Hello 2009- Goodbye 2008!!!!!

Wow. I know it has been forever since I last posted. I usually don't make New Year's Resolutions but I will make one this year. I promise to post on my blog no less than 1 time per week (hopefully more) until Coeur d'Alene!!!

I have actually been working out (a little) somewhat sporadically, but definitely nothing to write home about, or at least in this case write to my blog about:)!!!

Looking forward to a good start in 2009. I'm hoping that FEAR, typically my biggest motivator, will kick in soon so I can get some positive momentum going leading up to my first race of the season in April. Oceanside 70.3!!

It has been a pretty good week so far following Christmas break. Short run and core workout Monday, good swim yesterday. My shoulder is actually feeling a little better so hopefully it will hold up. Plan for today (New Year's eve) is for short (75 minute) bike and core workout then party like its 1776!!! Which basically means some drink ale, eat some bread and crawl into bed and hide at about 9:30 pm!!

Good Week...HUGE WIN!!!

Well I completed my first week under my new coach and overall I have to say...pretty good start. I am pleased..but also tired. Thank goodness I have a day off tomorrow. I did the scheduled workouts 7 out of 8 days. Actual workout ratio was even better ...12 for 13 workouts over the 8 day period:) I missed only a 40 minute bike ride on Thursday night.

Friday November 7 -

Swam a 300 meter warm-up with drills and then did 10 x 100m at Threshold pace +5 to 10 seconds. The a 200 m cool down. Overall not too bad if you could ignore the swim team that was practicing in the lanes next to me. It is a little embarrassing to have a 13 year old girl pass you doing the breast-stroke while you are freestyling.

Spin bike at Lifetime fitness. Did a 10 minute warm-up and then 10 x 2' min Muscular Endurance intervals. I was freaking dying by the end. Then 20 minutes at heart rate of ~145-150.

Saturday was an 1:30 minute run and Sundays bike was 3:15 minutes at low heart rate between 140-150. I actually did better keeping my heart rate down today (if you don't count the 2 times I was chased by dogs) but I was still pretty wiped by the time I pedaled in.

And of course most importantly was Bama's Overtime win against LSU on Saturday night clinching our first trip to the SEC Championship Game since 1999. The only bad part about that...game is December 6th and I'll be on a plane to Hawaii so I won't be able to watch the game!!! Oh well...I'll be in Hawaii so I can't complain too much:)

Can I Please Quit?????!!!!!!!!!

Holy Crap!! Its only been 5 days of training and I'm freaking Dying!!! Who's stupid idea was this again?...I somehow don't remember it being this hard before. You would think I would be in better shape the second time around...wow...false impression that's for sure. The real scary part is that according to Carole for the most part its been pretty low key/low intensity training...what's gonna happen when things start to pick-up?

Since Saturday I have swam a total of 7000 yards! That is a freaking lot! I don't think I swam 7000 yards the entire time I trained for Arizona. Today was a threshold pace test...After about 700 meters for warm-up I swam 4x300 as fast as could while trying to maintain a constant pace. I won't embarrass myself by throwing out numbers, but lets just say I didn't leave the pool area feeling overly good about myself.

I also did an aerobic pace test for the run. Goal was to keep my heart rate low ~150 which I did but wow...I ran 4 miles and again I won't embarrass myself by listing my time, but lets just suffice it to say that I actually felt worse about myself than I did after the swim! I'm hoping I am just a little worn out.

On Tuesday I rode 1hr on the stationary bike followed by a 25 minute run on the treadmill. Not too bad, again low intensity.

Monday consisted of some good long swim sets...shocking I know...along with some pretty intense core work. My stomach is still sore by the way:(

"Official" Training Begins...really...I mean it this time

This weekend saw my first "official" training plan sprung into action. I got my first 10 day training plan from Carole a few days ago and it started on Saturday, November 1. First day had 2 workouts amounting to a swim and run. At first glance they seemed pretty low key, but I have to admit...the swim totally kicked my ass...all told it was 3,000 meters of swimming... and I was wiped. The hour run afterward wasn't too terrible, but I was still pretty tired...thank god she told me to not let my heart rate go above 155.

