Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Week 11- 12.17.07- 12.23.07

Felt under the weather this week with a very sore throat and a flu headache so took it easy this week.

Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas! Also wishing our fellow Ironteam teammate, Marc a speedy recovery!

Workout Summary-
Swim- 0 hour and 0 minute
Bike- 0 hour and 0 minute
Run- 0 hour and 30 minutes
Core Strength- 1 hour and 0 minute
Total Workout- 1 hour and 30 miutes

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Week 10- 12.10.07- 12.16.07

Week 10! This week's workouts started very mellow for me but then it quickly picked up by Friday and into the weekend!

On Friday, I went out for a long 72 minute run. When I started, it was pitch dark and by the time I finished my run, the sun was rising.

The Golden Gate Bridge at 6:15am ish.

View of Alcatraz:
View from Fort Mason:

On Saturday, I attended a swim clinic led by Chris Hauth and some of his AIMP (Advanced Ironman Program) staff. Don't mis-understand! I am not by any means advanced haha but am motivated to improve and what I took away from the clinic was definitely helpful! We were there from 10am to about 3:30pm which made for a very long but fun day! The most entertaining thing that took place at the clinic was when Chris was trying to demonstrate the "inefficient" or wrong way of swimming such as elbow placements, stroke placement, etc. He tried to do it incorrectly, yet even trying, it was still somewhat correct. I guess you can't expect a former Olympic swimmer to swim incorrectly- it's just not possible- even when he is purposely trying!

Sunday was a good day on the bike! I reunited with Mary Ashby, who I met on the TNT Summer 06 Triathlon team, for a bike ride. We rode Alpine Dam from Mike's Bikes in Sausalito. I had forgotten how long those climbs were! I kept asking myself..when is this going to end?!?! It was quite cold once we got up and over the hills into the dam..like Mary said..I guess they don't call it "Alpine" for nothing! 39 miles later..we were back at Mike's Bikes ready for a hot chocolate!

I have some great news to share about a very special person who has provided me with more inspiration than he will ever know! He is a TNT honoree that goes by the name of Todd Elliot. I met Todd during the Spring season of 07. Todd was diagnosed with CML (Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia) in January of 06. After four months of treatment, he joined the TNT cycle team, trained for and finished the Honolulu Century! Todd went on to train for and finish the Wildflower Long Course this past Spring! During the Summer 07 season, I had been trying to convince Todd to join Ironteam with me! I thought, if I can convince more people to join, I will more likely join too! One day at Kezar track, he told me that he wouldn't be able to do 08 but maybe 09. Ironteam 08 was not going to be possible for him because his body was starting to become immune to Gleevec (the "miracle" drug for CML which 1/3 of the funding came from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) and that he may need a bone marrow transplant early next year. He wanted to spend the rest of this year camping, hiking, going wine tasting and do all these things to get mentally prepared. I had a mix of emotions while listening to Todd as we're running on the track. Todd reminded me of how fortunate I am to be healthy and able. That track workout with Todd inspired me to register and commit to being on Ironteam for the 2008 season. I was inspired to give more of myself to make a bigger difference!
Todd during the run leg of the Wildflower Long Course- May 07

Last week, I received fantastic news from Todd (posted with Todd's permission):
Hey IronGirls (myself, Heidi and Deb)!

I just got some updates from you all, so I thought I'd give my own shoutout and give you an update on what's been happening to me.

To begin with, I've been a lazy bastard. While you guys are busting your butts with mini-tri's in freezing temperatures, I'm going wine tasting,camping, hiking, wine tasting and generally being a lazy butt.
The tail end of my year has really been defined by my preparations (mostly mental) for my upcoming transplant. Originally anticipated for the Fall, it got pushed back a little while we waited to see how I would respond to the medication they switched me to back in June. It's aweird thing to prepare for such a huge event like that. Preparing to take a year off work, researching and setting my expectations for the invasiveness of a bone marrow transplant, working with my friends and family to prepare for my own care.
But last week I got some good news. My medication finally kicked into gear! We finally started seeing a really significant response to the medication, and now because of that my transplant has been put on hold indefinitely. It's suddenly as if a curtain has been lifted to remove the darkness and shadows that veiled the weeks and months beyond Jan 1.
Yay!
To celebrate the good news, I'm getting back into gear to start ramping up my training for my second Wildflower 1/2. If all goes well, my original plan to do a full Ironman in '09 may be back in full swing!
So that's my good news. I just wanted to let you all know that you inspire me greatly and I wish the timing had worked out a little better so I could be out there training my ass of with all of you. I'm super proud of each of you and am rooting you all the way.
Best,
-todd

Todd and I at track:

Todd's email made my day! It's great news and I couldn't be happier for Todd and for those who care about him. It's a nice reminder to myself and everyone that is involved with Team In Training that everyday spent training is making a difference..with the help and support of all of you!

