IMMT Training Week 7: A different kind of struggle

I'm a bit late with this blog post, but last week was absolutely draining, mentally and emotionally. On the flipside, the workouts weren't that bad and I even threw in some corporate fun. Ping pong anyone? I organized this tournament at work as a team building activity and we played round 1 this week. I lost to a stronger opponent, but I'm still in for doubles. That was somewhat expected since I only played twice in the last 5-6 years. We also played some games outside of the tournament which sure made my heart pumping and sweat dripping. One hour of smashing and jumping, and the next day my arm and back on the right side reminded me that I had not used these muscles in a long time. It totally counted as 1h of effort, no doubt about it.

Swim
My longest ever swim in a pool was on Tuesday morning and it gave me the feeling that I could conquer the world that day. 3100m, boom! Followed by 2250m during group swim on Thursday and 2000m on Sunday. Biggest week ever!! It was also the slowest in a while, but I can't have it all. It didn't bother me a second. I take whatever the pool gods give me and not drowning is always a WIN.

Bike
One hour easy here, one hour easy there... then boom again! Monday's ride was a snooze-fest, and on Thursday, hubbs made me a "custom" Trainer Road workout, just for me. I loved it (that's because it felt easy)!

However, the group spin on Saturday brought back memories... and sweat, and tears. I tried dialing it down, but I still stuck with the group effort until the last imaginary hill.

I even beat my 30min record. What about that, eh? Maybe it's time to do one of these 8 or 20 min tests again, even though I don't feel quite ready for putting all the hurt on my glutes and knees. I'll wait for coach to give me the green light. I think he's planned one of these tests for us in 2 or 3 weeks, and that should be just what I need.

Run
Two treadmill runs to keep my legs moving and they were both dreadful. Being alone with my thoughts this week did not count as success. Both times my mind went wondering in muddy places and slipped into some dangerous sinkholes. I even had a major freak out 40 min into the run on Tuesday and started bawling my eyes out while on the treadmill. Thankfully nobody I knew was there to witness my meltdown. I managed to compose myself again and did not fall face forward on the belt, but it was a close one. Since then, I've talked to a few people, and it helped tremendously. I am a work in progress anyway...

On Sunday, I needed some fresh air to clear my head. I debated whether to go outside or not the whole day, but since another introspection without distraction was not advisable, I eventually dug out my winter clothes and went outside to brave the cold, wind and (some) hills. I got reminded how much harder running outside in winter is. To add excitement to my run, I may or may not have caused a car accident, but since both drivers started yelling at each other instead of pointing at me, I continued my 11km solitary journey, now with something else to occupy my brain. Back home, I even managed to crack a tiny smile.

Running is supposed to do that to you, right? It was a nice reminder... that I can fight this.

In a nutshell
Tough week, mentally rather than physically. Survived it. This coming week will be another kind of tough as I keep thinking about a friend of mine who lost her daughter in a house fire on Friday. The Universe is so evil sometimes, I wish it left the good people alone. Too sad for words, over and out.

IMMT Training Week 6: Achievement Unlocked!

Three swims, three bike workouts and three runs: all done this week!! Man it feels good to have everything done before 11am on a Sunday! I feel like a winner for having managed to give my weekend a sense of normalcy, despite the fact that most of the time I was hungry and wanted to EAT ALL THE FOOD! Rest assured, I didn't. I managed to put on more weight though, go figure. But back to what I can control, let's talk about the time and effort put into my workouts.

Swim

Tuesday at Mayfield Pool. My lane, my pool. I will let the numbers below speak for themselves. On the left, the same workout back on Feb 4. On the right, 20 days later, this Tuesday. It may have been just a great day, or maybe I'm seeing progress. Either way, these results surprised me.

Thursday - I am conflicted about this one. The picture below should, again, speak for itself.

Details below:

Warm up:
100m breathe 3rd and 5th by 25
100m kick on side
100m kick on back
100m single arm drill
4 x 25m fast on 45 sec
Main Set:
2 x [100m ez on 2:45 + 100 m fast on 2:30]
2 x [100m ez on 2:45 + 100 m fast on 2:25]
1 min rest
4 x 25m band only on :50
1 x 100m pull + band on 2:30
6 x 25m band only on :55
1 x 100m pull + band on 2:30
4 x 25m band only on :55 (there were 4 more after this but I ran out of time)

I hate BANDS. That is all.

