Race report - DACC Sprint Tri

300 yard indoor swim, 13 miles outdoor bike. 5K outdoor run
I woke up to the alarm this morning and really didn't want to get out of bed. I of course made myself since i had a race to get to but all morning I wasn't feeling well. Just tired from not sleeping enough this week and it was catching up to me but i wanted to do the race anyway. I don't think it was nerves because it was a short race. I forced myself to eat half a bagel and then headed out promising to do my best even. It was cold in the mid 40s which isn't exactly triathlon weather but nothing you can do about it. I was a little frazzled at the race start got there just in time for the race meeting and then had a few minutes to set my stuff up and go. Warmup was mostly me running back and forth to my car and transition setting things up. We got in line by our swim seed times. I got number 20 so there was a few people ahead of me but more behind me. I quickly jumped in the pool and swam a 50 mostly just to get the water temp. No time for a real warmup. Swimmers were started 30 seconds apart. You had to run across the mat and slide in the water (no jumping/driving allowed) Then you had to swim a lap down and back in each lane before ducking under the lane line and repeating in all lanes until you exited the pool. Flip turns were illegal and would get you dq'ed. I was really surprised by that. I guess it is because there were so many people in the pool at once but I wasn't a fan of it. The switching lanes thing was a little weird for me because i never did that but it actually worked out really well and was a good idea instead of having someone counting your laps. it also made it more exciting to watch. My form felt horrible on the swim. I never felt like I was anchoring my hand and rotating through. Felt like I had a high turnover. Probably because I was excited with all of those people watching and it was such a short distance no time to really settle into a pace I was just trying to go hard the whole time. I swam in my tri clothes. had to run up a hill to transition and I was huffing! Another strange thing is they had no racks whatsoever to put your bike on so i had to rest damon down in the grass. I put my mat next to me and had my stuff laid out but i was so excited to keep going I was rushing to get my shoes on and then struggled to pull on my riding jacket. helmet and i was off! Forgot to put my gloves on which would have been nice because it was cold. Glad I took the time to put my jacket on because i think it really helped. Only my feet were cold. I certainly wasn't warm but i was working so hard I wasn't concerned about the temp. The best part of the bike for me was I felt really comfortable riding damon. I haven't had much time to actually use this bike and then with the accident this week I was a little concerned I would be tentative on the bike. Not so I was in a good tuck, riding on the nose of the saddle and going for it! On the flat sections of the course I have to admit I was riding as hard as I possibly could and it felt great. Sadly for me there were some serious climbs in the ride. While struggling through those I was wishing I had stefan and my triple gears available! It wasn;t just the steep grade of the climbs that hurt it was that they went on FOREVER! On one hill I was going so slow and hurting so much I actually clipped out and started walking my bike up the hill. I can't believe I did this! I wasn't the only one. The worst part is that I was hurting so much just trying to walk my bike up the hill! My legs were fried, I was puffing and I was a little delirious. At this point I thought I might be trying to go a little too hard so I tried to drink some of the water I took with me. I could barely get it down i was so wrecked so I tried to settle myself a bit while still moving forward. 2 guys passed me on the bike and they were so nice. 1 was like just keep pulling up on the pedals! I am thinking to myself I AM it isn't getting my anywhere! the second guy actually made damon feel sexy because he said really nice bike! After all this climbing it led into a great descent. Which is probably where I am the best at riding right now. I know that sounds silly because who isn't good at going downhill but I find I pass people going downhill because I am not afraid to just go. For the most part I descended well. I did have to be a little cautious in sections because it was a winding switchback and there was still a lot of loose gravel on the roads because they haven't really been cleaned from the winter yet. There was also some water runoff. It made me happy to feel this good on my tri bike sometimes I think my issues with it is I have been riding where there is traffic and it just isn't really good for those kind of conditions. Of course the finish to this bike course had you going back uphill to transition and there were actually speed bumps at the top of the hill as if i wasn't already going slow enough! Transition went smoothly. I left my riding jacket on which i quickly threw off about a quarter mile into the run and told one of the volunteers I would come back for it after the race. I think it was the right call because that jacket holds in a lot of heat. I wasn't cold on the run. However this was probably the worst brick I have ever felt. I think I went so hard on the bike or i was jsut fried from the hills that i literally felt like i was doing the ironman shuffle for the beginning of the run. I knew it would go away so i just kept running through it but it felt ugly. I passed a guy pretty early in the run and he was like u go girl Im still trying to get my legs underneath me. I yelled back, yeah me too! I did not use my watch and had no idea where i was at during any part of the bike or run course. I knew it was short so i didn't need to pace it.  In some ways I think it helped because i just kept telling myself to go hard it is almost over. A volunteer probably trying to help me and the guys running near me told us when we hit the half way point of the run and i was thinking, that's it! I still have so far to go! But I kept going. Part of the course was on trail which I wasn't thrilled about because of my foot. Also as I mentioned my legs were not feeling the freshest either. I was hoping i was getting my feet up enough that i wasn't going to be tripping on things. a couple of guys passed me on the run of course it was on uphills! one woman passed me on a hill too and she was like wow your so strong doing the whole thing Im just doing the relay. Your looking great. Now I know i wasn't feeling great. Back up a hill to the finish I would have liked to sprint it in but after the hill I didn't really have much of kick but I did push it as much as I could. I ended up going 1:30 for the course. I was hoping for a 1:25 but i didn't know about the hills on the course so I am not surprised by my time. I took 1st in my age group. The results are not posted yet so I don't know my overall placing but I believe it was top ten female. I am also curious to see my splits and transition times. Overall it just felt great to be racing again. Was a good training day. It is nice to be able to go through all disciplines. It is also nice to have a traffic controlled course and of course having other people push you too. I was sore after the race. The biggest thing I need to improve on is my ability to climb hills both on my bike and while running. The race was fairly well organized. I got sent the wrong way twice on the run by volunteers but it was only by a few steps. They were directing the bikes and the runners at the same time but i didn't let it bother me. I felt really focused today. There wasn't anything available on the course and I really didn't make a good effort to drink on the bike because i was more set on riding but i was thirsty. Big difference between the bike and run. on the bike i was thanking the volunteers and cheering on other participants by the run I was hurting so bad i would give the volunteers a thumbs up to let them know I understood what they were telling me and I couldn't even thank the other participants that were cheering for me! I used my new thule 9003 raceway platform because i couldnt transport damon any other way and i have to say I really like this rack. It is much easier to use and it seems more stable too. My only concern with it is that i don't get rear ended. gotta get recovered. tour de scranton tomorrow!

meal 1 - 1/2 bagel
meal 2 - 2 clif bars - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 3 - half bagel, tofu, peppers, zucchini, pinto beans, guacamole, peanut butter

I feel good again!

