Takin the Train to Tri Town

Say what now?

2012-02-29T15:51:00.003-08:00

It's Wednesday evening and I'm trying to wrap my head around jumping in an Olympic distance pool full of mildly cold water and swimming for an hour. I missed swim last week because I got my tattoo finished and you gotta wait a minute before you can just frolic around in dirty chlorine water while sporting what basically amounts to a gaping wound. I've been kicking it into high gear in my Crossfit workouts the past week and I'm pretty tired and sore which also makes me grumpy and even more resistant to jumping into previously mentioned Olympic distance pool.

But I think the main thing weighing on my brain is that our swim coach put me in the fastest lane in the pool and the only other swimmers in there are Steve and Lawrence, two large guy swimmers who swim regularly the rest of the week and frequently have to pass me. I could just move down into a slower lane but I'm trying to figure out if that's the best option or if I'm just being a sensitive baby. My main tactic for dealing with this has been obsessively googling youtube videos on swim technique. This produces a variety of hilarious results many of which involve 80s-era music, graphics and hairstyles.

Naturally the real issue here is my brain which I've struggled with before. I continue to work on that part and some fellow teammates shared a pretty helpful article from cnn.com called Ironman champ: train your brain then train your body. I've book marked it and refer to it on the regular.

Since its been longer that usual since my last post I'll just provide some training highlights from the past week and a half:

235# Deadlift - 50# more than my last PR 4 weeks ago
8:07 1 mile run time - 21 seconds faster than my last 1 mile run time 4 weeks ago
140# Front Squat - 15# more than my last PR about 2 months ago

Plus I've been doing our daily workouts at the Crossfit East Decatur gym with no modifications and moving way faster than I've ever been able to before. It feels really awesome to be able to see and feel such big improvements and know they are due entirely to showing up in the gym and giving your body proper nutrition.

So...let's get in that pool...I guess.

2012-02-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

I'd like to compare Wednesday's team swim practice with a trojan horse. We were lured in with assurances that we're still getting started and learning and everything's going to be pretty easy. So I arrive at the pool with no worries thinking I'll have an easy practice to work more on form and technique that I have probably forgotten since my last summer on my neighborhood pool's swim team. Then, Coach Mike drops the bomb on us... wait, I mean, all the soldiers come barreling out of the horse...look i didn't say I was good with metaphors. Anyway, the pool's been switched to long coarse already, 50 M lengths instead of 25 M. AND he's divided us into lanes based on ability and OH YEAH, those of us who aren't considered beginners, he's made us a whole separate workout. And y'all, that shit was hard. There were negative splits. NEGATIVE SPLITS!

There were a few times I thought to myself, I might drown trying to finish this workout and keep up with the speed demons in lane 8. This is it. This is how I'm going to go, at a beginning swim practice for an Olympic Triathlon wearing a swim cap with my name written on it in sharpie.

I didn't drown. I did get lapped. But I survived and then ate huge amounts of food at Moe's. And then I went home and spent an hour googling efficient freestyle form so I wouldn't feel like a flailing impostor in my next workout.

Also this week I PRed my clean and jerk at 120#. So, if you know anyone who's 120#, just let them know that I can and may at any moment clean and jerk them (in a totally non-sexual way).

Tomorrow is our 2nd group bike ride and since last week I forgot my shoes, (no not my cycling clip-in shoes I'm not coordinated enough for those yet, I actually forgot my tennis shoes) I've made myself a little packing list for getting ready for our group training sessions.

- shoes

I think it's going to work great!

Ok just kidding, here's my list:

- shoes

- 2 pairs socks

- cycling knickers (teehee, knickers)

- warm up pants

- sports bra (usually I'm wearing this and don't need to pack it but in the interest of being thorough...)