As to Sunday's swim, I did manage to get to Cassie Campbell at 7am and join the Aquatic Zoo. I learned later in the day that Cobra Swim Club's masters practice got cancelled and half of the squad was in the pool. I went in the fast lane with 2 other folks who kept on lapping me with each length. Beside feeling very inadequate the entire time I was there, I also felt sluggish and could barely move my arms. Not sharing any of those times, nope. They were lame, lame, lame.

Bike

Started the week with Leavitt, chosen especially for me by hubbs. Thanks, hon. It was not pretty. My glutes were so sore from the previous weekend's workouts, I wasn't sure I'd even survive half of it. I chose to lower the intensity to 92%, but even there, I was sweating like crazy and cursing my legs for being heavy and not willing to cooperate.

The second workout is not worth talking about. Put myself on cruise control, watched True Detective again. Two more episodes until the season finale!!!

Saturday's group spin was another sweat fest. I am not sure how much time we were supposed to spend at threshold, but I scored 15 minutes!! Remember, I am not allowed to go hard yet. Overall, I nailed my Z2 average, but it felt really good to push some higher watts for a change.

Run

First two runs were boring as hell, as usual on the treadmill. The last one, a different type of boring.

Since I had paid the $8 for the pool, I decided to take advantage of the track as well. More for the buck, right? 1h10 swim, followed by a 1h10 run?... Hmmm. It seemed like a good idea until I put foot on the track, then fought to put another one in front of the first. And another one, and another one. It took me 10km to find my rhythm. And 7 laps later, 77 in total, I was done, so that was that. I remember feeling very thirsty and glad that I was not the only one to spend 1h running in circles. But you know what? I outran everyone on the treadmill. Definitely in the weights area too. Even on the voleyball court. And on the hockey rink, maybe.

I'm pretty sure I also outran the guy who came to ask me whether I'd run Boston, due to my tshirt, then went on saying that he ran 56 marathons, including Boston multiple times. Ummm. Sure, dude. Sure. Good for you.

Shortly after I finished, I took these pics. I could barely keep my eyes open, but the feeling of accomplishment was pretty strong with this one. This is the image of DONE.

In a nutshell

10h of workouts, finally!! Level 1 Complete. Achievement unlocked!!

Bring it on, Level 2!

IMMT Training Week 4: No sweat

After last week's workouts, coach told me to dial down the intensity and stay put. Bike and run without breaking a sweat, but swim hard. And overall I succeeded. The force was with me, especially in the water.

Swim
Tuesday I took the day off from work because I had some medical exams, so I did my workouts in between. I took a look at my schedule and *gasp* I noticed a 2900m swim. Damn, when did it jump up by a full 1000m? Good thing the pool was open for 2h lane swim, so I could fit it all in.

Warm up:
5 x[100m swim + 25 FD, + 25 kick] no rest
Main set:
 2 x 400 m with 20 sri take 1 min after set
4 x 100 m desc 1-4 on 2:30
2 x 300 pull on 7:00
8 x 25 fast on 45 sec.
Cool down:
150 alt stroke

And voila! (Garmin ate a length on the second set)

 Then on Thursday, group swim - "only" 1700m this time, but very intense as well.

I really wouldn't care to share these times in general, but I'll be damned if they aren't getting faster every week! I never thought I'd say this, but they make me happy. Because all those lengths at near-drowning effort seem to be making a difference and I remember not so far ago losing faith in my ability to make any sort of progress. It may not be much, but it counts to keep me going forward. I promise to stop complaining about masters swimming until next year. Only idiots don't change their mind, right? Morale of this story: trust your coach and embrace the suck. It doesn't get easier, you just get faster.

Bike
Thank goodness for Trainer Road and their collection of easy workouts. The first two I did this week almost put me to sleep. *yawn*

Obelisk

The funny thing about this one is that I changed my Garmin transmitter for my heart monitor strap and when I tried pairing it, it picked up my husband's instead. So imagine how I almost got a heart attack when I was easy riding the first long flat interval and I see my heart trace doing all kinds of weird stuff that my doctor warned me about during my physical. I only figured it out 30 min later when I looked over at Zin's monitor and recognized every bump.

Lazy Mountain

Second of the workouts could not have been lazier. Done entirely in Z1, I did not even produce a drop of sweat. I feel ashamed for the person who put the word "mountain" in it.

By now you probably guessed that my weeks are fairly similar. But don't you worry, they'll get exciting soon. I know my coach well. To end the bike recaps, Saturday was group spin and everyone was on the hook to do Max VO2 intervals, but I was asked to sit these out. Well, I wasn't very happy with the premise of riding easy when everyone else was going to be pushing the wall, so I asked permission to sweat, just a little. I ended doing some spin ups and single led drills, followed by 7 or 8 easy intervals in the big chain ring.

