A Milestone Day

I'm excited today. Dave's hard workouts have paid off ... we took 5 minutes off my run time at Reach 11. Five minutes is HUGE for me and that was after I hiked North Mtn. I wonder if my time would have decreased by 6 minutes if I had not hiked first.... YEAH A huge thanks to my awesome trainer and friend Dave for always believing in me!

Tomorrow will be equally challenging as I plan on doing the dreaded Dreamy Draw hill two times in a row. My plan, start from home...down Dreamy Draw to Glendale Ave and turn around right where the uphill begins then repeat. I rode DD the other day and kept my eye on my speedometer. My goal was to keep my speed in the 7mph range..high or low but not below and I did it. It was hard, especially after Dave's leg workout but I did it. Small goals, small successes. Tomorrow is 8mph for round one and 7mph for round two. Let's see how it goes...keep your fingers crossed.

I'm a little pissed off!

I recently read a story about a man who went from 320lbs to an Ironman. Click here to read about it. LOVE this story.

I found out about some folks who don't just doubt my ability to do an Ironman but don't think I'll finish. Thanks for that. Just because I have not been athletic my entire life certainly does not mean that I cannot become an Ironman. It's not an exclusive "elite athletes only" club. I ask all those doubters...are you signed up for Ironman? Yeah, I thought so..

I'm not stupid enough to think that this event won't test my physical and mental ability beyond anything I can imagine. Why do you think my training program started 1-1/2 years early? I'm a little devastated to think that anyone would actually tell me that I should mentally prepare for not finishing. Um..what? Did I hear that correctly? Prepare mentally to not finish. I absolutely will not prepare to fail. Why start if that's my attitude going in? Just like anyone who has worked hard to do an Ironman, I will be very upset and sad if in fact I don't cross that finish line but I will know this for sure....I did not prepare for it!

And one final note. If you doubt me, I don't need or want you around me. If you think I'll quit my training anytime soon, let's put some money on that because I'll gladly take it. Don't be a S.O.B. and send me your negative energy. NOBODY is more important to me right now then my training or my goal.

Today's Thoughts

Did my tri group swim last night and I was afraid to enter the locker room and with good reason! Seriously!!! If you are one of those women who don't mind walking around naked in front of strangers, well good for you but you know what, the rest of us don't want to see it!!! PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON ALREADY! And going through the locker rooms is the only way in or out...I'm trapped in the naked zone....

Pulled off a 28 mile bike ride today and I'm feeling pretty good. I never thought I'd see the day where a 28 mile bike ride was not a big deal but today, it's not. That only means one thing now...I'm not working hard enough...I need to go on longer rides.

Dave is killing me at the gym. Each workout seems to get harder and I just can't get enough. The transformation is amazing and I'm excited about posting a new photo soon.

Great News

I'm pretty freakin excited right now! My open water swim was better then expected. Myself and I had a chat on the way out to Bartlett Lake yesterday about how I was going to just relax in the water and rely on my training. I started to visualize myself doing a longer swim and guess what....I swam an estimated 750 meters nonstop and the really cool thing is, I could have done a little more. My shoulders were a little tired, but not much....pretty great! Rick's is ready to take me out for a long swim to see how far I can go before I get really tired. Hummmm....any bets on how far that will be??

Today I was up at 4:30 for a quick ride to Shaw Butte for a hike and then back home. No training with Dave today. I had to pick up Rick at the airport and get some other business taken care of. The quietness of the house is over, but I'm glad he's back.

Tri swim group tonight, gym tomorrow....

Swim Correction

My swim was 1500meters, not laps. Sorry for the confusion...

Naked Girl

I know that I've been behind on my posts. I need to stick with it! For those of you who read it regularly, you can now sign up for Google Blog Alerts and you'll get an email letting you know when I've blogged....that way you don't have to check all the time. Info is posted to the right of this blog.

My swim coach gave me a lot of praise on Wed. He added up my total laps and it was 1500m, which is pretty exciting considering that I didn't even know how to swim a couple months ago. Tomorrow I try another open water swim and I'm curious to see if I can pull off a 400 this time. I still have 3 months before my tri in Rocky Point but man, I'd love to be a little more confident right now!

