Taking each workout as it comes

As an athlete I review my upcoming week on Sunday to plan for longer training sessions, plan work calls, prep for the workouts that scare me,  in general plan out my week so I can prioritize training my work and plan accordingly.

Roo chugging up the last repeat 

This week I saw on Thur I had a bike and a run.   90min-2 hour bike and a run off the bike 50 min.  Not a problem...

Bike:  Up to 2 hours. Good warm up and then 3-4x10" at 80-85% of threshold watts. Easy cool down - straight to the run!

unplanned matching outfits 

Run: 1:00  Right off the bike - either on treadmill or hill that's close by. Run 6x3' or 6x5' with 2' recovery (if on treadmill). Otherwise recovery will be your easy jog back to bottom of hill. Make these as close to race effort as you can. HR will rise up to LT by end of effort. Warm down properly for at least 10'.

I had 2 friends for the bike repeats and those were not problem....steady riding, was over the numbers a bit and all was good.  The run, Courtney and Roo suffered  with me.  Mako (slacker)  stopped the repeats after the first one, he hung in the shade of the Eucalyptus while we went up and down a  STEEP hill. Each time we came back he ran for a bit but as soon as we turned around he hung back.  #nohillrepeatsformako

Repeat 1 - solid and strong HR 172
Repeat 2 - solid a bit less strong  178
Repeat 3- the legs started to cramp (not from lack of salt) but worked.... HR 184 and 19 seconds slower
Repeat 4- was a slug fest- painful, HR 181 and 27 seconds slower- was I moving
Repeat 5 - survival- one foot in front of the other- HR 180 and 1:10 slower- DEAD

But I did it and without too much thought.... OUCH!!  secretly I loved it

First time for me run hill repeats after bike hill repeats.  I jumped on a conference call within 10 minutes- skaky legs, trying to recover and focus was a challenge.  I had a lunch meeting 45 min later but knew I needed some recovery in me ASAP.  Vitamix- greek yogurt, cacao powder, espresso powder, stevia and spinach smoothie- cannot taste the spinach and tasted like a chocolate creamy delight!  No pictures I was drunk in seconds....  Roo was rewarded with lots of cheese and Mako a tiny bit, slackers don't need recovery food.

What hasn't happened since my last blog....

Love my Groove Nytro tri girls 

Starting Jan 1,  26th I am back to blogging at least one time a week!  The problem with not blogging weekly is that I do do many amazing things  a lot happens and then it is hard to determine what is blog worthy.... so I sit and start to write and am overwhelmed with what to write so I go on facebook for hours instead.  Then I read someone elses's blog and have blog envy and try and start my blog and end of facebooking again.

Stop the madness.... Christmas happened with little fanfare.  JD and Riley did not come home and I survived.  They are both working and we had a great Thanksgiving together in Santa Cruz knowing that it was not likely we would have Christmas together.  Those who know me know that I am not a "santa's in my bathroom" kind of Christmas person so a quite few days with my husband and a few nice family dinner was perfect!!.  In fact our total decorations this year were 2 poinsettia's. Done and to be honest..I loved it.  

Anyway since it is almost Valentines Day....

December was NOT massive bike training as it has been in year past. But I did get a new bike..LOVE my Cervelo P3 with Di2! 

 Although I did swim 103,000 yards so it was massive swim month.  I rode when I could sneak it in. See my adoring husband was burning the candles at both ends getting Gainsborough Ave ready to sell.  I was busy packing and buying a house but the hours of labor he did was impressive.  I am a 100% klutz, lack skills with a hammer or really manual labor so my job was not to ride my bike every weekend but to keep the process going and cook for the hungry workers ( sound so domestic) .  It really was a team effort maybe but we got it done. packed, sold and moved 

1- we closed on the Encinitas House 12/23 - with HUGH thanks to Leah Green, the magical mortgage broker who made it happen along with Christine Kueneke our realtor- 2 gems IF you are buying a house!!!

