Tested my new rollers today and my learning curve is a bit steeper than I hoped it would be....but I was able to stand for a few seconds at a time. I was feeling very un-motiviated but I managed to make myself go for my long run (8 miles) turning today into a short bike long run brick.

12 Mile Bike Rollers @ 00:45:00
8 Mile Run @ 01:20:00

Today was my first day at my new job. Started it out with a really good Swim Practice and a very hard set:

2 x 100 @ 01:45
1 x 200 @ 03:30
2 x 100 @ 01:45
1 x 200 @ 03:25
2 x 100 @ 01:45
1 x 200 @ 03:20
2 x 100 @ 01:45

There was an additional 03:15 and 01:45 but I and my shoulder were done.

2550 Swim Practice @ 00:55:00

I am officially unemployed :) Spent an hour this morning putting together my new rollers and am now sitting at the service station getting my oil changed. It promises to be a just beautiful day and I am looking forward to spending a lot of it on my bike.

____________________________________________

After getting the oil changed in my car and a bit of nesting/shopping, I finally got on my bike. Went around the lake from home and rode the North end first. I pushed my speed and HR but was DONE when I ran into Ruth at UW who had parked her car and was taking her beautiful new bike for a spin after work. I threw my bike in her car and drove up the hill home.

50 Mile Ride @ 03:15:00
133 ave

I ended up at the office a bit late last night and opted to drive home and get on the rollers rather than ride my bike in as planned. Once I arrived home, it was pretty apparent that I was beat and ended up going to bed at about 7:45 PM. That was the best decision I had made all week as I slept about 9.5 hours and just feel so much better this morning.

Just as I about to hop on the rollers this morning for an aerobic workout, my phone rang and it was a team member whose child was sick. So I switched gears and came into work early.

Today is my last day with my company. I definitely have mixed feelings about it -- this is the longest I have ever worked at any one place and I am so sad to leave my teammates and at the same time, am excited about the future. I will try to get in a run this afternoon before my PM appointment.
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Managed to get in a quick run between picking up my new rollers and a last minute dentist appointment. Parked at 5th and 80th and then ran down and around Greenlake and back.

4 Mile Run @ 00:38:30

I woke up this morning still feeling very tired and a bit congested. I don't feel sick though, just tired -- perhaps the congestion is allergies. I had a tough time at swim practice getting any sort of speed up and limped through.

2200 Swim Practice @ 00:50:00

5:20 this morning started way too early but I dragged myself out of bed anyway to go to my last spin class with April in Bellevue. I had a hard time getting my HR up but got in a good workout anyway.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00
133a, 152m

WEIGHTS

CORE
5 x 15 Back

UPPER
3 x 18 Row @ 60
3 x 20 Pull Down @ 60
3 x 18 Tricep Push Down @ 40
3 x 18 Bicep Curls @ 15

LOWER
3 x 18 Squats @ 10 DB
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The last thing I wanted to do after work was to go for a run but I dragged myself around Greenlake anyway. While I am glad I did it, I was definitely not at my best feeling tired both in my lungs and legs.

3.2 Mile Run @ 00:27:53
141a, 172m

This morning, I woke up and did some stuff around the house planning to go for my 8 mile run when Ruth went grocery shopping. Changed into my running clothes and did some core before heading out.

Then I had a change of heart and realized that I really really really did not want to run. Ruth supported that because, as she mentioned, I have a choice now, but will not in a couple of months.

So I put on my "I look like I am going to work-out but these are my good slacking only clothes" and happily took the day off :)

CORE
3 x 1:00 Plank
5 x 15 Crunch on Ball
2 x 12 Lower Ab (Ball Lift)

This weekend, I had to get in a 60 mile ride and a 8 mile run and the order could be dictated by the weather. Even though there were dire weather reports about today's rain, I decided to start the ride outside on the Hindenburg and turn around when it started to dump and finish on the rollers.

