Monday, July 16, 2007

Time to get serious

I have less than a month until my first triathlon and I've been a bit slack the past few weeks.

Last week was a bit pathetic: I got in the least that I have since I started training and probably is the least I have exercised since I had that bad bout of sinusitis and bronchitis in November. Here is the week's end totals:
Run: 33 miles
Bike: 32 miles
Swim: 1 mile

Not totally terrible and part of it was because I went to the beach the last half of the week with some of my girlfriends. Pictures and details coming soon. . .

Anyway, I went to the gym this morning planning to get back on it, the training that is--not the wagon (never!)-- and really start working. My plan was 7 hard miles on the treadmill and a mile swim. Tomorrow a brick.

Well, dumbass me forgot to charge my ipod and it was dead. No way I was running so I hit the pool for a half hour and I really pushed pretty hard. I felt super strong. Probably because this was the first swim workout I did without having run or biked before it. I really need to start forcing myself to do other swim workouts other than just swimming a mile. I am so lazy in the pool. Really. So my plan is to try this month to do at least two, preferably three, swim workouts a week and one of them being drills and sprints and whatnot.

After my swim the kids and I headed out for our errands and other work I had to do. Ryan was home for a bit this afternoon so I had the opportunity to run but it was 3 in the afternoon and just so muggy and hot that I figured I'd do better on the treadmill in the air conditioning. So around 5ish I put my kids in nursery hock and hit the treadmill for 4 miles-- clocking in 29:12. Then I hopped on the bike and cranked out 11 miles in just a hair under 31 minutes. Then I got back on the treadmill to test the legs and got a mile out in 7:18. Not spectacular but I totally had my legs back and could have done 2 more miles at a similar, if not faster pace easy peasy.

So here is what my training thus far is telling me to expect, roughly, for the tri:

I think the swim will come in under 7 or right around 7 minutes. Ideally, I'd like to do closer to 6 minutes. And I have, in the pool, many times. Open water competition is a bit of mystery for me. I hope to test out an open water swim at Altoona sometime this month and that might give me a more realistic idea of what I can do.

The bike is absolutely my weak link. I hate it. Not the bike, just how sucky I am. It is frustrating. I pump my little legs but seriously can't kick it up any more than I do. I think I can expect 17 mph pace on the bike. Maybe 20 but I doubt it. So what is that for 13 miles? Around 40 minutes? Ideally I want the bike to come in under 35 and I just don't think that is realistic at all for me.

The run is what it is for me. I have never run just a 5k but in 10k's and on the treadmill I am consistently just over or exactly 21 minutes. I definitely think I am capable of sub 21. In a tri I don't know though. Probably not. I do think the run will come in under 22 minutes.

So goal time? I hope to be under 78 minutes but ideally I'd like to come in closer to the hour mark. I don't even entertain under 60.
Is that crazy?

Totally unrealistic?

I have tried to structure my training so that at least 5 days of the week my workouts for the day exceed 90 minutes. My thinking is that anything under that will feel like a walk in the park.

I am sure I am in for a rude awakening. Sand bagger I am not.

Oh, and in other news I've bought my outfit for the sprint. I bought this suit (it is so cute!) and this skirt to snap on over it for the bike and run. I have been acclimating my ass by biking in my running skirts and Nike compression shorts so hopefully my transitions will be quick.
So yeah, my ass?
It kicks itself these days.

12 comments:

  1. http://www.doitsports.com/newresults3/client/11114_78515_2006.txt

    Check out the results from last year. That should help you figure out your time goals.

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  2. Mr. Anonymous does have a good point. The overall women's champion last year did the swim in 7:31, the bike in 36, and the run in 21. I'll try to ride the bike route sometime soon and let you know how flat it is. Dee Dee and I were out there swimming again today. If you want to come swim with us one day, drop me a line. We have been swimming late Mondays.

    The nice thing about the run, is that by the time you get there, your body is plenty warmed up. Its just the transition from biking to running that will slow you down. Definitely do one or two bricks a week to help with the transition. Historically, and this may just be me, my pace has been better in tris than in 5Ks.