2- we sold Gainsborough Ave FSBO - a process that saves us a lot of $ but has lead me to believe most (not ours) Realtor are bottom sucking pond scum.  The rudeness, the arrogance and insulting phone calls we received. I kid you not. "what makes you think you can sell you home over a real estate professional such as I" all said in a snarky voice.  We had over 60 calls from mostly jerks and jerkess (female jerk?)  telling us how awesome they were and we were fools to think we could do this.  And that they would be in touch in Jan so "help us out"  We did it ! closed on Jan 17th !  good bye

3- We moved and LOVE LOVE LOVE our new place.... the dogs love it ,we love it and are completely entrenched in the bubble.  ie: when driving more than 5 minutes seems so far. I used to drive 30 minutes to swim and now I go to Whole Foods because it is 1 mile closer than Sprouts.  Again- LOVING it.

4 Did I say we are happy?

5- no photos on this blog- next week, when i am back to weekly blogging it gets fun again....

6- Yoga- re-embracing it thanks to fitn Imagine you could go to any fitness studio with any friend and every time you helped a child get healthy… That's what Fitn does!  And now  you can do it for $1 for 30 days...more on my FITN adventures next week- but I HIGHLY endorse it!!

7- Training- ugh... well getting back into it and addressing my run.  Yup my run still sucks...thanks you Mike for taking this on.... 5k a month- done 2 and ouch!  pace work off the bike, week 1 was epic fail, but we have many more to try again.   Swimming- good. Biking- hard intervals- love them and SOOO glad to be working hard on the bike again.  My bike definitely slipped the last 2 years.  Run- please let this be my year of running- No injuries :) , its only Jan 26 and last year at this time I was running 20 min max.  New miracle worker coach.  It's all good.

Bam we are caught up ..... Ciao 

December in San Diego

post race re-fueling plan

San Diego simply does not suck...no surprise there!  There just some days that San Diego amazes me... 12/19 was one of them.  The sun was out, 68 degrees and Les and I rolled up to the 25th Red Nose Run in Del Mar on the beach, on the sand!  5k at 2pm.   $50 fundraiser for SemperFi (wounded military) and you get a stunning run, a red nose and a buffet at Poseidon that puts Ironman pizza to shame- veggies and hummus, mixed green salad, nice fruit salad, assortment of creamy  way to caloric for a 5k,  pastas.  Heaters as it dropped below 70 and the wonderful bar at the Poseidon.

The 5k was painful and slow, did  I say painful.  I am dreading blessed to do a 5k a month - this was #1 and it was hard.  But I digress.... I chased Leslie and it was over sooner than later and onto the fun!  Perfect December Friday.

So much else.... going to list it out - short and sweet

1- new house!  baam- we closed escrow on Friday- we are moving to Encintas 12/30!  Yee haw-

2- offer on hold house - no details don't want to jinx

3- swam 25,000 yards this week- hair stylist " um, what have you been doing to your hair other than abusing it?" She suggest coconut oil. Great idea....until I wake up to Roo sucking on my hair.  Speaking of Roo...another Oofos bites the dust.  That dog can jump 5 feet to get an Oofoos... and now I am down to 1 pair of hot pink and 1 mixed pair (1 purple and 1 teal)  So if anyone has any extra size 8 Oofos I'l buy them, even a right black one, see i have the left.  Swim goal 100k this month. 70,600 to date. 10 days to go - 3K a day - travel 3 days, pool closed Christmas. - 8 days = 3750 a day- doable.  May have to do a few 6k swims but I'll get it done.  Swimming makes me HUNGRY but also nauseous.  Over 5000 and my belly is not happy and I cannot eat too much before so I have been a bit bonky and not recovering too well, paying for it the next day.  Nutrition is key!  for the 10k swim- at 600 calories before and had a bottle with 300 calories but could not get it down, barely got in 12 oz water.

4- Pedicure- nail lady says " what on earth do you do to your feet?"  #hokatoes  Will I ever have 10 toe nails?  not sure

5 - New bike :)  Cervelo P3 black, Di2, 11 speed- got it just in time to travel....so I have not been on an inaugural ride.  But will soon.

6- return to Yoga is humbling.... can i use 2 blocks?  not that bad but really, really stiff, imbalanced and not heat prepped- lots of "childs pose for me"  and even a little savasana,  But I am committed!   flexibility, strength, heat - its all good!

