First Swim Lesson

You know, I thought I knew how to swim fairly well. I mean, I don't sink and I move forward in the water.  Maybe not Ryan Lochte fast, but I get there.  So, I was excited to fine tune my already sufficient swimming skills with a few lessons at the Y.  What I found out is that my swimming SUCKS and I am doing just about everything wrong.  My new coach stops short of saying she can't believe that I don't just sink to the bottom, but I think she was just being kind.

Ok, first - I don't put my head down far enough into the water.  The waterline is supposed to be above my hairline and I need to tuck my head down.  See, the reason it was up higher is that I LIKE TO BREATHE AIR.  Apparently, there is some trick for breathing air this way and it has to do with...

Second, my hips need to open up more.  I should be almost sideways with my hip up as I rotate to take a breath.  This will pull my side up and my face will be above water.  Or I will roll over.  Not sure which.

And third, I have to kick up and down like a crazy person (with pointed toes!) during all of the above.  So yeah... that was hard.  My coach, Heather (who is a tri coach as well and she seems super knowledgeable), gave me some drills as homework which basically have me holding onto the pool wall while I kick/rotate hips/breathe so I can get that down before moving forward in the water.

I was a little discouraged because I honestly thought my swim was ok and this was just to help me swim more continuously without breaks.  But, no.  This is going to require some serious practice and commitment on my part to improve.  Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Give It 100

There is a viral video of a lady who worked out for 100 days under a project called Give It 100.  This is a program where you choose an objective and do it for 100 days, filming yourself so you can track your progress.  People choose all sorts of things and you can watch their public videos on the site.

WOW at that accomplishment!  And WOW at the difference 100 days can make.  I totally want to do this, but I face some travel obstacles.  (Am I going to brag about going to Japan AGAIN here?  Well, kinda).  I leave in 11 days for a week-long trip to Japan.  It's a business trip, so not all fun - but still!!  JAPAN!!  (ok, I think I'm done).  After Japan, I *most likely* will not travel again until late March for the World Balloon Convention.  So that leaves roughly 50 days between where I'll be home and can at least make an effort towards a 100 days objective. 

So, now... what to pick?

Swimming?  Yes.  A good place to start.  I can swim every day without threat of injury and I need all the swimming experience I can get.  Will I swim on Saturday and Sunday though?  This is a toughie because I am a lazy-daisy on weekends when we don't have jobs.  And when we do have jobs, I work many hours.  So this might be a challenge.  I am going to try it, however and give it 100 that perhaps will turn out to be non-consecutive.

Chemistry?  Yes.  I need to start and finish my chemistry course as a pre-req to everything else I want to take.  Giving it 100 would be awesome and doable, even if I travel.  It's a self-paced Chemistry course so I can do it every day without having to wait for class time.

Running and Cycling can be an every-other-day deal because too much is an injury risk and I need a rest day off my legs.

I think I will start my Give It 100 on February 1st if I have any energy after my flight comes in on January 31st.  I heard it takes 3 days to feel normal again. 

I can't decide if I should start TOMORROW and then skip a whole week before starting back again.  Anyone have any thoughts?  I have conflicting feelings both ways.  The point is 100 days but I guess it doesn't have to be 100 days in a row.  Since I can't do that, it just will have to be 100 days in the shortest amount of days I can feasibly do.  But when to start? Hmmmmmm.....

Race Report - Outer Banks Olympic Triathlon

My first triathlon!

September 21, 2013

Swim - 1500 meters
Bike - 24.5 miles
Run - 6.2 miles


Outer Banks Olympic Triathlon
Manteo, NC

 

I have to admit that I was SCARED going into this big event.  I questioned everything - my training, my dedication, my ability to finish.  Yikes.  It was the longest and fastest week at the same time.  Finally (suddenly!), Friday came around and I packed Mom and the kids in the car and off we went for our 3.5 hour drive to Manteo.  The informational meeting was at 5pm and we arrived at about 4pm and went to packet pick-up. 

Swag!  It's a solidly confirmed fact that I will do just about anything for a free t-shirt.

I had received info with two bib numbers via email on Thursday - one said I was Athena (so despite the fact no one responded to my call and email, I guess they made the changes?) and one said I was Age Group.  When I checked in, I showed them both numbers and the Athena bib had some guy's name on it, so the lady looked up the AG and it said Lisa.  I asked again about switching and was told that I *could* but I shouldn't because the Athenas were a faster group.  What?  The chubby girls are faster than the super-fit early 40s ladies?  DOES NOT COMPUTE.  But the official said since this was my first triathlon, I should stick with Age Group.  Who am I to argue?  I know nothing about this, right?  The meeting went quickly and we headed to the hotel on the beach at Kill Devil Hills (about 15 miles away).  I slept poorly and woke up dizzy and nauseated.  I ate some popcorn (which is what I eat for breakfast every morning.  Is that weird?) and felt a bit better.  I briefly considered that I might not make it to the start line feeling this way, but I think I willed my body to cooperate by sheer force.