I had a late start because the front tire was flat and found the piece of glass that must have embedded itself in the tire. The weather stayed decent from home to Seward Park so I decided to continue to around the south end. Once I hit Renton, it started to rain, and then harder to the point where I was feeling quite sorry for myself as I hid in the bathroom at Coulon Park. After a stern self-talking to, I headed to Bellevue and decided to go home over Mercer Island. No idea what the exact mileage was because I do not have a computer on that bike so I estimated the ride to be 40 miles leaving me 20 to finish on the bike.

Once I got home, I had a really tough time getting on the bike. I was wet, cold and DONE. But I managed to get in 15 miles before I just could not take it much more and got off. When Ruth came home to a shaky me, she reviewed my nutrition with me and helped me understand that one Powerbar and 1/3 of a bottle of Gatorade was not enough fuel for that ride.

55 Mile Ride @ 04:06:35
131a

Went for a swim this morning at 24 before meeting with Cheryl to plan my training for the spring. I did a 500 WU (this is all meters) and then 5 x 50 Kick, 10 x 100 on the 2 and 5 x 50 kick. I was consistent but not particularily fast.

2200 Swim @ 00:45:00

I actually thought this morning that I really did not feel the effects of yesterday's hill workout. This assertion was clearly disputed during today's spin class...

Today is my last Thursday with my current company. And probably my last spin class with the Thursday instructor. I do not think I will miss her terribly like I miss Dina but she delivers a solid, but not necessarily inspiring workout.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00
137a, 154m

Okay, enough slacking off for me and back to my training. Today I did my first hill repeat workout in....months. I got in a good mile plus warm-up and then did 5 hill repeats on 108th Ave and finished with some weights.

Hill Repeat Run Workout @ 00:40:43

WU @ 00:15:21
127a, 138m

Hill 1 @ 01:22 ( I did a shorter distance for this first one)
149a, 160m

Hill 2 @ 01:35
147a, 230m

Hill 3 @ 01:33
144a, 227m

Hill 4 @ 01:30
147a, 167m

Hill 5 @ 01:29
147a, 166m

WEIGHTS

UPPER
3 x 15 Pull Down
3 x 15 Tricep
3 x 15 Row
3 x 15 Bicep

CORE
5 x 15 Back

Last night, Ruth had a brilliant idea that I swim at Greenlake since our pool is closed for the week. So I set my alarm for 4:40 AM and headed down.

Had a good swim and only had to subject one person to my freestyle only stroke and three point turns. She told me that my right arm was crossing over too much -- good to know because that is my injured shoulder.

2500 Swim @ 00:55:00
______________________________________

Made up a pyramid workout on my bike today for the rollers. But before I describe it, here are the numbers for my gears. I have yet to really understand it but it is important that I do very soon.

Front Cog:
50 / 34

Rear:
23 / 21 / 19 / 17 / 16 / 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 / 11

So I did this all in my little front gear (34) and went up a gear every 5 minutes (15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) while maintaining a cadence of 90+ RPM. It felt good and the only time I felt like I had to really push it was when I was at the top at 11.

13.5 Mile Ride @ 00:45:02
131a, 150m

Spin class this morning was a bit abbreviated because 24 opened late. I was also bummed to see that my favorite spin instructor, April was not there. Her substitute was Gina, the screamer :(

I managed to get in a decent workout anyway.

Spin Class @ 00:48:00
135a, 162m
______________________________

CORE
5 x 15 Crunch on Ball

______________________________

Went for a run during lunch in the rain. My legs felt fine. It just felt hard cardio-wise especially when running inclines.

6 Mile Run @ 00:54:00
140a, 181m

Went to the Helene Madison Master's swim practice this morning. I usually get a solid workout in with them but the climate of the group is very individual and not much of a team environment. It does in a pinch -- and it is amazing how many more yards can be done without the chit-chat :)

3000 Yard Swim Practice @ 01:00:00
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Got in a lift after a bit of lunch.