Workout Summary-
Swim- 4 hours and 15 minutes
Bike- 3 hour and 7 minutes
Run- 1 hour and 12 minutes
Core/Strength/Stretch- 2 hours and 0 minutes
Total- 10 hours and 34 minutes

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Week 9- 12.3.07- 12.9.07

This week was a light workout week due to the practice Sprint Distance triathlon scheduled for the weekend. I had a check up with Dr. Rabbetz and he said the magic words, "You're all better!" I am not sure who felt better about me being 100% healed!- me or him. He said something like, "It makes me so happy when I see my patients all better and me being able to help them do whatever they want..you're all fixed..see you in two months!" Sweet! I am sure my insurance company will be pretty happy about that as well! Earlier this year, when I was on the twice a week plan with Dr. Rabbetz, I actually received a letter from my insurance company asking me how I got injured and if there is a third party involved. No, there wasn't! It was just me..oppsy! We had Iron University Part 2 on Saturday. My two key take aways from that was 1. I need more sleep. 2. I need to consume for protein before my workouts in the morning. I'll give those two a try and see how that goes!

Sunday..our practice triathlon..could it be any colder?! Of Summer 06, Spring 07, Summer 07 and Ironteam seasons to date, there's only been two times when I actually wanted to maybe cry on my bike. The first time was during Spring 07 on one of our long bike rides. We rode Nicasio Valley..it was about a 60 miler I want to say? It was windy, gloomy, cold, windy and just plain miserable! For some reason mid-way through the ride, everything from the hip down was just in pain! Mark Smith was doing SAG that day and everytime he drove by, part of me really wanted to wave him down for a ride to my car but a larger part of me always said no no no..you're finishing! I was glad that I wasn't the only one to have a bad day on that ride, the amount of people that dropped F-bombs as they finished the ride was pretty amusing! The second time I wanted to cry during a bike ride was today at the practice triathlon and that was because my toes were in pure pain from being frozen! Well, today wasn't nearly as bad as that time during Spring 07, that would have been an all out boo hoo hoo cry. This time would have just maybe been a weak whiny wimpy "my toes are frozen" type of cry.

Temperatures at 7:30am was quite frigid- air temperature was 39 degrees! We went off in three waves determined by Ironman event. The swim was short but just long enough for your toes to start losing feeling. Between the bike and the run, I am not sure which experience was more unpleasant. With the air temperature the way it was, my toes and fingers went numb during the 12 mile bike ride! Hez (fellow Ironteam member) and I kept saying to each other, "Hurry up! Let's just get this over with!" During the 12 miles, I kept trying to move my toes but they were too numb to even budge! You could have stuck a needle in my toes and I probably wouldn't have been able to feel it. I am not sure which is worse- riding 12 miles with numb painful toes OR riding 45 miles with a bee sting to my left eye (during a training ride in Aug 07). My fingers were barely able to grip on the brakes during descends but I managed. By the time I started my run, both my toes and my ankles went numb. I rolled my ankle twice because I couldn't feel the foundation of the ground. Walked about half the run because of the numbness..yes it was that bad! About 1.5 miles into it, I was finally able to feel my toes again! Yes, it was frigid this morning but it could have been worse. It could have been 39 degrees AND raining! Now, that would have REALLY sucked! Below are two pictures from the practice triathlon.

