Week 19, Herpreet

Everybody! This is my final week of training before my triathlon. I am a little terrified, a little excited, and on some level, calm. The calm part baffles me and makes me less calm. Inner voice: Why are you so calm? You shouldn't be so calm. What's wrong with you? You better get anxious. If you're too calm, you'll freak out on the day of the event.

Today, we went out to Lake Austin. There are infinite places to swim here, I'm finding. I drove way into the hills and then down toward the water. One of our instructors lives on the lake. Our task was to swim 1/4 mile out to some reed grass and then back in for a total of 800 meters - race distance. My instructor advised that I use fins. Part of me didn't want the fins because it's easier to swim with them. But I think Coach V was wise. She said that I have anxiety about the murkiness - so I should get the fins on and concentrate on building my confidence about swimming in the KIND of water, since I already know that I can do the distance. She was correct. This is the FIRST TIME EVER that I have SWAM in murky lake water. Not treaded or floated or done some incorrect version of breast stroke. No, I swam. Freestyle and Back stroke. Occasionally, I did tread and float a bit to reorient myself and make sure I was swimming fairly straight and not way out to the middle of the lake. I did great. After the swim, I took the fins off and dove in and swam in the murk, blind as could be under water. But I reminded myself that when I breathe, I can see, and I can check to make sure I'm following the course correctly. If I can stay this calm on Sunday, it will feel like a major major feet.

Week 18, Herpreet

Week 18 was last week, and suddenly, I'm feeling like I'm keeping track of a pregnancy. Only pregnant people speak in weeks, right? The birth of our fitter selves.

So last week, week 18. I had an amazing swim at Barton Springs. Amazing. It was amazing because I did not let myself tread one single time. I swam 4 lengths (1/2 mile) doing only free style and back stroke. I did stop at the end of each length and rest, BUT, I was calm and collected while I swam.

Wednesday, we did a 3 mile run. I did walk for part of it, and I was okay with that.

On Saturday, I went out to Walter E. Long Park, which is the site of my event this Sunday. We rode the bike course. I felt, well, not so great about my 12 mile ride. It is VERY VERY HILLY. The hilliest ride I've ever done, and I had to stop and walk my bike up one of the hills. ARG. I left feeling panicked - like - how the hell am I going to ride up all those hills after I've swam 1/2 mile???!!!! Negative, negative, negative thoughts.

End of Week 17, Part 2, Herpreet

Friday's bike ride was a 3 mile warm up on a cycling loop and then a very scary 8 mile ride along the hilly highway. Yes. I said highway. I've never concentrated so hard on keeping my balance on a bike. Cars whizzing by at 75 miles an hour. Me riding on the shoulder. Who does that? Oh yeah, Ausinite cyclists.

Today, I met up with 2 women from my tri class. We swam 4 lengths of Barton Springs to practice for May 17. So, I completed an 800 swim today. I did free style, back stroke, and my weird treading/semi breast stroke... We stopped at the end of the pool, rested and swam back to the start. I admired the fish and the strange plants in the water. I didn't experience vertigo in quite the same way as the first time I swam in the springs. I now feel exhausted, but also less frightened about the event in a few weeks. I'm thinking of singing the theme song to Laverne and Shirley to myself as I swim the race.

End of Week 17, Herpreet

I had to look at a calendar to figure out the week... Are we all slacking off a little? We need some motivational kicks in the butt, don't we? That's my feeling.

Last weekend was my first triathlon. I did the 300 meter swim mostly on my back, and also...treading water. That may seem ridiculous, but free style in the open water just isn't working for me right now. I'm trying to figure something out for May 17 when I have to do 800 m. For now, I'm also a lot scared. Why, why, why can't the swim be in a pool, is what I'd like to know. I would do SUCH a good job if it was.

The rest of it was okay, some mishaps along the way. I had to pee the entire race, and by the time I got to the run, I ended up having to run off course to relieve myself. Dropped my water bottle again on the bike ride. Lessons learned: Pee in the water. Bring a cheap water bottle on your bike and don't stop to pick it up if you drop it.

This week, we had a swim on Monday. It was a nice "recovery" swim. Wednesday we ran, but I mostly walked. I put yankz in my shoes, and I think they were too tight and just not feeling right. My foot started hurting. So I'm switching back to my old laces. We ride bikes today. Tomorrow I'm going to practice my swimming.

Later ladies and Kevin.

Week 16! Herpreet

Four Months - Where is everyone!?

On Monday, I swam for the second time at Barton Springs. I panicked a little bit. I am working on getting over my fears. One of my classmates walked to the end of the pool with me and we got in and swam the length from the end to the start. Somehow it feels less daunting to begin in the deep end and work your way to the shallow end.


Today we are doing a bike/run brick, and on Friday, we are doing an easy run.

On Saturday, I do my first event of the season - 300 m swim, 12 mile bike, 2 mile run. I am SO nervous about the swim. It is in Lake Travis. I am considering trying to take one last swim in Barton Springs as practice, but I haven't made up my mind whether I'll do that or not. Technically, the week before an event, we are supposed to "taper" so that our bodies are good and ready for event day.