So I get out of the pool and into the women's locker room to find miss naked girl! The gym locker room at ASU has a huge shower area that is anything but private. No walls, not curtain and in fact, there are 4 shower heads per area with 5 areas.... I'm sorry but I need some privacy. She's right in the middle, naked as a jaybird... eekkk!!! Then she walks over to the lockers to get dressed and starts talking to people - NAKED! NONONO...honey don't talk to me until you cover your boobs...please! Seriously, is that necessary? I'm traumatized by the ordeal.

I continue to ride Dreamy Draw almost everyday. I've had it with that damn climb but feel the need to ride it because it nearly defeats me every time. I know it's because I'm exhausted by the time I reach it and the heat is really starting to get to me. My goal is to ride it at 10mph before I feel I've done it. I'm currently at 5 - 6mph.

My girlfriend Sonja told me it's time to update my blog photo. She's the second person to say it and I promise I will. I know, the girl in that photo is a little chubby but I loved the background... I'm home alone this weekend - YEAH -but when Rick returns I'll get a new picture taken so you can see what Dave's done to me.

Off to do my 8-mile run today...whoohooo

I failed to mention....

I think of things to blog about all the time but of course it's never when I'm in front of the computer....or I forget them... However, I was telling Dave about this today and while I'm thinking about it decided just to write you..

So you read about yesterday, right? If not, go ahead and read it first, them come back up here and start again.

I have not reached the point yet where I just couldn't move anymore so I'm not sure of my physical breaking point. However, I did stop at the bottom of Dreamy Draw park yesterday and had just a small mental meltdown. My workout yesterday was so physically demanding and it lasted for hours that the last little uphill climb seemed as steep as Mt. Everest in my eyes. I stopped, asked myself what the hell I was doing and okay maybe a tear or two came out of my eyes (or was it sweat?) but it took me a good 3 or 4 minutes to get my head straight again. Walking was just not an option. I had not come that far to start walking so I'm really proud of myself for getting back in the saddle.

Something else I've been thinking about....pushing myself to the next level. I feel like I'm on a bubble and I'm struggling to find the next level. I want to find that physical breaking point...don't ask me why but I just do. How far can I push my body before it says no more!

Today, run drills at the park....tomorrow is biking and Butch's house for boxing. Oh, one more thing...here is a picture of my strawberry salad. YUMMMYYYY stuff and a diet regular. You can't really see how big this salad is but it's half a bag of spinach here!

Am I still alive?

Just a quick review of last night before I get to the good stuff. So typically in my tri swim class there are so many people that we swim 3 and 4 per lane. I know, crazy crowded right. Last night there were only about 5 of us total! Where did everyone go? I was kinda glad because I got more attention from the coach but it also sucked because, well, I got more attention from the coach. He really kicked my butt last night. We started 6 - 50's with fists. Yep, fists....this was to help our arms understand what they are suppose to be doing and wow, my arms and shoulders were dog tired. Also, for me last night, no kicking...so overall, fists and no kicking...I was physically done by the end of the hour.

Let's jump ahead to today...I learned a lot about myself today. It started at 5:30am with a 10 + mile bike ride with a couple girlfriends. This was pretty easy because it was all flat...just the way I like it. Then I had a quick bite to eat and rode another 8 miles to see Dave at the gym where I knew he was giving me a cardio workout today on the Treadmill...I just knew it. What I didn't know, however, was how hard it was going to be. It wasn't just the Treadmill, it was also the Recumbent bike! I swear he dreams this stuff up in the middle of the night. I started running at 7.5 for I think 4 minutes, then held on the sides to hop off and make a transition to the bike for 5 minutes...then back to treadmill for another super fast run (a little slower this time) and back and forth until I swear I just couldn't run anymore. I was scared. Seriously....scared that I was going to fall or trip or fly off the back of the treadmill. However, Dave kept me really focused on the task at hand. It's funny to me that he always seems to know when to draw my head back into the game. The Treadmill was running the entire time people...at no time did I work my way back up to the speed I ended with...I held onto the sides to hop off and hop back on! Intense is what that was. I'm grateful now for all the running drills we've done in the past.

So here is what I learned. There is nothing that I can't do! I need to say that again....there is NOTHING that I cannot do! My ride home was really hard mentally but I found myself in a positive place. Not typical for me when I get hot and tired. I was remembering things that people have said to me that provided both comfort and encouragement. Vickie recently told me that my body can handle more then I think it can. I recalled our entire conversation about that and it really helped pull me up the incline home. I also had a conversation (yes, with myself) about the word endurance. I don't understand it. I think it should be tolerance because really, it's how much can I tolerate....right.... more then I had originally thought.