Run
Again slow and boring, but I know that these runs are what I need. I only managed to do two out of the three runs, missing my longest one because I planned it poorly. Every Sunday we've been going to the gym to run long on the treadmill then hop in the pool, but when we got there yesterday the gym was closed because of the long weekend. I was pretty bummed to miss my last 2 workouts but there was no way that I was going to run outside at night without proper sidewalks. Oh well, moving on without regret. I'm sure that my body will thank me anyway.

In a nutshell
Slow week. Missed workouts. Ate too much. No pictures (aren't you relieved?).
BUT I crossed off my list another goal! Hubbs and I organized a bRUNch yesterday with a dozen of friends, old and new, and they all came at home and ran together and ate and talked and had a great time. Loved being able to have like minded people around us and spend a few hours talking all things triathlon and running. We definitely need to do this again before the summer! It's a great cure to cabin fever.

Crazy busy times

Hey guys!! How's life?? I can barely remember what mine looked like a few months ago when I was out of job and I could sleep in and train at random times... Now, don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, but the new workplace does know how to put the word "crazy" in your day. Just when I was planning to write an update for you all, I had to start working shifts (temporarily) and all my free time went out of the window. I could only fit in my workouts and then, not even all of them. Given that I have been spending at least 10h daily in the office, workouts shifted to very early mornings or late nights. Sunrises are definitely my new thing.

I am not even sure how many hours of swimming, biking and running I've done lately, but who cares, let's say plenty. Among the most memorable times, a 100k ride on the hills of Caledon with hubbs and our friend Orville. We got up at 5am just in time to see the beautiful sunset from the first picture above, then we biked north into Hockley Valley, then east to Orangeville, then south on Mississauga Road through Belfountain. We chose to head back west on the scenic Forks of the Credit which led us straight to Hwy 10 where we had no choice but hang on our handlebars for our dear life while competing for speed with the cars zooming by us (not recommended, but we didn't know that Mc Laughlin Rd was not paved in that area and we were not ready to add 10k and one insane hill to our ride by going back to Mississauga Rd).

Made it back home in one piece, but then we had to go out for more. The longest brick of the year so far and it called for an 8k run off the bike. I quickly said goodbye to Orville, put my sneakers on, then ran. I was really surprised to see how easy that felt and I swear, I'm not on steroids. Those hard speed sessions on the track are definitely paying off. I averaged 5:45/km and that for me, was quite monumental, especially after 100k in the saddle.

With a little drizzle to cool me off, this day ended being one amazing milestone on the map of my journey towards the Ironman.

The following week, so just this past Wednesday, I had more speedwork on my schedule. The weather gurus called for rain, so the group workout was cancelled, but since the coach gave us the workout description anyway, we said what the hell, let's do it. And hell it was. Yassos ring a bell to any of you?
That's short for 800m repeats with enough rest time in between to get the heart rate under 100bpm. For me, that was going to be 2 min. So hubbs and I headed to the track nearby, exactly a mile away and by the time we got there, the rain was in full force. My capris and shoes were already soaked and were feeling heavy. I started the repeats and was surprised by the 3:55 repeat time, which again was faster than I expected, even though I was feeling tired. I knew I was running with horrible form too, but somehow that was working for me. I did 6 repeats, then tried to run with good form and my time got worse. 4:03. That was a significant slowdown, so I returned to my old bad form and voila, 3:55 for the last round (what was that all about? Another mystery that's going to torture my OCD brain). I never thought these would hurt so much, but they did. Two thumbs up for embracing the suck!

So according to Bart Yasso, if you manage to do 10 repeats, you could extrapolate your repeat time to estimate your marathon time. I only did 8, but I could have probably done two more. Does that mean I can run a 3h55 marathon? Yeah, riiiight. Moving on...

Another memorable time was my return to the pool for an actual workout, not just swimming long with a pull buoy between my legs. I even brought my fins and my board and did drills and kicks and all the the serious shit that makes you chase that clock with funny numbers and colored arms on the wall. No pictures for proof, but it's in Training Peaks, Garmin Connect and Runkeeper.