Got home last last night because of the skills class and by the time I got cleaned up, fueled up and setup it was a late night. Didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked to. Hit the pool this morning anyway. Needed to get the swim done early or it wasn't going to happen and I wanted to swim and then take the rest of the day off since i am racing tomorrow and sunday.

Swim was mosly drills - usual 500 set as a warmup. Then 100 swim before throwing on a tshirt and doing a 500 tt with the tshirt on. swam 9.23. Not my best time for that but ok. Swam 100 with fins, 100 kick, 100 paddles and pull, 100 side kick, 100 breast and 100 back.

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 2 - vega wfo w soy yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, ground flax seed
meal 3 - clif builder bar

Saturday is a my first tri of the season. it is only a sprint and a short one at that. 300 yard pool swim, 13 mile bike outside and 5k run outside. It is going to be cold tomorrow morning. So I am mostly likely going to wear my tri stuff in the pool and then throw on a riding jacket and glvoes before i take off on the bike. I hope to not still need them on the run. but we'll see how it goes. Then sunday I am riding in the tour de scranton which is a 65 mile, (metric century) bike race. Should be fun!

for us

back squats
bw x 10
45x5
65x5
85x5
95x5
105x5
115x5
125x3
125x3
135x1
95x5
all were done onto a medicine ball.

took a bike skill class tonight. we worked on cornering and climbing. I am going to start setting up water bottles and just practicing cornering around them. the climbing was good. had my hr up in the 160s several times. legs felt worked when we were done.

i ordered a thule 9003 platform raceway for my tri bike. it is supposed to get delivered tomorrow. finally ill be able to transport my tri bike. and just in time for my first tri of the season on saturday. it is just a sprint but i am looking forward to it! I also have a bike race on sunday.

meal 1 - tempeh bell peppers onions spinach and daiya
meal 2 - clif bar 7 mac nuts
meal 3 - tofu & broccoli
meal 4 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 5 -veggie pizza and seitan

sans fear

Ate some better food for dinner and got a decent amount of sleep last night so I am feeling better today. It wasn't enough sleep to really catch up and feel good, I am still tired. But hopefully tonight or tomorrow I can catch up more. Had my bike to the shop yesterday. they just had to tighten some stuff and fix the brake a bit. No serious damage. no major bill. so at this point I think I am just going to drop the whole accident thing. I don't like adding any kind of outside stress into my life that isn't necessary. I find I live happier and train better without it. Therefore I don't want the distraction of it hanging over my head. Don't get me wrong I think the guy is a jerk and he deserves it but I care more about how I feel so this is the best decision for me. I am happy to have literally walked away for the accident. I was very lucky

bike on trainer this morning - 2 mile warmup then 10 minutes of 1 minute on 1 minute isometric squat hold. cooldown easy spin for a few minutes. I am soooo ready to put the trainer away and just ride outside all the time for the next few months. I am sure there are times when Ill use the resistance to do tabata workouts but overall it is nice have some decent weather here finally!

CF wod - "kelly"

5 rounds for time of
Run 400 meters
30 Box Jumps @ 20 inches
30 Wallballs - 14lb ball @ 9ft target

time - 39:01

This is the first time I was able to do a cf wod with running instead of rowing so that felt pretty good.

meal 1 - seitan nuggets & mac nuts
meal 2 - enchiladas & clif builder bar
meal 3 - tempeh bacon & vega wfo w/coconut water

back in black

Today was all about getting my legs back underneath me. I was rattled last night and off my game. Didn't eat anything, didn't sleep much at all and just didn't feel well this morning but I wanted to get on with it. I did a transition workout this morning. And I used my tri bike and even rode on the same street I got hit on right passed the scene of the crime if you will. I wanted to do this because there is no way I am giving up on riding/racing my bike so it's time to start getting over it right now. I didn't ride in the aerobars as much as before but at least i got out there and did it. The rear brake seems off so I am going to take it into the shop tonight and have them check it over.

workout was run 1 mile ride 5 miles and run 1 mile. Honestly I was tired so none of it was my best effort. But i need to get back at it. my knee is sore but i think it is from my leg hitting the frame either when the car hit me or i fell. I did a mile of hill work for this wod. They are hard for me. Gotta get after them again too. foot is holding up ok.

"crossfit total"
shoulder press 45 55 60 65
back squat 70 80 95 105 115 125 135 135 135 140 (onto medicine ball)
deadlift 155 175 185 195 205 215 225

total 430
again not my best effort. I feel like i'm walking around like a zombie today. just don't have the extra drive. Hopefully sleeping tonight will be better and I can get back at it for real tomorrow!

meal 1 - granola and soymilk
meal 2 - clif bar & mac nuts
meal 3 - tofu, brown rice, veggies
meal 4 - vega wfo w/coconut water

Kiss off

swim - 500 drills to warmup

15 x 100 on 15 second rest
did this with a friend at the pool and that really helped to get through it. he swims better than I do so he was responsible for the counting and such. Things that get tough for me as I get tired. all I had to do was follow him.

1 - 1.37
2 - 1.38
3 - 1.42
4 - 1.40
5 - 1.40
6 - 1.43
7 - 1.42
8 - 1.40
9 - 1.40
10 - 1.41
11 - 1.40
12 - 1.43
13 - 1.43
14 - 1.44
15 - 1.43

100 breast stroke to cooldown. Avg about 1:40 for these which I was pretty happy with.

CF wod - 7 minute AMRAP
10 thrusters at 65 lbs
20 GHD situps
got 3 full rounds and 2 thrusters in the 4th. Wow I didn't miss doing thrusters at all!