I am wearing a neon green swim cap on the left side of the picture- This picture was taken during the run- the shoe you see on the right hand side of the picture in front of Hez..that's my shoe! As Hez and I were running.. we noticed something rather funny and scary.. a sign by the reservoir which read "No swimming. No wading." We thought....hmm??
Workout Summary-
Swim- 0 hours and 53 minutes
Bike- 1 hour and 35 minutes
Run- 1 hour and 14 minutes
Core/Strength/Stretch- 2 hours and 0 minutes
Total- 5 hours and 42 minutes

Monday, November 26, 2007

Week 8- 11.26.07- 12.02.07

Change of events! As you know, when I signed up with Ironteam, Ironman Canada was the goal! There was a hiccup with the slots to IM Canada and IM USA, so there I was in Santorini, Greece registering for an entry to IM Louisville just to ensure that I would have an Ironman event to do in case things don't pan out for IM Canada. We found out this week that TNT was not able to secure our IM Canda and IM USA slots so IM Louisville it is!! Hello Kentucky! I am a bit worried about it possibly being a non-wetsuit swim and the humidity but I think it'll be okay. It has to be! Different location but same distance...same cause..same motivation!

Monday- I met up with Renee at the Dailey Method studio to take one of their classes. It's an hour of targeting, toning, strengthening and stretching the thights, buttocks and abs areas! Renee and I are both pretty bad at doing core workouts on our own so a class was the perfect solution! Boy, was it an experience first thing Monday morning!! My muscles got worked to the point of shaking and held planks at the point of pure pain but biting my lip to finish the set! I nearly fell over with laughter when the instructor suggested we try to go into the splits..I mean really..I haven't stretched out into the splits since I was 18!

Tuesday- Ran 76 minutes in the morning. Beautiful skies...pink Alcatraz as the sun is rising..nice cloud formation views of Russian Hill as I am running up and over Fort Mason..I really should bring a camera with me on my morning runs.

Wednesday- Started my morning with more Dailey Method and then had a track workout later that night. We had to bring our 30 pound trainers to track along with our bikes for a spin/run interval set. Bringing that trainer anywhere is a task! Poor Coach Pete was the recipient of our complaining throughout the track workout. As he arrived, I said to him that I never wanted to bring that 30 pound monster to track ever again! He laughed. I actually wasn't kidding! And then as we're spinning, we brought up the training matrix that the coaches want us to fill out as well, another monster in itself. We told him that it had to be modified! He laughed which meant he saw that one coming!! The complaining was all in fun- and a fun workout it was! Hez and I pushed it pretty hard on the run and had a nice spin workout as well!

Thursday- Swim workout in the morning using a tempo trainer.

Friday- Dailey Method in the AM and that was it today! TGIF!

Saturday- The team had a workout in Orinda. Hez and I didn't opted to stay local and do our 120 minute ride here in SF instead. We met up at Sports Basement Crissy Field at 8am and headed over the Golden Gate Bridge. Halfway through the Bridge, I suggested to Hez that we do the Marin Headlands..she said no hard climbing..which meant no. We made our way down to the end of the Sausalito bike path and decided that would be our turn around. On the way back, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and took a short "sit and talk" break along Sausalito's Bridgeway. Halfway up the Sausalito grade, I suggested again that we do the Marin Headlands to fill in some time and this time Hez gave in and agreed! Woohoo! We made it up the Headlands (surprisingly short and not that hard) and back to SB.

Sunday- The time has come that we started open water training. Air temperature today was 50 degrees. Aquatic Park water temperature was 54 degrees. Like Coach Alex said..mental toughness being built here! I was excited about today's open water swim because it was my first chance to try out my new wetsuit! My old one from Summer 06 was too big for me now..hence the chaffing I was getting. I got a really good deal on the Orca 3.8 that I couldn't pass up..besides..love the orange!


Water wasn't too cold..it was cold but it wasn't unbearable. I've been in worse believe it or not! After a brisk 30 minute swim..we did a 50 minute run with 1 minute pick ups every 4 minutes on the way back. Nice workout with the team! As we were walking up the cars, I saw Mr. Seal out in the water! He was sprawled out..floating around..being amusingly playful! I was a little worried about Mr. Seal with the oil spill so it was kind of nice to see him!

Pictures from our swim on Sunday:
Pulling the wetsuit on- ready to hit the waters:
Water is cold!
Running in between swim sets!
Core in between swim sets..no more planks!!

Workout Summary:
Swim- 1 hour and 20 minutes
Bike- 2 hours and 43 minutes
Run- 2 hours and 28 minutes
Core/Strength/Stretch- 3 hours and 0 minutes
Total- 9 hours and 31 minutes

Week 7- 11.19.07- 11.25.07

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! It was a short week in terms of workout time- what can I say? It was a holiday week but I did go out and do a brick workout on my own yesterday! Those who know me well know that I hate riding by myself, especially in the city! I sucked it up yesterday and did it anyway! I nice brick workout which included parts of the Alcatraz bike course and a nice run along the waters of Crissy Field. I haven't been outside riding my bike for awhile (awhile being a week) so being out there was nice! Riding my bike always helps me clear my head. Sometimes running does but biking definitely always does the trick and with the year coming to an end..there is a lot to think about!!