- dry wicking athletic shirt

- 2nd layer

- windproof jacket

- 2 pairs gloves

- fleece cowl/neck warmer

- ski hat

- bandana

- helmet

- sun glasses

- Aquaphor

- dry shirt to change into

- dry second layer to change into

- camera

- wallet

- phone

- running id

- water bottles

- snot kerchief (oh lala!)

- lacrosse ball for rolling out persistent knots

- allergy meds

- Benadryl for emergency allergy attacks

Look at all the things I'll be able to forget now!

Training Summary:

Monday

For time:

Row 750 M

25 Push Press

Row 500 M

20 Push Press

Row 350 M

15 Push Press

My Results: 12:47 using 55#s

Tuesday

Clean & Jerk

1-1-1-1-1-1-1

My Results: 85-85-95-105-115-115-120

Wednesday

Lunchtime bike ride: 13 miles, 1hr 9 min

Team swim practice: 1700 M total

Thursday

Complete 5 Rounds For Time

40 double unders

30 M overhead walk

15 knees to elbows

My Results: 25: using 85# for overhead walk

First Group Swim & A New Goal

2012-02-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

Summer 2002 swim team.

This week has been a blast. We had our first Group Swim practice on Wednesday which was so fun. It felt great to be in the water again and while I know my form needs a lot of work and all those muscles need some attention, by the end of the hour I felt like I was remembering how to be a swimmer. Aside from swimming Masters last year with Beth on occasion, I haven't swum competitively since my last summer with the Roxboro Sharks (pictured left).

Unfortunately that summer I was more interested in being skinny than being strong and my swimming suffered considerably as I lost all my fat and a lot of muscle mass as well. Having been through that I can say that it feels great to be so focused on strength these days and eating as much protein as I can to keep putting on that beautiful muscle!

In addition to my Crossfit workouts and our Group Training, the amazing team that I lead at work (just me and 2 other people) has decided to implement a weekly lunch bike ride on Wednesdays. This week we biked 10 miles from work to Piedmont Park, around the Prado neighborhood and back to work. I even placed our Yeah Burger order with Zifty so it was delivered as we finished our ride. I'm a good boss! ;) I don't know if you were able to get outside on Wednesday but it was flat out gorgeous weather and the ride, although quite hilly, was beautiful. A great way to spend a lunch hour.

Before our Group Swim on Wednesday we had a team meeting with the coaches. They always have a ton of really helpful information for us and this particular meeting was important for our teammates who are nervous or scared about swimming. Even though swimming isn't scary for me, one of the things Coach Jo said to the team that has really stuck with me is to be aware of our negative self-talk and remember that those negative things we say to ourselves aren't actually truths.

I mentioned in a previous post some of the struggles I have with my 'mental game' and how my mind just starts feeding me negative statements and that seems to be what starts the spiral for me. Since Jo's advice on Wednesday I've decided just to be aware and take note of some of the things I'm saying to myself during difficult workouts. I'm really interested to take a look at some of those things and actually start to question wether they are based in any facts or evidence.

I know this post is getting long, so I'll get to the second thing in the title, a new goal I've set for myself for the Eleven series Olympic at Lake Oconee (this is the triathlon I am training for with TNT). My goal is to place in the top 5 of my age group. So, I took a look at the top 2 female competitors in my age group from last year's race and it looks like I'm aiming for 41 minutes on the 1500m swim, 1 hr and 41 min for the 25 mile bike ride and about 1 hr and 10 min for the 10k. This is a lofty goal I know but I think setting these concrete goals will help me push myself in each of my training sessions and give me a concrete thing against which to judge my progress.

Here's this week's training so far:

Monday
Tabata for good measure (20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest for 8 rounds per exercise)
for distance
Row
Sea Lions
Frog Hops

Results:
714 M Row
75 M Sea Lions
95 M Frog Hops

Tuesday
3 Rounds for Reps
1 Min Max Air Squats
1 Min Max Pullups
1 Min Max Deadlifts (115#)

Results:
(total reps across all 3 rounds)
85 squats
31 unassisted pullups
27 deadlifts with 115#

Wednesday
Bike 10 miles in 1 hr and 2 min
Swim 60 minutes - 600M total plus kicking drills

Friday
5k for time

Results:
27:15 (avg split 8:44) - super excited because my goal was to break 29 minutes.