I also have a big shopping day planned - I'm getting a new tri-suit, new goggles, Some electrolyte powders. I think that's it.

Okay guys, send my a lot of good thoughts leading up to Saturday, but especially on Saturday morning.

Week 14!!! Herpreet

Today was a run. We have a new triathlon coach, and I sort of miss our former coach. It takes a while to get used to someone new, and I was finally used to Shellie O, and sort of loved her. But she had to leave us for a 9-5 office kind of job. Which, I know she's lucky to have landed, given the economy, so I wish her well.

I also know that I'll come to love our new coach. She is a grandmother. She is in her early 60s, and she started doing triathlons a few years ago. She's been training with Shellie O. ever since. She just got her USA Tri certification. When she first started training, she did not know how to swim at all.

So, clearly, there are already a lot of reasons to admire her. And I do. But she's definitely a quieter sort of person than the former kick-ass coach, who had competed, not one, but TWO iron mans. And she'd competed in three of them. She's also been doing these events for years and years.

Okay, I guess I need to move on. I just needed to mourn a bit.

Like I said, today we ran. I did just fine. I am a fine runner. I have no fears about running, pacing, endurance, etc. (Now if I was doing more than a 5K, I'd have a different story to tell.

On Friday, we bike. One good thing about my new coach is that I think, since she could not swim when she began, that she'll pay extra attention to my swimming (which I told her I am scared about).

Week Thirteen, Day 2, Herpreet

Yesterday I ran my ass off, figuratively. In my triath class, we did an entire 5K to benchmark our time. I had to stop and walk toward the end. I think I walked about 1/4 miles or a little less, and then I finished out the run and managed to catch up to the girl I'd been running with up until I had to stop and walk. When I caught up to her, I said, "Let's go in really fast," and she and I picked up our pace and pushed to the end as fast as we could.

We ran on a hilly trail (my instructor's words). And I finished in 32 minutes. I'm happy with that time. It would be awesome if ever I could break a ten-mile minute, but you know what? I'll take what I can get. I felt good about it yesterday, and today, my body feels not so good.

I am considering doing a really short event on April 28 to warm up for the real thing on May 17. The reason is that the April 28 one has a 200m swim in open water. 200 meters does not scare or intimidate me in the least, so I feel like it could be a really great pre-event practice to get me comfortable doing the 800m in open water.

Week 6, Days 1, 2, and 3! Herpreet

Hola bloggercisers! On Monday, I did a swim at the Y with my class. We did a lot of swim drills that I was really bad at. And this frustrated me. I also swallowed water. I did not care for that. When I got home, I had to pour a mix of vinegar and rubbing alcohol into both ears to get the water out. Make, of the tone of this, what you will.

Then, on Wednesday, we met at a local highschool's track. Digression: The entire track is made of recycled rubber from running shoes. That is pretty cool, if you ask me. I did a 1/4 mile jog to literally warm up while I waited for the other team mates to arrive. It was a windy day. When they arrived, we all did a 1/4 mile warm up together. Then the real workout began:

1/2 mile around the track (2 laps) - 10 push ups - 10 supermans - 20 bicycle crunches - 10 squats - 10 lunges.
1/4 mile around the track - Repeat above exercises.
1/4 mile around the track - Repeat above exercises.
1/4 mile around the track - Repeat above exercises.
1/4 mile around the track.

Needless to say, yesterday, I WAS VERY SORE. I moved around like a really old lady. Today, I am mildly sore. We don't have class today, b/c it's an Austin public school holiday, and our coach has kids, as do people in the class. We also don't have class on Monday. BUT - I am going to self-motivate.

Tomorrow, for my day 3 of this week, I plan to do a hike with C. I don't know yet where we'll go, but for my birthday, he gave me a book that includes a bunch of nice trails around Austin. So, that will be my day three. I think I deserve a relaxed hike after that crazy Wed. workout.

Week 5, Day 3

It was a cycle/jog!!! 40 minutes cycling indoors and then we transitioned to a short jog. So we'd start thinking about what the triathlon will feel like...That was Friday.

Week 5, Days 1 & 2, Herpreet

The triathlon training is going really well. Monday, we did a 1000 meter swim - which is just over 1/2 mile! Not all at once, but in total.

Today, we ran 3 miles! Since I usually hit a wall at 2 miles, I am exceptionally happy about this. We did a little game to build our endurance. I'll tell you what it was so you can try it too if you want - you can play alone. We did a nice slow warm up jog, and then someone would yell out, "To the 2nd bench! Moderate!" And everyone had to run a moderate pace to the 2nd bench on the trail. When we got there we'd slow back down, and the next person would yell, "To the water fountain! Fast!" And we'd pick up the speed and go to the fountain, then bring it down and the next person would yell out. We did slow, moderate and fast pace. It really made running the trail move SO MUCH FASTER.

