First Ride

"Kurt" arrived yesterday! After we got him settled there was a great deal of discussion about where he was going to sleep. Turns out he ended up in the garage, precisely where I said he should go to from the start.

Kurt is not a puppy (a puppy would get first rate indoor accommodations at our house). Kurt is what I've named my new bike trainer. I jokingly refer to him as my "new boyfriend" since I expect to be spending a lot of time with him!

The trainer was easy to set up, although I'm going to have to get another skewer because the one that came with it is too short to accommodate my mountain bike (anyone else have this problem?). Other than that, it was operational in about 20 minutes.

It is absolute HEAVEN to be active again! I enjoyed hunting up my bike shoes, recharging my Garmin and my iPod, and pulling the water bottle out from the back of the cupboard. I've still got a lot of prep work to do, like:

• Setting up the cadence sensor that I bought last spring (I never used it because I was so busy trying to get in a first season of training that I didn't have time to evaluate stuff like that anyway).
• Figuring out how to use my Garmin for the cadence and heart rate zones that I will need for these workouts.
• Getting a couple of workout variations, since I will be riding 4x per week for the next few weeks (there is a good one in the January issue of Triathlete magazine).
• Finding some good music in my iTunes library and making new playlists for the bike.

This morning I took my first ride. It was just a 30-minute test ride, since I didn't have any kind of workout in mind (nor really any clue as to what makes a good workout on the trainer). I started out easy, then did a couple of faster intervals, went through all my gears to make sure everything was in good working order, then finished with some easy spinning at the end.

My first "official" workout will be on Saturday morning. I'm starting the new year off with the 60-for-60 cardio challenge my "Be Fit Club" kicked off last year - 60 minutes of cardio a day for 60 days straight.

The first couple of weeks will be swim and bike only.

Can't wait to get the running started again.

New Year, New Gear

It's a Green Machine Christmas! I ordered my Kurt Kinetic Road Machine on Christmas Day (thanks to my MIL and Uncle Jim) and it arrives on Wednesday.

I never thought I'd be doing very much indoor riding, but as I recover from that darn foot fracture and as it remains very dark in the early morning, I thought it would be a lot safer right now.

It was between the CycleOps Fluid and the KK. After doing a great deal of online research and taking an informal poll on Beginner Triathlete I decided on the KK even though it was a little bit more money. Two primary reasons led me to the fluid trainers - quietness and reliability. Since I do most of my training in the early morning I didn't want to wake up the whole neighborhood. Special thanks for recommendations from M and Jeff.

I guess I'm going to have to be very, very good this next year if I want Santa to bring me a new bike!

First Hike - Bamboo Forest

We have seven college girls from UC Santa Cruz staying with us right now. It is a fun, lively group up for just about any adventure.

Bruce and I took them to the Bamboo Forest hike in Huelo on Sunday and it was my first outdoor activity post-recovery. I was happy to go along at my own pace with Bruce and Anya (one of the girls who is also his second cousin) checking on me periodically.

This is a strenuous hike over slippery rocks with several climbing sections. I managed fairly well with a hand up from time to time and it felt great to be doing something active for a change!

I have lost a fair amount of fitness over the last three months, indicated by my sore quads and glutes from the hike and sore shoulders from carrying what was a relatively light backpack. But today I am reveling in the memory of what ended up being a great full-body workout!

My next (and hopefully final) doctor's visit is on Wednesday - hopefully I will get a pass to get back to full activity after a couple of weeks of PT.

Chilly!

Early morning darkness and a 57-degree air temperature heralded my return to the pool this morning. My coaches’ only comment was, “Well, at least it’s not windy too!”

It’s been almost three months to the day since I last swam with my Masters group. This morning we slipped the covers off the pool amid chatter about the weekend, comments on the cold (for us), and the merits and drawbacks of barefoot running. I was pleased to see the usual faces and it was nice to hear the concern in their voices when they asked how I’ve been.

I sat on the edge of the pool, legs dangling in the warm water, and pulled on my cap and goggles. I felt a small thrill as I slipped into the water and prepared for my first 50. I used an awkward, limping kick as I swam my first lap – as much as it is possible to “limp” in the pool – which smoothed out a little bit as I got my bearings. Much of my workout involved the pull buoy since I didn’t want to do too much kicking at first.