7- Work.. what holiday?  traveling 12/21-23.  Its GOOD -  busy is good!

All over the board and boring no pictures kinda blog

Training is all over the board right now.  I parted ways with my coach in mid-November and have been “winging” it since.  A break from structured training is very welcomed but I am ready have some structure focus and start working toward 2015.

I have been running nearly every day but sometimes 20 min and other times 90 min.  All in the trails with the dogs and often with John- some days easy and others we race to the finish.  It was great for a few weeks but now I have some deep fatigue in my legs and they are heavy and not too responsive, so the joy is not quite there.  My brain and body tell me time to back off…. Which I have significantly.

With that the NCC swim challenge has begun and I logged 22,500 yards last week and have a realistic goal of 80,000 yards this month and a reach goal of 100,000,  BUT it is Thursday of week 2 and I have only logged 6000 due to travel.  So…. If can pull off a BIG swim weekend I am back on track, which I can.  Riding is coming back too….I have returned to the weekly GWL and it has been humbling…but had a few good days out there.   Only riding 2x a week right now and that is fine for now, but  that needs to and will ramp up sooner than later.

And with 2, yes 2 new bikes coming!!! I will be riding a lot…. New bike sponsor Cervelo and the deal was just too good to pass us.  So I have a rocking new P3 with Di2 and a new road bike coming any day now.  Yeah baby…. Sold my Felt on eBay for a great price so cannot complain there.    

I spent the last few weeks interviewing new coaches. 

1-      I know I need a coach

2-      I like to see how other coaches coach

3-      I need a different approach- at 48 if I want to continue to approve we need to mix it up, really attack my running and get my cycling back to where it was. My cycling has slipped in the last 2 years and that I cannot afford.  2014 was about returning to Ironman and racing successfully, which I did in Canada, but 2015 is about reaching my potential.

4-      With my last coach I did not thoroughly interview coaches and made a decision based on what a few people said, what I had “heard” and what I wanted to believe.

a.       Don’t get me wrong- I had a great season but there is more to triathlon than results for me anyway) It is about a relationship. 

b.      It is a relationship and needs to feel right to both parties

5-      This time I took the time to really figure out what I need from a coach, what kind of coach I am looking for and did some research.  I asked each coach the same questions, asked for references (this was key) and then did some recon on my own.  I had dialog for a few weeks with random questions, comments etc. to see who was also a good personality match.  It was pretty easy and I am excited!!

So decision made!  We “officially” start Dec 15 but have already engaged in some really good dialog, went through my 2015 race season and I filled out the longest form ever.  16 pages of background information – really interesting and detailed.

The first few weeks will be flexible, I hope, with a pending move and the holidays my schedule will be a bit up in the air.   Planning the Jingle Bell 5K on the 19^th and then the Holiday ½ Marathon.  I have ZERO speed but both will be good benchmark races.   I will be doing a 5k a month- this is new for me and frankly guess my first one will be ½ my 10K, but we have to start someplace.

We close on our new house on 12/19!  So by then end of 2014 we will be Encinitas residents!  The house is perfect for the dogs and we love it too. I am beyond excited and will save $100’s in gas once we are in the city I spend so much time in now.

We still need to sell Gainsborough and are trying to do that on our own…The FSBO  (for sale by owner) is great in theory but in reality means fending off, hitting with a stick, hanging up on hungry, aggressive and condescending Realtors who are calling to ask “why do you think you can sell your home vs a qualified real estate professional”  “what makes you think…”  It is amazing… if they are calling to berate me then great but if their hope is to get the listing, I say try a different approach.  This aggressive, I am the King or Queen, and you are a moron approach frankly does not lend well to working together.  We. HAVE a Realtor who we vetted and will list with come January, we just wanted to give this a go.

Toward the end, before I switched out my number for Johns- he wanted to “take the calls”. I took a new approach to the aggressive ones.  I would reply with “what makes you think you can be a complete ahole?”  Or when asked “did you thoroughly vet the Realtor you selected” I’d reply “no I collected 10 business cards and picked the prettiest one.”  Yes you condescending xx we researched and interviewed potential Realtors and we chose a qualified representative.  YOU MISSED OUT!