Butch tried to trick me on our long ride this past weekend by telling me about a huge fountain off the Carefree Hwy like the one at Fountain Hills. Apparently thousands of people come to see it and it has a petting zoo too. Recalling that story gave me a chuckle and before I knew it, my incline was done! (the entire story is false so don't try to Google it)

Total today....26 miles on my bike, which puts me officially over my 200 mile goal for this month!!!! YEAH!!!! Where's the confetti and streamers!!!! WHOOOWWWOOWOOWOO

Today tops it off...it's the new hardest workout I've ever had to date.

Dave's Back

Today is starting off really terrific! I did the Squaw Peak circumference trail for my warm up followed by a gym workout with Dave. Yep, he's back and ready to kick my butt again.

I felt reallllyyy sloppy at the gym today and I'm sure it's because the intensity level this past week was not as high as it normally is when Dave's here. HOWEVER, I can feel a huge different in my endurance and strength since I started working with him.

So we are meeting at the gym again tomorrow and I'm pretty sure I know what's coming. CARDIO....sweaty, hard, nasty cardio. Will it be the Treadmill or the Elliptical? My stomach is going to be upset all night thinking about it. Here's what I'm grateful for though...he's not making me run outside in the heat. If that is in fact what we are doing tomorrow....eeekkkk

I only have 13 more miles to do on my bike before I have reached my monthly goal and I'm THRILLED that I did it with a week left over. YEAH. I could wrap up all the biking I've done in my entire life and it still would not add up to the 200 miles I've done these past few weeks. I'm so proud of myself for getting it done as quick as I did. I'll finish my goal tomorrow with a ride to the gym and then see how many miles I can add before the month is over.

Swimming tonight!!! (just keep swimming, swimming, swimming....)

Thanks Butch and Vickie

I was fortunate enough to have Butch and Vickie take me out on my first 40 mile bike ride today. (They are in red in the picture and Dave is in yellow) It took us 2 hours and 45 minutes and I'm really happy about that.

Sandwiched between the two of them the entire time, I really felt the pressure to work my hardest. I'm so appreciative they spent this time with me. I'm not sure if the last five miles was the hardest or the mile climb we did nearing the half way mark.

They are both pretty hard core.... I aspire to be as strong as they are. I came home, took a shower and nearly collapsed shortly after. I think it took a good hour before my legs finally started to relax.

Tomorrow we are back to a regular schedule since Dave is back and I couldn't be happier. I've been motivationally challenged since he's been gone.

Swim and Honesty

Did my first 300 meter swim last night without rests....WOW! I was absolutely exhausted and pretty much toast for the rest of the swim. I finished with 25's and 50's followed by long rests. I'm still sloppy on my returns but nothing that practice won't cure...

Here is some honesty. Dave's gone, I'm tried and today I just don't feel like jumping on my bike. I want to work on my vision board, which seems a little crazy because one of my goals is to work hard daily towards Ironman. So what do I do? I did three workouts yesterday, which was more then Dave had planned for me so do I rest today or continue to push? I'm swimming today and tomorrow...is that enough to satisfy him when he finds out I didn't do what he had planned for me? I'm doing an extra long bike this weekend to get further ahead on my miles...ugh...can I live with the guilt of not doing the bike and run? THIS IS SO HARD TO DO ALONE! What am I going to do!

WOW

My legs are so sore today. I'm pretty sure it was the 35 mile bike followed by the 3 mile run, 20 ball squats and hour swim that I've done over the past two days that has done me in. I haven't had lactic acid in my legs for a long time and today, after my easy 10 mile ride this morning I can barely walk.

I'm excited to say that I'm seeing my endurance level improve on my swim. I'm up to 50 meters now with a 20 second recovery, which is a huge step in the right direction for me. My swim coach is really riding me hard about perfecting my stroke and I'm pretty happy about that too. I'm starting to feel like I'll be able to do the full 400 meters in Oct without any problems at the rate I'm going now.

Working without Dave this week is proving to be a motivational challenge. I need a kick in the pants...