I am RUSTY! My back and shoulders are tired from loss of fitness and the effort it takes to retrain my stroke, but my legs feel pretty good although my left leg is definitely weaker. It’s going to take some time to get my left ankle back to its flexible self as well.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased that I wasn’t totally out of it and back to square one. We’ll see how I feel in the morning.

Packing my Gym Bag

FINALLY! Back to the pool tomorrow morning and back to weight training at lunch. I'm looking forward to packing my gym bag tonight. On December 11th it will be 3 months (and 5 lbs!) since I've done any kind of "normal" fitness program. However, I feel like I can call hauling myself around on crutches for a month one type of upper body workout - one that I hope I never have to repeat.

I miss my training regimen. Terribly.

I can't wait to see where I stand in the pool tomorrow. Wish me luck!

How Fitness Prepares You for Injury

As I started training for my first triathlon this year, I was especially careful to avoid injury. My fast-paced, A-type personality tends to dominate all areas of my life, and it led to overtraining and injury in the past.

I followed my training plan carefully, taking an extra day off here and there when I was especially fatigued. I made peace with the fact that I would be OK if I missed one or two training sessions. I watched my nutrition and hydration like a hawk and, despite a brief cold three weeks prior to race day, completed my race at my expected goal time. I was elated!

With no triathlons on the schedule until 2011, I planned a run-focused summer knowing that I really needed to build some mileage if I wanted to complete a half-iron distance race. Even though I continued with a moderate training load and continued to swim, I sustained another injury: a complicated stress fracture in my left foot.

While no one wants to be injured, this situation provided me with another reminder of how important it is to be strong and to not take our hard-earned fitness for granted. The skills I’ve developed as an older athlete: strength, balance, agility, have all come into play for me during this time, in serious and sometimes amusing situations.

Strength. Three weeks in a walking cast was not working, so my doctor put me in a fiberglass cast and took me completely off my foot. All of the swimming and weight training I’ve done this year provided me with a strong upper body which is critical for managing crutches. Strength also came in very handy when I had to practically vault over a fellow passenger who could not get out of his seat on a recent flight to Los Angeles.

Balance. You can’t use your hands to carry things when you are using crutches, so I have employed a series of different handbags with long straps to carry everything I need messenger-style. I’ve become quite skilled at balancing on one leg as I stow my crutches in the car, pull my bags over my head, etc. I exhibited my best balancing act, however, as I successfully hopped down the airplane aisle to the restroom without grabbing anyone’s seat, falling, or ending up in another passenger’s lap.

Agility. I am becoming quite adept at one-legged squats – critical for raising and lowering from a seated position. Yoga’s half-moon pose is ideal for reaching items I’ve dropped on the floor or for stretching from the shower to grab something I’ve left on the bathroom sink.

All kidding aside, I am thankful I have these skills to manage and remain relatively independent right now. Through continued core and upper body exercise I hope to maintain a reasonable level of fitness through this recovery period, which will probably last until the new year.

More Inspiration

When I got the news that my foot was broken, I panicked a little. I don't want a repeat of the epic slide I made 10 years ago.

I decided to be proactive and meet up with friend of mine, Suzie Cooney, at her fitness studio. Suzie is the instigator behind many of my friends taking up stand-up paddling through her free SUP clinics, she's somewhere around my age, and she has bounced back from injury with great results - a perfect fit for a personal trainer. Even though her injury and rehab we're much more serious than mine, I knew she wouldn't discount my concerns about maintaining my fitness while I am recovering myself.

Suzie met my expectations and more! In this intro session, we talked about my injury and my expectations, and she took me through a series of modified exercises that were creative and challenged me. One of the most important things, though, was that she reassured me that I was in good shape and despite this downturn, I would be able to regain my cardio fitness fairly quickly once I was able to bike or swim.

It was a great experience and I'm looking forward to some additional sessions to "check-in" during my recovery. I feel motivated, refocused and confident that I will come out strong and healthy at the end of this period.

Thanks, Suzie!