Sunday's plan amounted to a 40 mile bike ride again keeping my heart rate below 150...very difficult for me to do...every time I hit a hill and checked I was well above 160..oh well...I'll keep trying. Despite all of the above, to me the most important thing right now is that at least for the next week...ALABAMA IS RANKED #1!!!!!!!!! ROLL TIDE!!!!

Aerobic Endurance

Today I did an Aerobic Endudrance spin class at Lifetime Fitness. We did 5 x 10 minute intervals designed to reach AT at end of each interval. I tried to keep my heart rate below 155 as discussed with my new coach (AT is 167) and managed to do so for about 1 of the intervals, but I felt like a lazy JACKASS and succumb to the pressure.

Max heart rate reached was 170...average was 148 so that part was good:) Overall pretty good, easy workout. Getting ready to start serious training beginning November 1,2008. I just got my first 10 days worth of schedules from my new coach, Carole Sharpless. Its look busy, but not too difficult...we'll see how it goes though:) I'm anxious to get training and also have some accountability. I do much better under a little pressure:)

Consistency is the Hobgoblin of the Simple Mind!

Trying to stay at least somewhat consistent if nothing else...which at this point, nothing else seems to be winning out more times than not. Although overall not a bad week and weekend. I did manage to talk Carole into being my coach starting on November 1, so there was some progress made. She seems very motivating and truly interested in helping me reach my yet to be defined goals. Either that or she needs students really badly...either way it should work out.

Thursday October 16, 2008:

Made it to spin class at Lifetime after a long workday. Probably the worst and most annoying instructor I have ever had. I couldn't hear or understand anything she was saying to do, so I had no idea where we were trying to get to or when the intervals were ending, etc. Probably had something to do with me being in a bad mood, probably also had something to do with the fact that she TOTALLY SUCKED! So...no more Thursday evening classes for me that's for sure!

Saturday October 18, 2008:

After watching another harrowing victory by my Crimson Tide over the Ole Miss Rebels I decided to celebrate with a run. I ran a 5 mile loop I have mapped around my house and felt absolutely fantastic. Best I have felt running in quite a while. I think it had to do with the very cool night air at about 65 degrees. Perfect for a run. I felt actually "fast" by my standards and was not even slightly winded at the finish.

Monday October 19, 2008:

Made it to another spin class and prayed on the way there I would not have the same instructor I had Thursday. Those prayers were answered and actually had a pretty good class. I loafed through the third and final effort, not really on purpose but I was distracted by watching the 2005 Hawaii Ironman DVD they had playing during class. The whole Brian Breen story as he raced for Blais, the Hoyts, all sorts of inspiring stories. Made me feel like a total loser for whining the last few weeks about my non-existent problems.

Easy Run/Painful Crashes

Made it out for another quick (by my standards) 2-1/2 mile run. I again waited until too late to start so anything longer was out of the question unless I wanted to get pegged by a car at about 60 mph. Based on how my days have been going...maybe not such a terrible thing.

I have finally given up on Tony...talked to Carole Sharpless and think I am going to use her as my coach starting in November. She actually just moved to Boulder...how cool is that?!! I heard Tony was in another bike accident over the weekend...poor guy...broken collar bone, the works. Not good. In any case I have been involved in approximately 4 major crashes of my own within the past week...they all relate to the stock market and are just as freakn' painful!!!!

Tuesday Spin

Made it to spin class this evening. Its actually getting much harder. Not sure if I am adjusting to a less intense class, working harder or what...either way...it put a little hurtin' on me tonight!

I actually thought about swimming afterwards, but quickly left that thought in the locker room as I made my way home for a good dinner!

Hittn' It Hard!!