It is Thanksgiving and this year I am most thankful for my wonderful group of friends! I am fortunate to have not just one friend that I can count on but a handful who will lift me up when I am down..shed light when I am confused..give me a motivational push when I am feeling like a slug and laugh with me in all the silliness of life!

Workout summary:
Swim- 0 hours
Bike- 2 hours and 19 minutes
Run- 2 hours and 6 minutes
Core/Stretch- 17 minutes
Total- 4 hours and 42 minutes

Monday, November 19, 2007

Week 6- 11.13.07- 11.19.07

Theme of the week- Sad for our open waters.

As promised, I was on top of my workouts this week. I didn't follow the training calendar down to the last detail but I tried my best given my schedule last week and how I was feeling. I swam more than I've ever swam in weeks. Had a great track working in the morning with Hez where we pushed eachother to surprising time improvements by the lap during a marker set. What stayed with me the most this week was what I saw this morning. I did my normal run route from the Bay Club down to Fort Mason and as I approached Aquatic Park, I saw the affects of the oil spill that happened about 1.5 weeks ago. I'm usually greeted by a handful of swimmers during my run passing through that area but not this morning. This morning, I was greeted by fences and roped off areas. As I stood there..gazing out towards Alcatraz,..I actually felt very sad. These are our open waters..it's part of our lifestyle..and now it's fenced off. Hopefully, they'll have it cleaned up soon! I hope Mr. Seal and his friends are ok. I look forward to getting back in as I do love my bay swims!

Below is a pic from training this past Saturday. We're doing run drills here before our swim workout. I am on the left hand side in the Ironteam shirt, black pants and WF hat.

That's it for this week- Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Workout Summary-
Swim- 3 hours and 43 minutes
Bike- 0 hours and 0 minutes
Run- 2 hours and 10 minutes
Core/Strength- 17 minutes
Total- 6 hours and 10 minutes

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Week 5- 11.06.07- 11.12.07

Theme for the week- Taking taper to a whole new level!

So this week was our taper week and I have to say..I took taper to a whole new level. Shamefully, I only put in two days of workouts but next week, like some of my teammates, I am turning over a new leaf and will be getting on it!

Highlights of the week was learning about nutrition at IronUniversity and using the Museum way at Golden Gate Park as a track. I think I found a new running sport if I don't want to go all the way to Kezar on non-team workout days!

Biggest take away from IronUniversity- I am now eating to train..not training to eat. Right! Eating to train..not training to eat!

Workout summary:
Swim- 28 minutes
Run- 59 minutes
Bike- 0 minutes
Core/Stretch- 15 minutes
Total- 1 hour and 42 minutes- lame..I know! Very lame! I mean seriously..am I even training for an IM?!?! Wait until next week!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Week 4- 10.29.07- 11.05.07

Theme for the week- Road to improvements begin!

I was not very good with workouts this week but nonetheless, this has a been a week of improvements! I saw Dr. Rabbetz for my injury this past Tuesday, which is currently an IT band issue, some pain is still there but I am running without pain which is the important part! Better yet, I am now on the once every 5 weeks plan! A long way from twice a week back in the Spring.


One thing I love about triathlon training is that I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to live in a city called San Francisco. We've enjoyed beautiful weather lately- 75 degrees in November- can you believe it?! The best sight of the week had to be during an early morning run. It was cold out but the sights was well worth it. I was running towards the Ferry Building coming back from Aquatic Park and there it was- the San Francisco Belle (boat used for the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon) in a midst of fog with the Bay Bridge in the background. How awesome was that?! And then, this past Sunday, we road with no wind, sight of beautiful cloud formations and the beaming sun shining on us. How lucky are we?!

So, I had a personal best when I road Paradise Loop. I've ridden Paradise Loop many many times. I know that route like the back of my hand. Everytime I rode the loop, I would time myself from one Tiburon city limit sign to the other.. just for kicks. Most of the time, it takes me about 25 minutes. On a bad day, it takes me 28 minutes. Today, it took me 23 minutes! Woohoo! Maybe, I can go sub 20 by the end of the season!