"Walking Cast" is an Oxymoron

It's more like "hobbling cast." For someone whose friends refer to as "the gazelle" this cast is seriously hampering my long-legged strides and fast walking pace. I'm not getting anywhere fast these days. It does, however, give me a new perspective as someone who is always playing catch-up.

Each day I find different reasons to be thankful. Saturday's reason: Chrissie Wellington, the favorite to win the women's division at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in Kona, withdrew from the race and Did Not Start (DNS). I don't know the nature of her illness, but can be sure of one thing: it had to be something serious for her to scrap an entire year of training and racing and not compete in what was undoubtedly her "A" race of the year.

Sunday's reason: my mother-in-law's friend. This woman is going to the doctor tomorrow to see if she will even BEGIN to put weight on a leg that was broken in 5 places almost 8 weeks ago.

Every time I talk about taking the cast off "just to rest" or "just to sleep" or "just because it is driving me freakin' crazy," my husband reminds me to be patient. Take these few weeks as a well-deserved rest - do some things I don't normally get the chance to do like read, and BE STILL. He reminds me that the better I behave now the more quickly I will heal.

As I hobble off at half-speed today, I will remember to be thankful that I have a minor injury and a relatively easy recovery in the grand scheme of things. That will be my reason for today.

Regrouping

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but years ago when I was running A LOT I was sidelined with tendonitis in my hip. It started a downward spiral that lasted 40 lbs and seven years.

The culprit: overtraining.

So it became my goal this year, as I trained for my first triathlon, to be mindful of this tendency and listen to my body. I took an extra rest day here and there, got plenty of sleep, and watched my diet carefully. After you put in so many months of training to get to race day, there is a slight shiver of fear (or is it paranoia?) as you go through the final days preceding the race. I was always reminding myself to "be careful, watch your step, etc." Nothing like a twisted knee or ankle, or a shoulder pull to derail your race day plans. I think if I could have wrapped myself in bubble wrap, I would have!

Thankfully, I made it through my race injury free, and as I made my summer race plans I applied the same rules. Since another triathlon was over a year away, I concentrated mostly on running, with two swim sessions and some light weightlifting each week. Because I was in good running condition, I jumped at the chance to run the Hana Relay in September with a group of friends who had a team member drop out.

The Hana Relay is GREAT FUN -with costumes and a mardi gras-like atmosphere. It is a 6-member team relay from Kahului Airport to Hana Town, along the 52-mile, twisting, turning, climbing, descending, scenic Road to Hana. Each person runs roughly three, 3-mile legs.

About half-way into my last leg of the race, I felt a pinch in my left foot. It hurt for a bit, but went away and I didn't think much of it, thinking I had probably stepped on a small rock or some other debris. Two days after the race, I noticed some bruising in the area, but still did not have much pain. I decided to take the "wait-and-see" approach, and when the pain did not dissipate after two weeks, I went to the doctor for x-rays. Turns out, my first metatarsal is fractured. The reason is was not more apparent is because the fracture is near a pin in my foot from an old bunion surgery, and the pin is holding the fracture together.

Treatment? I'm hobbling around in an air cast with instructions not to swim, bike or run for a minimum of four, and maybe up to eight, weeks.

There was initial panic. I've worked hard on my fitness and nutrition over the past three years. I have lost 30 lbs. I fell in love with the sport of triathlon. I have BIG PLANS for 2011! This can't be happening!!!

Now, with calm determination, I am going to modify my plans a bit. I am going to continue to work out any way I can without jeopardizing my recovery and maintain my fitness. I am going to watch my diet. I will get through this.

Strap on your seatbelts, my friends...it's going to be a wild ride!

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

It's been crazy since race day, with travel, illness and getting back to life in general.

I'm just coming off 3+ weeks of no training after fighting a chest cold and, more recently, a bout of food poisoning (yuck!). I've set Monday as my day to get back on track with S/B/R - I have goals this fall!

I'm waivering on whether to sign up for the Maui Half Marathon in September. I'm going to test the run waters the next two weeks and see where I am health and stamina-wise before I commit. The last thing I want to do right now is overtrain and come up injured.