Had extra time so did some running drills. Trying to get back to proper form. It is going to be a process I can tell already

Finally had some dry weather so took my Tri bike ride outside for an easy ride just to get more comfortable on it. That kinda backfired as I got hit by a car. The guy turned left in front of me and I couldn't stop fast enough. I basically hit the front of his car and then fell on the ground. Saddest part is that the guy left and didn't even see if i was ok. However other people did stop. One guy chased him down and got his license plate so we could call the police about it. The police went to the guys house and he claims he didn't hit me I just fell and that is why he didn't stop. My friend I was riding with was yelling at him so he said he was scared. I am very happy to be ok. It could have been much worse. I am taking my bike into the shop just to get it checked out. I rode it a little bit and the rear brake seems weird. some paint on the tire but not much else that I can see. I was mostly just shaken up from it. But I am back to riding again today just trying to feel comfortable on the roads again. I haven't decided what i am going to do yet about it. If my bike is ok probably nothing. The police said they can issue the guy a citation which is a monetary fine or we could go in front of the magistrate about it. However it is going to be my word against him. I do have the names and numbers of several witnesses. But if i am not hurt and the bike doesn't need to be fixed It is most likely a waste of my time to go to court about it. I am not going to really gain anything from it. And honestly I would just like to forget about it as soon as possible. I couldn't eat last night or sleep. I just think it was from the adrenline because I was shaking for a bit afterwards. Several people have told me I should do it just to make a statement but I really don't think it would make any kind of serious impact. A friend that is a local tri race director said I should let it die because a cyclist was hit during the riverstock tri (which i did last year) in the same kind of situation. Someone turning in front of them and no time to stop. The cyclist went to the ER but the driver and the city actually sued her and won because in the state of pa a bike is a vehicle and they said she wasn't in control of her vehicle and she hit the car.  As completed screwed up as that is I just don't need the drama of something like that happening.  The guy that hit me is a retired firefighter so I have a feeling it isn't a fight worth fighting wheter it be right or wrong. I am just happy I able to keep riding my bike!

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 2 - vega wfo, soy yougurt, ground flax, strawberries, blueberries
meal 3 - clif bar. mac nuts
meal 4 - seitan, green beans, red beets, yams
meal 5 - clif bar

The Righteous & the Wicked

foot was in better shape this morning so i had the honor of running with my friend jeff who is just an amazing runner. he did the boston marathon 7 times plus lots of other impressive accomplishments. We headed out on a flat 10 miler. Took me 1.44 but the foot held up ok. A little sore at the start and finish. No major soreness yet but I am icing it now and hoping that helps with the recovery. Jeff mentioned that I am turning my left foot out when i land on it instead of it being straight. This is the foot that had been giving me most of the issues lately. I am not sure why I am doing that. Is it related to have surgery on the other foot? A tightness thing? I don't know. I took enough water with me this time so that was helpful. avg pace was 10:27. I am just not running fast yet. avg hr 149 max 158.

meal 1 - 2 slices vegan roasted vegetable pizza & 2 clif bars

Wet Sand

Decided not to go and do a crit with the team today because of the weather it was raining and I just don't have the bike skills yet for that. Turned out the entire team decided not to go because of the weather. Im sure it was the right decision because I just don't need crash or injury before the tri season kicks off. I have enough injuries last season! i wanted to go and do a long run today but my foot was sore last night and this morning from my run yesterday morning. I am just not in a place right now where I can run back to back days. I really need time to let the foot recover. I really hope this is a post surgery thing and it isn't like this for the rest of my life. so I had to head out in the rain and ride my bike anyway. Did a 40 mile TT. It wasn't a great day for a TT but had to do it anyway not much time left before my upcoming races. I felt like crap the entire ride. I didn't eat, drink or sleep well yesterday. I just had my schedule screwed up being in NYC. The food wasn't so bad but I def didn't have enough water to drink and I didn't get enough sleep last night. It took me 17 miles on the bike before I even started to feel alive. I rode 40.75 miles in 2:51 minutes. avg speed 14.2 mph. climbed 1,454 ft. max speed 38. not bad for riding in the rain. I took stefan. max hr 160 avg hr 140. avg cadence 78 max cadence 113. It was a tough ride just never felt good. I ate breakfast right before i left. Could have been that but i don't think so. I took 1 salt tablet with me and 3 gels. used the salt and 2 gels. probably didn't fuel enough because by the end of the ride i just couldn't move my bike any faster. Didn't have any serious issues just didn't seem to have anything extra to give today. That being said I did try to ride as hard as I could. I also ran out of water which is why i didn't use the 3rd gel. I was able to pee while riding my bike though. Stefan was a mess when we got home. Had to scrub him down! Plan on running long tomorrow so hoping the foot is ready for it!

meal 1 - sprouted grain bagel & clif bar
meal 2 - gels on the bike
meal 3 - vega wfo w/coconut water - 2 slices roasted vegetable pizza
meal 4 - tofu, mushrooms, peppers, onions, black beans, guacamole, clif bar

breathe

un - 1+ mile to warmup with some hills
2 x 800 meters on a track w/ 3 minutes rest between
1 - 3.38
2 - 3.45
Disappointed with the times but there seems to be where my running is at right now.
cooldown run - 1+ mile with hills.  it was freezing this morning. frost on the track. I can not wait for some decent weather to make training outside less of an ordeal. we are supposed to get an all day rain tomorrow with some more serious winds. Probably gonna do a long run tomorrow and a long bike ride on sunday.

AMRAP 30 minutes
9 hanging squat cleans @ 55 lbs
7 GHD situps
5 manmakers w/ a pair of 26lb Kettlebells
3 Burpees

Got 6 rounds was a bit over the 30 minutes but wanted to finish the round up.

manmakers are 1) start in the push-up position with hands on db's, complete a push up.

2) row one of the db's after you're in the up position of the push-up, then place db back on the ground and do another push-up.

3) repeat 2) but with your other arm performing the row at up portion of push-up

4) jump your feet near your hands (just like a squat thrust).

5) clean and press the db's

6) after the press bring db's to waist height and squat down until you can rest db's on deck slightly in front of your body.

7) jump back into push up position and repeat.