On Thursday, the open water swim got cancelled because of high counts of bacteria, but I was too tired after work to be willing to drag my ass to the pool again. I managed to end the day on a positive note anyway, as I made it from work just on time to pick up a package from the Post Office. In it, the SOAS tri kit that I ordered online after TriSports published a 25% coupon on Twitter. I was pretty upset that I could not find those kits in Canada, that I jumped on the opportunity right away. Alas only L, XL and XS sizes were available, so I went with the L and prayed that it would fit. It's not skintight, so I could have definitely fit in an M. Oh well, next time, maybe. These kits scream quality and they feel really nice on the skin, so I finally understand why there is so much hype around them.

I will still need to double bag the girls though. The curse of the C cup, of course. Thankfully I just bought a ShockAbsorber bra in white with a grey line at the top and it looks like it was made for it. At the back, not so much, but what else can I do? Even though it's for Muskoka, I can't wait to start wearing it because nothing new on race day, right?

Ok, enough with this post. I rather finish it on a smile, because I have a few more posts in the queue and they're not all so cheerful. Long weekend and all, I may even blog again tomorrow. Two in two days, now that's progress!

Taking swimming to new lengths

Oh, swim.... What a love/hate relationship we have. How can I make it up to you? What about a post dedicated to you, full of pretty pics? See, I've taken up this new sport called triathlon and you are the first bottleneck. You can make it or break it. Most people fear you. I don't, as long as I wear my trusted wetsuit. But I do hate being in the pool and going back and forth like a turtle in an aquarium. I've had great times in open water so far and I can't wait to go back for more. See, yesterday I completed my longest swim ever, 3km at Professor's Lake. It was the perfect day for it. Coach asked for 4 loops, and I ended up being the last one out of the water. But I didn't mind since I wasn't late and nobody had to drag me out with a kayak.

I was there to push my limits and surprisingly enough, I felt that I could have done one more loop, which would have put me on par with a full Ironman swim. Even if I hate the drills and the never ending lengths in the pool, it all pays in the end. So here I am, happy with myself, celebrating the times I tried to mingle with the fish, Instagrammed for the extra oomph, or should have I said, splash?

Professor's Lake

Rain or shine, as long as it's open, this is my go-to happy place. It's clean, quiet, safe and close to home. We do 750m loops, either clock wise or counter clock wise, it's always a surprise. If there was just one reason to move to Brampton, this would be it. In the middle of the suburban jungle, Professor's Lake is where I go to escape.

The weather can't hold us

One thumb up for clean water

Guelph Lake

My first race of the year, first mass swim start, first time swimming against a clock in the pouring rain. Beat my PR. A great day, despite Mother Nature's crying spells.

Two thumbs up for warm water!

James Dick Quarry

Went there on a Sunday afternoon to check it out, ended doing two 1km loops. Not my favorite place. Despite the inviting color of the water, it was very sandy and if your goggles leaked, you'd feel like giving a sandpaper rub to your eyeballs. I don't mind using it like backup when I just have to get that swim in, but for the drop-in price of $10, I think I may prefer the pool.

Wet feet to get in

Mary Lake

Vast, majestic, and definitely terrifying because of all the speed boats zooming across its waters. You may find a quiet corner, but Port Sydney isn't one. Muskoka is the land of lakes, so I am sure that we could find peace somewhere, but the day we went we didn't have much time to search for one. The water was warm, but choppy, a good open water experience overall.

Majestic, but dangerous

Kelso Lake

This was the place where I wore my wetsuit for the first time, where I got acquainted with open water swimming last year. For a little trip down the memory lane, follow me here. However I had never adventured beyond the "shallow area" buoys. Last Tuesday though, I did and I felt like I could have died. There are very thick patches of grass in this lake and once you find yourself in the middle of one, it's very hard to find your way out, other than plowing forward. You get tangled in them grasses with both hands and feet and although not dangerous per se, they could be if you cannot handle the feeling. I panicked, several times when this happened and I imagined being unable to continue. I was by myself, 500m away from the beach, alone with my fear and my feeling of hopelessness. Thankfully my instincts were stronger and putting on my best Tarzan style, I made it out of this jungle the few times that I had to. A 1 km loop was enough. Never again I said, not at Kelso anyway.

Swimming in the sunset

Zin was there too, attending an open water clinic with the tri club. I am glad that he didn't have to fully experience the wilderness of this place. In celebration of his longest swim ever as well (2.2km at Professor's Lake), I leave you with this image in which he totally looks like a pro coming into transition. I am so proud of him, I never imagined that he'd enjoy putting in so much effort in workouts like he does. He is definitely ready for his first Olympic Tri 15 days from now. He's going to kick some serious butt, just watch him.

