Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Recovering...
From Christmas, training, work, Christmas functions, too much food, too much alcohol – you name it…
Mon: 2.95km at swim squad tonight. More than made up for my laziness last weekend I think. What a way to start a recovery week ;-)
Tue: rest
Wed: strength session in the gym at work at 6am followed by the last of my Christmas shopping :-) I was supposed to do a bike session in the afternoon but a family drama put an end to that.
Thu: for a change in scenery, R & I headed down to the Regatta Centre for the tri club's weekly open water swim. 1.5km in my new wetsuit; I'm in love :-)
Fri: rest (Christmas Day)
Sat: thanks to the rain I did my 90mins ride on the trainer staring at the garage wall. Thankfully I had some podcasts on the iPod to keep me company. Approx. 37km. AvC86
Sun: (more unscheduled) rest
I am on holidays this week – I can’t remember the last time I was on holidays from work & actually stayed home – so I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the training & living the life of a professional athlete for the next week; eat, sleep, train, read :-)
MTD:
Swim – 18.05km
Bike – 180.1km
Mon: 2.95km at swim squad tonight. More than made up for my laziness last weekend I think. What a way to start a recovery week ;-)
Tue: rest
Wed: strength session in the gym at work at 6am followed by the last of my Christmas shopping :-) I was supposed to do a bike session in the afternoon but a family drama put an end to that.
Thu: for a change in scenery, R & I headed down to the Regatta Centre for the tri club's weekly open water swim. 1.5km in my new wetsuit; I'm in love :-)
Fri: rest (Christmas Day)
Sat: thanks to the rain I did my 90mins ride on the trainer staring at the garage wall. Thankfully I had some podcasts on the iPod to keep me company. Approx. 37km. AvC86
Sun: (more unscheduled) rest
I am on holidays this week – I can’t remember the last time I was on holidays from work & actually stayed home – so I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the training & living the life of a professional athlete for the next week; eat, sleep, train, read :-)
MTD:
Swim – 18.05km
Bike – 180.1km
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Restless....
I was very restless, particularly early in the week, due to a combination of frustration at my work, study & business situation as well as a return of my mojo. I certainly was inspired by watching the Canberra HIM last weekend; I sat down this week & started working on an outline of my race calendar for 2010. I haven't done that in years. Not only because I have been injured in recent years (or have had my focus on other things, eg climbing) but due to the frustration I have felt so many times as a result of planning a season but then not being able to achieve any of it due to injury. I'm almost too scared to think about it lest I jinx myself... Fingers crossed.
Mon: swim squad & again I have no idea of the distance because I loose count & forget what we did. So let's just go with 2.5km. 800m with paddles & 800m kick. Ouchy.
Tue: rest
Wed: strength session in the gym at work before work, focusing particularly on my pilates exercises. Then in the evening, I headed back to the Regatta Centre for the last night of the cycling program run by the Penrith Cycling Club. Started the night by spending about 40mins doing bunch rides around the Regatta Centre & then headed into one of the rooms for some nibblies & soft drinks, to re-cap what we had covered & to speak about the races conducted by the club. It looks like the program will continue in late January with a view to getting us up to the point of being able to join bunch races. 20.3k
Thu: 2.5km swim at the pool at work during lunch. A really god session; I felt like I was moving well through the water :-)
Fri: 30mins pilates
Yet despite my restlessness after last weekend’s race, I managed to brush both Saturday’s swim & Sunday’s ride :-) Late nights on both Friday night (CR drinks in the city) and Saturday night (dinner at Chez Lulu & WTR) meant that sleep was a much greater priority than training. I can’t remember the last time I did that; it must have been months (if not years) ago. Nice way to start an (extended) recovery week :-)
In other news, we picked up our wedding photos from our photographer on Saturday. It’s going to take a while before I can cull down the 850+ photos to a ‘highlights reel’…
MTD:
Swim - 13.6k
Bike - 143.1k
Mon: swim squad & again I have no idea of the distance because I loose count & forget what we did. So let's just go with 2.5km. 800m with paddles & 800m kick. Ouchy.
Tue: rest
Wed: strength session in the gym at work before work, focusing particularly on my pilates exercises. Then in the evening, I headed back to the Regatta Centre for the last night of the cycling program run by the Penrith Cycling Club. Started the night by spending about 40mins doing bunch rides around the Regatta Centre & then headed into one of the rooms for some nibblies & soft drinks, to re-cap what we had covered & to speak about the races conducted by the club. It looks like the program will continue in late January with a view to getting us up to the point of being able to join bunch races. 20.3k
Thu: 2.5km swim at the pool at work during lunch. A really god session; I felt like I was moving well through the water :-)
Fri: 30mins pilates
Yet despite my restlessness after last weekend’s race, I managed to brush both Saturday’s swim & Sunday’s ride :-) Late nights on both Friday night (CR drinks in the city) and Saturday night (dinner at Chez Lulu & WTR) meant that sleep was a much greater priority than training. I can’t remember the last time I did that; it must have been months (if not years) ago. Nice way to start an (extended) recovery week :-)
In other news, we picked up our wedding photos from our photographer on Saturday. It’s going to take a while before I can cull down the 850+ photos to a ‘highlights reel’…
MTD:
Swim - 13.6k
Bike - 143.1k
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The taming of the mojo...
Bro, it's completely natural to be attracted to a bike ;-) And in answer to your question TA, I'm actually the last in the household to get a roadie. Roslyn got one for her birthday earlier this year.
Catching up from last week-
Mon: about 2.5km at swim squad including lots of drills. I felt really flat in the water for the first 30mins but improved over the course of the session. The absence of B+ seems to be reflected in decreased numbers again; we were down to 8 tonight. A few very helpful tips from tonight's coach I think has uncovered (hopefully) the reason for my dodgy catch on my LHS. Time will tell.
Tue: rest
Wed: strength + core session in the gym before work. Then after work it was off to the cycling program run by the Penrith Cycling Club with the newest love of my life ;-) A carbon bike (that fits its rider properly) is a joy to ride :-) The program covered a lot of ground: 15km TT around the Regatta Centre with a large bunch (+ 1 x duck which was very lucky to make it out alive) & then lots of skills work; slalom riding through cones (first slow, then as fast as possible, then using only one hand, with another rider along side, then with your hand resting of your buddy's shoulder - which scares me), a relay race which basically involved 4 x 60m sprints off a standing start & a few other odd things. I am really enjoying the program & although it is due to finish next week, it looks like it may continue through the rest of summer. 19.4k.
Thu: 2.4km swim at lunch. Hard session due to a combination of DOMS from yesterday's strength session & a slight lack of fuel.
Fri: 30mins pilates. Thankfully I resisted the temptation to ask the question that every physio must dread; "when do you think it's likely that I can start running again?" I want to know but at the same time, I don't want to know...I must have my mojo back if I'm even thinking about asking...
Sat: busy, busy day in Canberra which started with a 1.53 ride out from Gordon in the south of the city towards Tidbinbilla on my (still as yet unnamed) bike. I had 2 hours easy w/ 2 x 5min @ race pace on the program. Thankfully it was a beautiful ride as it turned out to be neither easy nor at race pace. R had given me directions to head in & had mentioned that there was one big climb at the 7km mark. He forgot to tell me about the ones that followed -
Very pleased with my bike. I couldn't have believed the difference that a carbon bike makes but it was certainly noticeable, particularly on the hills. Unfortunately the better bike still can't make up for my lack of ability to climb. But at least now I'll be a tad more comfortable trying. Finished with 40.2km. Av.21.3k/h.
Later in the afternoon we caught up over a meal with Strewth, Ewen & CJ (*waves*)
Sun: rest - if getting up at 4.15am, cheering, watching, eating bacon & egg rolls, drinking coffee, working on a bike aid station for 2 hours in the hot sun at the Canberra HIM & then driving home from the southern side of Canberra whilst your hubby sleeps in the passenger seat can be considered rest ;-) Seriously I had a great day cheering on R & my good friend Rach as they both blitzed the course in very difficult (hot) conditions. Bring on Port Mac in March :-)
MTD:
Swim - 8.6km
Bike - 122.8km
Catching up from last week-
Mon: about 2.5km at swim squad including lots of drills. I felt really flat in the water for the first 30mins but improved over the course of the session. The absence of B+ seems to be reflected in decreased numbers again; we were down to 8 tonight. A few very helpful tips from tonight's coach I think has uncovered (hopefully) the reason for my dodgy catch on my LHS. Time will tell.