First Group Training Session (GTS) with the Tri team!

2012-02-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Coach Jo demo-ing the proper swim gear

*this first part was written on Saturday, just didn't finish to post until today...

This* morning was our first Group Training Session with the Tri team. We kicked it off with a 2 hour Tri 101 clinic lead by our 3 great coaches Jo, Mike and Beth. They covered a ton of info in 2 hours but there were a few things they mentioned that really stuck out to me as helpful tid bits.

First were the 3 keys to a successful first Triathlon training experience:

Coaches Beth, Jo & Mike tell it like it is.

Show Up - Even if you're tired, or scared, or missed a few training sessions, just keep showing up and let the coaches take it from there. I love this advice and it is one of the huge benefits to training with an organization like Team in Training. Our coaches are well-versed in getting athletes of all experience levels to the finish line of their event. No more do I have to wonder if the training I made up will prepare me for an event or mentally push myself to come up with my own plan. All I have to do, and all WE have to do is show up to our training session and follow directions.
Keep a journal - Pretty self-explanatory but another big reason why I'm keeping this training blog. When it comes time to do your second triathlon or your first marathon or whatever, it is always so helpful to review the experience of training for your first big event. The endorphins of completing an event seem to leave us with hazy memories of the full process. Having a record of the ups and downs - physically and emotionally - makes it easier to prepare for the next thing and is a nice way to just remember a great accomplishment.
Ask Question - I like this because I always have 1,000 questions and I think a lot of people do but are shy to ask them. How nice to be in an environment with so many experienced coaches and athletes who can address all of your concerns and 'stupid' questions (which aren't stupid and are probably something everyone else was wondering too).

The next helpful tip I loved - Date your shoes to keep track of when it is time to replace them. It is so genius! Just write the date you start running in them in sharpie right on the side of the shoe.

There were also some great guidelines for dressing appropriately for your training:

You body will heat up about 20 degrees while you're running. So, add 20 to the temperature outside and dress for that. If you're like me and you hate being cold, you'll want some layers you can shed when your body reaches that warmer temp but it is a great guideline for what your final layers should be
When you're cycling, the wind etc. will make it feel like it is 10 degrees cooler than the outside temperature, so do the math and dress appropriately. You'll want a light weight outer shell to help shield your core from the wind which can cut right throw regular fibers. Doesn't have to be too fancy, just some sort of wind-breaking material.
Also, your feet will get cold when you're biking - to combat this you can buy shoe covers (apparently a real thing you can buy at a bike shop or sporting goods store) or perhaps wear multiple socks.
And your hands are going to freeze (a bummer for me because my hands are usually freezing all the time anyway). You'll definitely want gloves and if you've already got fingerless gloves for biking, one trainee suggested just getting some winter gloves from Target and wearing them over your fingerless gloves instead of buying fancy bike-specific winter gloves.

Some helpful web sites for training gear:

swimoutlet.com
runningwarehouse.com
steepandcheap.com

Training since last post:

Friday:

as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:

6 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (55#)

8 Push Press (55#)

10 Walking Lunge Steps (55#)

Results:

7 rounds + 8 Push Press

Saturday:

Team in Training Group Training Session

3 mile run

Results:

Taking it easy, legs were super sore from sumo deadlift high pulls, time was right around 30 minutes.

2012-02-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

This week of training started out strong but seems to be ending a bit weak. It's Friday and I feel completely wiped. To be fair, I've been battling a cold since Sunday so that's probably a big part of it. Been averaging around 7 hours of sleep at night when i could probably use more like 8. My mind just feels totally dull. I'm craving sugar and bread carbs like crazy so I wonder if its related to that - withdrawal and whatnot.