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  4. Mr or Ms. Anon and Wes
    I did, awhile back, check out the results and I guess I got things mixed up because my predictions might be too ambitious afterall on the bike and the swim since 7:30 seems slow for the winner in the swim IMO. So maybe I am underestimating the difficulty of open water. But, wow, did you see 2005 results? 3:40 for the swim!! Am I crazy? That is just ridiculously fast.
    Wes how late on Mondays do you all swim? If I can figure out the childcare logistics I would love to get up there for a swim and maybe also run the course. And I would be very interested in what you say about the course. I have heard wide variations about both the bike and the run courses.
    PS Is Dee Dee signed up?

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  5. Want to meet up there with kiddos on Friday and drive the course? Annika has camp from 9:30-12:30 but I'm free and have only one child in between.

    You will have to let me know how the swim goes.

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  6. I'm Ms. Anon :)

    I have raced it before, open water swimming is TOTALLY different than pool swims. You have to take into account siting for buoys, running into other swimmers, being swam over under, around, etc. Plus they use GPS for these swims and they aren't totally accurate.

    My goal this year is around 8 minutes.

    Run has rolling hills and so does the bike. Nothing too terrible but I prefer hills so I am not a good person to ask.

    See you out there!

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  7. Steph
    Are you talking this Fri? Or closer to the race or Fri in general. At any rate that sounds like a good idea so call me. Let's chat.

    Ms.Anon
    Thanks for the info! And okay, now you have me nervous about the swim.It might make me swim faster as I hated being swam over in swim practice as a kid and I know I won't like that much now either.
    I had heard the bike was hilly but the run flat and that to me didn't make sense. But I'm okay with hills. Wouldn't be a race around here if it didn't have hills.
    Thanks and best of luck to you!

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  8. I just had a thought about the swim since Ms. Anon pointed out that they use GPS to measure it. In looking at the results from 2005 vs the 2006 results I am thinking the course in 2006 was probably longer because the 2005 swim results are across the board faster--not just the with the winner but in the other age groups as well than they were in 2006. I also wonder if they remeasure every year. I would think they do since lake levels would throw it off year to year. If not we would be looking at a really short course this year as I have to assume Altoona is way low.

    Okay, I can see I am beginning to obsess.
    Thoughts?
    Anyone do both years and can speak about the 2005 vs 2006 course?
    Anyone? Anyone? [[crickets, chirping]] Anyone?. . . .

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  9. Nat, I want you to kick ass :-) You are a great athlete, and you may rock that swim. Based on your ability, I would start out at the front of the pack. That will avoid the bumping and kicking that goes on in most tri-starts...

    Dee Dee is not signed up yet. She did much better swimming yesterday, but she has a little ways to go. We also "try" to swim Sunday afternoons. If you decide you want to do it, we can just make a plan for one of those two days and Dee Dee and I will meet you there.

    Once you get a about 20-30 meters off the beach, the water is over your head. Not that it matters, cause you can't see the bottom in 2 feet of water anyways. The run should be like totally flat through town. The bike is going to be rolling hills, but I won't know for sure till I check it out. If you and Steph beat me to it, let us know how it looks :-)

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  10. FYI... I'm begin selfish here cause I want to do a deep water swim and Dee Dee isn't quite up to it yet! I'm hoping to get a deep open water swim in with you before August 26th. My backup is kayak and my 15 year old son :-)

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  11. You said, "I am so lazy in the pool." Hard to believe you're lazy about anything!! I can imagine the hot weather is effecting you more than anything, you probably needed and deserve a little rest lately. But you're right, now is the time to get serious. You're going to be fantastic and look forward to reading your success!!

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  12. Nat,

    They measure the swim each year, the morning of the race and place the buoys accordingly.

    Don't worry to much about the swim since this is a womans-only race. Men tend to be much more aggresive and when you get men swimming up on you from behind that's not cool.

    I didn't race in 2005 so I am not sure about the distanc feeling any different.

    The bike is has more hills than the run. Neither are what I would consider 'real hills' since I train a lot at St. Mtn.

    You'll do great as running is a weakness for most I know doing the race!

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