 

Transition set up was from 5:45 - 6:45am, with the Olympic start time being 7:45am (the Half peeps started at 7am).  We got there and I picked up my timing anklet and got marked up with my number: 537. 

Setting up transition was something I had read lots about, so I felt good about it.  I put out a little towel and had my running shoes out with socks in them.  I have not yet committed to cycling shoes so I planned on wearing my running shoes for the bike and the run.  I had two bags - one with a red shirt to put on for the bike and some snacks to eat in between the swim and bike, and another bag with my run stuff: my red Sparkle Skirt and more nutrition for the run.

I started off in a red/black/white TYR trisuit and had a wardrobe change for each leg.  Why? Because I'm FABULOUS!  Ok, not really.  I wanted the shirt for the bike because I didn't want to worry about looking fat in my trisuit on the bike, but I did add the Sparkle Skirt for the run to be fabu.  I felt like I needed something fun to finish this thing out.

But let's start at the beginning, with the...

SWIM!

Here's our wave swimming out to the Olympic buoy - the yellow one.  See how far it looks?  Yeah, it was further than that.
From the shore to the yellow buoy was 1/3 of the way.  We then swam across to another yellow buoy 500 meters away
then back to the shore.  It was FAR.

I made some friends at the start line who were also doing their first triathlon.  We were all extremely nervous and decided to be last in the water so we didn't get swum over.  Since we were the last wave, we were THE VERY LAST into the water.  We all good-naturedly argued who would be last out of the water at the end.  I ended up winning this argument when it took me 1:17 to make the .9 mile swim.  This pretty much was my pace in the pool, so I was not surprised or disappointed.

The Good:  I made it.  And Lordy, it was hard. 

The Bad: I was exhausted when I got out of the water, unlike anything I've experienced at the pool.

The Ugly:  I was last out of the water by like 10 minutes.  I hated being last.

What I Learned: So much!  I needed more swimming practice and especially more open water practice.   And maybe a wetsuit.

The AWESOME: My family was at the shore screaming and clapping like I was the FIRST one out of the water.  I always love them at my races and this time was especially wonderful.

I had a private escort as they patiently watched me swim.  The lifeguard on the board was awesome and so encouraging.

Finally out and smiling (probably just grateful that I didn't drown)

Transition went well except I messed up my Garmin and it locked up.  So I had to go into the bike segment totally blind on time/pace/mileage.  I think my transition time was between 3-4 minutes.

BIKE!

Obligatory butt pic.  Here's me leaving for the bike leg.

I got on my bike and headed out feeling pretty proud I'd finished the swim.  It was more challenging than I thought and I just kept thinking, "If I can get out of this water, I can SIT on the bike and rest!" HAHA!  Wrong!  The course was extremely flat which meant NO COASTING and constant peddling.  There was a cool 3 mile bridge between the island and the mainland, but they didn't close any of the roads so there was not a lot of room to move over as cars sped by.  There was one pretty big hill on the bridge, but it was doable.  It was very windy and wind was blowing directly into my face.  I just kept thinking it would be at my back on the return so if I could just make it to the turn-around, the trip back would be easier.  It was somehow worse!  I felt like I was in a pool of water trying to peddle.  It was like I wasn't even moving forward sometimes.  The wind was THAT bad! 

Four days after the accident.  This was one of several bad
bruises all over my body.

Finished with bike leg and giving an exhausted smile.

Because of the wind, a few things happened.  One, I was gripping too tightly on the handlebars and had some lasting problems from that (which I will cover in my Recovery post later on).  I was not relaxed and this was not a good way to ride the bike.  Two, it was getting harder to keep the bike steered straight and maintain control.  I was getting tired and it was work to keep on course.  Then "Three" happened at about mile 14 of 24.5.  A car swooshed by pretty close to me as I was changing gears.  I pulled kinda hard to the right and went off the side of the road, down, down, down, and tangled up in my bike on the ground.  I don't remember it being scary or painful at all.  I popped right back up and rechained my bike.  I was looking it over when the bike tech pulled up to help.  I had knocked my handlebars out of whack and broke my front breaks.  He suggested I go to medical and I told him I was fine.  The he pointed to my right leg which was gushing blood.  I told him I had a band-aid, so I'd be ok.  He literally laughed in my face because that was the most ridiculous thing I could have said in light of the situation.  He went to his truck and got a huge stack of Taco Bell napkins and a bottle of water for me to clean up my leg.  It would not stop bleeding!  He finally stopped suggesting I go to the medical tent when it became obvious that I was unreasonable (LOL) and I went on my way.  I did have to stop and rest a few times.  Between the accident and my few rests, the bike segment took 2.5 hours.  It did not seem like that long at all.  It was slower than my training pace, but the wind and the accident really threw a loop in my overall time.  I know I gave it everything I had, so I can't be hatin' on my effort here.

The Good:  This was the farthest I'd gone on my real bike!

The Bad: The fall.  Yikes.

The Ugly:  The wind.  Why is this worse than the fall?  Because I fought it the whole time and it was miserable.  The fall was over quickly and I was so pumped with adrenaline that it barely registered as a blip.  But the wind was taking my breath away with its force and it was so hard to peddle against.