Tue: rest
Wed: strength + core session in the gym before work. Then after work it was off to the cycling program run by the Penrith Cycling Club with the newest love of my life ;-) A carbon bike (that fits its rider properly) is a joy to ride :-) The program covered a lot of ground: 15km TT around the Regatta Centre with a large bunch (+ 1 x duck which was very lucky to make it out alive) & then lots of skills work; slalom riding through cones (first slow, then as fast as possible, then using only one hand, with another rider along side, then with your hand resting of your buddy's shoulder - which scares me), a relay race which basically involved 4 x 60m sprints off a standing start & a few other odd things. I am really enjoying the program & although it is due to finish next week, it looks like it may continue through the rest of summer. 19.4k.
Thu: 2.4km swim at lunch. Hard session due to a combination of DOMS from yesterday's strength session & a slight lack of fuel.
Fri: 30mins pilates. Thankfully I resisted the temptation to ask the question that every physio must dread; "when do you think it's likely that I can start running again?" I want to know but at the same time, I don't want to know...I must have my mojo back if I'm even thinking about asking...
Sat: busy, busy day in Canberra which started with a 1.53 ride out from Gordon in the south of the city towards Tidbinbilla on my (still as yet unnamed) bike. I had 2 hours easy w/ 2 x 5min @ race pace on the program. Thankfully it was a beautiful ride as it turned out to be neither easy nor at race pace. R had given me directions to head in & had mentioned that there was one big climb at the 7km mark. He forgot to tell me about the ones that followed -
Very pleased with my bike. I couldn't have believed the difference that a carbon bike makes but it was certainly noticeable, particularly on the hills. Unfortunately the better bike still can't make up for my lack of ability to climb. But at least now I'll be a tad more comfortable trying. Finished with 40.2km. Av.21.3k/h.
Later in the afternoon we caught up over a meal with Strewth, Ewen & CJ (*waves*)
Sun: rest - if getting up at 4.15am, cheering, watching, eating bacon & egg rolls, drinking coffee, working on a bike aid station for 2 hours in the hot sun at the Canberra HIM & then driving home from the southern side of Canberra whilst your hubby sleeps in the passenger seat can be considered rest ;-) Seriously I had a great day cheering on R & my good friend Rach as they both blitzed the course in very difficult (hot) conditions. Bring on Port Mac in March :-)
MTD:
Swim - 8.6km
Bike - 122.8km
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Let me introduce you...
...to the newest addition to my family :-)
Picked her up this afternoon, just in time to take her to the Penrith Cycling Club program tonight. She looks even hotter in the flesh (so to speak). She is however, as yet, unnamed. All suggestions welcomed!
Picked her up this afternoon, just in time to take her to the Penrith Cycling Club program tonight. She looks even hotter in the flesh (so to speak). She is however, as yet, unnamed. All suggestions welcomed!
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Flying high
I started the week on a post race high - I'd almost forgotten what it felt like! Who am I kidding - I had forgotten what it was like. I was on such a high after the race that I even started checking the tri calendar for the rest of the season. However I'm so far off running again that I can't bring myself to think about races that involve running yet....
Mon: about 1.9km at swim squad. Our usual squad of 20-24 dwindled to 9 tonight no doubt due to Sunday's race. More talking than swimming tonight which was exactly what I needed. The body pulled up fine after the race though I was a bit sleepy-tired today.
Tues: rest
Wed: strength + core strength session in the gym before work.
Then after work, it was back to the Regatta Centre for the next installment of the women's cycling program conducted by the Penrith Cycling Club. Started by practising last weeks skills (riding in bunches, leaning over to pick up traffic cones whilst riding etc). Then we did some skills with the bike whilst standing including several 60min sprints off a rolling start. A 5km 2-woman team TT around the Regatta Centre followed so we could experience the advantage that riding in an echelon gives (and as an example of the difference it makes, my partner & I rode 1min 15sec faster than my sole effort around the Regatta Centre last week). And then we finished the session with a bunch ride around the Regatta Centre (trying to) stay on the wheel of the person in front; that takes real steadiness, confidence & trust, none of which I have (yet)....15.8k
Thu: a hard 1.9km swim (incl 1.2k @ 80% PE) in mid-afternoon. I actually skipped a Xmas drinks function to do this swim. Someone take my temperature; I must be sick ;-)
Fri: my first pilates session with my physio/pilates instructor. It was supposed to be 30mins but turned into 50mins. I have oh so much work to do. I seem to waiver between being full of hope & being depressed at the amount of work required depending on the time of day…
Sat: after a sleep-in, I headed to the pool mid-morning for a 1.8km swim which started with 1.2km @ race pace. Straight up with no warm up. Intended to simulate a race situation as (let's be honest) I never warm up. Ouchy.
Sun: well, it was supposed to be an easy 2hr ride until (a) I bumped into my (6 x IM) Uncle Kel just as I was about to start & ended up riding the first 20mins with him (!); and (b) headed for the Greendale Road loop for something different. Greendale is hilly and the road surface is dead making it a tough ride; and (c) I managed what I like to refer to as a 'lying dismount' - ie I was unable to get my foot out while stopping suddenly at an intersection.
Still I got my 2hr ride done. The sore knee & hand are an added bonus ;-) 47.46k. 2:01:34. Av. 23.4k/h
Monday’s session brought November to a close; what a month it has been (in more ways than one) -
Swim: 9.3km
Bike: 148.7km
In other news, I have officially been awarded my Certificate III in Fitness :-) I had finished all the coursework before the wedding so I've had a few weeks off. But it's time to get started on Certificate IV now - there goes all my spare time...
MTD:
Swim: 3.7km
Bike: 63.2k
Mon: about 1.9km at swim squad. Our usual squad of 20-24 dwindled to 9 tonight no doubt due to Sunday's race. More talking than swimming tonight which was exactly what I needed. The body pulled up fine after the race though I was a bit sleepy-tired today.
Tues: rest
Wed: strength + core strength session in the gym before work.
Then after work, it was back to the Regatta Centre for the next installment of the women's cycling program conducted by the Penrith Cycling Club. Started by practising last weeks skills (riding in bunches, leaning over to pick up traffic cones whilst riding etc). Then we did some skills with the bike whilst standing including several 60min sprints off a rolling start. A 5km 2-woman team TT around the Regatta Centre followed so we could experience the advantage that riding in an echelon gives (and as an example of the difference it makes, my partner & I rode 1min 15sec faster than my sole effort around the Regatta Centre last week). And then we finished the session with a bunch ride around the Regatta Centre (trying to) stay on the wheel of the person in front; that takes real steadiness, confidence & trust, none of which I have (yet)....15.8k
Thu: a hard 1.9km swim (incl 1.2k @ 80% PE) in mid-afternoon. I actually skipped a Xmas drinks function to do this swim. Someone take my temperature; I must be sick ;-)
Fri: my first pilates session with my physio/pilates instructor. It was supposed to be 30mins but turned into 50mins. I have oh so much work to do. I seem to waiver between being full of hope & being depressed at the amount of work required depending on the time of day…
Sat: after a sleep-in, I headed to the pool mid-morning for a 1.8km swim which started with 1.2km @ race pace. Straight up with no warm up. Intended to simulate a race situation as (let's be honest) I never warm up. Ouchy.
Sun: well, it was supposed to be an easy 2hr ride until (a) I bumped into my (6 x IM) Uncle Kel just as I was about to start & ended up riding the first 20mins with him (!); and (b) headed for the Greendale Road loop for something different. Greendale is hilly and the road surface is dead making it a tough ride; and (c) I managed what I like to refer to as a 'lying dismount' - ie I was unable to get my foot out while stopping suddenly at an intersection.
Still I got my 2hr ride done. The sore knee & hand are an added bonus ;-) 47.46k. 2:01:34. Av. 23.4k/h
Monday’s session brought November to a close; what a month it has been (in more ways than one) -
Swim: 9.3km
Bike: 148.7km
In other news, I have officially been awarded my Certificate III in Fitness :-) I had finished all the coursework before the wedding so I've had a few weeks off. But it's time to get started on Certificate IV now - there goes all my spare time...
MTD:
Swim: 3.7km
Bike: 63.2k
Sunday, November 29, 2009
How Jen got her groove back...
Well that was loads of fun :-)
We spent a very hot Saturday afternoon down at the Regatta Centre watching Roslyn (aka Mini Mango) doing the enticer. The BOM said it was 39.9 at Penrith but I think it was a tad hotter than that. Throw in a strong wind & it made for very difficult conditions. Roslyn however achieved both of her goals & had a fantastic race.
Headed home feeling rather dehydrated (despite drinking 3+ litres of water during the day) so we tried TA’s half-a-packet-of-chips salt loading regime which worked; I felt much better almost immediately. My team mate, and “legs” for the race, Rags arrived soon afterwards.