My resolve today feels weak and I'm faced with a full-on junk food assault when i walk into the kitchen at work to get water or my prepared lunch from the fridge. How many times can a human resist Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies?!

Also I'm not sure I'm drinking enough water. I woke up this morning with what I used to call a derby hangover (basically a dehydration hangover) where I've got a bad headache and feel crappy but haven't done any drinking. Once I get a few glasses of water in me though I perk right up like a thirsty plant.

Anyway, just trying to push through today's foggy brain and sluggishness and hoping that there's clear cognition on the other side of the mountain.

The good news, or bad news depending on how you look at it, is that I'm already seeing huge strength gains in my second week of training. Trained Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and really felt good during all three workouts. I hit PRs for my Deadlift (185#) and Clean & Jerk (95#) plus finally mastered the Rope Climb (and subsequent rope burn, ouch!). 2 more workouts this week, 1 today and open gym on Sunday to find my 1 rep max front squat.

How is that bad news you ask? Well, it is probably the case that some of my strength gains and increase in muscle recovery is due to my change in diet. I've cut out grains, legumes, dairy, added sugar and alcohol. That means this way of eating is really better for me and in some ways that's bad news because its clear evidence that my previous way of eating was holding me back from achieving my athletic potential. What a bummer. So, what am i to do when this 8 week challenge is over? Just go back to eating crap and performing poorly? I guess I'll just have to try adding things in one at a time and see how they affect me to know what really needs to be avoided (probably dairy and sugar) and what I can have at least in moderation (hopefully wine).

So, here's my workouts so far this week:

Monday:
3 rounds for max reps (no time component):
Max rep Elevated Pushups
Max rep Bodyweight Backsquats
Max rep Strict Chest-to-Bar Pullups

Results:
23 max rep elevated pushups (RX)
28x 105# bodyweight backsquats
37 max rep Ring Rows (mod for chest to bar pullups)

Tuesday:

For time:
Run 1 mile
Rest 5 minutes
50 Box Jumps
Rest 3 minutes
Run 1 mile

Results:
1 mile: 8:28
Box Jumps (20") 3 minutes
1 mile: 8:27

Wednesday:

Every minute on the minute for 8 minutes do 1 Clean & Jerk. Post heaviest successful rep.
then...
For time (or max reps - 10min time cap)
10-20-30-20-10 rep rounds of
Dumbbell Swings
Wall Ball Shots

Results:
Clean & Jerk - 105#
150 reps - 25# dumbbell, 12# wall ball

Phase 1 Begins

2012-01-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

The Crossfit East Decatur Challenge has begun. Crossfit workouts 4x a week, Food logs, Weekly Feats of Strength, the whole shabang. Make it through this week and then Team in Training kicks off on Saturday.

This picture is of me warming up my push press on Monday. I used bigger weights in the actual workout I swear!

One thing I'm noticing as we're doing this Challenge is that I'm taking better care of myself in other areas of my life as well. I'm regarding my body in a different way because I'm thinking of it as something I'm working on, taking care of etc. So I'm washing my face every morning and every night, putting lotion on after I shower, shaving my legs more often - little things that don't really matter that much (except to me because of my tendencies to neglect these areas) but do make me take notice.

Today is Thursday and I'm en route to SF for just a few hours and I am tired and definitely sore after 3 days in a row of working out. When I get to my hotel I'm hoping for a few minutes to walk/jog and get the lactic acid moving out of my muscles. Really looking forward to Saturday which is our Team in Training Kick Off meeting. I can't wait to do some running biking and swimming!

Monday - Wednesday training:

Monday
Every 3 minutes, for 4 sets, do 5 back squats

then...