UPPER
3 x 15 Pull Down
3 x 15 Tricep
3 x 15 Row
3 x 15 Bicep

CORE
3 x 1 min Plank
3 x 15 Lower Ab Lift
5 x 15 Back and Side

Got on my bike this morning to try to get in a ride before the rain hit. This is the first time I rode the Orbea since New Zealand and I noticed fairly early my shifting was rather clunky -- but chose to ignore it making a mental note to bring it in to Dean at Pedal Dynamics for him to look at.

My plan was to ride around the lake before Janarah's playoff basketball game at 2:00 starting by going around the South end. On my way to Seward Park, I saw lots of people from Cheryl's group, including Jeff who turned around and rode with me long enough to have a quick chat.

When climbing the hill after Seward my shifting started to really mis-behave and I took my wheel off and put it on again. Noticed my derailleur was bent and tried to bend it back and made it much worse. So I turned around and limped to Triumph MultiSport in Leschi (thank goodness for the tailwind) where they fixed my bike and sold me a new seat. Threw the old seat in my pocket and continued the ride but adjusted the route to go around Mercer Island and then home to make the game.

Had a really good ride until it started to sprinkle and then just plain old RAIN on I90 but I made it home fine. I did push my cadence and HR to stay about 140 throughout but my overall speed was affected by mechanical issues.

45 Mile Ride @ 03:14:00
144a

Okay, my rhythm is not offically completely back. Skipped swim practice this morning and packed my bag for a run either at lunch or after work. But ended up doing neither. Not because I was terribly busy -- but because I was terribly sad. The last time I skipped workouts not either tapering or recovering was when my long term relationship ended in 2004. I have been with my company for 6.5 years and my team has been my family. I have grown a lot and when joining the company, I was 200+ lbs and almost entirely sedentary. They have seen me through a lot of changes and growth and it hit me hard on Friday that things were going to be different. This is the only job I have had where I actually miss people when I am out on vacation.

There are many new wonderful connections awaiting me at Starbucks in addition to the growth opportunities I am seeking so it is the right decision.

I did manage to get some core in this morning though..

CORE
3 x 1 min Plank
2 x 12 SuperGirl

I am offically back in the right rhythm! Part of my angst was interviewing for a new job, then waiting to see if I would be offered it and then a bit of negotiating...

But it ended up well and I will be joining Starbucks in a couple of weeks! :)

Swim practice this morning was good. I actually did my shoulder exercises last night and then swam this morning. And my shoulder has noticed...

2600 Swim Practice @ 00:55:00

Went to Spin Class this morning also. In my gym bag, I had two shirts, three pair of socks, a hat, two shorts, etc...but no freaking BRA :( So I double-bagged the shirts and went for it.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00
139a

Another crappy sleeping night! But made myself get up at 6 to get in a run so I would be able to sleep tonight.

Drove with Ruth to Greenlake where I ran around it and back home and she did intervals.

4.5 Mile Run @ 00:40:00
_______________________

CORE
3 x 1 min Plank

I had a very difficult time sleeping on Sunday night and ended up not getting in a workout because of my packed Monday schedule.

Things feel much more back to normal today and swim practice this morning was very good.

2700 Swim Practice @ 00:55:00
___________________________
CORE

5 x 15 Crunch on Ball

I went for a ride from home to Seward Park and back on the Hindenburg. Was planning to ride a longer route but learned shortly into the ride that I did not have an endless supply of stamina.

25 Mile Ride @ 01:53:00

CORE
5 x 1 Min Plank

Tough time sleeping last night and I almost skipped swim practice this morning. Rallied at the last moment and dragged myself there.

I was glad I did because I got in a good workout once I realized that I am NOT recovered and that I needed to take it easy...

2600 Swim Practice @ 00:55:00

Went for a quick run around Greenlake before work. Damn it was HARD.

3.1 Mile Run @ 00:28:05
148a, 189m

Then did some planking.