Since I won't be doing the Tri-Lanai off-road triathlon (our annual fundraising golf tournament was scheduled for the same day), I'll be doing the Makila Duathlon and Xterra 10K in October instead. And there's a very slim chance I'll sign up for the Bluewater Tri in Parker, Arizona in November (a lot of travel and logistics are riding on that one)...we'll see.

In other news, I looked at a Specialized Dolce road bike today. LOOKED, didn't touch or ride. I am shopping for a reasonably priced road bike to get me through next year's South Maui tri and perhaps a half Ironman in 2011 or 2012. Oooooh, I have shivers! I will be reporting on my bike shopping experiences over the next couple of months and let you know what I end up with. Can't wait!

Sunday, June 13th is RACE DAY!! You are invited...

Aloha Friends and Family!
This Sunday, June 13, is the South Maui Triathlon! This is the race for which I have been training (and you have been encouraging/supporting/helping) me for the last 12 weeks. THANK YOU!

Many of you have asked about attending race day – I really appreciate your support and hope you can come out and cheer for all of the racers on Sunday – so I have put together some information that I hope will help. For more info you can also go directly to the website at http://www.southmauitriathlon.com/.

Parking for the event is at the special events parking area – just as you turn down from Piilani Highway into Wailea, you will make the first left – the parking area is immediately on the right. I do not know if shuttles will be available, so you’ll need to plan to walk down to the hotel or have someone drop you off at the hotel and come up to park.

The race begins at 6:00 a.m. with the men’s swim wave, with the women’s swim wave following at 6:05 a.m. The swim portion is at Wailea Beach in front of the Grand Wailea Hotel. Experienced triathletes and observers say that the swim is one of the most exciting legs to watch, because you can see it all happening in one place.

Swimmers then will run from the beach to the transition area near the Wailea Marriott (the host hotel) parking area, get on their bikes and head out. The transition area is also a fun place to watch because there is a lot of action and excitement going on. I do not know exactly where the transition area will be, but I suspect it will be in the parking area to the right of the parking structure at the hotel. You can see into this area from parts of the Wailea Shops parking lot. FYI - You will not be allowed in the transition area itself.

There are a couple of areas good for watching the bike leg of the race. One is at Mulligan’s on the Blue – the restaurant opens at 8:00 for breakfast (if you know Mike O’Dwyer then you might want to call him up and ask him to open at 7:30 on Sunday to accommodate the spectator crowd!), and the outside dining area has fairly good visibility to part of the bike course (the killer hill!). You can also go back up to the special events parking and grab a lawn chair – the bikers will pass both of these locations a total of four times (it’s a 2-loop course).

Then it’s back to the transition area to drop off the bikes for the run. The run course follows Makena Road, up to part of Makena Alanui, then back down Makena Road and past Makena Landing for the turnaround – I recommend somewhere around the turnaround – you can park at Makena Landing – but watch out for runners!!

The finish line is beachfront at the Wailea Marriott – near the luau grounds. My goal is to finish the race in under four hours, so I expect to cross the finish line sometime between 9:15 and 10:00 a.m. (if you want to sleep in!).

If you have any questions or need any more info, just let me know and I’ll try to get you an answer. This is all new for me too!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Interesting "Course" of Events

Today I ran the run course for my upcoming race. It was a beautiful morning, but still very warm (80s) and I'm glad I had my sports bottle with me. The course is a very hilly out-and-back from Wailea to Makena, mostly along the ocean. I'm hoping for some light cloud cover and ocean breezes on race day.

On the way back, I learned Lesson #1 of the morning. There was a porta-pottie at one of the parks along the route and as I approached it I found it necessary to make a stop. OMG - it must have been 130 degrees in that sweat box. Plus, I was completely sweaty and (now don't laugh!) the toilet paper I had placed on the seat practically glued itself to my legs completely negating it's intended purpose. I managed to get what I hoped was ALL of the TP off of me and continued on my way.

Lesson #1: Do not use porta-potties on race day if you absolutely don't have to.

