Why is it that the less money I have, the more intrigued I am with the thought of having a full-fledged, dedicated triathlon bike? A freaky aspect of tri bikes is the ridiculous amount of money one can spend on them. A $5,000 bike is middle of the road, a $10,000 bike is not that unusual, whereas finding one for under $1000 is a miracle. I know it is said, "It's not the bike, it is the rider," when it comes to speed, power, and endurance on the bike. But I know too, that the right bike can increase aerodynamics, add power, and reduce fatigue, leaving legs in better shape for the run. I have a great road bike that was a custom build by a guy that built triathlon and racing bikes. True, he built it for his father-in-law who rode it a few times before hanging it in his garage to collect dust. A terrible fate for any good bike. I love my road bike, and (as many of you may know) I named him Joshua, after General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, hero of Gettysburg. But last year I was saving money to buy a dedicated tri bike, then used the money for family instead. Now, here I am, making less money than I have in decades, and here I am perusing the ads for used tri bikes.
I can't help it. I am getting excited about training again. I am excited about next season. I am looking forward to the near mind numbing dedication of full on training. I am pouring over ads for used bikes, my eyes caressing the curves and lean lines of carbon fiber frames and aerodynamic wheels. My brain is swollen with names like Cervelo, Shimano, Talon, Kestrel, Kuota, Guru, Specialized, Giant, Trek. I am dazzled by components, intrigued by saddles, enamored of crankshafts and cartridges. I don't know how I will manage it, but I know I will have to find a way to scrape together the money to buy a bike next spring. Until then I will continue to research, dream, fantasize, and train my ass off on my beloved Joshua. No bike could ever take his place, we have been through so many adventures together, but I think he needs a buddy.
Another point, my bike search last year was what made me start to envision writing a book, "Triathlon on the Cheap: A Broke Girl's Guide to a Spendy Sport." I have only written the forward and first chapter. I am beginning to think it is time to revisit that particular venture.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Monday, October 19, 2015
Power = Strength + Speed
Feeling the training vibe rekindling deep in my core. Having a definitive plan for next season gives me better motivation. It's not like I haven't been slowly rebuilding my base after my knee forced me to take so many weeks off this summer, but now I feel my laser-like focus returning. And it feels good.
Tonight was my first mini-brick workout in a while. A nice, solid, power workout. I am easing back into getting my legs ready for running, cautious of another over-use injury. I have been pretty steady with my leg work, cycling nearly every day for the last two months, and strength training at least twice a week. But I am just now getting back to some bipedal locomotion. I've been using my treadmill, since the sun is setting so much earlier, and as I've mentioned before, there is no place to run near my house after dark (no side walks, no shoulders on the roads, no streetlights at all). Tonight was my third "hill" session. Simple enough: 1 lap slow jog, 1 lap fast walk at max incline, repeat x5. Followed with a quick, hard triple set of explosive leg work: weighted pendulum squats, deadlift, kettlebell swing, 20 reps each x 3 sets. Then, onto the bike for a nice HIIT session: 10 minute warmup, then 20 minutes of 1 minute ascending and descending gearing pyramid maintaining high cadence, and 10 minute cool down. Finally, 10 minutes stretching.
It was a nice leg burner evening, no doubt about it. True, it was not an endurance set, but now is not the time for endurance work. Now is the time to build speed and strength. HIIT sessions, explosive power work, strength training, speed work. That is where my focus will be for the next few months. I hate to say it, but endurance is easy for me, I can go long. Speed though, has never been my strength. Last year one of my mottoes was, "My strength is my strength." This from hearing so many athletes' stories where they say that "Speed is my strength," or "Running is my strength." For me, knowing I am not a standout in any of the three disciplines, made me realize that the one area I do standout is basic strength. I am a strong female. I am built long and strong. I can go at a steady pace all the live long day. And I am stubborn. Now, I need to make my strength and stubbornness work for me as I slowly turn strength into power, and power into speed. Power = Strength + Speed.