CORE
5 x 1 Min Plank
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Went to spin class this morning and forgot my HR monitor. It was also quite hard and I just did what I could. Followed that with my first weights in months....got a bit "inspired" on the race course to get a lot stronger...

Spin Class @ 00:55:00

UPPER
3 x 15 Lat Pull Down (to top of head) @ 60 machine
3 x 15 Row @ 60 machine
3 x 15 Triceps Push Down @ 40 Machine
1 x 12, 1 x 10 Bicep @ 15 dumbbell

CORE
5 x 12 Back (front and side)

No work-out today except for sprinting through the LAX while pushing a large suitcase and dragging a very heavy bike box to try to make our flight to Seattle because we had to get our bags and bikes in Terminal 2, go through customs and then check in again at Terminal 7.

We ended up missing that flight giving us a total of 9+ hours of airport waiting time on the day that would not end.

I went for my first run this morning since the race and we had a soggy run along the shore up one of the volcanic cones. Actually, Ruth ran up and sheep-dogged me as I switched to walking. I do feel good but just did not feel like pushing anything hard. I believe I am actually getting wise in my advanced age. I think it is because I was quite pleased with my race and do not feel like I need to push myself right now.

2.5 Mile Run @ 0:27:00

CORE
2 x 1 min Plank

Today we are going to explore a bit more of Devonport and hike up the other volcanic cone before taking the ferry back to Aukland to meet our airport shuttle.

Happy 40th Birthday to me :) I get to celebrate my birthday for two days now -- today it is March 6 in New Zealand and tomorrow it will be March 6 in the US.

I had a nice breakfast this morning with cards from Ruth, Helen and Lindsey (the women whose B&B we are staying at) and Erika and Rolf (Ruth's parents).

One thing I LOVE about doing an Ironman around a big birthday like this is seeing my future in the other athletes. And my future is FIT and FAST. I can't wait to someday be able to swim/bike/run as fast as the 40, 50 , 60 and 70 year olds! In the past, I have lamented aging, but doing it on an Ironman only provides motivation and something to look so very forward to.

Today we are planning a trip to Aukland and a swim/lift (my first workout since IM) at the Y there -- and then a trip to the museum. Later today, some sort of celebratory dinner and I plan to have multiple "filthy martini's" to celebrate my birthday.
_____________________________________________

We went to the Aukland Y for some lap swimming and were disappointed to read the sign that the pool water was low and no "tumble-turns" allowed. To make sure everyone abided by the rules, they draped a lane line across the pool a couple of feet from the deep end making it almost impossible to even push off the wall. But I managed to get in a good swim and we decided to go to the museum in time to see a Maori show rather than lift weights.

After a bit more sight-seeing, Ruth took me out for a nice birthday dinner and we finished the evening with a most pleasant conversation with our hosts.

2400 Swim @ 00:55:00

Ironman New Zealand 2007 Race Report

Disclaimer:
It is the day after the race and we are at an Internet cafe in Devonport (across the way from Aukland) after eating way too much yummy pizza and salad, as well as touring our way through the beers of New Zealand.

The Report:
Ruth woke me up at 3:30 and mentioned that I had to be awake in 10 minutes...so of course I got up and made some coffee watched a bit of TV while trying to wake up. The night before, it had occurred to me that I would not be able to visit my T2 bag like I had been able to at Canada so I had a bit of pressure to get my running water bottles to my bag before the race started. I went to breakfast with the group and then was shuttled up to the start line where Ruth met me. I had walked to the T2 area and was told by a nice volunteer that I could take my running water bottles with me to T1 and they would transport them to T2 and be in my bag when I needed them. Whew!

For some reason, I was not terribly nervous. Perhaps because I had only been preparing for this for 6 weeks, unlike Canada where I had been preparing for 6 years....so the pressure was not as great. And the weather was a DREAM. Barely a breeze and just the right temperature. The race started with a ceremony from members of the Maori who came in their boat and did a dance/chant on the beach to send us off. VERY COOL.