First Assignment

My job yesterday was to put in some long miles on my bike. Well, 25 was the most I had done up until yesterday. I thought it would be fun to ride down to Tempe Town Lake so off I went. The scary part is, I didn't really have a good route for getting there and I made the mistake of taking Scottsdale Rd. It didn't take me long to realize that the bike lane on Scottsdale Rd. didn't go all the way, and I wonder why. What's up with these bike lanes that end in the middle of nowhere? Nevertheless, riding next to traffic was certainly incentive to ride hard and fast, which I did.

Just over 16 miles and I'm on Mill and Curry quickly realizing that now I have to ride home...and it's getting HOT by the second. What did I get myself into! So, up through Papago Park and there it is, my first flat tire. Good thing I know how to change a tire! However, what I didn't know was how to use my CO2 cartridge and how to put my tire back on. Thank you to the three bikers who stopped to help me. And while my bike was upside down, so was my water. My first priority now, ride to the nearest water station!

I did finally make it home, 35 miles later and wow, I was tired! I think the stress of the traffic took a toll on me too. One guy got really close and scared the hell out of me and of course I got the honk too. Ugh....I think I'll stick to the canals from now on.

Ironman Volunteer

There is an order to how you secure a spot in the Ironman. First it's racers, then it's volunteers, then it's open to the public. I just found out about volunteers getting an opportunity before the public so I was quick to put my name in as a volunteer. The only thing that can keep me from doing the Ironman is not getting a spot....but we don't think about that possibility very often! I am using my power of positive thinking and visualization to make it happen....

Dave is gone all next week for a family reunion and I'm already making plans that will hold my feet to the fire. I have two potential swim partners already and Rick and I are going to create our own mini tri at the YMCA....he doesn't know this yet be we will also go for some long bike rides. Dave's sending me my workout schedule and I feel like a kid waiting for Santa. I'm so excited to see what he has planned for me!

Have a great week Dave and Windy!

Did I walk, or did I ride?

I had one of the best workouts today! It started with my bike ride down to the gym where Dave met me. We did some weights followed by running drills and some fun on the treadmill. After my ride yesterday I was pretty tired but was able to take everything he asked me to do.

The hardest part, riding back home. It's exactly 8.02 miles from my house to the gym, however, from Glendale Ave up towards Dreamy Draw then to 36th St. it's all up hill so I was really slow! My legs were really tired. Here is the deal....I started to hear two voices. One told me it was okay to stop and walk...I needed the rest and it's okay. The other voice told me that I better not take my butt off the seat! No matter how slow, just keep going. You know you're in trouble when you start talking out loud to yourself and well, that's exactly what I started doing. It's one thing to think it, but another to hear it...."Pain is weakness leaving the body"...a favorite quote from Dave's wife. I said it over and over....and NEVER took my butt off my bike!!!

Once I got home, soaked of sweat and happy that I made it, Rick and I went out to put up checkpoints for his race tomorrow. Today was definitely the worst day to be hiking with the humidity and with my tired legs.

Overall, it was a really great workout day! I'm down another 1lb and very happy about that. With as much biking as I'm doing, I'm set to lose another couple pounds this month - YEAH!

Some cool stuff

Okay, I'm working my way out of this funk now that Dave is back and I can settle into a routine again. What I'm not looking forward to is next week when he's gone again! Ugh. If you are reading this and are a friend of mine, please check in with me. Make sure I'm doing what I need to do and help keep me motivated, excited and energized.

First, a friend of mine recently told me I need to update the picture on my blog because I don't really look like that. I agree, I'm looking a little chubby in the photo. And you'll be happy to know that I've lost 2% body fat already. In case you forgot...it was my goal to lose 4% total. I'm sooo close I can taste it!!!!!

Second, Windy (Dave's wife) taught me how to do flip turns in the pool yesterday. It was really fun and during my swim class tonight I'll see how well I can master them. Should be interesting.
Honestly, I'm now behind on my biking goal for the month. I need to find 40 extra miles and I want to get them done soon! Dave's solution, start riding to the gym. Does he realize that means I have to ride back when we are done? OMG. Not sure if I can do it, but I'm going to try. He thinks it's only 8 miles one way but I think he's crazy. We'll see what happens there.

Another 10 miles done on my bike today and 35 minutes on the Elliptical. Did a 400m, 300m, 200m, and 100m swim last night. Very hard but I got it all done in less than an hour. We used some swimming attachments between our legs (can't remember what they are called) to stop our legs from kicking and it really took some getting use to. All in all, it was a great swim night.