Tonight was my first mini-brick workout in a while. A nice, solid, power workout. I am easing back into getting my legs ready for running, cautious of another over-use injury. I have been pretty steady with my leg work, cycling nearly every day for the last two months, and strength training at least twice a week. But I am just now getting back to some bipedal locomotion. I've been using my treadmill, since the sun is setting so much earlier, and as I've mentioned before, there is no place to run near my house after dark (no side walks, no shoulders on the roads, no streetlights at all). Tonight was my third "hill" session. Simple enough: 1 lap slow jog, 1 lap fast walk at max incline, repeat x5. Followed with a quick, hard triple set of explosive leg work: weighted pendulum squats, deadlift, kettlebell swing, 20 reps each x 3 sets. Then, onto the bike for a nice HIIT session: 10 minute warmup, then 20 minutes of 1 minute ascending and descending gearing pyramid maintaining high cadence, and 10 minute cool down. Finally, 10 minutes stretching.
It was a nice leg burner evening, no doubt about it. True, it was not an endurance set, but now is not the time for endurance work. Now is the time to build speed and strength. HIIT sessions, explosive power work, strength training, speed work. That is where my focus will be for the next few months. I hate to say it, but endurance is easy for me, I can go long. Speed though, has never been my strength. Last year one of my mottoes was, "My strength is my strength." This from hearing so many athletes' stories where they say that "Speed is my strength," or "Running is my strength." For me, knowing I am not a standout in any of the three disciplines, made me realize that the one area I do standout is basic strength. I am a strong female. I am built long and strong. I can go at a steady pace all the live long day. And I am stubborn. Now, I need to make my strength and stubbornness work for me as I slowly turn strength into power, and power into speed. Power = Strength + Speed.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Race Goals
I am beginning to adjust plans for next race season. I contacted the corporation that is the official sponsor for the Epic 250K, just on the offhand chance that it might resume next year. It won't. The Bend race is officially kaput. Although I was hopeful, I wasn't surprised.
My tentative plan has been to do the Anvil at Hagg Lake. The only Iron distance event in my region. It has a fatal flaw: it is held on a short course. What this means is that the bike and run legs are multiple laps over the same course. Yes, it is pretty enough. I've run the 10 mile road around the lake (placed second in my division, by the way). But the idea of doing lap after lap, despite how scenic, just sounds tedious to me. Where is the adventure?! That was one of the allures of the Epic 250K, it was a hard course through rugged country, with weather that could have been anything from heat to snow, frigid mountain lake, steep hills, gorgeous panoramic views of Central Oregon. It was an Epic adventure. Even my training trips to bike the course were mini adventures. I want that out of an Iron distance event. I don't want to bike or run laps. I don't want to push my body to the limit just to prove I can. I want an adventure. So, I don't think I will be doing the Anvil.
Where does that leave me? Without an Iron distance, obviously. At least for 2016. My new plan is to compete in two half-Iron races. One in early summer, and then the Best in The West in mid-September. Last year there was a half-Iron in the Portland area. Not a spectacularly awesome course, but a decent one along the Columbia. The Best in The West is in beautiful hill country, and the lake is gorgeous. When I did the event two years ago the swim was so fantastic that all I could think was, "This is my best swim EVER." Over and over.
With all this in mind, my plan is to truly compete. Not just to race the course for my own entertainment. But to push myself to my limits, and see just how fast I can go. I want to finish mid-pack at the very least. I want to place in my age group. To this end I will be working on my speed and stamina. Fartleks,Tabata workouts, and High Intensity Interval Training will be the norm. Last year, I trained to for absolute endurance, not speed. It cost me in the end. I had plenty of stamina and energy, but not enough speed to make the cutoff times. I know I could have done the course in its entirety though, I just needed another hour. Next year will be different.
So, that is the plan. I have my training concepts forming already. It will be different than my past years as I built base and endurance. True, my endurance is not what it was last year, but few people can maintain that kind of body pounding for long periods of time. Honestly, I know I could very likely do a half-Iron tomorrow, though my run would suffer. In two months I could be race ready, but not fast. But in nine months I will be ready to kick ass and take names. Nine months. Now I have a goal.