SWIM (1:19:24):
My swim was fine -- not terribly fast but I did work on sighting a lot and came out of it feeling strong and psyched for the next event. In T1 (00:9:55), I decided against my arm warmers (the sun was out already) and just put a newspaper under my jersey. I did eat a half a power bar while changing and when I came out to get my bike, I noticed how few bikes were left. But I did not let that frazzle me.

BIKE (7:34:38):
And off I went with a nice send-off from Ruth and some people from Stretton's. My lack of cyling shape was immediately apparent and I was dropped very quickly leaving me with a lot of the course to myself. It was cool seeing the lead guys on their way back from their first loop as I headed out -- the helicopter following them the entire way.

Within the first hour, I had a hard lesson on how important it should have been to train in aero position. There were few hills on the route, but I would have been much more efficient if I could have ridden most of it in my aero bars -- like almost everyone else. I was VERY good with my nutrition, alternating between my Rasberrylicious Power Shake and Water/Power Bar bike every 15 minutes. I felt really strong descending back into town, getting my first lap done arm band (very happily) and going for my second lap even though my lower back was really starting to complain.

By the second loop, my back hurt so badly that I had to stand and stretch every few minutes. It was terrible. I tried to do all sorts of visualizations like pulling the pain out behind me and telling myself to focus on making nice fast circles with my legs and keeping my cadence up. But I was not prepared for how painful it would be. I put a lot mentally into getting through the pain and pulled out all my mantras. At one point, I launched into my mantra and a cow interrupted me with a big MOO :)

At the beginning of the second loop, I was leap-frogging a bit with another athlete named Sharyn. Her race number was just one away from mine and we had a really nice chat. She is a Kiwi, but had traveled to the race from London where she was working and living. During the last quarter of the bike leg, I was getting passed by some amazons in my age group who dropped my ass without mercy. A couple of times I tried to chase them down but made myself pull back reminding myself that I was NOT in the right cycling shape -- they were probably at the end of their summer while I was still in winter, and that this was my NUTRITION race. And so it went for the last painful stretch. Force myself to eat, stand and stretch, visualize pain leaving my back, keep it my race my pace. I went through all my shake, 1.5 power bars and a lot of the race supplied powerade. I just could not stomach the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and was also worried about how the whole grain bread would rest on my stomach.

I was extremely grateful to get to T2 (00:10:54) and get off the bike. If a nice volunteer had not grabbed it for me, I would have given it a bit of a kick out of frustration for making me suffer so. I took a few extra minutes in T2 as I was a bit goofy at that point and one of the volunteers kept asking me if I was all right.

RUN (5:00:28):
Finally I made my way out and climbed the scaffolding they erected across the road to start the run. The run was a double-loop but we had to run by the finish line about three (cruel) times because there was a little extra in the beginning. When I was leaving for the run, I learned that the winners were already done. Sharyn and I caught up with each other during the beginning of the run and chatted a bit more. We ran by her (extended family) fan club and then by Ruth who was taking yet another picture.

I stuck to my nutrition and pacing very well the first half. 14 minutes run. 1 minute walk alternating energy drink with my (Happy Hour) Margarita Clif Blocks. I felt strong and was smiling. Even when I passed by Ruth, who had cycled a ahead to a point on road and was partying with some accountants from Strettons. I passed her taking another picture, a BEER tucked under her arm. I yelled incredulously "is that a BEER?!?" and she laughed as well as many others there. And for a moment, I wished I was her and then I realized that I was actually glad I was doing the event, and I know that she probably would have wanted to be doing this rather than drinking too.

I made it back into town to run by the finish line (for the second time) to hear the announcer saying every few moments "insertnamehere...you are an Ironman" and I went right by to get my second lap arm band. I so wanted to be finished and did not want to run 13.1 more miles. The second loop was where it got very very hard. The sun set and my 14 min. run, 1 min. walk turned into more 7 run, 2 walk and then any other excuse I could think of to walk. I was happy that I felt much stronger than I had at this point in Canada but it still was purely mental grit at this point.