Most of my time in the wod was spent on the manmakers. I never did those before so initial it was slow just remember what the next move was. those are brutal. towards the end it was more about fatigue. You know it is a bad wod when the GHDs and the Burpees are the easy part. My arms are pretty tired from the manmakers. I might have pulled something in my chest too. I was pretty happy with my cleans the form was feeling good on them.

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 2 - clif bars, banana, mac nuts
meal 3 - tofu, brown rice & veggies

moment of surrender

Swim - 500 drills to warmup then 25 TT - 65 full lap started the 66th. 1,625 yds. I was surprised by this because I didn't think I could swim that fast. I hope I counted the laps right!

CF wod -

5 rounds of
5 dumbbell front squats (20lb dumbells)
5 dumbbell push press (20lb dumbbells)
5 dumbbell overhead squats (5lb dumbbells)
5 burpees

time 6.43

I must not have gone heavy enough on this wod because this felt like one of the easier wod's i've done. Had to go super light on the Overhead Dumbbell squats because i can barely overhead squat. It's ugly.

I found myself a little crabby today. then I realized it is almost another holiday. I really just do not enjoy the holidays. There are a big excuse for people to eat crap and I try to avoid them. This will all be over in a few days. I am going to do a track running wod tomorrow. Ill see how it goes with the foot. it was pretty good today I still feel some pulling in it. the hard scar tissue is still not gone. I tried working on it yesterday with a barbell but i have a feeling it is going to take a long time to get rid of it. If ever.

meal 1 - vega wfo w. coconut water
meal 2 - vega wfo, soy yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, ground flax seed
meal 3 - clif bar & mac nuts
meal 4 - grit tofu, brown rice pasta, broccoli, red peppers
meal 5 - banana & mac nuts
meal 6 - grit tofu & roasted vegetable pizza

Come on Pilgram!

abs are still sore! did a little brick workout this morning. Started with a 13 minute warmup on the trainer. Then did 16 rounds of tabata (20 on 10 off) followed by a 20 minute run outside. I put hills back into my running. I think it is time to start doing them again. Used my bike to commute again. I raised the seat up a bit again. Feels good. I still think it can go higher so ill probably do it again in a few days. Got a new mattress delivered today. It's bigger and i think it will be better too.

CF wod - did the whole thing barefoot because i forgot sneakers.

21- 15-9
Power cleans at 65 lbs
pullups
Time 7:48

No hand tears again! whoo hoo! I probably should start going heavier on the cleans. I didn't connect my pullups as well as I did last time.

meal 1 - granola & soy milk
meal 2 - clif builder bar
meal 3 - clif crunch bar
meal 4 - tofu, mushrooms, black beans, red bell pepper, yellow string beans, pico de gallo
meal 5 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 6 - grit tofu, brown rice pasta, broccoli, red peppers, scallions

I feel a change comin' on

My abs are sore today! I guess 160 GHD situps will do that to you. It is cold and rainy here again so no biking and my foot is still a little swollen from the race. I put ice on it last night. will have to do that again tonight. So no running either. Back to the pool!

500 of drills to warmup then 30 x 50 on 20 seconds rest - times started out good but by the end I was so tired.
1 - 41
2 - 43
3 - 43
4 - 45
5 - 44
6 - 45
7 - 44
8 - 45
9 - 44
10 - 45
11 - 45
12 - 44
13 -45
14 - 46
15 - 46
16 - 45
17 - 46
18 -45
19 - 45
20 - 46
21 - 47
22 - 46
23 - 47
24 - 47
25 - 48
26 - 47
27 - 47
28 - 49
29 - 47
30 - 50
31 - 49

cooldown
100 breaststroke
100 backstroke

cf wod
10 - 9 -8- 7- 6- 5- 4- 3- 2- 1
Deadlifts @ 155
Walking Lunges

Time 7:20

warmup deads
135x5
155x5
175x5
185x3
185x7
I originally was going to do the wod with 185 But the guys were picking on my deads since I wasn't connecting them and they were liking my form so i dropped weight and made sure they were perfect.

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 2 - vega wfo, soy yougurt, ground flax, strawberries, blueberries
meal 3 clif builder bar & mac nuts
meal 4 - thai tofu, broccolit , carrots, peanuts & almonds

Under the Bridge

swim - 500 of drills to warmup then 2,000 yard TT - took me 37.21. Had the pool to myself for the most part. Lifeguard forgot his swimsuit. Did 50 of breaststroke to cooldown then had to get out and get ready for work. was running late with the whole lifeguard issue.

CF Wod - 20 AMRAP
5 pullups
10 GHD situps
10 Back Extensions

Rounds - 16 full and 2 pullups in the 17th. Not too bad considering i had to run back and forth from the GHD machine to the pullup bar. My pullups were really good today. I was able to kipping them through the whole wod without breaking. Which made me happy. I didn't tear my hands up either! I can handle pullups so much better when they are in small chunks like this. When there is a tone of them in a row I always get tears. Probably not just from the friction but from the fatigue too. sometimes i feel like going to crossfit lately is like going to work. I would rather be riding my bike, running or swimming. The foot is a little sore I am icing it now. Supposed to rain here the next couple of days. Not ready to run on the foot, probably can't ride my bike so most likely back to the pool.

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 2 - vega wfo, ground flax seed, strawberries, blueberries, soy yougurt
meal 3 - clif builder bar
meal 4 - tempeh scallopini, roasted potatoes, mac nuts
meal 5 - tofu, broccoli, carrots, clif bar


http://www.timesleader.com/sports/Williams__Rizzo_post_windy_victories_04-17-2011.html

here is a link to the article that ran in the paper today on the race.