Then I quickly learned Lesson #2. Today I ran with my iPod, which I normally don't do, but I've been having a little trouble with running motivation, so I carried on with the volume down low. I was completely in the "zone" as I ran along when another runner came up on my right and shouted a cheerful greeting. I squeaked like a scared rabbit, startling myself and him (I'm one of those people who startle easy anyway). I apologized and so did he. Turns out he was an Ironman visiting from the mainland and was out for his long run. He laughed because he said, "You definitely got an adrenalin rush out of that one because your pace picked right up!" We chit-chatted for a little bit, he wished me well on my race, and we went on our separate ways.

Lesson #2: Do not run with iPod any more!

I thought I was done with my lessons for the day, but was to quickly get Lesson #3. I finished my run at Wailea Beach where I had parked my car. I decided to grab my goggles and cap and go out to the beach for a cool down swim and practice a few entry/exits. It was a beautiful day, the water was calm, and there were only a handful of swimmers, snorkelers and SUPs out in the water. I get my gear on, make sure the coast is clear, and swim out about 50y. I pop my head up to sight and from out of nowhere this guy on an SUP appears and I take a hit to the jaw from the tip of his board. He got a serious verbal thrashing from me (because SUPs are supposed to look out for and yield to swimmers near shore) and I headed back in. When I could touch bottom I stood up and touched my lip and came away with a handful of blood - I did not realize he'd busted my lip! Thankfully, I had all my teeth, and I am VERY THANKFUL that he did not hit me in the head and it wasn't any worse.

Lesson #3: Even on a clear, uncrowded day, beware of water dangers and take a bodyguard!

I think I need a brightly colored swim cap for OWS.

Hill Sprints in Pool?

Got my butt kicked in the pool today at the end of practice. After swimming 1600m, the coach had me do 25x8 all out sprints with 10 sec rests between. My first one was 35 sec, the last one was 27. I also learned how to push off under water - much faster start!

The last couple of weeks of training went well, including a sub-2 hour ride of the race course. I was really happy because I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do that on my mountain bike, but I did, and still had plenty of gas in the "tank."

I may have the use of a road bike for the next couple of weeks, including race day. A friend has offered to lend me hers, but it's going to need new tires and a tune up - hopefully minor. Her brother who is an avid cyclist is checking it out for me. Am I being optimistic to think I can pull off riding a different bike with just 2-3 weeks of training rides prior to race day?

Running is back on track. I was having a hard time getting motivated, but I just got a Garmin 305 which, at this point in the game, I think helps keep me honest. I'm looking forward to running the race course on Saturday for my long run.

I'm also planning to spend some time open water swimming this weekend. I'm still a little anxious about the swim, so I thought I would just take my mask, snorkel and fins and cruise the "track" just to familiarize myself with the area beforehand. My first full brick is the weekend after next and I need to get more time in the water before then.

Recovery Week One

Just in case you were wondering, the training program I am following is from the book (aptly named, of course) Triathlete Magazine's Guide to Finishing Your First Triathlon. I am following the Olympic distance training program at the back of the book since the first part of the book is mostly focused on training for sprint distance tri's.

Weather has been an issue, on and off, this week. It has been rainy, windy, and COLD for Maui. I didn't get in my 20 minute run (really?!?) on Tuesday because it was pouring rain first thing in the morning. I intended to run at lunch but discovered that someone had removed my extra pair of running shoes from my truck and running around the park in my Dansko clogs was out of the question. By the time I got home it was raining again. Wimpy excuse, I know.

Despite wimping out on the run, I DID make it to the pool at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, which was an amazing feat considering it was 60 degrees outside, rainy and windy. The pool, however, was a lovely 81 degrees and very pleasant.

Thankfully, this morning dawned cloudy but rain-free and I had a very pleasant 45-minute ride on our highway bike path.

I'm looking forward to my swim tomorrow and riding out to Tedeschi Winery in Ulupalakua on Saturday morning. Hope the weather holds. I'm ready for summer.

A Week of Progress

My intention when starting this blog was to post every day. Ha!


My first official "complete rest" day was Monday, which was actually my second day of "rest" because I did not get my 60 minute run in on Sunday. Which brings me to this: "Plan your workouts and workout your plan."