My tentative plan has been to do the Anvil at Hagg Lake. The only Iron distance event in my region. It has a fatal flaw: it is held on a short course. What this means is that the bike and run legs are multiple laps over the same course. Yes, it is pretty enough. I've run the 10 mile road around the lake (placed second in my division, by the way). But the idea of doing lap after lap, despite how scenic, just sounds tedious to me. Where is the adventure?! That was one of the allures of the Epic 250K, it was a hard course through rugged country, with weather that could have been anything from heat to snow, frigid mountain lake, steep hills, gorgeous panoramic views of Central Oregon. It was an Epic adventure. Even my training trips to bike the course were mini adventures. I want that out of an Iron distance event. I don't want to bike or run laps. I don't want to push my body to the limit just to prove I can. I want an adventure. So, I don't think I will be doing the Anvil.
Where does that leave me? Without an Iron distance, obviously. At least for 2016. My new plan is to compete in two half-Iron races. One in early summer, and then the Best in The West in mid-September. Last year there was a half-Iron in the Portland area. Not a spectacularly awesome course, but a decent one along the Columbia. The Best in The West is in beautiful hill country, and the lake is gorgeous. When I did the event two years ago the swim was so fantastic that all I could think was, "This is my best swim EVER." Over and over.
With all this in mind, my plan is to truly compete. Not just to race the course for my own entertainment. But to push myself to my limits, and see just how fast I can go. I want to finish mid-pack at the very least. I want to place in my age group. To this end I will be working on my speed and stamina. Fartleks,Tabata workouts, and High Intensity Interval Training will be the norm. Last year, I trained to for absolute endurance, not speed. It cost me in the end. I had plenty of stamina and energy, but not enough speed to make the cutoff times. I know I could have done the course in its entirety though, I just needed another hour. Next year will be different.
So, that is the plan. I have my training concepts forming already. It will be different than my past years as I built base and endurance. True, my endurance is not what it was last year, but few people can maintain that kind of body pounding for long periods of time. Honestly, I know I could very likely do a half-Iron tomorrow, though my run would suffer. In two months I could be race ready, but not fast. But in nine months I will be ready to kick ass and take names. Nine months. Now I have a goal.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Paleo? Vegan? Raw?
So many choices. So many paths. What we put in our stomachs as the "optimal diet" has become not only an obsession, but for many it is nearly a religion. Yes, our society has always been susceptible to the latest and greatest nutritional craze. In my lifetime I have seen food gurus run the gamut. Atkins, Low Carb, High Carb, No Carb, High Protein, Low Protein, Biggest Loser, Raw, South Beach, The Zone, Cleansing, Alkaline, Blood Type. Hell, I have fallen prey to more than a few radical ideas to lose weight.
My weight has been an issue for me since I was about 11 years old. In the fifth grade, I was the fat kid. Yes, there was one girl heavier than I was, but I was still the fat kid. I remember the public humiliation of being weighed and measured. It was something done every year, we lined up, and one by one, in full sight of our peers, were weighed and our height was recorded. I remember the burning shame of being 135 pounds, at age eleven. To make matters worse, my Mom took me to the family doctor, telling him she was concerned about my weight. I was mortified. His response, "It's just baby fat, she'll get a growth spurt and stretch out." He was right, I did. But I carried that shame with me for decades, and it led me through many fad diets as a teenager, even though I wasn't overweight. The damage was done.
Pregnancy was when my weight soared. My weight yo-yoed over then next 25 years. I always worked out, kept physically active, but I was always wishing for that Miracle Diet. The Fix. The Cure. It was a nervous breakdown that finally flipped a switch for me. True, a mental meltdown can really kill the appetite. Insomnia, stress and depression made me nearly unable to eat. And since I wasn't sleeping either, long hours on the treadmill at O'dark-thirty in the morning seemed like a good expenditure of my time. No, this was not the healthiest way to drop weight. But what it did was make me very cognizant of what I put into my body to counteract the insomnia, stress, and depression.