Kings 5K

here is the race report for my first running race since the foot surgery. It was a 5k and I was lucky enough to be the 2nd female overall and the 1st in my age group. It was my first race back after surgery so Ill consider it a success. It was a tough day to race. It rained here all day yesterday and we have been having strong windstorms all day yesterday and today. So windy that part of my neighbors house tore off and concrete benches were turned over. I've got to go clean up my backyard because there is stuff everywhere. I decided to ride stefan to the race as it was only a few miles away from my house. As I was riding down I was thinking I should have brought Troy, my mountain bike, as there was a lot of broken tree limbs on the ground as well as some mud , washout stuff to ride though. Did I mention it was cold and I really didn't dress well enough. I don't know what I was thinking. I wore tights, a long sleeve technical shirt and a windbreaker jacket. I also had my riding gloves. Initially i planned on taking all of this off to race but i was so cold i kept all of it on. i really should have worn my under armour but i thought it would be too warm for that. I really didn't get warmed up on the bike ride down so I did a slow jog for a bit to get warmed up. That didn't really help either so I tried to make sure my lower legs/ feet were stretched out. Mostly I was just shaking cold until the gun went off. I really wasn't nervous at all for the race. I didn't have an real expectations of myself coming off the surgery so i guess i had nothing to be nervous for. I actually told someone that it would probably take me 26 or 27 minutes to run it just because i feel like that is where i am at right now. I passed a group of girls in the first quarter mile. The race starts down in a park and runs up a hill onto the levee system. when i got to the top of the hill I could basically see who was in front of me and it looked like all guys. Running on the levee is usually fun because it is flat and fast but today it was just windy as hell. You had to ask yourself if you were even moving forward. The 3 hills in the race are all getting on and off the levee system so they are short but a good grade. as I was approaching the turnaround point I was watching to see who was in front of me and I realized that I was actually leading the race. I held that lead through the first 2 miles. I got passed on the last hill and I wanted to try to keep her close because i've always had a good kick at the end. probably the years of track in my past but I honestly just couldn't keep her close enough to catch her at the end. I didn't run a good tactical race; I waited until the downhill towards the finish to really kick in and that's too late everyone does it there. Also I should have tried to stay behind some of the guys I was running near and let them take some of the wind for me but I felt like I was running too slow when I was doing that. Its the first time i've raced in awhile so i was most likely too excited just being there. i can honestly say i did run as hard as i could for the thing. i probably went out too hard but the thing is so short that I wanted to try to really go for it the whole way and i haven't been racing so i had no idea where i was really at race pace wise. I wasn't even checking my watch I really didn't care what it had to say i was so focused on going forward! I thought i started my garmin at the beginning of the race but it wasn't working so i started it on top of the levee. I also forgot to stop it when i was done. Don't worry I did remember to start and stop my ipod. Priorities!
I believe my time was 26 minutes and few seconds. There was mumblings after the race about the times being wrong. I did this race last year and it was my worst race of the season. It took me 26:34 then. I remember getting 25 something on my watch, again issues with the way they run their timing. over the board times were slower today and it had to be the wind factor. The overall male winner ran it just short of 20 minutes and usually that is a few minutes lower. I have a feeling I placed so well because a lot of people didn't show with the weather. Hopefully it only gets better for me from here. I haven't had much run training on my legs with the whole foot surgery situation. I didn't really notice any pain when i was running however my feet and pretty much everything else were freezing! I ran the whole race without my orthos and my left foot is still sore from running with them a week ago! I need to get the strength in my feet built back up and my lower legs stretched out as much as possible. One of the guys that was drafting off of me told me that I was running kicking my legs out like a duck. He said i kept flicking them to the side instead of pulling them forward. what was that about? The data i have off my garmin has me at 25.31. avg pace 8:36 best pace 6:26. avg hr 172. max hr 195. The t-shirts they gave out are bright yellow so it will be great to ride my bike in for visibility and I'll be wearing the maillot jaune!

meal 1 - sprouted grain bagel
meal 2 - banana
meal 3 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 4 - clif bar
meal 5 - tofu, red pepper, mushrooms, onions, guacamole, peanuts

even flow

didn't get to bike today we're having rain/winds storms all day and night. Hope it is cleared up for my 5k tomorrow. but im doing it whatever the weather is! With my luck it will still be stormy. Went to the pool. Did 500 of drills to warmup 100s of switch, catch, drag, shark & hesitate. Then did a 45 minutes TT - was in the middle of the 91st lap when the alarm sounded. I went at least this far. I was having some trouble counting my laps once it got around 60 so it may have been more. Then I did 500 more of drills. 100s of switch, catch, side kick, shark & hesitate. Cooled down with 100 of breaststroke & 100 of backstoke. I love mixing in medley strokes when I get a chance. Usually I swim before work and I don't have the extra time. Ill haveto check on my butterfly sometime soon.

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 2 - clif bars
meal 3 - tempeh, red peppers, carrots, zucchini, peanut sauce
meal 4 - tofu, broccoli, red peppers, zucchini ,water chestnuts, brown rice

I wanna be well

I got to go out on my tri bike, damon, last night. Had an awesome time. It wasn't a hard ride since it was my 3rd workout of the day. Went with my friend Jeff who also has a p2. We rode 17 miles mostly as a getting used to be in the aerobars etc. kinda ride. i stayed in them the entire time. only had one incident where a woman turned her car right in front of me. I cursed her out. Jeff was rationalizing that she doesn't understand how fast were actually moving on tri bikes. My only issue was i find it harder to drink on the tri bike. It's basically the same as a road bike if i stay out in the bullhorns but i never was really out there to take a drink. Im sure as I become more acclimated to the bike that will resolve itself. with my commute yesterday it was about a 30 mile day.

anytime i do three workouts in a day it tires me out. normally i am up before the alarm, not so today and I didn't even want to get out of bed when it went off but I did and I took damon out again this morning and we did a 2 mile warmup ride to a nice hill were I did 20 rounds of 1 minute hill climbs will staying seated, recovered on the downhill. then a 2 mile cooldown home. It was 10 miles total so I rode about 6 miles on the hill climbs/descents. With commuting about 22 mile day. While I am not trying to log miles on my bike I do sometimes wonder if that is what is seperating me from the better riders. I just haven't spend the kind of time riding that they have.


CF wod - 20 minute AMRAP of
25 burpees
15 back squats @ 65 lbs
5 1/2 rounds completed.
I went light on the weight because i knew i was going to be tired coming off of that many burpees and i really wanted to force myself to go unbroken through this. I didn't want to allow myself to re rack the bar and rest at any point. I never did re rack the bar but i did take a few seconds at the top of the squat while still under load to regroup a bit although I tried not to do it and keep pushing. I got under the bar to start the squats for the 6th round but the 20 minutes was up before i could get a squat in. I kept a consistent pace with the burpees. I wasn't ripping them off as fast as possible because i knew with that many i would actually go faster if i just kept going fast instead of tearing through the beginning ones and then needing a break.

