Team in Training -- Week 16 (May 17-23)

If one word described last week, it was "new". This week the word is "cold". Weather dealt its hand here.

Monday: We have what we call an On Your Own (OYO) Week. Minimal group things are scheduled and you must be self-motivated to stay on the training plan. So, OYO, I drag Marley down to the closest school track. Alternate running 2 laps, walking 1 lap. Marley is not entertained by going round and round in a circle. Me, I have my music on the iPhone.

Tuesday and Wednesday: Social engagements. No sports.

Thursday: It’s raining so Bob and I pedaled on the stationary bikes in the basement.

Friday: I’m off to the track again. About the time I arrive, it starts to rain. It pours. It hails. Marley, who seems to be wiser than me, refuses to run any more. I tie her up under a tree and keep on running. Do you get to quit when your shoes start squishing? Eventually I do give up, quitting 10 minutes short of my goal, and call Bob to come save me in the car. After all, who wants to walk in the rain? When he arrives, Marley and I drag our dripping bodies into the back seat where Bob has stashed a pile of towels. Bob then announces the car is dying. On cue, it complies by sputtering, smoking, stinking for good measure, then dying at the side of the road. Why don’t our friends answer their phones? Zip Car to the rescue. There is one around the block. The next day the car is towed to the shop.

Saturday: This is our first practice race, in abbreviated form. It’s time to get a taste of putting three sports together.

One of my teammates described it right: "The water is frickin’ cold". And there are plenty of green slimy things growing in it. They don’t seem bothered by the cold.

We have been instructed to kick hard the last 100 yards of the swim. This is to get the blood circulating back in our legs. How do you tell where 100 yards from the shore is? Sure enough, I don’t know where 100 yards is and I don’t kick enough. When I come out of the water I feel like I'm going to tip over. My fingers are frozen and it’s nearly impossible to get the wet suit unzipped, but eventually I climb on my bike, and pedal my lightheaded wet body up the road. This has got to be a record slow transition. Up the hill away from Seward Park, around the round-about and back to the transition area. Must keep eating. At 30 minutes my legs are noodles. At least I have some feeling back in them.

This transition including falling to the ground to get my tennis shoes on. You don't see that on the Hawaii Ironman telecasts. My clothes are still wet as I run off along the lake path, down and back. My feet feel like ice cubes. I do a few 30-second walks but managed to survive. At least with the run we are able to cheer each other on with high fives as we pass each other.

This is our transition area after the tornado team came through. We just threw out wet suits, bikes, and everything else down and moved on to running.

Sunday: A few of us meet for another practice open water swim in Green Lake.

I mention how much I’m in awe of triathletes, after Saturday’s practice. My teammates pointed out, “Sandy, you are a triathlete.” I love my teammates.

The water is chillier this week. We swam a 1/4 mile out, regrouped, then swam the 1/4 mile back in, nonstop. It was a little easier than last week. Less thrashing, more rhythm.
Back home to a very hot shower. Oh, oh, my cold is coming back. I don’t think my immune system likes all this cold wet stuff.

Team in Training -- Week 15 (May 9-16)

Sunday. Started with a run around Discovery Park with its beautiful trails. The scenery goes from woods with the crows picnicking overhead, to fields, to a scenic overlook of the Puget Sound. Running for me was actually half walking, as I was so trashed from the bike ride the day before.

Monday. We were in the pool. Twenty 100s on 2 minutes. The rests got shorter and shorter but we made it.

Tuesday. Biking the Magnolia loop with Bob. Another scenic ride.

Wednesday. Running with the group. Loops up and down a hill in Kelsey Park. My taped knee held up, but I had to walk down the hills. Too much pounding for me. Chatted with one of the coaches as to whether I should be so trashed from the bike ride. How will I ever run after a bike ride? So now I'm instructed to slow down a little bit, but bike three times a week instead of two.

Thursday. Biking with Bob. Once again I ran out of steam, at 1 hour 15 minutes. That’s not going to work.

Friday. A much needed rest day, even though I walked to work and back.

Saturday. Fun, fun, fun. The weekend was full of firsts for me. We rode in the Marymoor Velodrome for sprint practice! I don’t know how many of you have seen a velodrome, but it is a very scary thing the first time you ride in one. To novices such as myself, the track on the corners are very, very high and very, very steep. I did a few laps on the track on the straight stretch, then dropped down to the pavement on the corners. Then I starting edging into the corners before dropping down. Finally I made through a whole corner. Then it was scream around the corners the rest of the practice. And I mean scream. Yes, we were pedaling fast, but I was actually screaming, as if in an amusement park.
This is a picture from the Marymoor Velodrome web site: http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/inventory/marymoor/velodrome.aspx

Sunday. We got our wetsuits and swam outside for the first time, in Green Lake. I was skeptical about wetsuits, but OK, I love wetsuits. I feel like I’m flying in the water, except for that breathing thing. I have to get the rhythm of peeking ahead to get my direction, and breathing. Details.
Later it was another bike ride with Bob. I ate three times as many snacks as I usually do. I have this cute little Bento Box that hangs on my bike rail, so that I can eat on the go. This time I made it to 1 hour 30 minutes till I ran out of steam. Six weeks to go.

Team in Training -- Week 14 (May 2-8)

Training is very, very interesting. Sometimes very, very tough. Sometimes very, very exhilarating.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday:  My cold has returned. Skipped Monday’s group swim practice.

Wednesday: Group running at the Green Lake Track. I am so slow. It’s warmup and I’m not keeping up, even if the others are going their easy pace. One of the coaches drops back and runs with me. Looking after his stragglers. Since I’m still struggling with my cold, I listen to what the main practice is, then skip it to go home and sleep.

Friday: Now I’m ready to try the Wednesday group workout. I’m back on the track. I run one mile, walk a bit, then run a second mile, trying to to drop a minute off my time. I’m huffing and puffing, thinking ‘No way’, but when I was done I had cut 1 minute 10 seconds off my time. Now if I were a better runner I would try again. But I was pleased with myself and went home.

For my knees, I’m stretching and have strengthening and balance exercises. I’m trying to get the knee-caps to track correctly. Meanwhile, I tape one knee before runs, to pull it in place. I may have to figure out water-proofing with duct tape before race day.

Saturday: What a beautiful ride from Luther Burbank Park in Mercer Island around the south end of Lake Washington, by Boeing Field (look at that huge plane beside us!), up to Seward Park, and across the bridge back to Mercer Island. It was 26 miles, the distance of the race. I ended up in a nice group of four buddies. It felt like the right speed for me. But then we did a 10-minute run, just for kicks, to get the feel of going from bicycling to running. It hurt.  I was completely trashed.
Mmmm, one of our teammates was selling biscotti to raise her money for her part in this Leukemia and Lymphoma Society event. It’s tasty.

So at this point, I can run half the distance of the race, on a good day. I will probably be doing a lot of walking on race day.