IM CDA week 6

Turning 31 tomorrow...!

It's my birthday tomorrow! I am turning 31 and hoping for another good year! 30 was pretty good to me and I have many moments of significance so I am hoping 31 will follow that trend! I guess it's only fitting that I make a top 5 birthday wish list and send it out to the stars in the galaxy!

Here it goes...

I wish that the world was a more peaceful place! Truly!

I wish that people would utilize and show their compassionate side for others more often.

I wish that collecting cans and bottles to recycle wasn't a necessary form of income for some people. I know there are worse forms of income but this is what I most often see.

I wish for my bank account to show more credits than it does debits..triathlon is an expensive sport!

I wish that my swimming, biking and running will improve tremendously in the very near future!

And to ask, we must thank. So below are my top 5 things I am thankful for at age 30..

I am thankful for my health and the health of those who are close to me.

I am thankful for still being employed and it's a career that I like enough to love.

I am thankful for another year of travels as it always brings another a chapter of education.

I am thankful for crossing my first Ironman finish line...boy was it a journey to get there and get through!

I am thankful for having witnessed history in all that brought Inauguration 2009 what it was!

Highlight of the week was our Annual Louie Bonpua Triathlon at Treasure Island. Louie is a former Ironteamer who passed away from Leukemia about 6 years ago and the Team gets together every year on this weekend to celebrate in his honor. The weather was the best I've seen at Treasure Island during a triathlon! Playing Jerald's hostess of Ironteam Magazine was fun... but we must rehearse next time Jerald! Here's to Louie!

Next week is recovery week- only 9 hours on the training schedule! Woohoo!

Workout Summary-

Swim- 2 hours and 0 minutes

Bike- 8 hours and 10 minutes

Run- 3 hours and 0 minutes

Total Workout- 13 hours and 10 minutes

IM CDA- week 5!

Rest day couldn't have come at a better time!

I sit here blogging from my new little friend known as the MacBook Pro! My Dell laptop of 6 years is living it's last days and with Stanford having a clearance on it's previous generation MacBook Pro's, I couldn't resist and picked one up for $1199 thanks to my friend Deb who works at Stanford University! $1199! A steal, I think! I love everything about it so far..I am sold..I am converted! And personally, I like the matte screen of the previous generation ones better than the glossy of the current generation! 

So, I am not sure what goes on with Joel at Breakaway (where CT class takes place) but he surprises us with something new every week. Three weeks ago, he rearranged the trainers and they all look closer together and angled weirdly not to mention. Two weeks ago, he put up these security straps..the ones they have at the airport to control the lines..I mean talk about a hazard! And then this past week, he rearranged the computer screens in the CT area. It looks like a mission control area.. I mean put in a drum set and we can have Rock Band going! I wonder what he has in store for us next! I hope the rumor about putting a wall up is a myth! I mean, how are we going to breathe?!

Training this week was a little tough. I haven't had a rest day since the 5th which my body hasn't experienced before and so this past weekend, I was starting to feel more fatigue than usual. Saturday, a bunch of Chris' athletes met at IVC for a beautiful sunny morning swim. Chris was 15 minutes late which is not like him..he blames it on the 15 minute differential of being in shape and not in shape as he arrived on bike! Most memorable moment from the pool? Chris yelling at me to, "Go go go! Yi go! There's no resting at the pool today!" Haha...I said, "Okay.. okay as I am giggling." After pool workout, we all embarked on our bike ride for the day. Ted and I had to ride four hours and with our heart rate zones we were able to go at the same pace. Along the way, he picked up a new friend named Eddie who tagged on. Another nice, sunny and warm day our here in the Bay Area. The tan lines I had worked so hard to get rid of while I was in Thailand are all back.. 

So after the 4 hour bike, I was feeling really exhausted, my nose was stuffy and I couldn't stop sneezing. I took some sudafed and went to bed! Woke up Sunday morning..did my easy spin on the bike but couldn't commit to the 80 minute run that Chris wanted me to do. As I was running along Crissy Field, I didn't feel well and I almost got run over by another runner with long hair who looked like he was on a mission to kill behind his sunglasses. I literally had to hop on the grass to avoid him. I figured I had more to lose if I played chicken with him. Anyway, feeling sick, I went home..napped for a few hours..got up..and gave it another go. 80 minutes at the museum track in Golden Gate Park as the sun was setting isn't bad at all! If I wasn't training under Chris, I would have just skipped the run altogether but I didn't think telling Chris that I didn't do the run because I felt really exhausted would have gone over really well...I mean..I think that was the purpose of the long run..to push through the fatigue!