Transitioning like a pro!

Now swim, we're going to remain friends until the end of the season, right? There is TTF coming and I will return in the cold water of Lake Ontario for a 1.5k dip with endless turns, then Muskoka 70.3 where I'll be marking my territory in Peninsula Lake. Oh I know I will. But it's for good juju, because what else could I trust on an adventure as big as my first half Ironman?

Life, etc.

This past week has been full of excitement!! The Monday after coming back from Muskoka I went to a series of interviews with a large telecommunications company and within 2 days I received an offer, which I accepted in a heartbeat. I start working again on June 10! It is an amazing opportunity, 15 minutes away from home (I could bike, even run there if I wanted to), and a good career move. But more than anything, it felt like a good fit. Met with a few people at different management levels and I had a good vibe talking to all of them. I think it's going to be a bit crazy, but also rewarding for working on a very visible product with a team of smart and likable individuals. Good things come to those who know how to wait. ;-)

I am treating these 2 weeks up to June 10 like pure vacation time. Napping for hours, movie marathons, training when I feel like it, an ice cream scoop here and there. Oops. Do. not. weigh. yourself. Breathe, relax. It's all going to be alright. I haven't missed a workout. It doesn't hurt anywhere. Am I exhausted? I am, but it's a good exhaustion, it's all in the muscles, none in the head. Had a good chat with coach this week about the ebb and flow of my training plan. I put my trust in him, I know he'll get me there. Let's not worry about work getting in the way just yet, I feel that I can do this. I even told my future boss in the interview that I was training for an Ironman, so at least that's out of the way.

In the running department, I've been having a great time! On Tuesday when I received the good news I had yet to do a long 14k run. It was pouring rain, but that didn't stop me. Laced my shoes and off I went. I didn't know whether I could run all 14k, so I went by feel. I was flying out there. I hit every single puddle for good measure, it was refreshing and the slosh-slosh sounds when I was hitting the ground were distracting in a hilarious way. I was having so much fun, I didn't care that I was drenched to the bone. The only way I could have been more wet was if I had jumped in the lake. I had to ask Zin to take a picture. Here it is, with a Ginkgo tree growing out of my head.

On Thursday it was a different kind of humidity. Hot and muggy. I didn't mind getting wet again, but this time drenched in my own sweat. I was supposed to do fartleks, so I went to the track with hubbs. I chose to wear my NB Minimus shoes to keep the fire burning in my calves. So far so good, I don't regret my decision, even if for a moment on Friday I did. Look how serious I made this workout look. I see a Running World magazine cover coming.

After I made it back home though, I could not, just not imagine going for another workout. Group swim was next and I was secretly FMLing under my breath.

Yeah, what about those swims? I am in the phase when I've had enough of pool water and clocks on the wall and I just want to put on my wetsuit and start looking for fish to swim with or chase a few ducks. Cannot stand doing another pool length. I totally slacked my last two weeks of swim workouts, I just went long and could care less about putting on my fins and do kicking or finger drag drills. Many days I wonder why I bother when I go so much faster with a pull buoy between my legs and half the effort. It's just not worth it. My view will probably change again next year, but for now I am eager to start the triathlon season so I can stop feeling bad about everyone else lapping me in the pool. For those curious, below are two videos to show my "progress" since last year, but I rarely feel like I've gained anything else but endurance without a wetsuit.

Thankfully there are also the long bike rides where I can let my mind go numb. Yesterday it was another 90km of riding farther than we've ever been around these parts. We chose to go North to Hockley Valley and come back. We discovered what the word "valley" really meant. After climbing nice and steady for 30k, we arrived on 3rd Line Rd and started to taste the adrenaline. 70km/h for me on the downhills, a little higher for Zin. And then we kept going down, and down, and down into the valley and we realized what that meant. We were not going to have so much fun coming back. I turned around after refilling my water bottle at the general store in Hockley. I was scared. Let's say I had the time to admire the surroundings. I remember arriving at the Hockley Resort where I went snowboarding with my son last year. Yeah, you know, this is the place where they put ski lifts so you can go up, but this time I was there on two wheels and the only thing to pull me up was going to be my will power and my legs. I said "suck it up buttercup" and I hang on my handlebars tight. It took me 15 minutes to see the end of the uphills, it was really not what I would call a "leisure" climb, but what I know is that I'll most likely go back again, at least for the thrill.