I had a late night & woke feeling tired & nervous, thinking “what on earth am I doing?”. Today’s race was the longest I have done to date (1km swim/30km bike). I was pretty comfortable with the bike leg but feeling very uncertain (read: scared) about the swim leg.
Pre-race w/ my hubby-
The swim went (surprisingly) well. The teams started in the final wave with the M40-44 so I positioned myself at the back of the pack & had the pleasure of clear water in front of me for most of the race so I was able to concentrate on my stroke & breathing. I was hoping to do around 25mins; much to my surprise I saw 20:49 on my watch when I got out of the water. I was also greeting by Roslyn telling me that Mango wasn’t too far ahead of me (2mins as it turns out). I’ll catch him next time… ;-)
The run into T1 probably hurt more than any other part of the race. It always does but when you haven’t really run in the last 18 months, it really sent my HR soaring. Onto the bike & I was overtaken by soooooo many people (men). However they all took off up the road so I didn’t have to worry too much about needing to drop back. I basically had the course on the second lap to myself so I made the most of being able to take the racing line; something I don’t often get a chance in races to do. I really enjoyed the ride & saw the results of all my hard work over winter. My bike split (excl transitions) was 1:08, well ahead of the 1:15 I was anticipating.
Came into T2, racked my bike & then ran up to the teams transition area where I gave Rags a kiss, the timing chip & race number and sent him on his way.
After such a long absence from racing (in any form), it was wonderful to be apart of it again. I certainly feel like I have my mojo back now & I'm looking forward to racing again soon
Thanks to Coach TA who was taken my riding, in particular, to another level over winter. My next challenge is the swim / bike combo again at the Olympic distance race in Canberra in January. I’m nervous already. Bring it on :-)
Official results:
Swim: 21.42
Bike: 1.10.16 (incl T1 & T2)
Run: 48.41
Total: 2.20.40
MTD:
Swim – 7.4k
Bike – 148.7
Wedding – 1
Overseas holiday - 1
Cocktails consumed – too many to count!
We spent a very hot Saturday afternoon down at the Regatta Centre watching Roslyn (aka Mini Mango) doing the enticer. The BOM said it was 39.9 at Penrith but I think it was a tad hotter than that. Throw in a strong wind & it made for very difficult conditions. Roslyn however achieved both of her goals & had a fantastic race.
Headed home feeling rather dehydrated (despite drinking 3+ litres of water during the day) so we tried TA’s half-a-packet-of-chips salt loading regime which worked; I felt much better almost immediately. My team mate, and “legs” for the race, Rags arrived soon afterwards.
I had a late night & woke feeling tired & nervous, thinking “what on earth am I doing?”. Today’s race was the longest I have done to date (1km swim/30km bike). I was pretty comfortable with the bike leg but feeling very uncertain (read: scared) about the swim leg.
Pre-race w/ my hubby-
The swim went (surprisingly) well. The teams started in the final wave with the M40-44 so I positioned myself at the back of the pack & had the pleasure of clear water in front of me for most of the race so I was able to concentrate on my stroke & breathing. I was hoping to do around 25mins; much to my surprise I saw 20:49 on my watch when I got out of the water. I was also greeting by Roslyn telling me that Mango wasn’t too far ahead of me (2mins as it turns out). I’ll catch him next time… ;-)
The run into T1 probably hurt more than any other part of the race. It always does but when you haven’t really run in the last 18 months, it really sent my HR soaring. Onto the bike & I was overtaken by soooooo many people (men). However they all took off up the road so I didn’t have to worry too much about needing to drop back. I basically had the course on the second lap to myself so I made the most of being able to take the racing line; something I don’t often get a chance in races to do. I really enjoyed the ride & saw the results of all my hard work over winter. My bike split (excl transitions) was 1:08, well ahead of the 1:15 I was anticipating.
Came into T2, racked my bike & then ran up to the teams transition area where I gave Rags a kiss, the timing chip & race number and sent him on his way.
After such a long absence from racing (in any form), it was wonderful to be apart of it again. I certainly feel like I have my mojo back now & I'm looking forward to racing again soon
Thanks to Coach TA who was taken my riding, in particular, to another level over winter. My next challenge is the swim / bike combo again at the Olympic distance race in Canberra in January. I’m nervous already. Bring it on :-)
Official results:
Swim: 21.42
Bike: 1.10.16 (incl T1 & T2)
Run: 48.41
Total: 2.20.40
MTD:
Swim – 7.4k
Bike – 148.7
Wedding – 1
Overseas holiday - 1
Cocktails consumed – too many to count!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Back to life, back to reality...
She says channeling Soul II Soul from the 80s. Anyway what a week it has been. A return to work after the wedding & honeymoon, a new club membership and, coming up this weekend, my first race of any kind in over 15 months.
Mon: back to swim squad for the first time in 4 weeks & it hurt. Lots of short sharp sets & 100s on descending swim times to get everyone ready for the Nepean Tri on Sunday. As if I wasn't already really nervous about the race.......2.something kms.
Tue: 52min bike session (including 4 x 6mins efforts) on the trainer before work. This session is always a struggle after 6 hours sleep & swim squad the night before but I felt reasonably good & it past quickly. I have an idea of my race pace for Sunday but we'll see.... 20.3k. Av.23.3k/h. AvC85
Wed: strength session (upper body) before work.
Then after work, I headed down to the Regatta Centre, signed up to the Penrith Cycling Club & joined a Women's Cycling Program it is running for the next 4 weeks. The program actually started last week but it I only heard about it over the weekend. The Club also races on a weekly basis at the Regatta Centre so I might be a good way to get in a hard session on the bike on a semi-regular basis.
Tonight's session was largely skills based; learning to ride close to another rider (so close that are elbows were touching & then by resting your arm on their shoulder). Scary stuff! Learning to slalom between traffic cones first by ourselves & then with another rider close by our side. I also managed (somehow) to bend over & pick up a traffic cone while riding (albeit slowly) without falling off! Finished with 60m sprints to feel the difference of different gear combinations & then a 5km time trial around the Regatta Centre. Program was great & I'm looking forward to next week but the TT left me more than a little concerned about Sunday. (9.3k)
Thur: rest
Fri: easy 1.1km swim at lunch. In other news, I had some good news from the physio today - I'm allowed to start pilates. If you remember this post back in August (!), I've been working over the last 3 months to correct some dysfunctional movement patterns & to get my muscles in around my pelvis/core activating when they should (which included wearing a delightful ‘preggy belt’ which produced an even more delightful ‘muffin top’). All the work I have done has been static – basically laying on the floor in the lounge room – so now I’ve got the ok to start moving (LOL). This means I start working with a physiotherapy-trained pilates instructor on a weekly basis. Gunna cost a fortune but it will be worth it…
Rest day tomorrow (Saturday) and I'm ready (?) for the race on Sunday; my first tri race (even if I am only doing 2/3rds of it) in almost 20 months & my first race of any type in 15 months). Uber nervous…
MTD:
Swim – 6.4km
Bike – 118.7
Wedding – 1
Overseas holiday - 1
Cocktails consumed – too many to count!
Mon: back to swim squad for the first time in 4 weeks & it hurt. Lots of short sharp sets & 100s on descending swim times to get everyone ready for the Nepean Tri on Sunday. As if I wasn't already really nervous about the race.......2.something kms.
Tue: 52min bike session (including 4 x 6mins efforts) on the trainer before work. This session is always a struggle after 6 hours sleep & swim squad the night before but I felt reasonably good & it past quickly. I have an idea of my race pace for Sunday but we'll see.... 20.3k. Av.23.3k/h. AvC85
Wed: strength session (upper body) before work.
Then after work, I headed down to the Regatta Centre, signed up to the Penrith Cycling Club & joined a Women's Cycling Program it is running for the next 4 weeks. The program actually started last week but it I only heard about it over the weekend. The Club also races on a weekly basis at the Regatta Centre so I might be a good way to get in a hard session on the bike on a semi-regular basis.