I've discovered over the past two years that I am a morning workout person. I usually have no problem getting up and heading out while the rest of the world is still asleep and completing my training for the day, but weekends present a problem. I still get up early, but so does Bruce, and many times I am torn - a) stay at home, enjoy the paper and eat breakfast with him; or b) get my butt out on the road and do what I need to do? I need to stick with "b" if I am ever going to make this training program work.

Then I have the weather to contend with. We usually have mild temperatures and weather year round here on Maui, but this week has already been a challenge with extremely high winds and driving rain. Blustery wind and light rain I can handle, even a 30 mph tradewind headwind, but 45-60 mph dodging flying debris is not good.

So, I ended up getting in my Tuesday morning run after work. Tuesday night I loaded my bike in my truck, excited about my first brick workout this morning, only to be thwarted again by said nasty weather. I managed to eke out a swim session at the pool at lunch, but my attempts were frustrating and I bagged out after 850m. My bike is still in the car, so barring any unforeseen weather traumas, I will bike/run tomorrow morning as a "make up."

I threw myself a little pity party at the pool today, but got out with the resolve to get in the pool a little more often than called for in my training schedule so I can get this thing down!

I'm managing to get in my workouts, but I need to tighten things up. It's only going to get harder from here!

Day 3 - Bike

So happy to be back on my bike again!

My friend, Gina, rode with me this morning. We bought our bikes at the same time and have ridden quite a lot over the past several months. While she is on a different training program right now, she is happy to ride with me while my workouts stay in the sub-hour time limit, and I enjoy the company.

Today's 45 minute ride turned into 60 - we had to make a couple of stops and hoist our bikes over/around a couple gates, plus we had quite a headwind on the way back - but overall it was a great ride. It's so nice to have the sun coming up earlier in the morning now! We don't have to ride as dawn is breaking.

My bike is an '09 Trek Fuel Ex 7 mountain bike. That's right...I'm training for (and riding in!) an Olympic distance road tri on my mountain bike. No shame. It fits me great and I love riding it. I bought it with the intention of racing and riding mostly off-road. Who knows...if I truly love and get into triathlon, there might be a road bike in my future.

Day 2 - Run

Every morning I take my dog, Cody, for a walk around the neighborhood. I've done this since he was a puppy (he's now 3+) and he's at my side of the bed as soon as he hears the alarm go off. I throw on my workout clothes, grab his leash, and off we go.

We walk at a good pace, usually for about 15-20 minutes depending on our route. He enjoys getting out and I enjoy the peace and quiet, since nearly everyone in our neighborhood is still asleep. It's also a really good warm up for whatever training I have planned that morning.

Today was the first day that I hit the road instead of the treadmill. I have a lot of hills in my neighborhood and virtually no flat running routes anywhere within a 10 mile radius of my house, so it's always a workout! I was feeling a little creaky at first (it's been about a month since I ran any measurable distance), but was soon feeling my stride and before I knew it my run was done!

My lunchtime workout consisted of weightlifting and yoga...and I have REALLY MISSED MY YOGA! I'm going to have to work to regain some of the flexibility I lost in the last month, but it will be a pleasure to get back into it.

Day 1 - Swim

Got up on the first alarm this morning, which is a good sign since I am a habitual snooze pusher. Most days I like to push it once or twice, much to the annoyance of my husband. I wanted to get up early, though, so I could eat my banana a little more than an hour before I got to the pool. In the middle of the night I thought about eating a small bowl of cereal with my banana (because I wasn't sure the banana by itself would be enough), but then I remembered that there wasn't any milk, so scratched that idea. I need to go grocery shopping tonight.

There were only 3 other people at the pool this morning for the 6:30 a.m. lap swim. I was relieved because if it was crowded I wasn't sure how I was going to navigate sharing a lane since I'm still new to this. Luckily, there was plenty of room and I got a lane on the edge right where I like to be.

I actually swam 800 yards this morning! Granted, it wasn't a continuous 800 (that comes later), but I did my 4 sets of 200 with a few little breaks between. I finally realized this morning that swimming is just like other endurance activities - you are going to get winded, and you will find your groove with the breathing. This is a breakthrough for me because I always just thought it was the act of swimming that made breathing so difficult. Swimming is really a cardio exercise!

