It’s the week that I should have had. Oh damn, it was fleeting and instead we’re stuck with the worst week yet, thanks to the food poisoning/virus from hades. Nevertheless, here’s a look at week 11 training.

Our office admin team passed out Valentine’s to the employees.
I wouldn’t call this week “WILD” by any means.

Mon., 2/13: Swim (a.m.) / Run (p.m.)

Started the week off strong with a 2,100 yard swim and 7.4 mile run. Little did I know what was about to happen come Tuesday.

Tues., 2/14: Run / Core

I started the morning with a blissful 5.3 mile tempo run and some good core work. But come 2 p.m. and DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN… enter food poisoning and what doctors would later tell me is a nasty virus.

Wed., 2/15: Sick

Keeping me company. 

I got in a good workout laying on the couch doing nothing but sleeping and watching the Food Network. My appetite was obliterated and I had zero energy to even stand up. Why do I get sick so often?!?

Thurs., 2/16: Sick

I was definitely on the mend, but still not 100 percent. I decided to work from home and regain my energy.

Fri., 2/17: Run (like an idiot)

Like an absolute idiot, I woke up pretending that the minimal energy I had was because I hadn’t eaten much in the past two days. Genius move, I know. I joined some running friends for 11 miles and by the time I got home, the room was literally spinning. Again…BAD IDEA! I ended up going to urgent care to see what exactly was going on. More rest was the doctor’s order.

Sat. & Sun., 2/18-2/19: Sick

Coach Paul always reminds me that resting is critical in order to overcome any bug that your body is battling. With my sister and her boyfriend in town for the weekend, it was easy to adhere his advice.

My appetite finally came back and I was welcomed with a taco salad the size of a small child. Success!

I closed out week 11 with:

4 hours and 33 minutes of training:
2,100 yards swimming
0 miles cycling
23 miles running
45 minutes core strengthening

Needless to say, I’m ready to get back into the swing of things. How did your week go?

Happy Running!

We had a good run, didn’t we? You and me, together, every morning.

I loved your warm a.m. hugs that never left me and your subtle sweetness. I loved how you always stood by my side throughout the day, regardless of any of life’s shenanigans. I even liked how sometimes Banana would drop by our private party and kick it into high gear.

Ahhhh yes, those were the good ol’ days.

But unfortunately, ever since you made a second afternoon appearance on Valentine’s Day, I just can’t shake the feeling and the taste. You came back unwarranted and made a fool of me on public transportation. Needless to say, you left a dirty taste in my mouth. I think I’m ruined…for at least the next couple of weeks.

This is not goodbye, but just see you later, Oatmeal.

I hope we can reconcile things soon.

Love,
Page

1. That free chicken pizza in the office kitchen that looks so tempting? Give in and have a slice. What’s the worst that could happen?
2. When you’re in that 3 p.m. brainstorm and you start to get dizzy – ignore it. You’re just  being a baby.
3. When the office hosts it’s Valentine’s Day dessert potluck, totally indulge in pink champagne and strawberry pie. It’s pink after all and you love pink.
4. Rush out the door at 5:30 reminding your colleagues that you absolutely must be home by 6:45 because your husband has something special planned for your first Valentine’s Day as a married couple.
5. When you get on Bart, there’s no seats and you’re in heels. It’s ok though, just stay standing and whip out your Kindle to see what will happen to Katniss.
6. Fifteen minutes into the ride and you start getting abnormally hot, look around and see if anyone else is sweating as much as you are. They aren’t, so just take your jacket off.
7. As the sweat starts to drip down your face and you start to get nauseous, ask some guy if you can have his seat as you aren’t feeling well and watch all of the surrounding Bart passengers stare at you.
8. When you feel your lip starting to quiver you realize that it’s coming. You text your husband because you’re not quite sure what to do. Bart is pulling up to the next stop and it’s like a baby – it’s time and you can’t stop it.
9. Literally run off of Bart, unable to find a trashcan, see people racing past you, and well, lose your lunch on the empty Bart train tracks. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.
10. Start crying. Call your husband. Plead forgiveness as you have ruined Valentine’s Day. Get back on the next train. Spend the rest of the night hugging the porcelain goddess.

Awe – precious, right?

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!

Mon., 2/6: Swim (a.m.)/Run (p.m.)

Remember that horrible 2,000 yards from week nine? Psha, neither do I because Monday’s 2,000 yards was everything I wanted it to be. Couple that with an unnecessarily sweaty 6.9 mile Fartlek run and I was off to a strong start for the week.

Tues., 2/7: Run/Core

Sadly, I lost my phone on Tuesday and had to console my fake technology tears with a 7 mile tempo run and some core work.

Wed., 2/8: Swim (a.m.)/Cycle (p.m.)

Another 2,000 yards in the pool, but this time with a bit of a ladder workout. I’ve been reading up on swimming form and am going to work with Coach Paul on it, including an analysis session. For now, it’s mental reminders of lengthening, fingers pointing down and torso twisting.

And there’s not much to say about the ride except that it was indoors and was accompanied by American Idol (which I don’t even like – why am I watching this?!).