Now back on St. Andrews Rd in Caledon, we met Henry and his lovely lady owner, out on a walk. Henry got a bit scared of us, but we were on our way soon enough. I took the time to snap a picture of him and his mama, she told us that he was on the mend from an injury. Hope he feels better soon!

This encounter really made our day super special. I finished the 90km in 3h31 and had just enough time to rest before going out again, this time for spectating a soccer game. It was a great day and this summer promises a few more like it, I cannot wait! Between the outdoor and trainer rides, biking is going well. Again, I am not that fast, but at least I'm having more fun than counting tiles at the bottom of a pool. 

Time to end this blog post and go out for this day's workouts. I literally spent hours trying to finish it since this morning and the more I sit here instead of sweating out, the more cranky I get. I don't like writing cranky, so hasta la vista folks! I'll be back!

Challenging times

April has been the month of challenges and coach sure knows how to throw those at me. First, every Saturday ride has been over 2.5h long and they have become increasingly harder. Last week for example, he asked me to do the Trainer Road "Cathedral" workout. He said to stay in Zone 2, so I dialed it down a bit to 95% effort, but I still ended in Zone 3-4 as I tried to keep my cadence nice and high. You can see all details here.

Earlier in the week, I had to do a 1h30 workout where the key word was "hard" with 1h block of non-interrupted sufferfest in the middle. I settled somewhere around 160-165 watts and stayed there while my heart rate was slowly making its way up. I managed not to throw up, yay!

However on Monday, the first Max VO2 ride appeared on my schedule. Name "Abbot". And it BROKE me. 120-140% FTP intervals, 2 minutes long each with just 1 minute recovery in between? No way, Jose. This was the perfect challenge for me. I did the best I could, the first 6 intervals were ok, but the last 6, forget it. I could only hold that kind of power for 1min, then faded. Next time, maybe... In the end I managed to beat two of my personal records, but my legs were kaput. See for yourself, I am sharing my pain, am I not nice?

Pretty much the same story in running. My long runs now have tempo intervals in the middle, and each one of them is harder than the previous one. Something like : 2km easy-5km 1/2 marathon pace (5:45min/km)-5km 10k pace(5:30min/km)-2km easy. This happened just yesterday. I managed to read the instructions wrong and thought that the second tempo interval was 5k (5:15min/km) pace. So what do I do? I go all out, after a 7km of hard running. I was pretty delirious in the end. I don't remember much afterwards, but somehow I made it back home and then I passed out on the couch. Look at the pretty graphs! They brought my memory and sweat back.

I really need to pay more attention. This was the second time in a week that I misread this instructions. The run before ended in a tempo as well, even though coach had said "easy". Oops, totally missed that. I didn't really know what I needed to do anyway, I thought I'd go by feel, I wasn't even wearing my heart monitor. All I could remember was 10k and hilly route. I had already done some hills on Wednesday, so I wasn't very motivated to go hard. Legs decided otherwise, so I just followed.

In swimming, what can I say? I have 4 types of workouts that I need to do, each with detailed sets that I printed out and put in a ziploc plastic bag which I take to the pool. One of the workouts is "go long for as long as you can without interruption". That's my favorite one. I don't need to think too much, I just put my head down and swim. The watch counts the laps for me, I get out when I hear the whistle. It went exactly like that and I managed to swim 2km uninterrupted. Major win for me, I had never done this in the pool, unassisted (without a pull buoy). To put it in perspective for you, I could only swim for 100m without a pull buoy 2 months ago. I was elated, and a bit dizzy too.

Look at this, one block, no gaps!! Wooohooo! My speed is still that of a turtle, but at least I know I can make the cutoff times. Plus, I don't do flip turns and underwater dolphin swim, so I get to do the entire length of the pool wall to wall, with pretty much a full stop at each length. This adds significant time, I am sure that in a lake I'm going to be faster than this. I remember last year, my 1500m at Toronto Triathlon Festival was done in 35:55min, so I anticipate to do the 2000m somewhere around 45-48min. I may not have improved my speed much since last year, but boy, my confidence got a huge boost!

I expect some crash and burn sometime soon, but for now, I am riding the wave, baby! I can do this!

Can't fight this feeling

The musical references continue because I feel like singing these days. It's all the endorphins working in overdrive I bet. So I have to, I just have to write this post and say that I've had a smashing splashing swim on Sunday! It was my choice of workout, so given that I wasted a bit of time socializing with a girl from Romania with whom I had been sharing the line for a few weeks, I decided to "go long" and just swim. And I really swam with abandon, not worrying about time or having a perfect technique, just letting the muscle memory do the work.