My first star is up on the board. Day 1 is complete!

I Am A Swimmer

I did it! I can swim!

Actually, I have been able to swim for a long, long time, but never correctly and never for any length of time. One of the most-repeated bits of advice for training for a triathlon is, "Get a swim coach." So I did.

Rebecca and I met at a women's stand-up paddleboard event last January. It was meant to be! She was chatting with another woman in my group who knew I was looking for a swim coach, so when she mentioned coaching my friend sent her over to me.

Her calm demeanor, vast knowledge and infinite patience turned me from water-fighter to water-glider! I got out of the pool today with such a feeling of exhilaration!

I feel more confident and relaxed and ready to take on my training. We plan to meet about 3-4 times over the next 12 weeks so she can check in on me and we can refine things as we go.

Now I'm looking forward to Monday!

This Thing Called Rest

I thought I would do a little more in these last three weeks than I have. I lifted two days last week and will lift 3 this week with two light swim workouts.

The thing is, I'm happy I took a break! I think it's the longest stretch of "time off" I've had in a year, at least. I feel well rested and ready to hit the road next week. Best of all, I haven't gained any weight!!

My Garmin 305 is on order and should arrive in the next week or so. I'm really looking forward to tracking my run and bike workouts and getting a little more information so I can pace myself better.

Going to take a casual ride on the bike course on Saturday morning. No GPS, no iPod; just my bike, some water and me.

Here's to the kick off in the pool on Monday. Can't wait!

Counting Down

It is only 12 days until "official" training starts. Comapny went back to the mainland Monday night, so I am easing back into my routine. Have not been working out as I had planned, even on a limited basis, so today I got back into my weight training program. I am tired, but feel good. I hope I'm not too sore tomorrow.

I used to be a big fan of protein drinks until I read more about them and decided they were mostly what I call "frankenfood." I used to use them daily, and sometimes several times a day, but now mostly just grab one occasionally. I read about a new one called "mix1" in Triathlete magazine and liked the fact that it had fruit in it too. They have them at our new Whole Foods, so I picked up the tangerine flavor for my post-workout boost.

I have to say that I am not impressed. I WANT to like it, but it tastes far more of vitamins than I like. Sort of like a vaguely unpleasant, thicker, hopped up version of an orange julius. At 200 calories, 2.5g fat, and 15g protein, it's a fair substitute if you want a healthy choice, but it has a rather high sugar content (22g) and the $2.99 price tag makes me wince.

Reading and Rest

I am on a fitness break this week. We just finished the 60-in-60 (had our celebratory lunch at the new Whole Foods yesterday) and I have a little more than two weeks until the "official" 12-week training program and countdown starts.

So right now I am enjoying our company visiting from the mainland and doing very little in the way of fitness other than walking the dog or taking the occasional hike. For the next two weeks I plan to do some light running and riding, a LOT of swimming at the pool, and work back into a light weightlifting program. Sprinkle in some core training and yoga. My usual routine, but lighter...using it to ramp up for the 12-weeks.

I am reading A LOT and loving it. So far, I've read "Racing Weight," by Matt Fitzgerald, Triathlete Magazine's "Guide to Finishing Your First Triathlon," and just received the new edition of "Triathlons for Women," By Sally Edwards. That, in addition to devouring the new issue of Triathlete Magazine. There is a wealth of information out there, much of it free or inexpensive, to help you get started. I find it all absolutely fascinating!

My husband still thinks I'm crazy, but I'm going with Sally Edwards, who believes "triathlon changes women into healthier, happier people." Yeah!

60-in-60 Comes to an End

Well, our 60 minutes of cardio for 60 days straight ended today. Amazing! It was good training for me, considering that on many days I had two workouts - one cardio and one powerlifting. A good ramp-up to the tri training that begins two weeks from today.

I'm planning active rest this week - just a little swimming at lunch on Wednesday and Thursday. Next week I will do some swimming, light lifting, and yoga (focusing on core training).