Thurs., 2/9: Rest

I should have used my rest day to clean my car. Naaaaah…

Fri., 2/10: Long Run

The weekly “long” runs are slowly starting to build and I’m excited to get some more distance under my belt. I convinced a group of friends to meet me for 10 early miles and I think I’m going to brainwash them into coming with me every time. Ten miles was over in a flash – plus, they created the route and led the way so there was no chance of me getting lost. Bonus.

Sat., 2/11: Long Ride/Transition Run

Longest ride to date! 50 miles, 10 minute transition run, a PB&J, a nap and compression socks. Sounds like a perfect Saturday to me.

Sun., 2/12: Rest

I don’t know if you heard, but it’s now a law in California that on Sunday’s you must go shopping only wearing spandex and sweatshirts in public, with no make-up, then take a fuzzy photo in the dressing room at the Gap to prove it. I was forced to oblige.

I closed out the week 10 with:

8 hours and 46 minutes of training:
4,000 yards swimming
62 miles cycling
25.2 miles running
15 minutes core strengthening

How was your training week? How many days a week do you rest?

Happy Running!

I like to kick, stretch and kick!

I rode FIFTY!

This Saturday’s long ride was worthy of kickin’ and strenchin’ because we rode my farthest distance yet. Yup, you guessed it, FIFTY! I finally found a few folks within my group that ride a pace that is comfortable, yet challenging, and I was happy to have them by my side.

For three hours, we pedaled through multiple East Bay suburbs and with one left hand turn, we were in the middle of green hills, pastures, and beautiful old barns. From clouds to sun and some not so pleasant winds on the way back, it was just a great ride. While my quads were definitely a bit sore on Sunday, I can feel myself getting stronger little by little. It’s a slow process, but I’ll take it.

To top it all off, I rode in my new jersey (yes, now I have two). Arrrrrrrrrren’t you glad I posted this horrible photo and pun?

Oh cycling. How I am this close to saying the “L” word to you.

Happy Running!

It’s true. While I was off cavorting with swimming and cycling, running was just sitting at home, watching re-runs of The Bachelor and hacking into my Facebook account.

But then I came clean…

I came clean to my coach and confessed that I miss running and he happily obliged to edit my training schedule accordingly. Thus, enter my shiny new training plan, with more running  and some core work. Here’s a look at week nine:

Monday, 1/30: Swim (a.m.) / Run (p.m.)

This worst swim ever. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.

Thankfully, that night’s run was the first Fartlek run of my training and gave my depressed self a good kick in the pants. Plus, I’ve scheduled a very important and reoccurring reminder set to the Indiana Jones theme song:

Tuesday, 1/31: Run & Core

Tuesday was the first aerobic efficiency run marker. During this test, I timed exactly how long it would take me to run 1.5 miles while maintaining a specific heart rate. I then completed the workout for a total of 5.7 miles. We’ll repeat this test every four to six weeks to monitor progress. Oh, and then I assaulted my core with the updated workouts from the Nike Training Club app. I swear I was sore until Friday.

Wednesday, 2/1: Swim (a.m.) / Cycle (p.m.)

Remember that horrible swim from Monday? Good! Neither do I. That’s because with Wednesday’s 1,700 yards I was starting to feel my normal self again.

Round two of the day was filled with…you guessed it…trashy TV. This time, the Bachelor. P.S. Where do they find these women?! Wait, did I expect decent people on reality TV? Silly me.

Thursday, 2/3: Rest

I literally can’t even remember what I did with my day off. Sad.

Friday, 2/4: Run Long

Fridays are technically my long run days and as training progresses, so will the length of Friday’s runs. Eight treadmill miles of “rolling hills.” I’m telling you, you can do anything on a treadmill.

Saturday. 2/5: Cycle Long

The perfect day. I’m still swooning over it.

The view from the top of the ride.

Sunday, 2/6: Rest

I think there was a big game on this day and while I was pretending to watch it, I was really creeping your blogs and Instagram.

I closed out the week nine with:

8 hours and 46 minutes of training:
3,700 yards swimming
50 miles cycling
21.4 miles running
30 minutes core strengthening

How do you rekindle your love affair with running after time away?

Happy Running!

… The aforementioned husband also offering to drive.

… The early morning, hour long drive to Half Moon Bay in your PJs.

… Being dropped off to  meet my coach’s cycling group while Chicken Face finds a place to settle down and work.

… Riding along highway one and through the hills of Half Moon bay for three glorious hours.

… Breathtaking ocean views

… Never-ending hills that, for the first time, I felt incredibly strong on (for my level).

… Eating and drinking for the first time on my bike without falling off.

… Reaching the top of the series of hills and literally pumping my fists in the air channeling my inner rocky.

… Doing it all while proudly sporting bright green.

… “Showering” with baby wipes.

… Meeting Chicken Face and Lola to spend the rest of the day discovering Half Moon Bay’s hidden gems.

… Including the worlds best artichoke bread in Pescadero.

… Waves harmoniously crashing on the empty beach.

… Weather warm enough to warrant shorts.

… And most importantly, being with my two favorite people in the world.

Yes, perfection does exist.

   What does your perfect day look like?