In my subconscient, I must have been pissed off because of all the voices that keep telling me that I'm not good enough because something happened, for the first time ever I felt like I was gliding, floating, pushing through water, instead of fighting it. I was such a great feeling, not being in a constant battle. I don't think I went much faster than usual, but it felt almost easy and breathing on my "bad side" was really not much different than on the good side. Almost there, I should say.

Now, of course, I am a nervous and terrified to go back to the group swim where coach is going to watch my every single move and read all my imperfections again, but at least I have these swims where I am alone with my thoughts to bring my confidence back afloat.

That is all, thanks for listening ;-)

One week down, many more to go

This is going to be a happy post, I promise. No more pity party for now. Umm, not for today, anyway. In other news, I am not dead!! First week on the new program, 12h of workouts, and don't get me wrong, I do feel tired... and a bit scared about tomorrow's group ride and Cross Fit combo, but at least I am full of energy and happy to be moving forward.

I wrote my last post on my rest day, but since then, lots have happened. Long bike on Saturday, that turned into a brick, then on Sunday, triple treat: long 20k run, followed by a 30min spin, and soaked for a good measure in 1h of pool. Yesterday, legs were not happy to see the bike again for more spin, it took them more than 20min to "wake up". But today, surprisingly enough, they kept on going, for a nice round of hill repeats, and another hour in the pool. Now THAT was news worth mentioning. I woke up before the alarm clock at 5:45am and at 6:15am I was starting my swim. Un-Riri-believable!

See how warm and welcoming this pool shack is. Come to me, baby, get wet, let's sweat! Oh and the water was indeed very warm, that was a nice surprise. I swam until the sun rose, one hour of pure bliss in the fast lane all by myself. That was the best!

I have two more swims this week, which most likely will go down from here, so I'm enjoying the feeling while it lasts. Time to go to bed now, tomorrow is going to be tough!

I need a break

Some days are better than others... So I am going to start with the highlight of this week, which was actually a week ago. My long run, thanks to an intermezzo in the non-stop rain programme, and this photo, which I hope shows how great it made me feel.

Then a new workweek started and every day the panic grew bigger and bigger until I totally broke down on Friday when I almost got in an accident, twice, and cried in the car with two of my coworkers. I seriously need a break.

I only managed to squeeze in my treadmill workout, which I failed again for skipping one of the intervals. Don't get me wrong, I am not too hard on myself because I do like a challenge and this is a perfect one. I know that I am pushing my body to the limit and I know I will be able to complete this workout one day, it's just that I'm not there yet. This is what it looks like:

Warm up 10 min. @6.0 mph
6.0 mph incline 2% = 2 min
7.0 mph 0 % = 2 min
6.0 mph 0% = 2 min
7.0 mph 4% =2 min
8.0 mph 0%= 1 min
6.0 mph 0% =1 min
7.0 mph 6% = 2min
8.0 mph 1 %= 1min
6.0 mph 0%=1 min
9.0 mph 0%= 1min
6.0 mph X 10 min cool down

Twice that I tried so far, I failed to run 1min at 8mph/1% incline after the 7mph/6% interval. Because I feel like passing out, I go to 6mph/0% for 2 minutes before doing the last sprint at 9mph. I'm working on it... everything shall come to those who know how to wait.

I will go for my 2h long run tomorrow if the weather cooperates, because there is no way that I'll be running that long on the treadmill. There are limits to my dedication, especially in weeks like these when my patience has run thin.

As to the bike workouts, skipped both of them. No time, no energy, nothing left in the mind to get me out of bed and into the gym at times when I could spend quality time with my family and friends instead. I did not regret at all, not this time. I spent one night playing board games with the boys, one day birthday partying with my older son, another night at a basketball game (Toronto Raptors beat Dallas Mavericks, yay!), one night having dinner with friends, and a day of shopping with my mom and felt great.

I also went to the pool twice, on Tuesday to coach hubbs, and on Thursday with the Falcons, and it was relaxing, rewarding and exactly what I needed - a mean to focus on something that required skill in order to push the stress out of my brain. Both times I slept like a baby afterwards, thank goodness, because the other nights were a nightmare, literally.

There isn't much more left to say, the fun times are almost here and I am going to enjoy this break because life is short and there is immense joy in celebrating those who matter the most. Fitness, getting back in tip top shape and PRs can wait.