I began to truly listen to my body. Feed the need. I found direct correlations between what I fed myself, and how it made me feel. These days I am vegetarian, not for moral reasons (though that is happening) but because meat makes my joints ache even more than they always do. I am largely dairy free since my digestive tract has decided that dairy is evil. I am mostly wheat free, not because of the gluten-free craze, but because wheat gives me volcanic heartburn (a sign of inflammation, actually). I don't eat fried foods, or gooey desserts, and I don't drink alcohol because they all make me feel less than optimal. I avoid prepackaged foods because I don't trust the additives and possible GMO's, as well as the fact that I never know if my body will digest the unknown (ate some seasoned crackers the other day, and suffered for 24 hours). Corn syrup, and especially high fructose corn syrup is the devil incarnate, so it does not touch my lips. In other words, "I Eat Clean."
Despite the limitations my body has imposed on me I eat very well. I cook wonderful meals, from scratch. I love baking wheat free breads, and make a pumpkin bread that is mouth watering. I explore new vegetarian recipes, culling some, adding others to the repertoire. I eat a ridiculous amount of fruit. Some days I eat small, frequent meals. Some days I eat three big meals. I eat late at night, sometimes I'm sitting down to dinner at 9:30 because my workout went long. I never skip breakfast. I make sure to get enough protein. I drink a lot of smoothies.
What does all this mean? I am not exactly sure, but I have maintained a healthy weight for the last 3+ years, without giving much thought to calorie counting. I don't focus on what I can't have, but instead love to explore all that I can eat in vast quantities. Yes, I eat a lot. It took me half a century, but I have finally found peace with what I eat. I really have come to believe that "You are what you eat."
My weight has been an issue for me since I was about 11 years old. In the fifth grade, I was the fat kid. Yes, there was one girl heavier than I was, but I was still the fat kid. I remember the public humiliation of being weighed and measured. It was something done every year, we lined up, and one by one, in full sight of our peers, were weighed and our height was recorded. I remember the burning shame of being 135 pounds, at age eleven. To make matters worse, my Mom took me to the family doctor, telling him she was concerned about my weight. I was mortified. His response, "It's just baby fat, she'll get a growth spurt and stretch out." He was right, I did. But I carried that shame with me for decades, and it led me through many fad diets as a teenager, even though I wasn't overweight. The damage was done.
Pregnancy was when my weight soared. My weight yo-yoed over then next 25 years. I always worked out, kept physically active, but I was always wishing for that Miracle Diet. The Fix. The Cure. It was a nervous breakdown that finally flipped a switch for me. True, a mental meltdown can really kill the appetite. Insomnia, stress and depression made me nearly unable to eat. And since I wasn't sleeping either, long hours on the treadmill at O'dark-thirty in the morning seemed like a good expenditure of my time. No, this was not the healthiest way to drop weight. But what it did was make me very cognizant of what I put into my body to counteract the insomnia, stress, and depression.
I began to truly listen to my body. Feed the need. I found direct correlations between what I fed myself, and how it made me feel. These days I am vegetarian, not for moral reasons (though that is happening) but because meat makes my joints ache even more than they always do. I am largely dairy free since my digestive tract has decided that dairy is evil. I am mostly wheat free, not because of the gluten-free craze, but because wheat gives me volcanic heartburn (a sign of inflammation, actually). I don't eat fried foods, or gooey desserts, and I don't drink alcohol because they all make me feel less than optimal. I avoid prepackaged foods because I don't trust the additives and possible GMO's, as well as the fact that I never know if my body will digest the unknown (ate some seasoned crackers the other day, and suffered for 24 hours). Corn syrup, and especially high fructose corn syrup is the devil incarnate, so it does not touch my lips. In other words, "I Eat Clean."
Despite the limitations my body has imposed on me I eat very well. I cook wonderful meals, from scratch. I love baking wheat free breads, and make a pumpkin bread that is mouth watering. I explore new vegetarian recipes, culling some, adding others to the repertoire. I eat a ridiculous amount of fruit. Some days I eat small, frequent meals. Some days I eat three big meals. I eat late at night, sometimes I'm sitting down to dinner at 9:30 because my workout went long. I never skip breakfast. I make sure to get enough protein. I drink a lot of smoothies.
What does all this mean? I am not exactly sure, but I have maintained a healthy weight for the last 3+ years, without giving much thought to calorie counting. I don't focus on what I can't have, but instead love to explore all that I can eat in vast quantities. Yes, I eat a lot. It took me half a century, but I have finally found peace with what I eat. I really have come to believe that "You are what you eat."
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