have a women's version. Hopefully, I'll be able to find a local dealer who carries the women's line of bikes.

Week 2

I'm now in my second week of triathlon training.

I missed one of my swim workouts this weekend to a football game at the Rose Bowl. I was turned back by the event staff who were collecting money for parking. *grumble* They were supposed to let me through when I told them I was headed for the Aquatics Center. I tried three different entrances and I was turned back 3 times by local police and event staff. :(

On a brighter note... This morning I went running. My endurance and strength is improving. Instead of running one minute and walking 5 minutes I ran 2 minutes and walked 4 minutes. The total workout was 30 minutes long. This is a small improvement, but improvement none the less. Hopefully I'll be running the full 30 minutes by the end of November (race time).

I still haven't figured out what to do about my mountain bike. I didn't make it to any bike shops this weekend to look at road bikes. In the meantime, I'll put the bar ends on my mountain bike. That should relieve some of the pressure on my wrists.

Bike Workout Woes

I went for my first bike workout this morning (40 minutes).

I have pretty severe tendonitis in my wrists that can quickly spread to my elbows and shoulders. My positioning on my bike requires my wrists to support most of my weight and aggravates my tendonitis. Now I have sore wrists and elbows.

I'm thinking I might trade-in my mountain bike for a road bike. Hopefully a road bike will be configured to shift some of the weight from my wrists to my saddle. This weekend I'll go check out some road bikes.

The Big Decision

I've decided to train for a triathlon.

I swam competitively when I was growing up. One year, my winter coach wanted a bunch of us to swim the first leg of a local triathlon. Although I didn't swim in that triathlon the idea was planted in my mind.

Recently, I've been trying to get into shape again. Swimming was an obvious choice for exercise. My plan was to swim on my own for a short time (it's already been 1 month) and then join the local Masters swim team. But that goal seemed weak. And I was concerned that swimming would get boring. Then the proverbial lightbulb went on and I thought of triathlons. :)

So, I've bought a couple of training books (Triathlon Training in Four Hours a Week and Triathlon 101: Essentials for Multisport Success) , a new bike seat, new bike gloves and new bike shorts.

This week is my first official week of training. Monday was a rest day and today I got up early to run. Well, I would exactly call it running... I alternated running for 1 minute then walking for 5 minutes for a 30 minute period. Maybe next run day I'll run for 1.5 minutes and walk for 4.5 minutes. Hopefully, over time, I'll work my way up to a full 30 minute run.