Well another not so scintillating workout weekend, but a pretty good football watching weekend!! At this point I can't even remember my reasons for not working out on Friday and Saturday, but I am sure they were totally valid.

Sunday 10/12/2008

My plan today is to rise early and get in a good long bike ride for a change, but I am foiled by a rainy, windy Sunday in Atlanta. I do decide since I am up early to go ahead and go to spin class at Lifetime. I don't want a repeat of last Sunday and don't trust my motivation at this point. Class is actually pretty hard so I feel much better about myself and decide to reward my efforts with a long nap and full day of watching Pro Football. Good game by the Falcons...nothing like making a 50 yard kick with 1 sec on the clock for the win!!

Monday 10/13/2008

No major plan but when I get home I do manage to get in a short 2-1/2 mile run. I actually feel pretty good but unfortunately started too late to run any further since it was pretty dark by the time I finish. Dammit...I hate it when I do that.

Lazy Weekends/Crazy Weeks

Okay I know its been way too many days since I have updated. It has been an unbelievable couple of weeks in regards to the financial markets so from a work standpoint...CRAZY!!! I'm starting to feel a little more positive though...I can "feel" the momentum starting to shift and I am betting on a huge turn-around...within days...maybe a week at most. Don't be fooled however by my optimism...I've never been particularly good at "gut" feeling predictions.

In any case, back to the blog. As I recall I left things after a pretty good 7 mile run on Thursday October 2, 2008.

Friday October 3, 2008:

I decide since I had such a "strong" and consistent training week and just a horrible work week I am going to continue this trend and do my 2nd spin class of the week on Friday. I rush home, take Maggie out and pack my workout bag. I check the spin class schedule and am not too disappointed to see..THERE IS NO FRIDAY NIGHT SPIN CLASS OFFERED!!...Darn..oh well, I decide to eat a huge steak and drink a beer instead. I tell myself I'll run tomorrow before our football game since we don't play until 3:30 and I will get a good swim in as well.

Saturday October 3, 2008:

I wake up at 10:30 and decide I need to eat a good breakfast before my run. Afterwards I sit on the couch, nap and watch football all day. I mean I literally don't leave the house. Alabama barely squeaks by Kentucky...whew...at least we are 6-0!! I decide I will get up early and go for a long bike ride on Sunday morning to make up for my total slackness today.

Sunday October 4, 2008:

I wake up with a huge crick in my neck. I cannot look to the left without a terrible pain. I decide I should probably not go out and ride my bike today. I will go to the gym and ride the stationary bike instead. I later rationalize that it was a good thing because where I ride was hosting an organized century ride and I would have been in the way and very unwelcome since I hadn't paid and would have been stopping and eating/drinking their food for free. I do make it to the gym and and after a very un-inspired 30 minutes on the bike I decide to go home, drink beer and watch football. For good measure I stop at the store and buy 2lbs of King Crab legs to help me enjoy my afternoon.

Wednesday October 8, 2008:

Monday and Tuesday are consumed with work so no working out either day. DAMN I suck. Finally I get off my lazy butt and head to the 6:00pm spin class. I work "extra" hard during class to make up for my slackness this week..still not as hard as at ATS but what are you going to do. I promise myself I am going to get more consistent starting today!

Hmm...We'll just see how that goes:)

Long Week - "Long Run" - Long on Frustration - Should Have "Shorted" the Market

Wow ...this week needs to be over with and fast!! Between the krappy market and the gas shortage I'm about over it. However I do believe the gas shortage is coming to an end in Atlanta. My hypothesis is based on the fact that there were way too many cars on the road this morning on my way to work. The one nice thing about the gas shortage...no traffic...today's commute to work....2 hours!!!