What I Learned: I need to spend more time on my real bike.  PERIOD.  The gym is nothing like outdoor training on a bike.

The AWESOME:  Most everyone that passed me said something nice and encouraging.  I was so impressed with my fellow triathletes and their support.

Transition between bike and run.  I was putting on my skirt here.  I can't believe I sat down and then actually got back up!



Leaving transition - total time 6 minutes.

RUN!

or more accurately...

WALK!

 

Yeah, walk.  My Garmin was key-locked and not working so I had no interval alerts and honestly, I was so damn tired.  I tried to keep a brisk pace, and I did run a few times, but I really didn't have a lot more to give and I wanted to finish in the upright position.  At this point, I knew I was going to make it, so I think mentally, I decided to take it easy and just FINISH.  As proud as I am of my swim and bike (because I gave it my all), I am not proud of this last leg at all.  And that's really an ongoing issue with the half marathons I've done.  I just do not leave it all out on the course and this bothers me tremendously.  I don't know how to get around it.  My time was my worse 10k time ever - 1:44.

The Good:  I got A LOT of compliments on my Sparkle Skirt!

The Bad: Walking.  Ugh.

The Ugly:  The fact that I didn't finish strong. 

What I Learned: I've got to work on giving my all during a run. 

The AWESOME:  I actually finished this thing!

Getting my medal.  I did not ugly face cry, but I did get a little teary-eyed.

 

 

So, I did it.  WOW.  I honestly can't believe I finished.  I was not happy with my time, but it was about what I'd estimated (5 hours) plus the wreck, and transition, adding another 44 minutes.  I was not dead last and there were people who DNF, so I was ok with it.  My plan for next year is to take two hours off that time for a totally doable and reasonable goal of 3:44.  I'm going to go ahead and sign up for 2014 this week!

My new mantra: I love to swim.

I'm switching up my schedule next week to break up my biking, but I was wondering about when to do my swimming.  I did what every reasonable person does when in search for info - I googled it.  I saw many people saying swimming every day is ok (even good) and some specific triathlon advice about swimming every day.  So starting Monday, I am swimming M-F, and taking Saturday and Sunday off from swimming.  If all those random people are right, I should see big improvements!

I recently read a great book on triathlons called Triathlon for the Every Woman: You Can Be a Triathlete. Yes. You. by Meredith Atwood - better known as SwimBikeMom.   She recommended that you tell yourself you like doing whatever it is you don't want to do (or are having trouble with).  In my case, this is swimming.  I am working on bilateral breathing and I have a mantra where I say: I (stroke), LOVE (stroke), TO SWIM (breathe) as I flounder through the water.  This way I brainwash myself AND remember when to breathe at the same time!  I am trying to do one thing more swimmerish each day and this bilateral breathing is apparently the best way to go.  Next week, I'll work on putting my head down into the water.  The other big thing I know I need to work on is when/how to kick.  I am going to YouTube like a beast this weekend and see if there are any good swimming tutorials.  I'll report my findings next week.

Oh yeah. I better learn to swim too.

Remember how I was going to start swimming two weeks ago?   Yeah, I didn't do that.  I started today.  It's kinda a big deal because (and this might be glaringly obvious), I really, really didn't want to do it.  It's not the actual SWIMMING that bothers me - it's the wedging myself into my 1980s swimsuit and waddling out in front of other people to go swimming.  But I did it this morning and guess what?  It turns out my actual swimming is just as embarrassing as my 80s floral suit.  I swim with my head up... kinda like a fat, shell-less turtle.  I kick my legs way too much and instead of a smooth kick-kick, I do some sort of sideways frog move.  Sure, I move through the water (huffing and puffing), but it is utterly without grace.  And of course there were super smooth (probably professional Olympian) swimmers right in the lanes next to me making me feel even dorkier.

I did 750 meters according to my Garmin 910xt, but it didn't feel very far so I am not sure it's correct.  It was the first time using my watch in the water so I will have to double check it.  For my first day, I was pleased enough.  It took about 20 minutes and that was with liberal breaks at the end of each lap.  If the Garmin is right, I think I can probably do the swim portion better than I thought.  I could definitely use some technique work with the swim, but I guess just getting out there in all my chubby, old lady glory is a good start.

After my swim, I ran 4 miles.  These days, 4 miles is nothing.  I did 13.1 on Saturday and for the first time, I feel like CRAP afterwards: shaky, nauseated, weak.  I'm not sure if it was a nutrition thing or what, but it was pretty awful.  I have my training schedule for the next 4 weeks and it's all multi-sport work-outs.  Swim & Run on Monday & Friday, Bike & Run on Tuesday & Thursday, and my long Bike ride with Swim on Wednesday.  Saturdays are my long run days with Sunday as my much deserved sit-on-my-ass day.


The good news is that my Zainie started 6th grade today (Wil's school started to weeks ago) so both kids are officially IN SCHOOL!!  This makes scheduling work outs a million times easier an hopefully, I can hit it hard over the next few weeks. 

It's 27 days until the big event.  I gotta make these days count!