I did the bike wod today instead of swimming because it is supposed to be rainy all day here tomorrow. however if i can get a ride in before the rain starts i will. I also plan on going to get my swimming done tomorrow. Sunday is the 5k. I might take the weekend off from CF and start back with that on monday. Ill see how the weather is tomorrow and how the race goes on sunday before i decide on my workouts. If i do ride tomorrow ill probably do a little brick just to get that feeling under the legs.

The foot was mostly ok today. Its a little sore after all the burpees but no major issues after running with the orthos yesterday.

meal 1 - vegetable pizza & soysage
meal 2 - clif builder bar & mac nuts
meal 3 - tofu, veggies & brown rice, almonds
meal 4 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 5 -  slice of pizza, grit tofu, peanut butter

Been down so long.

Didn't sleep well last night and didn't feel well this morning but made it to the track anyway. Did a 1 mile warmup then 4 x 400s on 1 minute rest. I didnt use my orthotics for the first time since before the surgery at all! I was going to attempt to phase this out but my left foot is still hurting from my run on sunday and I didn't want to use them and aggravate it anymore. Especially since I really want to go and race the 5k coming up this sunday! I didn't have any issues warming up. The spot I had surgery on did fell a little warm towards the end of my warmup. More like It was working than pain. I didn't have any troubles when I picked up the pace for the 400s either. Actually me left foot is giving me more problems than the right surgical side. times on the 400s were horrible went 1.40, 1.45, 1.50, 1.46. I am still not able to run fast. I'm hoping that changes! It is good in a way that i did this workout before the 5k on sunday because now I know not to expect any kind of good time out of myself. I will still be trying for one but it really is an indicator of where my running is at right now.

Finally got to do my commuting on stefan again! It didn't rain at all today! I am thinking about taking my tri bike out for a spin tonight just to get used to it on the road. I have my first tri in 2 weeks!

cf wod -
Front squats
I did these in my vibram five fingers and it felt kinda weird! I have no problems walking around in them but training still feels a little weird. I want to build my strength in my feet too!
45x5
55x3
65x1
75x1
85x1
95x1
105x1
115x1
125x1
130 - pitched it too far forward and dropped it. didn't have the time to rerack it and try again.
Good news is i didn't feel like i was going any work til i got over 100.

It's Gonna Rain

swim - 10 x 100s of drills to warmup, 2 sets of switch, catch, drag, shark & hesitate then
4 x 200s on 30 seconds.
3.27- 3.28 - 3.17 - 3.21
The last two I did with a couple of guys from the pool. They motivated some better times out of me! They ask me to swim with them all the time but I never do it. Maybe I should! I go faster with them! And I am all about swimming faster!

cf wod -
21 - 15- 9
Power Cleans @ 70lbs
Dips (box)
time - 5.32
Wod went pretty well. I dropped the bar a couple of times and wish I didn't. I was just getting tired and then i had to chase it across the gym. I need to start forcing myself to not break on these things just because i am feeling it!

I got invited to go ride my bike tonight with the guys from the pool but it has been raining since last night so i decided not to go.

Registered for my first running race of the season this weekend. Im going a local 5k to kick the season off.

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 2 - clif builder bar & mac nuts
meal 3 - banana & mac nuts
meal 4 - Tofu, veggies & brown rice
meal 5 - tempeh, red peppers & onion, spinach, roasted green beans & red beets, peanut butter

I am going to start eating more calories earlier in the day because i find myself hungry more in the morning.

winging it

Well the good news is my legs are feeling better. BUT my right shoulder is a mess. I shouldn't be surprised it always reacts like this anything I add something back in that is shoulder intensive like the jerks yesterday. I've been trying to stretch it out all day.

morning workout - ended up on the trainer because surprise surprise it is raining here again today.
did 3 mile warmup followed by 10 rounds of 45 seconds on 15 seconds off and a 10 minute cooldown. finished with 7 miles. Made myself push a really hard gear for the wod. My cadence was about 60 the whole time. I dropped my chain in the small ring and kept moving slowly through the 15 second rest.

cf wod - "diane"
21-15-9
Deadlifts @ 155 (women's RX)
Handstand pushups (did with toes on a box)
time 7:23

The deads went well that is a light DL for me. The handstand pushups were more of a challenge and slowed me down a bit. I failed twice trying to push myself up and had to break this into sets of 5 or so, just to give me muscles a break. Shoulder felt ok as i warmed up but now that the wod is over it is sore again.

 

Picked up Damon from the bike shop today. The sonic wing is interesting. If it ever stops raining here I can get out the road again and test it out.

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water & sprouted grain bagel
meal 2 - clif builder bar & mac nuts
meal 3 - cajun tofu, red cabbage & oven roasted broccoli, carmelized onion hummus & ezekiel wrap, banana, mac nuts
meal 4 - thai salad, thai tofu & veggies