My bike is going into the shop on Wednesday for rear derailleur replacement (my bike has had some shifting issues since I got it in November - so it is a factory warranty fix) and to fix a limp it has. I think the rear rim accidently got bent by Mr. G. (who shouldn't have been riding it anyway, but that's another story, and all is forgiven). Hopefully, I won't need a new rim.

Building Endurance

This morning’s 60 minute bike ride turned into 85 minutes, thanks to 20+ mph headwind. It’s nice to have the trade winds back, but it would sure be more convenient if they would wait until 8:30 a.m. or so to pick up like that. I just kept telling myself, “It could be just like this on race day, so keep going.” I need to keep building my endurance. And despite the longer than usual ride, I kept my appointment with the pool at lunch today.

A little back-story: I have never been a good swimmer. Recently, I emailed a local swim coach and, when she asked me to describe my ability I told her, “Advanced dog paddle.” I can stay afloat, get myself to the other side of the pool, snorkel for hours, but I never really learned how to swim “correctly.” A lot of it has to do with the fact that I don’t like putting my face in the water.

My mom took me to the obligatory swimming lessons when I was a kid. You remember me, don’t you? The one they couldn’t keep IN the pool – I got out and ran to my mom whenever the coach turned her back. They disentangled me and plopped me right back in the water until the next time she turned her back, and so on.

I managed to learn something, however, since I passed the class, although that final test was a doozie. You had to jump off both the low diving board and the HIGH diving board to pass. The low dive was fine, but I climbed the high dive, crept out to the end of the board and decided I was not going to jump. My return path to the ground was blocked by my remaining classmates, all who were climbing the ladder one after the other. All lined up, impatiently waiting for me to take my turn. After what felt like about an hour, but probably only amounted to 2-3 minutes, the lifeguard came up the ladder and jumped with me. Pass.

Which brings me to today. I realized as I entertained the thought of entering a triathlon that I was going to have to improve my swimming. From everything I’ve read, it appears that I am not alone, either. I found someone who is giving me lessons once a week, but I need practice days too, which is what took me to the pool today.

I’ve been going to the same pool for lessons and practice for a couple of weeks now. I am lucky in that it is right across the street from my work – convenient for lunch time swims. It is never crowded and, best of all, its FREE! As I hacked my way through the water, practicing mostly on breathing and kicking – my assignments for the week – I realized my legs were very tired from the long ride this morning. I just kept telling myself, “I am building endurance,” and kept going. As I left the water, one of the lifeguards came up and told me that I was making progress. I sure appreciated her unsolicited comments…it made my day!

My intention for these lessons and practice is to learn to swim easily and fast enough to finish the 1500m under the time allowed. If I can pass one swimmer along the way, even better!

60-in-60 Catch Up

We are supposed to report our daily activity and heart rate for the 60-in-60 Challenge, and I have been slacking off lately. I generally post this information to our "BE FIT CLUB" page on Facebook, but my interest in FB is waning a bit, so here I am.

The terms of the challenge are to do 60 minutes of cardio exercise each day, within your own specific 60-80% of your max heart rate. So, my max heart rate is 178 (220 minus my age), and my range is 107-142. Here is my update:

• Day 37: 75 minute hike at Kapalua with Gina, avg hr 123 (because of the extreme ups and downs for this terrain, we agreed on reporting an average of our low and high rates).
• Day 38: 60 minute trail hike in Olinda with Bruce and Cody, hr range 109-132.
• Day 39: 60 minute bike - Mokulele Hwy - hr range 108-140
• Day 40: 30 minutes hill power walk with Cody - still have 30 minutes to go tonight.

I am nursing a cranky knee, so need to go light on the running at least through the end of this week. I'll try a nice slow run on Saturday.

Getting Started

Welcome! I hope you'll follow me as I train for the upcoming South Maui Triathlon on Sunday, June 13, in Wailea, Maui, Hawaii.

This is my first attempt at a tri. Since I don't want to bore my family and friends to death with training/racing/dieting talk all the time, I figured this would be a good outlet for me.

I am currently finishing a "60-in-60" challenge with my friends at work - 60 minutes of cardio a day for 60 days straight - in addition to my regular power lifting schedule of 4x per week and yoga 2x per week. My "official" 12-week training schedule for the race starts March 22.