And then there were hills....

Saturday 2/25:

Holy cow!! This past Saturday felt like training truly started. We were up early (6am-ish) and out the door by 7am.

Up first, a 45-60min swim in the 'bubble'. (At Burgess aquatic center they have two pools, one of which is covered in the winter months - the Bubble!) When it is cold outside and you walk into the bubble, it is awesome...nice and warm. As we started our 500yd warm up, I found myself having a hard time breathing. I would stop, catch my breath, and then continue. It was weird though...almost felt like my asthma was acting up. I soon came to realize this too was one of the affects of being in the bubble. The hot steamy air makes it more difficult to breathe. We soon finished the warm up and were on to drills. First, 6x50yd - kicking, 6x50yd - kicking/side roll followed by, 6x50yd - thumb to thigh, 6x50yd - fingertip drag. Next our main set was to do 4x100yd in 2:30ea. If you finished under 2:30min for one 100yd you got to rest, if not you kept going. WHOA!!! The idea here is consistency...or on the marathon team, we called it pacing. Same concept! After, we finished the main set, we had another drill 2x50 with the "leg float thing" (don't know the name). With swimming you want to get the majority of your power from your upper body, so this drill helps you work on the efficiency of your stroke. To wrap up our swim....cool down.

In between the swim and bike much goes on - quick shower to get that chlorine like smell off you, change (which is more difficult than one might think...spandex and damp bodies don't mix), get your bike/gear all ready, have a snack, double check to make sure you haven't forgotten anything, remind yourself of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society's (LLS) mission and why you are up at the 'butt crack' of dawn doing this craziness. :o)

Bike time!! This week our goal: 27mi. The first 1/3 of the ride was pretty flat overall. Once we turned onto Arastradero there was a gradual incline for a few miles. We eventually made a turn into the neighborhoods behind Foothill College. This is when the hill training happened. Holy moly! We went up and down and up and down for a hour. One hill in particular (Altamont Rd) is the absolute hardest...for this ride. In the latter part of last season we rode this hill a couple of times and I wasn't able to make it up the whole thing. Saturday, I thought "I am going to do this". I started out doing great - slow and steady, legs spinning. However, unfortunately I had to walk, BUT I got farther up the hill than ever before. WOOT!! Only one person in our riding group made it all the way up...my hubby, YAY!!! So proud of us! Then we turned around and did the same course back in reverse. ;o)

Needless to say...we were beat! A very challenging ride for this early in the season and yet we all were proud of the outcome, welcoming the early hill training.

Don't forget...I am fund raising - help me fight cancer: Swim, Bike, Run....Go Get it Done Dena!!

Refelction & A New Season...A New Goal

My 10th season with Team in Training has officially begun...WOW!!

I have chosen to train on the triathlon team once again and have set a goal to complete the Olympic distance (.9mi swim, 26mi bike, & 6.2mi run) tri at Wildflower.

Each season with TNT offers me new challenges. My last Tri season, while i didn't know it at the time, presented me with the challenge of nutrition. The unfortunate part of this was I didn't figure it out until race day. I haven't talked much about my race from the Long Course at Wildflower. But why not talk about it, right?! I accomplished many things last season...and this one day shouldn't take that all away from me. So here we go....

Race day was a BIG bag of emotions (some I am still feeling as I type). I was nervous to ride down the hill with this huge tri bag on my back, I was scared to miss my start time, I was anxious to just go and get it done, and I was scared I wasn't going to finish. I felt butterflies in all forms and sizes in my tummy. Once down the hill safely, we all found our place to set up our transition area. I took all my gear out and set everything up according to plan. Then I had time to eat, put sunscreen on, see if my friends and teammates needed help, and check in with Brian. It was an amazing site to see. Hundreds of athletes of all different ages, shapes, and sizes with all different types of gear. One guy did the bike course with a "travel" bike (the kind that fold up). I was in awe and couldn't believe what I was about to set out to complete. Soon it was time...I put on my wet suit, grabbed my cap and goggles, and made my way to the swim start. I saw my coaches and other teammates cheering us all on - giving us inspiration and motivation. It felt awesome!!!

As a side note: all season I was most nervous about the swim - open water swimming threw me into panic mode. We had four additional open water trainings which helped build my confidence.

