Momma freaks out

I am suspending the long runs for the half until I am done with the tri next weekend.  I am just very anxious about the swim portion and I need to focus on one thing.

When momma gets freaked, she gets busy.  Freaked pretty much describes how I am feeling about the swim portion of the tri.  The pool, I can handle; the lake is freaking me out.  How else can you explain how I can swim for 25 nonstop minutes in a pool and feel out of breath and freaked about the water in the lake?  I would say it is just easier, but I am using an endless resistance pool that is pushing water in my face continuously.  People freak me out, as do weeds, and of course the not being able to touch.

I have practiced swimming daily for the last three days and I am hitting the pool or lake again tomorrow.  Yesterday, I had an awesome pool workout and Monday was a nice 10 mile bike ride, down to the lake and back, where I struggled thru 750 yds of swimming.  I am guessing I will be in the water, during the tri, about 20 minutes unless I get an adrenaline rush or freak out. :)

Tri Panic Attack

Rhonda reminded me, I have 2 weeks till I become a triathelete.  This is both exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time.  I actually had a moment of panic/anxiety the other night.

But, today, I had a little bit of an epiphany.  While struggling thru a swim session, I have to hold on to Teri's quote: 

"this is me, not caring"

I think that quote is my new mantra.  Hell, I ran in short shorts and a sports bra in heat induced craziness on Thursday, I am owning it.

Why?  I will be swimming literally over my head against much faster/skilled swimmers.  I have no doubt I can

do the distance, but it will not be pretty.  I will be thinking,  "this is me, not caring" as I side stroke, breast stroke and back stroke if I have to those last 150 yards...

And...  I will be smiling as I roll thru the bike section (because the swim is done) AND thinking, "this is me, not caring" on my 10 year old mountain bike (with knobby tires) may actually be better suited for the delightful road conditions that we will encounter.  This pic is not an exaggeration of the road quality:

And I may even really get into the "this is me, not caring" mantra if I am spent at that point and I run ala JG style, with a run walk style.

With my half marathon, the goal was finish.  I am thinking that this first tri, the goal is similar!

Tri Training: Cylcing PR

Hit the road on the bike today!  First time without kid baggage in awhile.  I must say, I am always amazed how "easy" it is ride when you are not pulling anything!  I had a little of a time constraint, nap time and the hubs was home early waiting to get his work out in as well.  So I hit it and wow, did it feel good. 

It was my longest ride to date at almost 8.5 miles.  I know it would have been faster than the 36 minutes I logged it in, but I had a lot of side of the road riding because of the route I chose, which definitely slowed me down.  I was shocked when my speed was consisitently announced as 15-19 mph, and I distinctly remember a 23mph split.

http://runkeeper.com/user/clyoungsey/activity/41318860

TR11: 3 in a mini sprint tri session

Today, I upped the brick to a mini tri, backwards like.  I ran 3, biked 8.5 and then swam 500m.  I burned a buttload of calories and felt really accomplished when I got it done.  Here is the lowdown.

I had a sitter so I could actually take the hour plus it took to do all of it.  It was all inside, so it would be what you call "ideal" conditions.

I began with 3 miles on the mill.  I ran at about 6 to 6.5mph, got my 3 miles in for half training and the amount of running most sprint tris would require in.

I then jumped on the spin bike, set it on hills plus, so that it wouldn't be just flat race.  I managed to get 8.5 miles in in 30 minutes.  By this time I was sweating at hog status.

So, when I got in the pool, the water felt AMAZING...I swam in the endless pool for 20 minutes.  17.4 minutes is supposed to be .28 miles, so I was a little over a 1/4 of a mile.

I got done and was spent...totally burned off the peanut m&m's I had chowed down for energy!

No cool routes to post since it was all inside...

Tri Training: Resistance Training

When the pedi tells you your 5 year old weighs 40lbs and is in the 25% for weight, you think, wow, that's pretty light....that is until he is in the trailer on your bike (along with the chunk-a-munk 2 year old)  Holy hell, that was hard.  I have been blessed to bike solo or only with Gunner in the trailer lately.  The two of them about killed me.

But, I got in 4 miles despite the HEAVY load that I was carrying.  It was slow, but I know that I am much faster alone, so I consider this resistance training.  Or dead weight :)

http://runkeeper.com/user/clyoungsey/activity/39754560

TR5: 25/15

That's 25 minutes running (a little over 2 miles) and 15 minutes swimming. The endless pool took a bit to get used to, but I think I got it now. I think it simulates lake swimming more than a regular pool does. I have no idea how to gauge how I did, but I didn't drown. I swam 15 minutes at 300-400psi, which is supposed to be .27 miles. I don't know what that means. All I know is that I didn't drown and when I googled, I was right:

SWIM TRAINING IN AN ENDLESS POOL is like swimming in open water – no turns, no shared lanes, no stopping. By eliminating turns you get a better understanding of your true open water endurance.
 So it should be harder than a "normal" pool and it initially felt that way. Took me a bit to get back far enough that I wasn't getting a nasal cleansing from being too close to the waves. I actually had to turn it up, because to 300psi was too slow. I kept catching the current.

Here is what it looks like...

Tri/Cross Training: Solo bike

Whoo Hoo, I got to ride my bike by myself, without 75lbs following me.  I actually think the unofficial "resistance training" is helping me build muscle and speed and making it easier when I am on my own.  I have noticed it in the runs and now in the bike.  I was right around 4 minute miles for 6 miles, which means I need to kick it up a knotch to about 12 miles and drop my time by about 1 minute per mile.  The good news, I felt as though I could have done more, so I probably should have, but as always, mommy only gets so much time.

http://runkeeper.com/user/clyoungsey/activity/38381734