A little down and out these days...maybe a more upbeat post later.

Quick Post

Just a quick post for the day...I just finished the first of 5 - 10 mile days on my bike. Did a hike and bike this weekend....still on target...I really don't like when Dave goes on vacation because his sessions are like therapy and now my heads all screwed up!

Canal Sightings

I've seen some crazy stuff riding on the canal and I was thinking, I need to have a "canal sightings" section on my blog! How fun is that!!!

So today was a man trying to pull his dog out of the water. I'm riding along and here is the crazy thing, I was thinking about a story our friend Cathy told us about falling in the canal to help get her dog out who loved water so he jumped in yada, yada....long story....anyway...then all of a sudden I see a man with two dogs, both on a leash but one is in the water! How did that happen? Did he jump in? Did he fall in? How does a dog just fall into the canal? Crazy huh! The guy is bent over the side literally pulling his poor dog up by the leash around his neck. Sounds terrible I know but really, how else do you get the dog up without falling in yourself? Then the question, what would I have done if he fell in after the dog? Do I rescue the dog, or the man? Hummm....Fortunately I didn't have to make the decision today.... :)

I did my 20 miles today...10 to make up for what I didn't do Monday and today's 10. It was hard! Leaving home I realized it was going to be challenging because of the wind....then I realized my legs were a little tired from biking on Dave's trainer yesterday. Here's the good news! MY BUTT HURTS!!!!! That's right, it hurts in all the right places today. Why and how is what you'reasking. Duct Tape :0. Every Adventure Racers friend and a tape that can fix anything, anywhere, anytime. It's the MacGyver of tapes.... I taped up the hole in my seat!

My "soft tissue" is still in recovery right now but it was the best my seat has felt since I started. I think we are almost at the end of this whole issue....and I'm sure you're tired of hearing about my "seat"... :)

I'm off tomorrow!!!! YEAH!!!! No exercise - zero, none, don't even ask, not even a fun day at the pool - NO! I've officially been given permission to rest and that's exactly what I intend to do! NOTHING.... Today is day 19 of exercise with no breaks and I reeeaallllyyyy need one. Thanks Dave!

Aaarrrgggghhhhhh

So what's up with the guy at the gym who has to make these really LLLOOOUUUDDD roaring noises when he works out? For the most part I think I'm pretty quiet at the gym. You might hear a struggle or two but I guarantee the person at the other end of the gym won't hear it. I do, however, like to use the "F" word when it's just Dave and me. Don't really know why but it comes out naturally and really, it makes me feel better. (if you didn't know about my foul mouth, well, dammit, now you do). I think I'm an angry exerciser. The more pissed I get, the better I do.

Anyway, I try not to laugh but you just can't help it sometimes. YEAH LOUD MAN! YOU DID IT! Maybe he needs more attention....

So this whole bike seat situation is really getting me down. If there is any one thing that could stop me from doing the Ironman, it's my bike seat. I had another adjustment to my bike yesterday and added a padded seat without the hole just to see how it felt. I definitely like not having a hole but now it's too much gel and still, my butt doesn't hurt at all, it's still my other parts. It's frustrating, I'm tired of talking about it and, I'm tired of feeling it. I can't afford a $100 bike seat just to find out it doesn't work either. I'm really at a crossroad and I have 200 miles of biking this month. Any suggestions from my female readers would be great!

Off to swim class tonight. I'm looking for somebody to teach me flip turns so if you know how, give me a call!

It's HOT

Am I the only one who suffers from the heat? It's draining the life right out of me, and fast. Dave and I went for a run the other day (over 3 miles) and by the time we returned to our cars my skin was clammy and I started to get goose bumps....not a good sign and it was still early in the morning. I just don't have it in me to spend much time outdoors.

Last nights swim class was great....it's a little challenging when two instructors give you two different directions on how to improve your stroke. Which set of instructions is correct?? Similar, but not the same....what to do...what to do... I stopped counting my laps somewhere in the 20's and we still had tons on time left on the clock. It was a looonnngggg night of swimming.

I've been really tired lately. Three solid weeks of exercise with no breaks is starting to kick my butt. I'm sore and exhausted....I think I'm going to nap all day tomorrow....

and yet another boring post today....ugh