Saw an article with Jay & max interview in it today. Here is a link

http://www.3gomagazine-digital.com/3-go/20110506/?sub_id=BxaoigoMc45SM#pg64

catch hell blues

I was right the lunges killed me! I am sure the hill repeats didn't help much either. Saturday I woke up with some DOMS. Decided I was in no condition to do a road running race so I went and did a group bike ride. My legs were so sore I actually took some ibuprofen before I even started riding. I decided to go on the ride instead of resting because I wanted to get some practice riding with other people. The ride went well enough. I did a 2.5 mile warmup to meetup with the group. My garmin died on the ride so I don't have any ride data. someone said it was 22miles. I also did a 2.5 mile ride back home later. I felt good on the group ride. I stayed with the 1st pack of riders almost the entire time. We did stop to do regroups about 3 times which i wasn't a fan of. I started to fall off the back towards the end of the ride. A few riders in front of me fell off too so i made myself catch them and stay with them the rest of the way. I felt good about that seeing how cooked my legs were. of course the hills were my weakness. The ride really didn't help the situation with my legs. I took more meds saturday night to sleep because my legs were so stiff. I couldn't walk downstairs or squats etc. Any concentric loading was painful. It hurt to touch them. sunday morning my legs were still in bad shape so i decided again not to race but rather to go out for a 9 - 10 mile run and get some distance on these legs as my half-mary and half-ironman tri are both coming up pretty soon. I ended up running 11.15 miles. The course I used is what i normally do for a half-mary training run. I thought i cut enough off of that to make it a shorter run but i was about a mile and half from my house when I had run out of water which i was rationing through the run so i thought it best to just run home as it would be faster than walking. It wasn't warm out so i didn't take a lot of water because i didn't want to have to carry it but i learned a lesson on that one! My legs were so fried I was dying on anything downhill and when i stopped running i kinda staggered across my driveway into my place. It was kinda funny. I hate my orthotics and am going to try to phase out of using them. My left foot (not surgery side) was aching for the last 2 days before of them. The legs are improved today but still a little sore. Went to the pool and did drills this morning 2 sets of 100s of switch, catch, drag, shark and hesitate. Then 200 paddles and pull, 200 fins, 200 paddles and pull,100 kick, my legs were fried on the kicking. Decided CF wod would have to be upperbody based. want these legs to recovery so i can get back at it tomorrow.

Shoulder press
55x2
60x1
60x1
65x1 (kinda push pressed this)
60x1
60x1
60x1
didn't have a good strict press today. I've been higher than this before

push press
65x3
70x3
75x3
80x3
85x3
90x3
95 fail
90x1
these felt pretty good

split jerk - this was my first time jerking since the foot surgery. these used to bother my foot before the surgery so i went light on these. Also my form wasn't the greatest since it's been a long time since i did them.

60x5
65x5
70x5
75x5
80x5

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 2 - vega wfo, soy yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, ground flax
meal 3 - clif builder bar & mac nuts
meal 4 - seitan, green beans, red peppers, carrots, beans sprouts stir fry, banana
meal 5 - carmelized onion hummus & ezekiel wrap, cajun tofu, sauteed red cabbage & oven roasted broccoli


my tri bike is done getting the wing installed but it is raining so i didn't go and pick it up yet.

Beast of Burden

I was going to ride my bike on the trainer this morning but I screwed up and my trainer skewer is actually on my Tri bike that I dropped off at the bike shop last night and even through I tried I could not get this regular skewer to fit in so I checked over my schedule and picked out a workout that I could get done in the amount of time I had left so I went and did 400 meters of walking lunges on a track that had frost on it still. time was 17.40. I was surprised it took me that long. I am gonna be feeling those for days. They always kill me.

2.5 mile warmup on my bike. then 10 x 1 minute hill sprints, recover on the downhill. Most of the time I was out of the saddle. These hurt. I was a little delirious when I was done. HR was up over 160 everytime. maxed at 169/ avg 146.
Got stefan all wet and muddy. The weather has just been ridiculous lately.

meal 1 - soysage & a banana
meal 2 - clif builder bar & mac nuts
meal 3 - 1 scoop vega and coconut water
meal 4 - girt tofu, roasted yellow beans, 1/2 ezekiel pizza with broccoli & soysage
meal 5 - edamame hummus & ezekiel wrap

All Apoligies

swim - 10 x 100 of drills, switch, catch, drag, shark and hesitate x2

then 1,000 on 25 hard 25 easy. took me around 19 minutes. timed it just to see what it came up as. Pretty consistent last time i did this i swam 2,000 and it took me 38 minutes. it's kinda funny because my form actually feels worse on the easy than it does on the hard. I am trying to slow myself down so i can recover and sprint again. overall lately I feel like my balance in the water is better. I am rotating better.


cf wod - 5 rounds of 15 push presses @ 65 lbs and 10 pullups - time - 12:34

The push presses were actually hard for me than the pullups today. That was odd usually the pullups are my hardest part of the wod. My kipping was on today. I was connecting my pullups well. I did actually fall off the bar once into a bucket of chalk and onto the ground. But otherwise they were good. I actually didn't even tear my hand. I almost can't believe it.




got invited to go ride tonight but i was kinda too tired and sore for the 3rd workout of the day so i declined. Im kinda proud of myself for doing that and just acknowleding how i felt instead of pushing through it. I took damon to the bike shop to get his sonic wing installed. Things are getting even more tense at the CF gym lately. That's  not a good situation.
meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 2 - vega wfo, soy yogurt, blueberries, ground flax, clif buidler bar, mac nuts
meal 3 - tempeh, red peppers, tomatoes, onions, daiya
meal 4 - soysage, broccoli, daiya, ezekiel wrap

Old Mary

foot was a little touchy this morning when i got up but most of the day i didn't even think about it but i wasn't really using it much either. i was really tired getting up to swim this morning. too many days in a row of not enough sleep!

swim - 400 of drills to warmup, switch, catch, shark, hesitate - then 35 TT - 74 laps completed. I was hurting when i started swimming but that went away. I slowed down too much in the middle of the workout. I felt good and was moving fast again towards the end of it. The hardest part of swimming time trials is i can't actually see where i am at timewise until the alarm goes off. I kinda like swimming distance TT better because at least i have some sense of being able to judge where i have to go yet and how i am feeling. 50 breaststroke to cooldown

deadlifts
135x3
155x3
175x3
185x3
195x3
205x3
205x1 fail on 2nd attempt, got it on the third lift, failed again on the 4th pulled it on the 5th.

This probably wasn't my best day to do deadlifts because my hammies were not recovered from sprinting last night. But i did the best I could with the shape I was in. I think I was putting in everything i had even though 205 is 40 pounds under my current max because i was really dizzy after my lifts and i usually only get that when i am lifting near my max loads. Had my legs been more recovered i think i could have gone a little heavier.

It's been tough going to the crossfit gym lately. I just want to swim, bike and run!

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 2 - vega wfo, soy yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, ground flax
meal 3 - clif builder bar, banana & mac nuts
meal 4 - tofu, red peppers, spinach, yams, broccoli
meal 5 - tempeh, red pepper, tomatoes, onions, peanut butter

walking contradiction

 stefan and i are in the back of the peloton here.


im actually feeling a little sore from the cleans today. Been too long since I last did them! It's kinda funny because i wasn't even moving big weight around.