Ok done with my RR (Realtor rant.  See I LOVE and respect Christine who found us our new house that was not even on the market.  And our potential Realtor Dolores is great.  Professional, nice, normal but good business people.  We interview a few males and they were often very condescending…. Not sure what that is all about.  But I taught sales training for a while and I can tell you – aggressive and condescending were not in my manual.

So we are still getting Gainsborough ready, packing – well not really but I should be,  finalizing our loan, which is the most time consuming and hope jumping experience I have been trough in a while.  If anyone defaults on a loan these days I’d be amazed.   The lender has every detail about every penny and where it originated.  When asked where X fund originated for the 10^th time I wants to say the mint.  When the 100^th email said, we need “proof of X” I was waiting for “please submit your last physical exam and blood test results” I mean really…. Okay so LR (loan rant) is also done.

When people say “are you ready for the holidays” I laugh…. My house has 2 Poinsettias and 1 red flower in my garden.  Yes- ready.  Gifts…fortunately we are not beg gift givers but for those whom I give to…. Let’s just be clear here- amazon? Apple? Or name the gift card of choice.   Annual family calendar, right- I have pictures of my nieces and nephews but none of my kids.  This will get done ….they too have overnight shipping- so I have a few days.

Traveling 12/21-23 for work is really ideal too J  December used to be fairly quiet for my HPN business but I am busier than ever.  So with HPN, Coaching, Loan Expert, and Realtor – I have 4 jobs and all getting done!

Last year at this time I had 3 athletes as many take a few months off, I don’t, but many do.  This year I have 7 through the off season and it looks like 12 as of January/February.  I am capping my coaching clients to 15 – that really is the max I can coach, the way I want to coach, which is individual and personalized.  I don’t want to lose my approach to take on more athletes. So it will be odd if the day 

Thanksgiving....

My first sentiments about thanksgiving or about Christmas....back off!   I find it amusing that Starubucks had its Thanksgiving blend out 11/1-12 and then it was swarmed, swallowed and covered by 10 different variations of Holiday blend, and red cups.... bah humbug!

I am thankful for....don't worry not a list of the usual sentiments or maybe it will be.

Waking up in Santa Cruz in our funky Air BnB hippy love shack with my best friend and number on fan John is the way to begin a day of thanks....of course sharing overtaking  the bed is Roo and Mako.  One big family in a very small bed.  JD is upstairs- so great to see my boy!  Poor Riley got called into work at dinner last night but it is so good to see her...she is thriving in SC and happier than I have ever seen her.  We rolled into town and checked out her place, while definitely a college house, its 1 block from the beach and pretty sweet.   6 girls in a 900 sq house- 2 to a room, but location, location, location,

How we ended up on the hippy love shack it a nightmare....once again a rental scam.  Long story, we thought we vetted the listing on CL, used paypal etc. come to find out the house is owned and lived in and NOT rented to us for Thanksgiving  Us meaning my family of 4, my 81 yo Mom, Sister and family from Boulder....the idea one big house for 4 days.  We scrambled and are making the best of this... so far its all good.

So what next....family in general.  I am blessed to have both my parents alive and well and in San Diego!   We lost my step father last January but my mom is doing well and I cherish that we are so close.  My dad and step mother are  in LJ and we see them regularly.

 Seeing my mom and dad on a semi regular basis is really important to me and I am thankful in so many ways.... My siblings although in Boulder and Hong Kong we are very close. I talk to my sis a few times a week and we are like best girlfriends but more.  My bro and I are close even with the miles.... Thanks mom and dad for having all 3 of us :)

My friends.... you know who you are...we may talk 4x a day and have each other on speed dial or maybe once a month but each one plays a special role in my life.  Surrounded by good friends is anther blessing. We rode 1000+ miles this yards together, traveled to races, drank wine and shared many a Bonk Breaker...you girls make triathlon amazing but really complete my life.

