A New Bike!

Boy, I feel about as giddy as I did when I came out into the family room on my 6th birthday, only to find a new purple Pirhana bicycle perched in the middle of the floor. I reacted no differently when, a week or so ago, I came home to find a large cardboard box sitting against the china cabinet, with the wordsBICYCLE: THIS SIDE UP emblazoned on the side. I guess no matter what your age, a new bike is exciting stuff.

Granted, it's not an expensive bike. It's not top-of-the-line. But I love it -- probably more so, in fact, because it doesn't possess the aforementioned characteristics. It's a sturdy little road bike that bears the brand of a company my family has always had a deep relationship with: General Motors. (Who knew GM made bicycles, anyway?)

And so begins a new chapter in my tri training. With winter -- and therefore ice -- on its way in the next month or so, I don't expect to abandon the stationary bike any time soon; but having a new, mobile bicycle to play around with is a big step up. I can't wait to take it on the road and put it through its paces! Nor can I wait to learn how to ride a road bike. ;) There's that.

And speaking of the stationary variety, I did my short ride last night -- 46 minutes. I'm logging 16 miles at about the 45-minute mark, which is something I want to improve upon before the tri in the spring. If I can get that winnowed down to 42 minutes, I'll be a very happy woman. Stay tuned!

:)

Half a Mile and an Extra Block

This morning was my 23-minute short run, and with the weather being so mild I was able to run it outdoors (whoohoo!). Furthermore, I have bested my last personal distance record and have now gone further than a half-mile without stopping. Yes, fans, today I ran half a mile PLUS one block! I know, it seems small, but it's certainly progress for me. I could've kept running, and probably should've, but decided to slow it on up for a block or so to catch my breath. Next time -- Wednesday morning, to be exact -- I'll go an EXTRA additional block.

My goal is to be able to run a mile without stopping by Dec. 1. That's Friday, for those playing the home edition. I think I can do it. The hangup is, I have a swim, not a run, scheduled for Friday, so I may put my mile to the test on Sunday during the long run.

Anyway, there's my update for this morning. Nothing like hitting the ground running to start the week, no?

:)

This Week's Schedule

Is as follows.

Monday: Short run (23 minutes)
Tuesday: Short bike (46 minutes)
Wednesday: Practice short run (21 minutes)
Thursday: Long bike (77 minutes)
Friday: Swim (62 minutes)
Saturday: Rest day! :)
Sunday: Long run (39 minutes)

As always, I expect things to shift around a bit. But not by toooooo much.

:)

And Miles to Go Before I Tri.

Call it a miracle. Call it the result of much training and practice. But whatever you do, don’t call it a coincidence.

Today, for the SECOND time ever, I ran half a mile without stopping.

I know this comes with not more than a “ho-hum” from most of the fine readers of this blog. But you’ve got to understand – I can swim to China. I can bike the Alps (OK, I’ve never tried, but I’m sure I could do it if I went slowly enough!). But ask me to run to the corner and back, and I’ve always found myself winded before I even got started. I don’t know why, but there you go. Even as a child, I dreaded the wind sprints that Coach Bruce and the rest of the fine coaching staff assigned to us after softball practice. I’ve just never been very good at running, plain and simple.

And I may still not be. But darn it if I’m not willing to give it another whirl.

So, a little more than a week ago, I ran half a mile without stopping for the very first time. THAT, I could have shrugged off as coincidence, as a lucky break. But not this one. No sir.

And now that I know I can do it, I’ll just have to do it again. Tomorrow morning, in fact, when I’ll go one block further than half a mile, just to spite myself. Don’t you just hear my lungs and legs saying “Hurrah!” already? ;)

:)

Thwarted on Thanksgiving

Well, happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone!

Mikey and I had a fantastic time yesterday, eating lots of food, sitting in front of a picturesque fire in the fireplace, and playing with Lucky the Wonder-Cat. We even put together a Thanksgiving home video.