Happy Running!

I don’t have a fancy bike. I am borrowing glasses from my friend. I have one cycling jersey, one pair of long ride cycling shorts, one pair of spin class cycling shorts, and a couple pairs of cycling socks that I’ve had since college. I’ve also been wearing my marathon jackets while cycling simply because I didn’t have anything else. So kill me.

A couple of weeks ago I thought I would be smart, not to mention safe, to purchase the Pearl Izumi cycling jacket. It’s a blinding bright green, super light and can be spotted from what feels like miles away. I was being a smart cyclist, right?

Well, maybe I was being smart but I was definitely not being cool. Apparently, I’m such a “Fred.”

What-the-freak-is-a-Fred?

Allow me to fill in the back story. I posted a photo on my personal Facebook page about my new jacket with the totally harmless caption, “If a car hits me, they can no longer use, "I didn’t see you" as an excuse.” Ha! Little did I know that this would cause a string of comments from some serious roadies (and for the roadies who said this, sorry I’m calling you out, but I still love you).

Still totally confused, I tweeted about this “Fred” character and thanks to a very information Twitter pal, I was sent the definition:

Monday, 1/23: Swim

Much like regularly scheduled recovery weeks, there will also me benchmarks set in each of the sports and I will continually revisit these benchmarks to gauge growth/improvement. Today’s 1500 yard swim was used to create my first 800 marker. After the warm-up, I swam an 800 and noted my results. Start slightly slower than you think you should, then finishing strong, pushing the pace to go as hard as you can during that 800.

I suppose the only place to go from here is up, right?

Tuesday, 1/24: Run

Oh heeeeey there shiny, new kicks.

Now that heart rate/zone training is in full effect, Tuesday’s hill run was swapped out with a 5.2 mile tempo run:

10′ Warm Up @ HR Zone 1-2
20′ Run @ HR Zone 3 (Tempo)
10′ Easy @ HR Zone 2

It’s a little bit more difficult to do tempo runs in zones as my zone three using my heart rate is slower than I would have normally run without monitoring my heart rate. But just like everything else, I’m learning and will get used to it.

On top of freaking out about running a tempo run via my heart rate, I started to get concerned at how much running fitness/speed I was losing. Enter a long, emotional email to my coach and we have now switched up my training plan to ensure that I stay sane.

Wednesday, 1/25: Swim (a.m.) / Cycle (p.m.)

A standard 1500 yards with the main set being 200 repeats. And as always, the bike was completed while watching trashy reality TV. I love Wednesdays.

Thursday, 1/26: Rest

Wait, I take back what I said about Wednesdays. I really love Thursdays.

Friday, 1/27: Run

7.6 miles on the treadmill – pretty standard. But one important thing to note is that whenever I am on the treadmill now, I have to set the incline at 1 percent to simulate road running.

Saturday, 1/28: Cycle & Transition Run

Blinding new jacket = safety first.

With my coach out of town this weekend and some afternoon priorities, I had to scramble and find another group to ride with. I ended up riding with CyclePros, a local cycle shop and we rode a different version of the same route that was my very first ride. I eventually ended up just riding alone to ensure I got in my zones, but inevitably I got a tab bit lost. Fear not – my handy iPhone saved the day and I was home in two and a half hours.

One thing that I keep forgetting to mention is that after each long ride, we do a mini-transition run. It’s only 10 minutes but is a good reminder of, “Whoooooa, my legs feel like Jell-O.”

Sunday, 1/29: Rest

Sundays are meant for sleeping in, making Chicken Face breakfast in bed, and watching far too much Food Network. Perfection.

Oh, and Costco. Sundays are made for Costco.

I closed out the week eight with:

6 hours and 40 minutes of training:
3,000 yards swimming
49 miles cycling
14.2 miles running

How did your training week go? Do you take recovery weeks?

Happy Running!

2,000 yards that would tell any onlooker that I’ve never swam a day in my life. It was pitiful.

This weekend, I think I slept wrong and I’ve been having some neck/shoulder pain which continued into this morning. I thought the warm-up would work the kinks out (I know, very scientific), but nothing improved as I continued.

Beyond the shoulder pain and feeling like my left arm literally just flopped into the water, it was as if my body just didn’t show up. I get it, body, you want to go on vacation. Me and you both. But I can’t have you crapping out whenever you feel like it. That’s not how this whole Ironman thing is going to work.

It’s funny, if your legs refuse to work while running, you just stop. If you stop while swimming, you drown. So there’s always that motivation…

I don’t know what it is. I try to be pretty positive and optimistic on my blog, but the truth of the matter is that some days and some workouts just downright suck. I wanted to throw my hands up after the warm-up. I was that close to giving up on today and it was only 6 a.m. But instead, I flapped and floundered my way through the workout, taking more rest time than I should have and finished the workout, albeit I was, and still am feeling, downright defeated.

I know, I know, it’s one workout. Boo-hoo. Cry me a frickin’ river. I have another workout schedule for tonight where I plan on changing things around with my original love: running.

Some days are good. Some days are bad. That’s life.

Then we move on.

Plus, how can I complain when I have this.

Happy running!