My athletes....I am honored and thrilled to have coached and be coaching so many amazing people- most for Ironman, my passion.  Seeing them grow, get stronger and faster, crossing the finish line is what keeps me motivated every day.  Each one is different and I thank them for allowing me lead the journey!

Sooo happy to see my baby!! 

kids and Mom

Dinner was 14 of us.... 3 families and a giant joint effort of cooking and fun! And a HUGE surprise from my bro- flew in from Hong Kong!      We started the day with the Run for Pie in Aptos...10k in the trails and it was hard and fun!  Kids and sis did the 5k with the dogs.... family and running = happy mom  

Off Season - what is that?

off–sea·son

a time of suspended or reduced activity; especially :  the time during which an athlete is not training or competing

What does the off season mean or look like? Depends on the athlete, your current season and next season.  After your last big race of the year is when you  "off season" begins.  My advice don't make any decisions about the off season for 2 weeks. 1 week post race you either still have not unpacked your gear and bike or you maybe dreaming of not losing all this great fitness and feel ready to go.  Generally 2 weeks post IM are a better indicator.  Also consider when is your first A race in 15?  March vs May is very different.

The goal for the off season is to physically heal up but really mentally to take a break from a rigid schedule of swim/bike/run- early AM's, long weekends.  If you want to swim swim, if you don't don't.  2 weeks post IM I don't like any schedule- just cap your workouts at an hour and no running for at least a week.   If you are nursing any injuries NOW is the time to let them heal.  4 weeks off running now is doable but mid season is a game changer.

Now is the time to plan...if you do nothing that is okay but be sure to include that in your build phase for your next season- it will take longer.

 If you want to work on a weakness- have a plan for 4-8 weeks a strategy. This is a great time to work on your swim technique while you are not worried about fitness- commit to 4-6 swims a week 30-40 min and work on technique- get a few swim lessons and really commit to getting more efficient.  Do a few running races- 10K's or 1/2 marathons.  Bike 5-6 times a week.  A single sport focus on your weakness is ideal and back off on the other 2, it's okay.  Have fun... relax and don't be so regulated.

Ride without power, leave your Garmin at home- just run, hit the trails. Swim OW or get out early - less stress now allows for a serious season. 

Do yoga, work on strength It's okay to gain a few pounds, especially if you got really lean for your last race. Now is the time to have some wine, more dark chocolate, be less vigilant. Why?  So when it comes time you are ready and willing.

What does my offseason look like?  Been on my bike 5x in 5 weeks, swimming 1x a week max, running in the trails nearly every day with my dogs... go garmin and no clue how hard or ez, just having fun! 

The only thing you can control is your attitude

This was what Mike Reilly (voice of Ironman) into the loud speaker minutes before I started my first Ironman.  And he is right....it is a long day with a lot of unknowns, keep your attitude in check and the journey is more pleasant. Will you still suffer? yes.  May you consider quitting? maybe.  But you will prevail....

With the cancellation of Ironman Tahoe due to fire and the cancellation of the swim this weekend at Ironman Florida due to severe riptides and high winds we need to be prepared mentally for anything. Ironman is about months of training and sacrifice.  You have missed social engagements, stayed at home when others went out for happy hours, skipped the dessert to get to race weight, been tired, hungry, sore and grumpy for weeks all in anticipation of the big day!   You have sacrificed! 

You visualize the big day...but what it the big day brings 4 flat tires, 30 mph winds, rain, hail, cancellations...what will you do?  Other than a cancellation you will persevere, pull up your tri shorts, suck it up and enjoy the journey.  You are privileged to be doing such an epic event. This is your choice, your dream and about your goals- so live it, embrace it and enjoy it what the day brings.  

When Tahoe was cancelled I had athletes racing and it was devastating, I now I would have been angry, sad, frustrated.....but my favorite comment back to me from Tracy "yes I am disappointed, but I feel much worse for the people who have lost their homes"    In the scheme of things....yes we are lucky!  

So for those of you toeing the line int he next few weeks in Arizona, Cozumel etc.... be ready for ANYTHING!   Embrace it all and know if you can prevail you will be an Ironman!