In general, I have to say, that today is the first day I felt really, truly psyched that I am doing another triathlon. I decided that after finishing this one, if I don't panic in the water, and all goes smoothly, I am officially going to be able to say that I am a triathlete.

I haven't begun training every single day. I'm giving myself one more month of only training on my class days, but come March, I'll get going to an everyday routine.

I'm sad to report that the yoga has gone by the wayside. Hopefully, I'll get to it again, eventually.

Week 4, Day 3, Herpreet

YAY AUSTIN!

Today, my triath. training class met at a place called the Veloway. It is a cycling and roller blading trail. No runners, No people with triple-wide strollers. No people walking 5 dogs. I love the Town Lake trail, but it gets mad-CROWDED.

The Veloway has two trails. One is a 3.1 mile loop with low hills, and the other loop is super hilly. We rode the less hilly one today - I did 6.2 miles. I am incredibly happy about this. I rode the entire way up the highest hill on my first round without having to lift off my bike, but on my second round, I had to lift.

My yoga seems to have fallen by the wayside. I'm going to see if I can find a Saturday or Sunday class at the Y, because I think it's more realistic that I'll make it to class on one of those days.

Week 4, Day 2, Herpreet

The triathlon class is GREAT for keeping me regular with cardio. Today we ran. I did a 2 miles total - walking and running. The first 1/4 mile walk was a warm up. Then a one mile run. Then a 1/4 walk, then a 1/2 mile running cool down. The one mile was to record my benchmark - Today it took me 10:50 total, with my avg. 1/4 mile being 2:43 I think. So I'm aiming to first get back to a 10 minute run, which feels very doable, and then to bring my run down to maybe 9:30 min.

I haven't been keeping up with my yoga, but I'll try to get back with that, I promise.

By the way, I feel like we are all doing exceptionally well!

Week 4, Day 1, Herpreet

Yesterday, I scraped myself up and went to my triathlon training class. We did a 100 yard warm up. And THEN, we did a benchmark. We had to swim 400 yards (16 lengths of the pool, or 8 laps) and she timed us. We were allowed to stop and rest as needed. The whole 400 took me 12 minutes and 45 seconds. (I was the slowest person in my class.) After swimming the 400, I did a 50 yard cool down, swimming backstroke. All in all, 550 yards.

So, I guess I'm setting a goal to build up my endurance and to be able to pace myself so I can do 400 yards in 10 minutes. Which means I'd finish 800 yards in 20 minutes. Have I mentioned that I'm sort of terrified of swimming 800 yards without stopping?

Week 3, Day Two, Herpreet

YO! So, I skipped my yoga and triath class on Wednesday. I'd begun school on Tuesday, and I felt plain old wore out the next day. HOWEVER....Today, I got myself up, ate some food, piddled around, and then headed to yoga. And after? I did my triath class. Which today was a swim. It is the first time I've stepped foot in a pool in EIGHT months. But honestly, if felt like YEARS. And I was feeling pretty nervous about it. We first did a warm up, and to my complete shock, I knew how to swim. I don't know why it never fails to shock me that I know how to swim. But it truly does. We did some drills, which was very helpful. My instructor commented on my form. Also helpful. We did a "ladder" which means we swam 25 yards, rest - 50 yards, rest - 75 yards, rest - 100 yards, rest - 75 yards, rest - 50 yards, rest - 25 yards, rest. All in all, with our warm up and drills and the ladder, I swam NINE HUNDRED YARDS. Eh, hem. That is over half a mile.

Today, I also found out our distances for the triathlon. My last two were called "super sprints," i.e. super - short. This one will be a "sprint" event. 800 (1/2 mile) swim, 12 mile bike, 5K (3.? miles). My last two were 1/4 mile swims and 2 mile runs. SO, I guess I'm moving on up...We all are!

In honor of our progress and also the WEEKEND, here is a little Friday treat. I was going to post the theme song to the Jeffersons, but then I remembered this little... Well, I can't call it a gem. But. It does have considerable entertainment value.

Week 2, Day 3. Herpreet

I did a cycling class today as part of my triathlon training. Cycling is not my favorite thing. Today the instructor talked a whole lot about cadence. Cadence. Cadence. Cadence. I don't have much cadence. Blah.

Week 2, Days 1 and 2, Herpreet.

Helloooooooo in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Chicago!

I am very pleased to let you know that 2009 and off to a great fitness start. On Monday, I attended a Yoga class at my Austin YMCA. It lasts an hour and fifteen minutes. I thought I might be taking a wimpy way into yoga, since I chose to attend "Gentle Yoga," an introduction into Hatha Yoga. But I found that I was sore yesterday, so I was pleased to realize that indeed, I'd worked my muscles.

Today I began my triathlon training. There is a woman who does a triathlon training program at the Y. She teaches a beginner's class and an intermediate class. I attended a beginner's class today, and I was so happy with it! She spent a lot of time working with us on run drills and form when you are running up hill and down hill. I'll be training for a sprint distance event in May, and this year, my goals are to both finish, and to do so WITHOUT having a panic attack in the water!