"karen" - 150 wallballs for time.
14lb ball @ 9 ft target
time 12:52

wallballs are not one of my better crossfit moves so I was dreading going to CF today knowing this was on the schedule. There was improvement on my wallballs but as i fatigued i was literally doing 2 - 3 at a time. I think my form and accuracy would be better on them if i used a lighter ball but this is rx and i can do it so i force myself to use it. I don't know if that is for the best or not. the previous time I have written down was 14:25. It that is correct then this was a 1.27 PR. Kinda funny because i didn't even know what my old time was when i was doing it and i wasn't forcing myself to go for a pr. I was just forcing myself to do the wod because i really didn't want to. it was nice to find out that it was a better time for me.

meal 1 - tempeh bacon
meal 2 - vega wfo w/coconut water, mac nuts
meal 3 - tofu, brown rice, veggies

Run - 1 mile warmup. foot ok. then 10 x 100 meter sprints on 30 seconds rest. It took me 20 - 21 seconds to do the sprints. It has been a long time since I have even attempted to run fast. My foot didn't hurt while sprinting but i noticed it on the 30 second rest. Did a 1/2 mile cooldown and it didn't bother me then. Icing it now as it feels a little sore. Not sure how I feel about running anymore, sometimes i feel like i shouldn't even do it anymore and just swim, bike and crossfit since those don't seem to bother me. Running does. But I do love to run.

meal 4 - clif builder bar, banana
meal 5 - tofu, red peppers, spinach, yams, broccoli

It's a long way to the top (if wanna rock n roll)

 here is a shot during the TTT. Im the last rider.

swim - 2 x 500 drills - 100s of switch, catch, drag, shark, hesitate.
200 pull & paddles
200 side kicking
200 pull & paddles
200 streamline kicking
200 pull & paddles
100 breaststoke
50 butterfly kick

crossfit wod - 50 hanging power cleans for time @55 - time 6:57
did some hanging power cleans to warmup from 45 - 65 in sets of 5. I haven't been doing cleans in so long it felt weird which is why i used the lower weight.

45 minute bike ride - 11.5 miles just spinning the legs out from yesterday. They actually feel ok.

meal 1 - vega wfo w/coconut water & banana
meal 2 - soy yougurt, vega wfo, strawberries & blueberries, ground flax
meal 3 - slice of veggie pizza
meal 4 - tofu, brown rice, veggies, mac nuts
meal 5 - clif builder bar
meal 6 - hummus & broccoli, granola & soymilk

Wheelman's Cup

Well today was my first stand alone cycling race. It was the wheelman's cup. It was a 5 mile team TT and a 42 mile Crit. It was my first time doing both events. Mostly was a learning experience as I wasn't very good at either. Got dropped by my team for the TT. Wasn't surprised I really couldn't stay with them. I did do some riding in the peloton during the crit. That was a success in that I didn't crash my bike and I didn't freak out. I am not used to drafting off of people so I have to get more comfortable with it. The race was tough because the only girls in it were on my team and i already knew i couldn't stay with them. Luckily i was able to stay with a guy that fell off the peloton too and let him pull me around for awhile. I am not a quitter so i finished the whole thing. A lot of people didn't once they fell off the peloton they just pulled off the road and stopped and watched the race. I really don't understand that. I would rather come in last than dnf. And as it broke up it would have given me more people to ride with. Lots of room for improvement. I need to start riding with people. I really haven't done that because i normally ride early in the morning and most of the rides i know about are at night. I was getting told what to do during the race. The biggest thing the crowd was yelling to me was to ride with more gear. That i was spinning myself out. My cadence was too high. After the race several people told me my seat is too low so ill have to work on that. But people were cheering for me for anytime I did do something right. It was kinda funny, they would be like look how close you are to the the guys wheel good for you! hang on! The funniest part of the whole race was when one of the guys goes to me i want you to feel what its like to be in the front of the peloton so he puts his arm around my waist and literally starts pulling me with him, FAST!. Now that's getting swept up by the peloton! If i could only be that fast by myself! so he has me add more gear and he puts his hand on my back and pushes me so i go off like a rocket. Hopefullly next time i do a crit there will be more people at my level there. the team i rode on won both the time trial and the crit so they took home the cup.

meal 1 - tofu, mushrooms, peppers, bagel
meal 2 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 3 - clif bar
meal 4 - lentils & brown rice
meal 5 - roasted veggie pizza, mac nuts

Don't think twice, It's All right

Took a 19 mile spin with a teammate getting ready for tomorrows race, gone 1:26 . found out more about what I need to do. I am looking forward to the challenge of it. I know I am not one of the better riders in tomorrows comp but it is a learning experience.  Practiced my drafting a bit. Had a run in with a car where a guy was literally messing with us. Pulling in front of us and braking.   He even pulled over and waited for us. Clearly he has never know the happiness of riding a bike. it's sad. Had to stop for gas on the way home and had a guy very aggressively hitting on me. It was a weird day. Race report tomorrow! Hope fully it will be a good one!

meal 1 - tofu, mushrooms, peppers,zucchini, 1/2 bagel
meal 2 -  tofu, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, small bowl of granola and soy milk
meal 3 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 4 - tofu raviolis and a clif builder bar

Black

Bike - 3 miles warmup. then 8 rounds of tabata 20 on 10 off - distance .91 - pushed at hard gear. 10 minute cooldown 2.25 miles.

legs are still sore from crossfitting the last few days.

swim - 500 drills 100s of switch, catch, drag, shark, hesitate, 500 time trial with a t shirt on. time - 8:54 - which is a .14 PR. Not much of an improvement but it is so hard to swim with a shirt on Ill take it!

meal 1 - vega wfo, soy yougurt, strawberries, blueberries, ground flax
meal 2 - lentils & brown rice, Clif builder bar
meal 3 - tofu, peppers, coconut milk, yellow beans
meal 4 - vega wfo w/coconut water
meal 5 - tempeh bacon, guacamole, 1/2 bagel, peanut butter

picked up my kit for sundays race. I also got my cycling license in the mail today. The race will be a sucess if i don't crash! I love how the kits matches stefan. looking slick!