Tomorrow is my long awaited rest day and it couldn't have come in a more timely manner! Massage is on deck for tomorrow! Oh, it's going to hurt!

Workout summary-

Swim- 3 hours and 20 minutes

Bike- 8 hours and 8 minutes

Run- 3 hours and 20 minutes

Total workout- 14 hours and 48 minutes

IM CDA week 4

Sometimes, you try but your heart just isn't in it..

Where do I start.. ah yea.. so Tuesday rolls around and still nothing in the workout log from Chris (coach) so I figured okay..no biggie since I know I have to go to CT class anyway in the morning. The only question was whether he was going to have me swim that evening or not. Go to CT class...Tuesday afternoon rolls around and see the week populated in the workout log. At first glance..I just stared at it..like a deep stare into the computer sceen thinking, "Seriously?" The week total was 16 hour and 45 minutes..mind you we're in week 4! Saturday said 6 hour ride/80 miles and Sunday was something like 4000 yard swim, 35 mile bike and 1.5 hour run/12 miles. It's cute that he thinks I can run 12 miles in 1.5 hours haha..I can't. So..I sat there looking at the sceen..after a few more minutes of that..I emailed Chris asking some clarifying questions only to find that he hadn't updated MY specific log yet haha. Actual week was 14 hours or so.. phew! Maybe he did that on purpose to make me feel a lot better about the 14 hours than I did about the 16 hours. Anyway, it worked!

Training is going well...I am feeling stronger..shoulder is holding up..feeling motivated. Afterall, it's the only time I will out run and out bike my friend Caesar! We're both doing heart rate focused workouts which allows me to run faster and bike faster than he does haha..this is the only time it will ever happen and I am having fun with it!

So, eventhough I am being coached by Chris, I am still a part of Team In Training's Ironteam. It was announced that two of our coaches, including our Head Coach was stepping down from their positions and leaving the team. Alex, I get it, he is getting married to my dearest Heidi, fine. But Wayne is the person I am having a tough time understanding. Actually, I am having a tough time with both but probably more so with Wayne. Only because he is a big reason as to why I came back to the team...to get the Wayne experience/influence. I was also diappointed with the way it was delivered to the Staff and team. The only thing I can come to for both Alex and Wayne and others that have dropped from the team is that, sometimes, when your heart isn't in it, it just isn't in it. And I guess that isn't something you can help!

Workout Summary-
Swim- 3 hours and 35 minutes
Bike- 6 hours and 45 minutes
Run- 3 hours and 15 minutes
Total workout- 13 hours and 29 minutes

IM CDA week 3..

If I wasn't training for Ironman...

So, if I wasn't training for Ironman, what would I be doing? Hm.. I would learn to use all the manual modes on my Nikon dSLR camera that I bought a two years ago. I would probably spend more time at the park with Red, I would learn and experiment with cooking, bake more, probably read more and learn a new language..maybe French. I would organize my photos taken over the years during my travels abroad and make photo books out of my favorite ones.

I was asked recently what else do I do besides train for an Ironman? Well, the thing is, there really isn't time for much else! In a span of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, I (like other age groupers training in this distance) have to fit in my work, fit in my workouts given to me by Chris (sometimes twice a day), fit in my friends which usually involves eating, try to have a dating life of some sort, fit in time with family and my dog Red, catch up on my Tivo and get enough sleep (ideally 8+ hours but 7 might do) to recover for the next day's training!

Would I give up Ironman to have more time for all the other stuff that I want to do? Eventually.. but as long as the Ironman journey is desired..my Ironman journey continues!

Workout Summary-
Swim- 2 hours and 41 minutes
Bike- 6 hours and 0 minutes
Run- 2 hours and 45 minutes
Total Workout- 11 hours and 26 minutes