Tonight's session was largely skills based; learning to ride close to another rider (so close that are elbows were touching & then by resting your arm on their shoulder). Scary stuff! Learning to slalom between traffic cones first by ourselves & then with another rider close by our side. I also managed (somehow) to bend over & pick up a traffic cone while riding (albeit slowly) without falling off! Finished with 60m sprints to feel the difference of different gear combinations & then a 5km time trial around the Regatta Centre. Program was great & I'm looking forward to next week but the TT left me more than a little concerned about Sunday. (9.3k)
Thur: rest
Fri: easy 1.1km swim at lunch. In other news, I had some good news from the physio today - I'm allowed to start pilates. If you remember this post back in August (!), I've been working over the last 3 months to correct some dysfunctional movement patterns & to get my muscles in around my pelvis/core activating when they should (which included wearing a delightful ‘preggy belt’ which produced an even more delightful ‘muffin top’). All the work I have done has been static – basically laying on the floor in the lounge room – so now I’ve got the ok to start moving (LOL). This means I start working with a physiotherapy-trained pilates instructor on a weekly basis. Gunna cost a fortune but it will be worth it…
Rest day tomorrow (Saturday) and I'm ready (?) for the race on Sunday; my first tri race (even if I am only doing 2/3rds of it) in almost 20 months & my first race of any type in 15 months). Uber nervous…
MTD:
Swim – 6.4km
Bike – 118.7
Wedding – 1
Overseas holiday - 1
Cocktails consumed – too many to count!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Kia orana..
...is the standard form of greeting in the Cook Islands. It actually means 'may you live on'. What a wonderful way to greet someone. So a few pics from our honeymoon (before I again resume boring y'all with words again)...
Our chariot for a few days on Rarotonga-
On the hike across Rarotonga-
The view from bed in our over water bungalow on Aitutaki :-))
The view from the deck of our bungalow (which was complete with steps down to the water & a freshwater shower) down to one of the restaurants / bars on Aitutaki-
Doing my core work whilst out on the paddle board-
And just to prove that it wasn't all hard work-
No, this isn't pork or steak or chicken; it's tuna!
Our chariot for a few days on Rarotonga-
On the hike across Rarotonga-
The view from bed in our over water bungalow on Aitutaki :-))
The view from the deck of our bungalow (which was complete with steps down to the water & a freshwater shower) down to one of the restaurants / bars on Aitutaki-
Doing my core work whilst out on the paddle board-
And just to prove that it wasn't all hard work-
No, this isn't pork or steak or chicken; it's tuna!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
It's only (lots of) words...
About time I got back to words (though I will post a couple of photos from our honeymoon in the Cook Islands later in the week).
Now let me see:
Mon 2/11: I love holidays. Started my 2hr long ride at 9am :-) Easy ride with 2 x 10mins @ race pace. A really enjoyable ride on a clear but warm morning. Funniest moment came when a (male) cyclist pulled up beside me, started chatting & then asked for my phone number & if he could call me. LOL. And no, I didn't give it to him. Finished with 2.07.33. Av.24.4k/h. C84. 51.5k
Tue 3/11: strength session in the gym in the late afternoon. It was 39 degrees out here in Penrith today. Nasty.
Wed 4/11: 1.9km swim in the morning including drills & easy 1km (in just under 22min) before picking Owly & Cirque up from the station & heading up to our wedding venue to kick back & relax with both of our families.
Thur 5/11- Sun 8/11: rest & recovery unless lots of dancing at your wedding counts ;-) Oh, and we just happened to head to the Cook Islands for our honeymoon on Sunday morning.
Mon 9/11: strength session (chest, shoulders, tris) in the gym at our resort on Rarotonga
Tue 10/11: we did what all honeymooners do; a 3.5 hour (moderate) hike through the mountains & across the island of Rarotonga. I had looked into whether it was possible to hike to the summit of the highest point on Rarotonga. Unfortunately it isn't so this hike would have to suffice. Only approximately 5km in total distance but we climbed from sea level up to the base of "The Needle"; a narrow sheer rock cliff with views to both the north & south coast of the island approx. 400m ASL (will post some photos later this week). It was a rather humid day but fortunately heavy cloud cover prevented the temp from climbing too high.
Wed 11/11: 30mins elliptical machine (including 5 x 2mins intervals)
Thur 12/11: 2hr hike attempting to climb up to another lookout on the island. Let's just say that we became "navigationally challenged" and took the "scenic route" - ie, we somehow managed to miss the turn-off & spent over an hour bush-bashing our way up one side of the hill until coming to a dead end. We'd like to say that we were 'trailblazing' a way route to the summit ;-) Still, any day in the mountains is a nice way to spend a day.
Fri 13/11: 10mins on elliptical then strength session (legs & back)
Sat 14/11 - Sun 15/11: rest - travel to Aitutaki & lots of R & R (and cocktails!)
Mon 16/11: for something different, R & I did a SUP Fit class. SUP = stand up paddle boarding. Great fun. Basically it involved firstly learning to balance on our knees & then stand on the paddle board. Once we had 'mastered' that, we paddled along a channel into the current, turning around (much harder than it sounds) & then using the current to float back to the start while doing things like push-ups, childs pose, 'salute to the sun', planks, supermans etc while balancing on the paddle board. The class went for 60mins & then R & I spent another 30mins playing on the paddle boards (and, in my case, 'trying' to paddle in a straight line!). Was great fun - I really enjoyed it. So much so that I've been looking to find places that hire out paddle boards since I got home...
Tue 17/11 - Thu 19/11: rest (travel from Aitutaki to Raro & then home, losing a day due to the date line)
Fri 20/11: I think TA has a crystal ball. My first day back training - and the day it hit 41 degrees out here in Penrith - and TA had a swim scheduled :-) 1.4km swim including 10 x 100m.
Sat 21 /11: 95min ride (including 10mins @ race pace) along the Northern Road. Nice to be back on the bike again after 2 weeks. Av. 23.6k/h. 376k
Sun 22/11: rest
Friday's swim & Saturday's ride were hard work which leaves me a tad (even more) nervous about the Nepean Triathlon next weekend. I am doing the swim & bike legs as part of Team Himalaya with Rags. Still, the extra 3kgs I'm carrying should help with buoyancy in the water. Finished crossed...
MTD:
Swim – 3.3k
Bike – 89.1k
Now let me see:
Mon 2/11: I love holidays. Started my 2hr long ride at 9am :-) Easy ride with 2 x 10mins @ race pace. A really enjoyable ride on a clear but warm morning. Funniest moment came when a (male) cyclist pulled up beside me, started chatting & then asked for my phone number & if he could call me. LOL. And no, I didn't give it to him. Finished with 2.07.33. Av.24.4k/h. C84. 51.5k
Tue 3/11: strength session in the gym in the late afternoon. It was 39 degrees out here in Penrith today. Nasty.
Wed 4/11: 1.9km swim in the morning including drills & easy 1km (in just under 22min) before picking Owly & Cirque up from the station & heading up to our wedding venue to kick back & relax with both of our families.
Thur 5/11- Sun 8/11: rest & recovery unless lots of dancing at your wedding counts ;-) Oh, and we just happened to head to the Cook Islands for our honeymoon on Sunday morning.
Mon 9/11: strength session (chest, shoulders, tris) in the gym at our resort on Rarotonga
Tue 10/11: we did what all honeymooners do; a 3.5 hour (moderate) hike through the mountains & across the island of Rarotonga. I had looked into whether it was possible to hike to the summit of the highest point on Rarotonga. Unfortunately it isn't so this hike would have to suffice. Only approximately 5km in total distance but we climbed from sea level up to the base of "The Needle"; a narrow sheer rock cliff with views to both the north & south coast of the island approx. 400m ASL (will post some photos later this week). It was a rather humid day but fortunately heavy cloud cover prevented the temp from climbing too high.
Wed 11/11: 30mins elliptical machine (including 5 x 2mins intervals)
Thur 12/11: 2hr hike attempting to climb up to another lookout on the island. Let's just say that we became "navigationally challenged" and took the "scenic route" - ie, we somehow managed to miss the turn-off & spent over an hour bush-bashing our way up one side of the hill until coming to a dead end. We'd like to say that we were 'trailblazing' a way route to the summit ;-) Still, any day in the mountains is a nice way to spend a day.
Fri 13/11: 10mins on elliptical then strength session (legs & back)
Sat 14/11 - Sun 15/11: rest - travel to Aitutaki & lots of R & R (and cocktails!)
Mon 16/11: for something different, R & I did a SUP Fit class. SUP = stand up paddle boarding. Great fun. Basically it involved firstly learning to balance on our knees & then stand on the paddle board. Once we had 'mastered' that, we paddled along a channel into the current, turning around (much harder than it sounds) & then using the current to float back to the start while doing things like push-ups, childs pose, 'salute to the sun', planks, supermans etc while balancing on the paddle board. The class went for 60mins & then R & I spent another 30mins playing on the paddle boards (and, in my case, 'trying' to paddle in a straight line!). Was great fun - I really enjoyed it. So much so that I've been looking to find places that hire out paddle boards since I got home...