4 rounds for time:
16 DB OH Walking Lunge Steps - right (w:20/25 m:30/40)
8 Push Press (w:75/85 m:105/120)
16 DB OH Walking Lunge Steps - left (w:20/25 m:30/40)
8 Push Press

My results:
85-95-105-115 for back squats
then...
14:35 for the 4 rounds for time using 15# dumbbell instead of 20# and using 55# on the push press.

Tuesday
7 Rounds for time:
7 Front Squats (w:95/115 m:125/185)
7 Pullups

My Results:
13:36 using 75# for the front squats and for the first time ever no modification on the pullups!

Wednesday
Benchmark Workout

5 Rounds for Time:
6 Clean and Jerks 75#
10 Box Jumps 20"
200 M sprint

My Results:
Time: 16:36

* The benchmark workout is what we will use to measure our strength and speed gains over the 8 weeks of the Challenge. In 8 weeks we will do this exact same workout again, using the same weight and the improvement we make in time will count as part of our score in the Challenge.

I got a bike!

2012-01-19T13:31:00.001-08:00

2012-01-18T19:21:00.001-08:00

Wrangling the Voldemort Within

2012-01-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

The Crossfit East Decatur Challenge officially starts on Monday, January 23rd (that's less than 7 days) and our Team in Training kick-off event is Saturday the 28th. As this crazy endeavor grows closer I find myself thinking more and more about my biggest athletic weakness, my brain.

In every sport or competition I've participated in since middle school I have had to manage my brain, to fight against it, or more frequently, to succumb to it.

In Monday's Crossfit workout-of-the-day (WOD) my brain started fighting me early, in the warm up. It whispered and hissed at me like Voldemort's snake.

Wow...you're tired already...you're just warming up and you muscles are hurting...this isn't going to go well...

And it didn't let up. Through the front squats 5-3-3-1-1, through the start of the timed workout...you can't do this, you aren't strong enough, you're body is too tired...you're choking...

And then the downward spiral as the normal and confident part of my brain withers in fear and anxiety. It's happening again, the defeating self-talk, I'm going to choke I know it, the negative thoughts have kicked in, it's over, I don't know how to battle it, I AM tired, I'm NOT strong enough.

I felt it wrap it's slithering death grip around my confidence and I was powerless to fight it. My workout was awful. I left feeling defeated.

For me, the physical requirements of this athletic experiment - the triathlon, the cfed challenge, those are the easy part. I'll train for it, I'll practice it, I'll be coached, my muscles will get stronger, my endurance will grow. But my mental 'game' is what will make me or break me. And that's something I don't know how to train for, how to practice. I don't know how to stop the 'wind-up' of anxiety and fear, how to get stronger mentally. That will be where the real growth for me is during this training season.

This past weekend I picked up a copy of Triathlete Magazine and low and behold I found an article entitled "Train Your Brain." Hopefully help is on the way.

2012-01-13T16:09:00.000-08:00

I might have just ordered myself this black and gold track suit. I might also have ordered Clayton a matching one.

I'm Retired

2012-01-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

I've decided to retire from the wonderful world of roller derby and since for the first time in a while I'll have quite a bit of free time on my hands (outside of my grown-up 9-5 job) I sought immediately to fill it with other types of athletics. Starting at the end of January I'll be training with Team in Training to compete in the ELEVEN Lake Occonee Olympic Triathlon while at the same time taking part in the Crossfit East Decatur Spring Break Challenge where we train 4 days a week with our team, eat a completely 'clean' diet (no sugar, no grains, no dairy, no legumes) and complete benchmark workouts to measure our fitness gains. This is the most retarded thing I've decided to do in a long time.

One of the great things about training for an event with Team in Training is that it provides you with a team...to...train with...like it says... Anyway, so you've got a team, you've got coaches, you've got a whole network of support and you're all training and raising money to help cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma while also working to improve the quality of life of patients and their families living with one of these diseases. This will be the first time I've ever raised funds for something like this on my own. Its scary and exciting and meaningful and I'm going to document the whole journey here.

So, come one, let's get on the train to tri town.