tris & tribulations

i did it. i gave myself a goal and i stuck to it. one week down, the rest of the season to go! all i needed was some direction and the motivation just came naturally. It wasn’t easy and there were a few mornings it was all I could do to just get myself out of bed, but I am feeling great (albeit terribly sore) and ready to start another solid week.

Last weekend I was home in Panama City Beach, FL for Easter and I was able to do a preview of the Gulf Coast Triathlon course. It’s essentially the exact same course as the Florida Ironman, just half the distance. I’ve done this race for a few years now, but it’s always good to get in some practice on a race course. Starting from my house on the opposite side of the lagoon, I ran (most) of the half-marathon loop on Friday. My sister ran with me the first 2 miles and I ran the rest alone with my thoughts. It was a nice, casual paced workout and I spent most of the time gazing at my nostalgic surroundings and noticing all the changes. Saturday I rode the entire bike course. My dad wanted to join me and we more or less rode together for the first section then I pulled ahead and got to see him after the turnaround. Even if we weren’t side by side, it’s nice to have someone else out there with you. Good family bonding, or something. The course is notorious for it’s flat roads and can get tedious/uncomfortable since it doesn’t require much changing positions, but i’m happy to report the challenging destroyed road on 388 has been repaved and is FABULOUS. Last year I remember having to focus so much energy on watching the road to make sure none of the uneven edges or cracks were going to cause a wipeout. Not so good.

I felt pretty solid out there- good and steady the whole way- no bonking. i know i didn’t drink enough water or consume enough calories, i left my sports drink at home on accident, so i used some of my dad’s accelerade. Knowing it affects my stomach, i treaded lightly, and only drank half a bottle of (non watered down). i drank my aero bottle full of water, but no more. i didn’t feel terribly tired/dehydrated, and i know i can ride with limited calories, but hopefully this season i’ll be able to really dial in my nutrition plan.

i’m disappointed in my speed, but happy with how i felt. The bridge felt good and i climbed it well.

Maybe next time I’ll remember some sunscreen.

When I got home Sunday Evening, I had a lovely package waiting for me on my doorstep– my order from First Endurance. It came just in time for me to start my week off. I asked my coach to help me choose what to order and he suggested that we all need a good electrolyte/carbohydrate supplement, so I should try EFS to see if it sits well with me, especially at race intensity on the run. We also all need a quality recovery drink, so he said Ultragen would be a good product. According to him there are very few performance supplements that have any legitimacy, but Optygen seems to be one of them. He wasn’t convinced that EFS or Ultragen are much different from any other electrolyte or recovery drink out there, but Optygen is something that no one else seems to have. Thanks coach, good advice!

I’m excited to try everything, especially since I’ve heard such great things from my teammates. One of my goals this season is to really solidify my training/race nutrition, so I’m hoping these new goodies will help me succeed!

Monday

Day #1 went very well. My only workout on my schedule was a run and it felt great. I decided to run during lunch to better simulate the heat and humidity that I’ll be racing in. I scored 100% on my daily goals. Go me.

Tuesday

Swim + Bike. I scored 90% on my daily goals, but only because I splurged a bit and tasted some dessert.

I went to the local raw foods meetup and my friend and I shared a chocolate-toffee ice cream… granted that ice cream was not ice cream, but instead “ice cream”, a dairy-free concoction made from all whole, natural organic ingredients (namely nuts, raw cacao, agave, etc.). While it was still relatively healthy and completely raw, it was more calorie dense than my daily goals allow… but boy was it tasty :) For dinner, I ordered the collard wrap of the day which was filled with fresh marinated raw veggies (zucc, sweet peppers, kale, sprouts, cashew hummus, and more yummy stuff) and served with an Asian “Peanut” Sauce, which I used sparingly. It also came with some flax crackers, but I stayed strong and pushed those to the side. The wrap was fairly large, so I only ate half and boxed up the rest for Wednesday’s lunch. As always at Present Moment, everything was superb. Definitely worth the 45 minute drive.

Wednesday

Today went well: run + strength. My run was really tough b/c my legs were already pretty fatigued. I used this as an opportunity to test out my new Ultragen Recovery drink, cappuccino flavor. Ho-lee cow this stuff was sinfully delicious. I stopped drinking milk a few years ago (lactose intolerant), but this stuff tasted just like a rich, creamy frappuccino milkshake. Not even kidding. I think if i did taste tests people would never guess it’s made to be a supplement. I’m slightly skeptical of the high amount of calories, and since my run was only 45 minutes, I just used 1/2 scoop (1/4 serving). Powder + water + ice in a shaker cup = bliss. This might get me to look forward to saturday’s long ride so i can treat myself to some recovery drink. nothing like motivation by reward!

So anyway, I scored 100%. I should earn bonus points for finally attending the local Tri Club, the Hammerheads, monthly meeting. For one reason or another every single first Wednesday of the month has otherwise been booked, so I made it a point to keep this one open. I’m glad I went, I met a few people, heard about some exciting upcoming events (organized Sunday open water swims, the Never Quit Race, and much more). A couple guys also talked about their experience running an ultra marathon (55 miles) to honor a local childrens hospital. It was incredibly inspirational, moving, and reinforced how crazy we endurance athletes truly are :)

After the meeting, I completed my strength workout, something I’ve been really neglecting the past few months. I concentrated on my core and worked really hard.

Thursday

One word: tough. My legs were shot and I had to do a power workout where I had to hold max power for several intervals. It was so hard. i couldn’t even come close to making my prescribed numbers and felt pretty down on myself. i tried to push and go as hard as i could, but my legs just couldn’t do it… Turns out my coach accidentally did some bad math and gave me unrealistic wattage to hold, but even still, I didn’t reach the corrected numbers. Not a good feeling.

I still give myself 100% since I hit all the daily goals, despite my less-than-awesome ride. I worked hard.

Friday

Success. 100%. I slept in a little, did my swim during lunch and biked after work. My body was still pretty sore/fatigued, but swimming felt good to loosen the muscles. i didn’t feel like i could quite get my speed, but i also didn’t push too hard knowing I had a long training weekend ahead. My evening ride was so enjoyable. It was PERFECT conditions- air, temp, wind, sun. gorgeous! The workout was cadence-focused and made me realize how I have so much room to improve. i really need to work on my cadence. my comfort zone is low; it’s hard for me to reach/maintain 100 rpm. I’m so much more comfortable at 80. Gotta be more conscious of this. hmm… another goal? :)