Tue 17/11 - Thu 19/11: rest (travel from Aitutaki to Raro & then home, losing a day due to the date line)
Fri 20/11: I think TA has a crystal ball. My first day back training - and the day it hit 41 degrees out here in Penrith - and TA had a swim scheduled :-) 1.4km swim including 10 x 100m.
Sat 21 /11: 95min ride (including 10mins @ race pace) along the Northern Road. Nice to be back on the bike again after 2 weeks. Av. 23.6k/h. 376k
Sun 22/11: rest
Friday's swim & Saturday's ride were hard work which leaves me a tad (even more) nervous about the Nepean Triathlon next weekend. I am doing the swim & bike legs as part of Team Himalaya with Rags. Still, the extra 3kgs I'm carrying should help with buoyancy in the water. Finished crossed...
MTD:
Swim – 3.3k
Bike – 89.1k
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Friday, November 06, 2009
Sunday, November 01, 2009
T'was the week before the wedding & all through the house....
Jen was eating & drinking up a storm :-)
A crazy busy week at work as I prepared to finish up at work for my holidays. Training suffered a bit towards the end of the week; a necessity as the training & lack of sleep would have only left me feeling even more tired (than I already am). Though the (considerable) increase in food this week thanks to a variety of family / celebratory dinners has left me feeling like I've packed in 5kg over the course of the week!
Mon: about 2.5k at swim squad tonight. A mixed session; a few efforts, drills, torpedoes and underwater swimming for something different
Tue: a late night due to swim squad & a bad night sleep resulted in me reseting my alarm & giving myself a much needed sleep-in (the first time I've done in months). Got home from work just before 8pm & straight onto the bike for a short 30mins ride. I had 45mins on the program but I figured 30mins was better than nothing. I probably could have skipped this ride but wanted to do it to counter the effect (probably mentally moreso than physically) of the multiple family / celebratory meals I'll be having over the next week (never mind on the honeymoon!). 13k
Wed: great strength session in the gym before work.
Thur: 70min ride on the trainer at 5am including single leg drills & 3 x 10mins. A good session which past by remarkably quickly; I felt much stronger than last week. 27.3k. Av.C87 (No HR reading - I think Garmin Elektra though is dying a slow death....)
Fri, Sat & Sun: rest days. Friday & Sunday were scheduled. Saturday was not. C'est la vie; I had a great weekend thanks to various 'hen' events :-)
CoolChicks L-R: TigerAngel, Ellie, yours truly, Owly
Yum!
The morning after: breakfast with Mum, Mini Mango, Erin & Owly.
There are a few more picks on my other blog for those who are interested
Of course, Saturday brought the end of October. The totals for October will look rather different next month!
Swim: 13.7k
Bike: 348.9k
4 sleeps to go now until the wedding so my next post may be a little different from the usual training report :-) Wish me luck !!
A crazy busy week at work as I prepared to finish up at work for my holidays. Training suffered a bit towards the end of the week; a necessity as the training & lack of sleep would have only left me feeling even more tired (than I already am). Though the (considerable) increase in food this week thanks to a variety of family / celebratory dinners has left me feeling like I've packed in 5kg over the course of the week!
Mon: about 2.5k at swim squad tonight. A mixed session; a few efforts, drills, torpedoes and underwater swimming for something different
Tue: a late night due to swim squad & a bad night sleep resulted in me reseting my alarm & giving myself a much needed sleep-in (the first time I've done in months). Got home from work just before 8pm & straight onto the bike for a short 30mins ride. I had 45mins on the program but I figured 30mins was better than nothing. I probably could have skipped this ride but wanted to do it to counter the effect (probably mentally moreso than physically) of the multiple family / celebratory meals I'll be having over the next week (never mind on the honeymoon!). 13k
Wed: great strength session in the gym before work.
Thur: 70min ride on the trainer at 5am including single leg drills & 3 x 10mins. A good session which past by remarkably quickly; I felt much stronger than last week. 27.3k. Av.C87 (No HR reading - I think Garmin Elektra though is dying a slow death....)
Fri, Sat & Sun: rest days. Friday & Sunday were scheduled. Saturday was not. C'est la vie; I had a great weekend thanks to various 'hen' events :-)
CoolChicks L-R: TigerAngel, Ellie, yours truly, Owly
Yum!
The morning after: breakfast with Mum, Mini Mango, Erin & Owly.
There are a few more picks on my other blog for those who are interested
Of course, Saturday brought the end of October. The totals for October will look rather different next month!
Swim: 13.7k
Bike: 348.9k
4 sleeps to go now until the wedding so my next post may be a little different from the usual training report :-) Wish me luck !!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Flat as a.....
Felt pretty lethargic & flat during my training earlier in the week. I've had no less sleep than normal. I just think that the madness of the last 2 months has caught up with me. In that time aside from work & training, I have done my Senior First Aid certificate, trained with Emazon for 6 hours over 2 days, travelled to Qld for the Worlds, completed by pracs for my Cert III plus the written assignments and finalised the wedding. Far. Out. No wonder I'm tired! Very much looking forward to kicking back & drinking cocktails on a tropical island in a couple of weeks :-))
Mon: about 2.7km swim at squad tonight. Tonight was all about distance & pacing; very few drills. I must have been more tired than I felt because my stroke seemed to fall apart a bit more than normal.
Tue: still tired & up early for a 45min ride on the trainer. Again, I wasn't organised enough to get outside & do this. I also didn't drink enough during & after swim squad last night so I was really dehydrated during this ride & it showed. Yet another lesson learnt! 18.5k. AvC89. AvHR55% (!!)
Wed: another strength session before work, this time using a few tricks I've used as part of my Cert III. Good fun.
Thu: up @ 5am again this time for a 58mims bike session on the trainer including 3 x 8mins @ race pace. Still felt a bit lethargic but much better than on Tuesday. Yes I am trying to look after myself TA :-)) Finished with 28.5k. AvC87. No HR number as I had forgotten to recharge Garmin Electra.
Fri: rest. Was supposed to swim but instead (for the first time in about 7 weeks) I skipped my session. A combination of "couldn't be a*sed", too much work to do ahead of our holiday & I figured the rest would probably be better given my less than stellar training earlier in the week.
Sat: yesterday's rest seemed to make the difference. Had a great & really enjoyable 2.10 ride (inc 15mins @ race pace) along the Northern Road on a beautiful warm spring morning. After a bit of a sleep-in, I started my ride about 9am. I was joined briefly by R but otherwise just enjoyed the beautiful sunshine & easy ride. Throw in a facial in the afternoon & finishing my final written assessment for my Certificate III course late on Friday night & it was a great start to the weekend. 52.19k. Av.23.8k/h. AvC85. Av135HR
Sun: rest day but no sleep in. Headed to the airport to pick up my 'baby' brother & his g/f who have arrived from Canada for the wedding & to introduce them to R for the first time! Exciting times!
11 sleeps to go now!
MTD:
Swim - 11.2k
Bike - 308.6k
Mon: about 2.7km swim at squad tonight. Tonight was all about distance & pacing; very few drills. I must have been more tired than I felt because my stroke seemed to fall apart a bit more than normal.
Tue: still tired & up early for a 45min ride on the trainer. Again, I wasn't organised enough to get outside & do this. I also didn't drink enough during & after swim squad last night so I was really dehydrated during this ride & it showed. Yet another lesson learnt! 18.5k. AvC89. AvHR55% (!!)
Wed: another strength session before work, this time using a few tricks I've used as part of my Cert III. Good fun.
Thu: up @ 5am again this time for a 58mims bike session on the trainer including 3 x 8mins @ race pace. Still felt a bit lethargic but much better than on Tuesday. Yes I am trying to look after myself TA :-)) Finished with 28.5k. AvC87. No HR number as I had forgotten to recharge Garmin Electra.
Fri: rest. Was supposed to swim but instead (for the first time in about 7 weeks) I skipped my session. A combination of "couldn't be a*sed", too much work to do ahead of our holiday & I figured the rest would probably be better given my less than stellar training earlier in the week.
Sat: yesterday's rest seemed to make the difference. Had a great & really enjoyable 2.10 ride (inc 15mins @ race pace) along the Northern Road on a beautiful warm spring morning. After a bit of a sleep-in, I started my ride about 9am. I was joined briefly by R but otherwise just enjoyed the beautiful sunshine & easy ride. Throw in a facial in the afternoon & finishing my final written assessment for my Certificate III course late on Friday night & it was a great start to the weekend. 52.19k. Av.23.8k/h. AvC85. Av135HR
Sun: rest day but no sleep in. Headed to the airport to pick up my 'baby' brother & his g/f who have arrived from Canada for the wedding & to introduce them to R for the first time! Exciting times!