So this week, I missed two days of workouts because Heidi and I hosted our Halloween fundraiser party which took place on Wednesday night. Thursday, I was way too exhausted from lack of sleep to put in a workout. I probably could have squeezed one out if it wasn't for my pounding headache but enough whining. Heidi and I were able to raise about $1,700. We raised $1,400 from door proceeds and then a few hundred from bar tabs and Steven's tips. Heidi and I met Steven during the Summer 07 TNT Tri season. He was one of our training captains and was the one who put us in touch with Jerry at the Olive Bar! Heartfelt thanks to Jerry, Lindsay, Steven and all those who made it out to our party!

Workout Summary:

Swim- 37 minutes
Bike- 3 hours and 33 minutes
Run- 1 hour and 18 minutes
Core/Stretch/Strength- 30 minutes
Total- 5 hours and 58 minutes

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Week 3- 10.22.07- 10.28.07

IT Week 3- Theme for the week- Dust off the rust..improvements to come!

After spending two weeks in Greece, I was back in SF ready to hit the IT (Ironteam) workouts. Curious to see who I am spending my time with these days? Below is a team photo from kickoff! Can you find me? I'm in blue.



Wednesday night track was the first time I’ve ran in about 1.5 months due to injuries I’ve come across over the last 6 or 7 months (retrocalcaneal bursitis, achilles tendonitis, minor hamstring tendonitis and some stuff going on with the Iliotibial band). No worries, I am in good hands with Dr. Rabbetz and will be committing to a stretch and strengthen regimen that should help prevent those injuries from reoccurring. I have to say, I felt surprisingly good during the workout and the morning after. I was a bit anxious about going to track because of the time I took off from running but it turned out alright for me. I felt good and nothing flared up in terms of knee or shin pain which is a good sign.

Cycling..I need to get back into cycling shape. Hez and I did our own 15 mile time trial since we missed it with the team and I felt slower than a slug. Not that I am Speedy Gonzales but a slug is pretty darn slow. Last time I biked was at Big Kahuna when I road 56 miles back in Sept 10th and I did an 18 miler before leaving for Greece but even that few weeks off the bike...ugh!

Swimming felt good though. Actually, let me start over. When I hit the pool for the first time in about 1.5 months this past Friday, I felt like crap. Then Sunday, we had a coached swim workout and that felt a lot better! Felt better in the water..glide felt better..kick felt like it was there as opposed to Friday.

Nothing but improvements to look forward to!

Workout summary for the week- Wed- Sun (took Tue off due to jet lag):

Swim- 2 hours and 6 minutes
Bike- 1 hour and 47 minutes
Run- 45 minutes
Strength/Core/Stretch- 1 hour and 16 minutes
Total- 5 hours and 54 minutes


Saturday, October 6, 2007

Ironteam X Kickoff!

We had our Ironteam Kickoff event today at Sports Basement Potrero Hill! We met our teammates, our coaches, mentor, captains, and staff in general. We'll all be seeing a lot of in the next ten months! A lot of material was covered at kickoff and lasted a lot longer than the other TNT Kickoffs that I've attended. We arrived around 10am and didn't leave the community area until about 1:30pm or so!

This year is the 10th year of Team In Training's Ironteam so there are big expectations! Expectations to raise the most money! Instead of calling our group Ironteam 2008..we're now Ironteam X representing two things- Ironteam 10th anniversary and Ironteam x factor! Our goal this season is to raise a whopping $1 million dollars in the fight against cancer! A large amount but definitely doable.

They ended the kickoff with a video montage of the 2005 team. During that video, I saw many familiar faces..James..Emma Louise..Eric..I heard Rhian screaming and cheering in the background and thought to myself, "That must have been one fun team!" We were so fortunate to have them for our Spring 07 season!

When I registered back in July..it was official that I was part of IT08. But after the kickoff, it's officially official! I will be sporting the obnoxious neon green and purple flames!


I am really excited about the team and the season. I think it's finally hit me that I am doing something that I feel..is bigger than me in every way! Heidi, you hit the nail on the head!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

I am signed..committed..doing..oh boy!


As of 1:13pm today, I forked over $575 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and am officially registered for Team In Training's IronTeam 2008 training for Ironman Canada! I am signed..I am committed and I am doing it! I am not sure whether I should give myself a "good job" high five or a "what are you thinking" knock upside the head...??