When I passed Ruth the second time, I asked her to walk with me for a bit while I did and we chatted. She was off to take a shower and then meet me at the finish line. About 4 miles away from the finish, I had barely stomached my last cliff blok. I forced myself to pull it out and put it in my mouth reminding myself that it was Happy Hour. When I tasted it, I wanted to spit it out but made myself swallow promising that would be the last one. I then switched to flat coke and squeezed some orange slices into my mouth for orange juice.

FINISH (14:15:20):
When I had a little over two miles to go, I passed the Korean flag on the street (the street was lined with country flags for the event) and decided to call on my ancestors to get me through to the end. Even though I had no idea who they were, they had given me the genes to decide to do something like this so they had better help me finish. I ran the remaining way to the finish, my lungs and back cramping up but I finished 45 minutes faster than my Canada time and was very happy how well I had stuck to my plan.

New Zealand Ironman # 644

Even though the date on this post reads Thursday, it is Friday here in New Zealand and the race is tomorrow.

Woke up this morning and went to the pre-race briefing after breakfast. I am glad I went although it sounded a lot like the way the adults in "The Peanuts" talk (blah blah blah) with an aussie accent...with the occasional laugh from the audience at a joke I (and many other Americans with me) did not understand.

We are traveling with an Endurance Travel Group and while we are not one bit enchanted with the (dis)- organizer, he has surrounded himself with quite wonderful people. One of whom, the mechanic who checked our bikes mentioned to me that I may want to consider replacing my tires as I had come a long way and it would be terrible if I had a flat because of some of the minor cuts I had. Of course, our mechanic had "ok'd" them before we left but then last night I had a dream that my tires split in half so off I went to the store to get new tires. And new cleats. And a new stick of Body Glide... He put my tires on for me -- and also my cleats and that was a wonderful extra kindness I had not expected.

I just dropped off my bike and T1 and T2 bags. And picked up my Special Needs bags where volunteers put our numbers and their own special signature (a smiley face or initial).

The weather here is described as "fine". Which we figured meant fair and sunny. We got the real deal the other day. "Fine" means pretty much anything, but people are fine with it. Tomorrow promises a real smorgasbord of weather. Heat, cold, rain and wind. Oh and a "light" wind is anything but....

Yesterday afternoon, Ruth dragged me to Rock n Ropes. This was something she wanted to do ever since we decided to come here and I had a choice to either do it with her or sit there for three hours while she did. I HATE heights but my fear of having to sit with myself quietly for three hours overcame my fear of heights and I signed up.

When I started climbing the first pole, I had a change of heart and decided that having to sit with myself for three hours quietly was a better option. Unfortunately, that was NOT an option for our "guide" who followed me up and yelled and slapped my feet up the damn pole. Ruth said that I was turning into a behavior problem and was glad the he was dealing with me, not her...

But I made it except for the trapeze. He ended up yanking me off the top of the pole that I was precariously balanced on because I would not come down any other way. And gave me a good shake and scare on the way down for his trouble. It actually was good fun after the fact and I did do things I never had before so it was a good distraction and perhaps tomorrow I will wish I were on top of that pole rather than facing 50 more miles of headwind.

At 5:00, we go to Stretton's for a bit of a Happy Hour send-off and then a group dinner. Finally home to bed and hopefully a spot of sleep :)

Thanks all for your kind and encouraging words. I am in a better space today and am looking forward to being on the other side of this event!

Oh, and my mantras...

When I need to get on pace:
"I am a warrior/swimmer/cyclist/runner, mighty mighty warrior/swimmer/cyclist/runner..."

When I get passed/dropped:
"My race, my pace"

When I hurt:
"Breathe in. Breath out." And then do a mental head to toe check of everything on my body that is not in pain and let that information guide me through.

And when I really need it:
"C'mon Bertram, move your ass."