According to my "schedule" today is supposed to be my "long-run" day. I am not sure however, exactly what a long run means to me at this point. I mean Monday felt like a pretty long run and it was just 5 miles. I get home and decide since its such a beautiful evening I'll just run from the house. Since work has been more than a little frustrating I feel like it might be good to push myself a little, so I am feeling motivated and decide to do one of the larger loops I have clocked around my house. Its about a 7 mile loop and very hilly so I just hope I can make it. I started out a little rough and the first 2 miles or so were pretty painful but once I got running it wasn't too bad. I was painfully slow, but hey at this point I'm just looking for a little consistency. Tomorrow the plan is for another spin class as well as a swim. We'll see how that plan develops.

Now my only decision is whether to watch the Debate or the USF-Pitt game...j/k...come on...its really no decision... I know where my priorities are...its ESPN all the way!!!

Mid-Week Workout - Three days until GAMEDAY!!

It was a pretty uneventful Wednesday actually, which suited me just fine being that Monday and Tuesday this week felt like they lasted a month. I still had my full tank of gas from yesterday so I was out the door and ready for my daily traffic sit by 8:30.

I wanted to stay on my schedule this week and at minimum do a spin class tonight on my way home. I did manage to get by Lifetime Fitness for the 6:00pm spin class. It was an anaerobic threshold class and while I wouldn't say any spin class is easy its just not the same as those classes I used to do at ATS. On the other hand, I can actually enjoy the class and almost look forward to getting started as opposed to walking into ATS and having that feeling of impending DOOM and DREAD! In any case I suppose I will eventually have to get back to classes at ATS if I ever want to get into the best bike shape possible. My goal is to start back there around the first of the year...or maybe spring...we'll see:)

Now, onto more important news. I am starting to get a little nervous for the game on Saturday. Our big win last week makes each upcoming game that much more important. Its Kentucky, which in the past meant an easy victory, but I certainly wouldn't say that's true anymore. Too much parity in the SEC for my comfort level. Damnit!!

Like the Financial Markets- My Training is all over the place!!

After yesterday's work fiasco I thought I should get an early start on my day. Unfortunately I spent about 40 minutes looking for a gas station that actually had gas. After finally succeeding in my quest and realizing I was not significantly closer to the office than when I started...I made the command decision to work from home today and get an early start tomorrow:)

I thought I should take advantage of the afternoon and get in at least a little training since I was not that busy ...(mostly contributed to by the fact that I brought nothing home with me)..so I headed over to Lifetime Fitness about 3:30 to get in a run and swim.

Tuesday 09/30/2008:

Jumped on the treadmill for a planned easy pace 6 mile run but started whining to myself to stop after about 2 miles. I somehow negotiated with myself to stay with it for a total of 5 miles, but it is unbelievable how totally out of shape you can get so quickly. It is hard for me to believe I could actually run 18 miles at a single clip as late as April of this year. Wow...How did I lose my endurance in a such flash?!! After this I definitely felt like I needed to swim and do a quick 300 meter warm-up and then decide since I had such a bad run I will try and make myself feel better by doing a 1,500 meter swim. I haven't attempted anywhere near this distance since Arizona and I quickly remember why. My form goes to total krap after 200-300 meters and I just can't get it back. I feel like I am gasping and half drowning the whole way...miserable...I do finish my 1500 meters but when I check my time I notice this is the same time I used to be able to swim 2000 meters in...NICE!! Obviously I am not happy. I walk back through the locker room in my speedo thinking I can't feel any worse about myself until I happen to glance up and see my profile in the mirror...yikes....okay so I just thought I couldn't feel any worse than I did after the swim. Damn...home to eat a chicken breast and no more beer for at least a week...well maybe just until the game on Saturday:)

Roll Tide!/Training by Association/"D'OH!"

Okay so maybe my first post exclaiming that "Coeur d'Alene training begins", was a little overstated. My friend Reg has been busting my chops for the last few days asking me, "why haven't you been updating your blog?" Hello! Are you watching what is going on in the world of finance?