11 sleeps to go now!
MTD:
Swim - 11.2k
Bike - 308.6k
Sunday, October 18, 2009
One (baby) step closer...
Back into the training this week. It turned out to be an interesting (and exhausting) week which started with absolutely trashed legs after my prac day last Sunday for my Cert III course. 125+ squats in 4 mins doesn't make for happy legs...
Mon: 2.5km swim at squad which thankfully didn't involve too many kicking drills. Smashed myself to relieve some frustration / injury-related tears which made an appearance earlier in the evening.
Tue: 45min bike before work on the trainer. I'm supposed to do this session on the road but I haven't quite been able to get my act together enough to do that yet. Legs are still trashed from Sunday. 18.4k. AvC88. Av.HRR 126
Wed: legs are still recovering after Sunday (!) so today it was an upper body strength session in the gym before work, during which I realised that I haven't missed my weekly strength session now in 6 months. Yeah me.
Thur: after work, it was into the garage for a 55min bike session including single leg drills and 2 x 10min @ 80-85%HRR. Tough but good :-) 22.5k. AvC88. Av.141HR
Fri: I took the day off work to get some study done ahead of my Cert III prac assessment on Sunday. So after a much needed sleep-in & lots of study, I headed off to the pool about 2pm for a 1.9k swim. A great session which included an easy 400m and 600m. My 'easy' pace produced surprising times so I was pretty pleased. Afterwards I went out for my 5min 'funeral march' pace walk. More about that later.
Sat: dragged myself out of bed about 7.30am to head out along the Northern Road for the programmed 2hr easy ride (60-65%HR) (incl 10min @ race pace). Absolutely beautiful morning for a ride - a slight breeze otherwise clear & still. Thanks to my recent acquisition of a new HR monitor strap as my old one had died, I was finally able to do this ride as per the program; ie at 60-65% HR. Holy moly. That's slow. It's nice to know that I can ride at 25k/h+ otherwise I think this morning's ride would have been demoralising. As it was (I must admit) that I had a tendency to speed up if there were any other cyclists coming in the opposite direction because I didn't want anyone to see me riding so slowly (haha). Finished with 46.8k in 1.58.46 - av.23.64k/h - avC.85 - av.65%HRR (138) - and only one attempted magpie strike. I was riding too fast for him to catch me ;-)
Sun: rest and another prac day for my Cert III - including my practical assessment which I am happy to report I passed :-)
My physio visit on Friday was pretty promising. With the ultrasound, we are starting to see signs of neural activation of my TA and other small stabilizers that wasn't there a few months ago. I'm allowed out of my 'preggy' belt to walk for 5-10min per day at 'funeral march' pace to focus on my pelvic floor & stabilisers. Baby steps but at least they are steps I suppose...
MTD:
Swim - 8.5k
Bike - 209.5
Mon: 2.5km swim at squad which thankfully didn't involve too many kicking drills. Smashed myself to relieve some frustration / injury-related tears which made an appearance earlier in the evening.
Tue: 45min bike before work on the trainer. I'm supposed to do this session on the road but I haven't quite been able to get my act together enough to do that yet. Legs are still trashed from Sunday. 18.4k. AvC88. Av.HRR 126
Wed: legs are still recovering after Sunday (!) so today it was an upper body strength session in the gym before work, during which I realised that I haven't missed my weekly strength session now in 6 months. Yeah me.
Thur: after work, it was into the garage for a 55min bike session including single leg drills and 2 x 10min @ 80-85%HRR. Tough but good :-) 22.5k. AvC88. Av.141HR
Fri: I took the day off work to get some study done ahead of my Cert III prac assessment on Sunday. So after a much needed sleep-in & lots of study, I headed off to the pool about 2pm for a 1.9k swim. A great session which included an easy 400m and 600m. My 'easy' pace produced surprising times so I was pretty pleased. Afterwards I went out for my 5min 'funeral march' pace walk. More about that later.
Sat: dragged myself out of bed about 7.30am to head out along the Northern Road for the programmed 2hr easy ride (60-65%HR) (incl 10min @ race pace). Absolutely beautiful morning for a ride - a slight breeze otherwise clear & still. Thanks to my recent acquisition of a new HR monitor strap as my old one had died, I was finally able to do this ride as per the program; ie at 60-65% HR. Holy moly. That's slow. It's nice to know that I can ride at 25k/h+ otherwise I think this morning's ride would have been demoralising. As it was (I must admit) that I had a tendency to speed up if there were any other cyclists coming in the opposite direction because I didn't want anyone to see me riding so slowly (haha). Finished with 46.8k in 1.58.46 - av.23.64k/h - avC.85 - av.65%HRR (138) - and only one attempted magpie strike. I was riding too fast for him to catch me ;-)
Sun: rest and another prac day for my Cert III - including my practical assessment which I am happy to report I passed :-)
My physio visit on Friday was pretty promising. With the ultrasound, we are starting to see signs of neural activation of my TA and other small stabilizers that wasn't there a few months ago. I'm allowed out of my 'preggy' belt to walk for 5-10min per day at 'funeral march' pace to focus on my pelvic floor & stabilisers. Baby steps but at least they are steps I suppose...
MTD:
Swim - 8.5k
Bike - 209.5
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Onwards & upwards
First and most importantly I want to congratulate TigerAngel - my brilliant coach - on her fantastic result in her HIM debut at the Gold Coast last weekend. TA has got to be the most determined people I have ever met who continually inspires me to keep on 'keeping on' through all the injuries.
This has been a recovery week for me - thankfully. I lurve recovery weeks. I get a chance to get other 'stuff' done. In the case of this week, it was lots of sleep & lots of study for my Cert III, the assessment for which is in 2 weeks time!
Mon: easy 1.2k swim (consisting mainly of drills) about lunchtime on a public holiday after a sleep-in & lazy morning. Nice.
Tue: rest :-)
Wed: thanks to a cr*p nights sleep & a very unhappy hamstring (still), an easy-ish upper body + core strength session in the gym at work first thing this morning & a wedding dress fitting later in the day.
Thur: 45min bike session on the trainer this morning including 6 x 2min efforts & some single leg drills. 17.9k. Av.C88. Av.HR 124
Fri: another 1.2k swim after work & before Mum's baked dinner :-) I must be slightly mad - I lurve swimming with paddles :-)
Sat: due to a bit of a sleep-in & my folks coming over for morning tea, I had to do this session on the trainer in the garage rather than out on the road. 3rd week in a row I have done that. Over. It. Looking forward to getting out on the road next weekend. Anyhoo an easy 80mins ride past quickly thanks to lots of Kona-related podcasts. 34.2k. AvC90. 130HR
Sun: rest & full day prac session in a gym in the city for my Certificate III in Fitness course. Edit: so much for this being a rest day. As part of my prac course, and in a demonstration of exercising to target your lactic energy system, we did a 'Tabata' session of squats - 20sec on / 10sec off - for 4 mins with the goal of doing the maximum number of squats with perfect form in that time. Far. Out. Talk about jelly legs. Tomorrow nights swim squad could be interesting if we have lots of kick sets....
Less than 4 weeks to go now until the wedding. I had a dress fitting on Wed. Thankfully my dress fits over / around the lats I have developed thanks to all the swimming & weight training I've been doing in recent months. Phew! It's pretty much all organised now so nothing to do except relax & enjoy the build-up & associated excitement (particularly the arrival of my (baby) brother - who has never met R - from Canada in 2 weeks!).
MTD:
Swim - 4.1k
Bike - 121.8k
This has been a recovery week for me - thankfully. I lurve recovery weeks. I get a chance to get other 'stuff' done. In the case of this week, it was lots of sleep & lots of study for my Cert III, the assessment for which is in 2 weeks time!
Mon: easy 1.2k swim (consisting mainly of drills) about lunchtime on a public holiday after a sleep-in & lazy morning. Nice.
Tue: rest :-)
Wed: thanks to a cr*p nights sleep & a very unhappy hamstring (still), an easy-ish upper body + core strength session in the gym at work first thing this morning & a wedding dress fitting later in the day.