It's swim time!! The water was perfect temperature, but choppy. Overall there is not much to say about the swim...it was pretty good. I kept myself calm, tried to get into a rhythm, and worked as best as I could with the choppy waters. I didn't get kicked, elbowed, or punched in the face - it was a GOOD swim! I finished my swim in 1:05hr...under the cut off, Phew!! I FINISHED THE SWIM.....holy crap!!!

After getting out of the water, I ran to take my wetsuit off and head out on the bike. Once on the bike, I worked on getting myself mentally ready for 56 miles and many hours in that saddle. I was fairly certain that I wasn't going to make the bike cut off, but confident that I WOULD finish this race regardless. I was determine. After getting to the main road heading out of the park, I was greeted with a head wind...yay, NOT! It was also starting to warm up...sweet, NOT! If you remember last winter/spring was a wet and cold one. We did not have the opportunity to train in warm weather, nor do I remember having a head wind like the one I was currently facing in the race.

The first 35 miles or so went pretty well - aside from the head wind becoming a side wind and almost getting blown off my bike - I was feeling good, drinking a lot and eating when I thought I needed to. I was heading toward Nasty Grade hill (the longest and steepest) to complete the climb that most worry about. I was feeling ready for this climb. Prior to reaching the base, a coach found me. I needed to get water. During my quick stop he informed me I was not going to make the bike cut off, but that he and another coach would help me continue to the run. Since I had already mentally planned for this I was fine with the news. After reaching the top of the hill I stopped to use the restroom....but nothing. Hmmm. That isn't good, wth?? I was drinking boat loads, there should be something. At that moment, what spirit I had left was dwindling quickly. My stomach hurt and I was thirsty but couldn't drink. I was so upset and still had ~15 miles to go. I had to find a way to make it back....I thought about Brian, our honorees and their journeys, my goals, and not wanting to fail or disappoint all my donators, family or friends.

My coaches helped support me back to the transition area. THEY WERE AWESOME!!! Upon entering transition, the volunteer took my timing chip and said "I'm sorry, but you are not able to continue." I broke down insistently, sobbing. While they were taking about me not making the time cut off, for me they were saying what I was thinking but didn't want to be true - I am dehydrated and still need to run 13.1 miles...how am I going to do that? should I do that? is it safe? I am a failure if i don't...but I can't - the smart choice is to not continue. No!

And that is the choice I made - the smart one - to stop after the bike and call it a day. Almost 8hrs after setting out in this journey, I did not have another 3+ hrs available to finish the run. I couldn't eat or drink and what I had already eaten and drunk was not giving me the nourishment I needed them to give.

Needless to say it was heart wrenching. I cried, sobbed even and when I stopped, I started again. I was completely disappointed with myself. I worked SO hard and I felt like I let so many people down - people who had donated, who cheered for me & spent extra time helping me, our honorees, and those who unconditionally supported me.

On the plus side, I was able to run with Brian across the finish line as he finished his race. I am so proud of him!! The following week one of the coaches who rode with me during the final miles on the bike handmade a 'metal' for me..it is perfect. :o)

This was my first race that I did not complete. I still have some of those feelings and a tear or two when I remember that day. Although last season's disappointment, makes for this season's strengths and last season's accomplishments (yes, there were many), make for this season's confidence. I am ready and can't wait!!! Onward and upward...and all the stuff. ;o)

Through all the tears I have shed, I have also been able to look back and say, "Wow, I swam 1.2mi in open water and I didn't freak out!!" and "I was able to train longer and harder than I ever had before week after week."

I am very proud of all the things I did last season and still have the goal to finish a half Ironman distance triathlon!! I WILL do it!

This season's challenge - nutrition. I must get my nutrition right. Whether it is by time or distance, I am setting out to figure out when to eat, how much to eat, when to drink, how much to drink, and when to have water vs. sports drink. In learning all of this, my goal is to kick dehydration's a$$!!!

Our season has started and we have completed 2 weeks already. Swimming, biking and running are part of my weekly schedule again. I am already starting to feel stronger. Brian and I have set a goal to complete the Olympic distance triathlon this time. Also, because we enjoyed the long course training last season and feel it will benefit our race enjoyment this season, we have decided to train for the Long Course but complete the Olympic Course.

Coming up this weekend (2/25) - Hour swim and 27mi bike - stay tuned!

I am fund raising...check it out!! Swim, Bike, Run....Go Get It Done Dena