In addition, being at the Alabama-Georgia game and being an Alabama fan, that has to count for something doesn't it? I mean to even be associated with such a physical "beatdown", I must have gained some physical benefit equivalent to at least a 12 mile run or maybe a 3-gap cycle ride! Yes?

Okay so here was training/weekend update since my last blog:

Friday September 26, 2008 - Despite a very busy week, I did manage to get over to Lifetime Fitness and get in a quick 1,200 meter swim. I was planning on doing a 40 minute run on the treadmill as well but forgot my socks, so after mile and feeln' the blisters start to appear I decided to call it quits...really ...no kidding ....I forgot my socks!! That was not an excuse!

Saturday September 27, 2008. I rose early and made my way to Athens. My friend Jay Clark started his tailgate at 6:30 am!!! That is some serious tailgating considering the game wasn't until 7:45 pm!! Also made for a very long day when your team gets blown out. Let's just say my Georgia friends were none too happy when I returned to the tailgate site after the game. I snuck out of there pretty quickly with a minimum of "bragging". On a positive note, Craig Canfield was the master chef and the smoked pulled pork-butt and drunk chicken was the best it has ever been! It was a very fun day and worth the non-training cost. An old Air-Force buddy of mine, Karl Tucker, came in from Boston over the weekend to watch the game so we had a great time.

I also remember that exactly one year ago this weekend I was in Cancun Mexico getting ready to race in the Ironman Cancun 70.3. As I recall I was trying to get some much needed sleep on Saturday night as my friends called my cell all night updating me on the 2007 Georgia-Alabama game. A game which we lost in overtime. Oh well, at least my race the following day was awesome!!

On Sunday my friend didn't fly out until late so we decided to head down to Park-Tavern at the corner of Piedmont Park and it was literally a perfect day. Music, friends, and fresh brewed beer. Hopefully I'll feel it was worth it when I DNF in June!!

What do I say about today? Monday September 29, 2008, wow not the day to be a financial planner or investment manager. As Homer Simpson would say, "D'OH"!! Not a fun day !! The good new is since there is freakin' absolutely no gas to be found anywhere in the state of Georgia...I CAN'T GO TO WORK!!!

Coeur d'Alene '09 Training Begins!

Alright this is my first attempt at creating a blog so forgive my ineptness. I will get better as I go...promise! I thought this would be a good place to update and share with my friends training logs, tips, motivation, etc for our official Ironman Coeur dAlene training, as well as overall shared race and training experience from the past as we approach race date...currently T-8 months 27 days and counting!

I would love to get comments, suggestions, criticism, additions, whatever from any and everybody who happens to stumble across this blog. I am by no means an expert...about as far from it as is possible. I have started and finished 6 triathlons in my brief career. Two sprint distance, one Olympic, two half-Ironman and one full Ironman in that order and suffered through the majority of them! Especially Ironman Arizona in '08 :).

In general though my main goal with this blog is to keep an accurate log of my training along with all the obstacles/success I might encounter along the way. So here it goes, inconsistent training to date since April, but I am hoping to change that beginning this week!!

Saturday 9/20/08 Easy 5 mile run. Actually felt good to get out again, since I haven't run consistently since Arizona in April. Beautiful day, perfect weather for a run.

Sunday 9/21/08 Relaxed 56 mile bike ride through back roads around Monroe Georgia. Pace felt good, again it was nice to be out and riding again. My longest ride since April. I won't post times quite yet, I even turned off my speedometer so I wouldn't worry about average pace. Overall felt good, legs were a little tired but didn't feel nearly as bad as I feared prior to starting:)

09/23/08 Lifetime fitness: hit the pool for some laps. Overall swim distance was 2,000 meters. Did a 500 meter warm-up with drills, 50's and 100's. Then did a 500, 400, 300, 200,100 with about a minute rest in between sets. Made it to spin class at 6:30 for a speed class...similar to the 120's at 120% of Threshold we do with Tony, but without the accountability so not nearly as hard:)