Thur: 45min bike session on the trainer this morning including 6 x 2min efforts & some single leg drills. 17.9k. Av.C88. Av.HR 124
Fri: another 1.2k swim after work & before Mum's baked dinner :-) I must be slightly mad - I lurve swimming with paddles :-)
Sat: due to a bit of a sleep-in & my folks coming over for morning tea, I had to do this session on the trainer in the garage rather than out on the road. 3rd week in a row I have done that. Over. It. Looking forward to getting out on the road next weekend. Anyhoo an easy 80mins ride past quickly thanks to lots of Kona-related podcasts. 34.2k. AvC90. 130HR
Sun: rest & full day prac session in a gym in the city for my Certificate III in Fitness course. Edit: so much for this being a rest day. As part of my prac course, and in a demonstration of exercising to target your lactic energy system, we did a 'Tabata' session of squats - 20sec on / 10sec off - for 4 mins with the goal of doing the maximum number of squats with perfect form in that time. Far. Out. Talk about jelly legs. Tomorrow nights swim squad could be interesting if we have lots of kick sets....
Less than 4 weeks to go now until the wedding. I had a dress fitting on Wed. Thankfully my dress fits over / around the lats I have developed thanks to all the swimming & weight training I've been doing in recent months. Phew! It's pretty much all organised now so nothing to do except relax & enjoy the build-up & associated excitement (particularly the arrival of my (baby) brother - who has never met R - from Canada in 2 weeks!).
MTD:
Swim - 4.1k
Bike - 121.8k
Saturday, October 03, 2009
LG
Mon: 3km swim at squad tonight. I felt really strong in the water tonight; my stroke is coming together really well. I just need to work on increasing my stroke rate to increase my speed. Now where did I put those fast twitch fibres.....
Tue: always a hard session at 5am after only getting home from swim squad at 10pm. Anyhoo, I did it. 45mins bike (steady state) on the trainer because I wasn't quite organised enough to do it on the road. 16.8k. Av.C90
Wed: hard weights session this morning. I have absolutely fried my legs thanks to about 150 reps on various exercises. Tomorrow's bike session is going to be fun. Not.
Thur: 58min bike session on the trainer (including single leg drills and 6 x 4mins @ 30k/h). Very tired thanks to working at the gym last night & about a week of not sleeping well. Bring on the long weekend. 23.9k. Av.C88
Fri: nice start to the weekend. Left the office at 4.30pm (I am a public servant after all) & then headed to the pool for a 1.7km swim before later meeting with the wedding co-ordinator at Loxley to finalise the details :-))
Sat: rain this morning meant I resorted to the trainer in the garage (again) for my long ride this week. 2hr ride @ 65%HR (av.123) with 5mins at race pace (av.147). 45.8k. Av.C87.
Enjoyed the rest of the start of the long weekend with some time reading the papers (bliss!) before going to the movies (for the first time ever) to watch Mao's Last Dancer which was brilliant. Nice
Sun: rest day tomorrow (yippee!) which will start with a walk-through at our wedding & reception venue with our celebrant & photographer. It's all happening - can't believe that the wedding is next month!
Wednesday saw the end of September. My overall bike total was a bit low due to 2 weekends without long rides (thank to Emazon & our visit to Qld). But having said that, the last 2 weeks have been my biggest on the bike to date -
Swim: 12.4k
Bike: 254k
Bring on the recovery week !!
MTD:
Swim: 1.7k
Bike: 69.7k
Tue: always a hard session at 5am after only getting home from swim squad at 10pm. Anyhoo, I did it. 45mins bike (steady state) on the trainer because I wasn't quite organised enough to do it on the road. 16.8k. Av.C90
Wed: hard weights session this morning. I have absolutely fried my legs thanks to about 150 reps on various exercises. Tomorrow's bike session is going to be fun. Not.
Thur: 58min bike session on the trainer (including single leg drills and 6 x 4mins @ 30k/h). Very tired thanks to working at the gym last night & about a week of not sleeping well. Bring on the long weekend. 23.9k. Av.C88
Fri: nice start to the weekend. Left the office at 4.30pm (I am a public servant after all) & then headed to the pool for a 1.7km swim before later meeting with the wedding co-ordinator at Loxley to finalise the details :-))
Sat: rain this morning meant I resorted to the trainer in the garage (again) for my long ride this week. 2hr ride @ 65%HR (av.123) with 5mins at race pace (av.147). 45.8k. Av.C87.
Enjoyed the rest of the start of the long weekend with some time reading the papers (bliss!) before going to the movies (for the first time ever) to watch Mao's Last Dancer which was brilliant. Nice
Sun: rest day tomorrow (yippee!) which will start with a walk-through at our wedding & reception venue with our celebrant & photographer. It's all happening - can't believe that the wedding is next month!
Wednesday saw the end of September. My overall bike total was a bit low due to 2 weekends without long rides (thank to Emazon & our visit to Qld). But having said that, the last 2 weeks have been my biggest on the bike to date -
Swim: 12.4k
Bike: 254k
Bring on the recovery week !!
MTD:
Swim: 1.7k
Bike: 69.7k
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Ms Consistency - this month at least...
Sooo much is going on at the moment. But somehow I have managed to do every session (7 x per week) on the program for the last month. I can't remember the last time I did that!
Mon: for once, a swim squad session I actually enjoyed - notwithstanding how much pool water I drank :-( Although a relatively short session - only about 2.3k - but loads of kicking drills that left my legs fatigued for 24 hours afterwards
Tue: steady state 50mins ride at 5am; Tuesday is by far the hardest day to get out of bed after only getting home from swim squad at 10pm. My legs felt very fatigued but the time past quickly thanks to a podcast interview with Chrissie W and some company in the garage. 20.5k Av.C 90
Wed: another solid strength session this morning
Thur: another Thursday, another bike session. This time 52min on the bike including 4 x 5min AT. Legs are trashed :-) 21.5k. Av.C.88
Fri: rest :-)
Sat: finally another chance to sleep-in but unfortunately I woke before 6am & couldn't get back to sleep. Grrrrrr. Anyhoo, a solid 1.4km swim mid-morning. All the water that I have swallowed during drills at Monday night's swim squad are finally paying off; I'm feeling much stronger, and faster, in the water. The rest of my day was great too - after a facial, I headed to Summit Gear at Glenbrook where I bought (with a little help from my $50 prize from Wild Endurance 100k) a great Mountain Hardware pac-lite waterproof / breathable jacket which will be great to use in Australia (my existing waterproof jacket is too 'hard core' for Australian conditions) which was followed up by some chocolate indulgence at my favourite cafe in Glenbrook. Nice.
Sun: this was probably my hardest session to drag myself out of bed for in months. I could hear strong wind gusts & while I kept thinking to myself 'it could be windy on race day', it wasn't enough to get over my malaise. So rather than stuff around putting all my stuff in the car & driving to where I normally start riding from (I don't trust Penriff drivers), I headed to the garage for my 2hr ride on the trainer. Thanks to a couple of podcasts and doing various intervals (high / low cadence, standing, steady state etc), the time past surprisingly quickly. AvC. 88. 50.9k
In other news I have signed up to do 2/3rds of the Nepean Triathlon (swim / bike legs) and have enlisted the services of a gun runner to bring 'Team Himalaya' home. Must admit to being rather nervous at the prospect of doing the swim leg as my longest swim in a race so far has been 250m! Of course the race is only 8 days are we get back from our honeymoon so I won't be looking forward to putting the trisuit back on.....
Less than 6 weeks to go until the wedding now. I can't believe that time has past so quickly. It's all organised; I must be the most relaxed bride in world history :-)
MTD:
Swim: 9.4k
Bike: 237.2k
Mon: for once, a swim squad session I actually enjoyed - notwithstanding how much pool water I drank :-( Although a relatively short session - only about 2.3k - but loads of kicking drills that left my legs fatigued for 24 hours afterwards
Tue: steady state 50mins ride at 5am; Tuesday is by far the hardest day to get out of bed after only getting home from swim squad at 10pm. My legs felt very fatigued but the time past quickly thanks to a podcast interview with Chrissie W and some company in the garage. 20.5k Av.C 90
Wed: another solid strength session this morning
Thur: another Thursday, another bike session. This time 52min on the bike including 4 x 5min AT. Legs are trashed :-) 21.5k. Av.C.88
Fri: rest :-)
Sat: finally another chance to sleep-in but unfortunately I woke before 6am & couldn't get back to sleep. Grrrrrr. Anyhoo, a solid 1.4km swim mid-morning. All the water that I have swallowed during drills at Monday night's swim squad are finally paying off; I'm feeling much stronger, and faster, in the water. The rest of my day was great too - after a facial, I headed to Summit Gear at Glenbrook where I bought (with a little help from my $50 prize from Wild Endurance 100k) a great Mountain Hardware pac-lite waterproof / breathable jacket which will be great to use in Australia (my existing waterproof jacket is too 'hard core' for Australian conditions) which was followed up by some chocolate indulgence at my favourite cafe in Glenbrook. Nice.