But we didn't train. Never fear, however! I have an excuse. :)

The YMCA was closed, and the weather outside was truly frightful. The gym at the office was so isolated that I was reluctant for us to go in with the building shut down for the holiday. So that means that I'll have to double up on one day this weekend. I'm designating Sunday as the doubling-up day. I'll run and swim and have a fine time. That said, if I miss the swim, it's no big loss -- the one thing I AM confident about in this triathlon is my ability to swim 500 meters.

So the rest of the week looks thusly:

Friday: Long bike (70 minutes)
Saturday: Short run (21 minutes)
Sunday: Long run (35 minutes), possible swim (56 minutes)

So much training, so little time! I promise I'm not always so off-track. But holiday weeks always bring me to a screeching halt. Darn that Tofurky. :)

OK! Back to work. Happy Thanksgiving!

:)

Looking Forward

Well, both rest days are gone for the week. Which means I have to get on the wagon tonight if I'm planning on eating copious amounts of Tofurkey and casseroles and salads and sauces tomorrow. And the next day. And then pizza and beer for the FSU/UF game ...

Shoot. I'd better stop typing this very MOMENT and get myself on the bike. Or the road. Or the track. Or in the pool. :)

But I won't, at least right now. Instead, I'll continue on with this post, finish up a day's worth of work, and then hit the bike in the gym downstairs. Tonight will be a 42-minute ride, the short ride of the week. The rest of the week goes as follows:

Wednesday: Short ride (42 minutes)
Thursday (yes, on Thanksgiving!): Long ride (70 minutes)
Friday: Short run (21 minutes), weights
Saturday: Long run (35 minutes)
Sunday: Swim (56 minutes)

... and that will be that. I suspect I'll have to do at least one run indoors, as there'll be bad weather here and I'm a little nervous about running in near-freezing weather -- a friend of mine slipped on black ice a few years ago and shattered her ankle, and just hearing her stories has made me squeamish. I've never really run on a treadmill before, so we'll see how that goes. I may just do endless laps around the tiny track at the YMCA instead. We shall see.

So there's today's update. Maybe my next update will actually involve exercise! :) Stay tuned!

:)

Running After the Wagon

Well, the training week started with a whimper and not a bang. Some weeks are like that, I suppose. :)

I'll admit it: I didn't train last night because I was simply too tired, and instead of pushing through the exhaustion like I normally do, I gave in and went home. But all is well -- I just used up one rest day, that's all, so I can hop back on the wagon tonight if I wish. Or I can take both rest days in a row and then train like mad for the rest of the week. We'll see whether the temperatures will behave enough for a run tonight.

Speaking of running, I just don't know what my problem is. Actually, I do: I've never been a runner -- it just doesn't come easily to me -- and so the running part of my tri training is always the part where I drag my feet. I just can't find the motivation to run the way I can to bike, say, or hop in the pool for a long swim. I guess I just don't feel like I ever get my legs under me. But all that is gonna change.

Starting this week, I'm going to start desensitizing myself to the run by running every chance I get, even on the days when I'm not scheduled to do so. If I'm ever going to feel comfortable out there -- or in the gym, as the case may be now that it's getting colder -- I'm going to have to work at it. It's as simple as that.

So boo on me for not biking last night. I honestly don't know what I'll do about tonight yet, since I've got to go to the cat shelter and then bake a couple of early Thanksgiving pies. :) But I owe it to myself to at least put on the running shoes tonight, even if I can't take the cold for long. I mean, I'm only scheduled to do 21 minutes, anyway. I can do that!

:)

Well, hello.

Hi!

Word on the street is, I'm training for my first triathlon. I don't necessarily have high hopes that this will be the most Googled triathlon training blog on the planet, but that's OK with me. I'd really just like to use this space to give daily/weekly/frequent updates about my training process -- the successes I've had, the problems I've run into, and, of course, those dreaded goals.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and I hope to provide some more interesting training fodder in the days to come. Who knows? Maybe I'll even include the occasional photo. Especially if it has Lucky the Wonder-Cat in it. She's really an athletic legend underneath the sleepy veneer.

Talk to you soon!

:)