Full gear ahead, with a touch of Instagram

I survived the week in the new workplace!! I also managed to do all my workouts this week, with a lot of "suck it up, buttercup" self-talk. Long days, lots of driving, but I don't feel too exhausted right now, so the amount must have been just right.

Last Saturday (yes, my blogging weeks start with the weekend) I went to my first spin class in almost a year. Because I went to bed pretty late the night before, I decided that the 9:15am class was going to be early enough. Drove to my regular gym and found this very cheerful crowd and the teacher who seemed to know all the people in the room, so she picked up on me right away and said "good luck, you're going to need it". Oh she knew what I was in for! 55 minutes later, I was drowning in a puddle of sweat, I had lost my voice and my legs were burning. So much fun, it hurt!

What I also loved was wearing my biking shoes for the first time ever in a spin class. What a difference hard soles make!

The rest of the day was a blur... so fast forward to the next day, a few folks from my tri club were going to meet in Inglewood (about 15min drive from home) for a hilly long run. I had never run there before, but I was familiar with the place for having driven there a few times to check out the local bike shop. That is actually where hubbs bought his bike and I bought my tri top as well. Anyway, despite going to bed really late again, I managed to leave the house on time. Alas the road looked really really wet and I didn't doubt that I was going to get drenched too.

But I had promised that I'd join the fun, so didn't want to bail out at the last minute. Once I arrived in Inglewood, only 2 other folks (and a dog) showed up though, so without thinking twice about the rain, off we went. It was damn challenging, so many hills, all I could tell myself was: "you signed up for Muskoka - 70.3 worth of hills, so shut up and keep moving". Thankfully, once we hit km 6, it was time to turn around, and I started feeling hopeful that I was going to make it back to the car after all.

The rain was falling on and off by then, roads were pretty wet, my shoes and clothes were too, but I wanted more. My workout needed to be 1h40 long, so I told my tri peeps goodbye and hopped on another trail to meet my quota. I finished the run pretty happy with my exploits even though I know that I embarrassed myself on those hills. Baby steps, baby steps.

Monday - Yoga. Nothing new to report there.
On Tuesday I needed to do the same treadmill killer workout as last week, so I went to the gym with my minimalist shoes. Tried to kill two birds with one stone, and the result was rather surprising. It took in average 5bpm LESS effort to move those feet. In the end, it didn't feel so criminal. It felt awesome! But this commuting + driving to the gym daily was starting to feel repetitive.

Indeed. On Wednesday, I went back again, this time for a bike workout. Foursquare +3 points bonus for going to the same gym 3 days in a row. Ouch. Wattage? Power intervals? Whaaaaat? I do not know how to do that... I started moving my feet, I had 10 minutes of warming up to figure it out. Thanks to Google, I found that Life Fitness bikes on Level 6 = 100 watts. Ok... so if I were to extrapolate, I needed to be on level 12 for my intervals. Oy! Decided to stay on level 4 when I wasn't pushing, and 11-12 for the rest, for a set that turned into a bunch of humps.

What you gon' do with all that junk?

All that junk inside your trunk?

I'ma get, get, get, get, you drunk,

Get you love drunk off my hump.

My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump,

My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps (Check it out)

I counted them - all eight of them, my lovely little lumps. I got culture, didn't you know?

Thursday I decided that it was time for a walk. Too beautiful outside, too much driving around, not enough fresh air. I went on a recon mission at lunch to find my way to the nearby trail, aka my new playground. It was wonderful. I took a bunch of pictures, listened to the birds, looked at the river and the few ponds around, said hi to the passerby's. The rest is history, in all its Instagram glory.

I drove back from work and out of the house again. I was so friggin' tired, I had to take a nap after dinner, secretly hoping that I wouldn't wake up. But hubbs makes a good alarm clock "Get up! Get out! It's pool time!". Oh well, here we go again... Drills, drills, more drills, drinking chlorine, foggy goggles, flippers, flip turns, pretending that I can make it 200m without drowning (barely, ok?).

And now here we are, it's FRIDAY!! REST DAY!! Blogging day, whatever... I am in a murderous mood for whatever reason, hormonal or not, so I am taking all my anger on the keyboard. Really, I feel like screaming out loud. Like really loud. I guess I just needed to get all this stuff out. I think I am feeling better already. Here, look at this croissant with me, it was my dinner, along with a herbal peppermint tea.

By the way, I sent it back to remove the mayo. It was pretty sexy for the photo, but that didn't need to make it inside my stomach with the extra calories. I think I am hungry again. Okay, time to go to bed, sleep cures everything. Tomorrow the cycle starts again.