Sun: this was probably my hardest session to drag myself out of bed for in months. I could hear strong wind gusts & while I kept thinking to myself 'it could be windy on race day', it wasn't enough to get over my malaise. So rather than stuff around putting all my stuff in the car & driving to where I normally start riding from (I don't trust Penriff drivers), I headed to the garage for my 2hr ride on the trainer. Thanks to a couple of podcasts and doing various intervals (high / low cadence, standing, steady state etc), the time past surprisingly quickly. AvC. 88. 50.9k
In other news I have signed up to do 2/3rds of the Nepean Triathlon (swim / bike legs) and have enlisted the services of a gun runner to bring 'Team Himalaya' home. Must admit to being rather nervous at the prospect of doing the swim leg as my longest swim in a race so far has been 250m! Of course the race is only 8 days are we get back from our honeymoon so I won't be looking forward to putting the trisuit back on.....
Less than 6 weeks to go until the wedding now. I can't believe that time has past so quickly. It's all organised; I must be the most relaxed bride in world history :-)
MTD:
Swim: 9.4k
Bike: 237.2k
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Rollin' on
The full weekend on the GC & early morning flight on Monday made this a long & tiring week. But, in all, a solid week of training which is really pleasing and by far my biggest week on the bike to date:
Mon: about 2.5km at swim squad tonight. Cr*p session. Guess I'm tired from the weekend & early flight today. Swam like a witch from Salem
Tue: up early again for steady state 45min ride on the trainer. Dead legs thanks to lots of kicking last night & a cadence sensor on the blink (it showed an av. cadence of 144 - I think not). 18.9k
Wed: exhausted this morning after another bad nights sleep (which is about 2 weeks worth now). Strength session before work. The punching bag in the gym had better watch out. Its going to get a work out next week :-)
Thur: still tired & looking forward to my first 'quiet' weekend in a month. 1:12 bike session before work with lots of intervals. Thinking about it later, I think I actually misread my program & was only supposed to do 62mins. Oh well, it's done. 28.7k. Av.C91
Fri: rest
Sat: my first sleep-in & sit-on-the-couch-in-my-PJs-reading-the-newspaper morning (my favourite Saturday morning ritual) in months. Dragged myself out the door with R at 10.45 to head to Ripples for a solid & pleasing 1.8km swim with lots of drills (thankfully with fins).
Sun: my first long ride in 4 weeks so Coach TA had thankfully given me a 90min ride rather than the usual 2hr. A rather solid ride out & back along the Northern Road. I am still cr*p on the hills - I seem to have perfected the art of going backwards uphill. C'est la vie. I felt like I crawled but it wasn't until I looked at the numbers tonight that I am pleased - not only was it an average speed of 25.2k/h (and my first time ever outdoors above 25k/h!!) but an increase from 22.9k/h the last time I did this ride!. Far. Out :-) 37.6k
In other news, I am currently contemplating the addition of a new member to the family.... :-)
MTD:
Swim: 5.7k
Bike: 144.3
Mon: about 2.5km at swim squad tonight. Cr*p session. Guess I'm tired from the weekend & early flight today. Swam like a witch from Salem
Tue: up early again for steady state 45min ride on the trainer. Dead legs thanks to lots of kicking last night & a cadence sensor on the blink (it showed an av. cadence of 144 - I think not). 18.9k
Wed: exhausted this morning after another bad nights sleep (which is about 2 weeks worth now). Strength session before work. The punching bag in the gym had better watch out. Its going to get a work out next week :-)
Thur: still tired & looking forward to my first 'quiet' weekend in a month. 1:12 bike session before work with lots of intervals. Thinking about it later, I think I actually misread my program & was only supposed to do 62mins. Oh well, it's done. 28.7k. Av.C91
Fri: rest
Sat: my first sleep-in & sit-on-the-couch-in-my-PJs-reading-the-newspaper morning (my favourite Saturday morning ritual) in months. Dragged myself out the door with R at 10.45 to head to Ripples for a solid & pleasing 1.8km swim with lots of drills (thankfully with fins).
Sun: my first long ride in 4 weeks so Coach TA had thankfully given me a 90min ride rather than the usual 2hr. A rather solid ride out & back along the Northern Road. I am still cr*p on the hills - I seem to have perfected the art of going backwards uphill. C'est la vie. I felt like I crawled but it wasn't until I looked at the numbers tonight that I am pleased - not only was it an average speed of 25.2k/h (and my first time ever outdoors above 25k/h!!) but an increase from 22.9k/h the last time I did this ride!. Far. Out :-) 37.6k
In other news, I am currently contemplating the addition of a new member to the family.... :-)
MTD:
Swim: 5.7k
Bike: 144.3
Monday, September 14, 2009
Priceless
Edit: thanks Flake. Good to know that it worked, albeit in a slightly funky manner.
Posting this from Gold Coast airport as I wait for my flight Monday morning. First time I have posted via the iPhone so I have no idea if this will work or how the formatting will turn out. (Edit: fixed!)
As always, another incredibly busy week and thankfully a much needed recovery week.
Mon: much needed rest. Super duper sore after my weekend with Emazon. In fact I don't ever recall having more DOMS than I do now. It hurts to cough, sneeze, laugh, move. But geez it feels good :-)
Tue: 38mins bike session including AT x 10min. 15.1k. Av.C86
Wed: another solid strength session this morning in the gym before work. And as much as I love my strength sessions, I was looking at the punching bag longingly :-)
Thur: solid 1.4k swim after work.
Fri: rest
Sat & Sun: rest - if you can call 2 days on your feet on the Gold Coast watching the ITU World Champs, rest. R & I flew up on Friday night principally to watch my uncle (aka Uncle Kel) compete in the Olympic distance race on Saturday morning & then spent the rest of the weekend watching the elite events. Fantastic racing, fantastic weather!
In this seasons latest fashion, the "Team Kelly" apparel a surprise we organised for my uncle:
A proud, but slightly embarrassed, Uncle Kel in his first Australian uniform:
R & I enjoying the sun & sand while waiting for the start of the race:
What a beautiful setting for a start line:
Posting this from Gold Coast airport as I wait for my flight Monday morning. First time I have posted via the iPhone so I have no idea if this will work or how the formatting will turn out. (Edit: fixed!)
As always, another incredibly busy week and thankfully a much needed recovery week.
Mon: much needed rest. Super duper sore after my weekend with Emazon. In fact I don't ever recall having more DOMS than I do now. It hurts to cough, sneeze, laugh, move. But geez it feels good :-)
Tue: 38mins bike session including AT x 10min. 15.1k. Av.C86
Wed: another solid strength session this morning in the gym before work. And as much as I love my strength sessions, I was looking at the punching bag longingly :-)
Thur: solid 1.4k swim after work.
Fri: rest
Sat & Sun: rest - if you can call 2 days on your feet on the Gold Coast watching the ITU World Champs, rest. R & I flew up on Friday night principally to watch my uncle (aka Uncle Kel) compete in the Olympic distance race on Saturday morning & then spent the rest of the weekend watching the elite events. Fantastic racing, fantastic weather!
In this seasons latest fashion, the "Team Kelly" apparel a surprise we organised for my uncle:
A proud, but slightly embarrassed, Uncle Kel in his first Australian uniform:
R & I enjoying the sun & sand while waiting for the start of the race:
What a beautiful setting for a start line:
Kel with R in cheerleader mode:
Uncle Kel unfortunately had a flat and so was disappointed with his overall time but had a great swim & run leg eventually finishing in the top 40 in his age group (as I reminded him on Saturday night) in the world!
Finishing (with the flag) far too fast for me to take a proper photo of him:
I have to admit to feeling very despondent and rather uninspired after watching the age groupers as it simply reinforced the fact that I've been unable to run, let alone race, over the last 12 months. But watching the elite races certainly took my mind off it, particularly when we watched & cheered as Emma Moffat won not only the race but the world title :-) Thanks to a sprint across the race precinct, we were lucky enough to score a front row spot for the presentation ceremony which was very special. Out of interest, a few stats for the weekend:
Sunburn - 0 (thankfully)
Blisters - 0
Visits to Cold Rock Ice Cream - 2 :-)
Edit: items purchased at race expo - 7 :-)
Distance walked - 25kms+ (including 3 x from our hotel at the south end of Surfers to race HQ at Southport - surely that takes care of the Cold Rock visits??)
Time spent perving on Javier Gomez - not nearly enough :-)
Watching an Aussie girl win a world title - priceless :-)
Speaking of Aussie girls with world titles..... :-)
MTD:
Swim: 1.4k
Bike: 59.1
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