Race Goals (and some portland pics)

First of all, let me wrap up last week. I did a long run on the river on Sunday morning, but other than that did no training in Portland Saturday through Tuesday. It was forced rest, which is one way to do it, but I did spent a lot of time on my feet looking at apartments and just generally painting the town red. I think we found a place and this is all beginning to come together (besides the job thing, which I'm trying to stay positive about).

Sunday am: run

10.0 miles/1:29:30/8:57 average pace

Great run, lots of energy. It was so nice to not feel sluggish and slow for once. I started off a little slow but gradually sped up with my last mile in 8:09. Yay!

TOTALS for the week: 19 miles run, 50 miles bike, 5250 yards swim

TOTAL training time: approximately 8 hours, perfect!

Here's some pictures from my run, and one of me and Deana:

So this week I'm doing next to nothing. I got back from Portland on Tuesday and am wiped out from all the walking and not great sleep. Priority this week is resting and getting my energy level back. I'll basically end up doing each sport one time. The race is Saturday. Today I biked:

Wednesday am: bike

25.7 miles/1:43:23/14.9 MPH

Easy bike with Zach. I went over my race strategy with him. We also practiced for the bike aid station, which is where they hand you a full water bottle while you ride by. Sounds scary, turns out, not so bad.

Speaking of my race strategy, here it is:

Swim: Have fun, stay calm, don't overdo it.

Bike: Cruise along, again don't overdo it, eat Luna Moons and Clif Bar and drink Clif Shot Juice mix often. Enjoy the scenery, think positive.

Run: Stay upright. Try to remember I am a runner first and foremost and I can handle this. Eat and drink and think positive.

Specific time goals:

Swim: "A" goal: 42 minutes or better, "B" goal 45 minutes or better

Bike: "A" goal: 3 hours 30 minutes (16 MPH), "B" goal: 3 hours 45 minutes(15 MPH)

Run: "A" goal: under 2 hours (9:10 pace), "B" goal: 2:10 or better (under 10:00 pace)

Transition goals: I don't know, 3-5 minutes each?

Finish time goals, um ... 42 plus ... mumble mumble.. carry the 9... there's got to be an online tool for this, aha yes here we are:

"A" goal: 6 hours 20 minutes (ha!) let's call it 6:30. I'd be very happy with under 7 hours.

Across the board "C" goals: finish. I'm going to be so happy and proud no matter what time of day or night I roll across the finish line. This is huge! I can't wait to post my report and the millions of photos that Zach will take.

Thanks for all the support along my triathlon training journey. Thanks also for the support on the Portland thing. :) You are all the best. Sorry again that I haven't been keeping up with reading everyone's blogs, I know I will have time at some point and I will overcompensate with excess enthusiasm. :) Keep up the good work guys. I should have a race report up on Sunday.

Big News

I'm heading to Portland tomorrow morning for a few days, but that is not my news. My news is that in a month, Zach and I are heading to Portland and we are not coming back.


We are moving to Portland, Oregon.

Reasons we are moving:

- We've talked about moving for a couple of years, just hadn't had the guts to do it.

- We never really saw ourselves staying in the bay area long term, due to the cost of housing and the fact that it's a sprawling souless metropolis, and we're simple country folk (personal opinion, pretty sure Zach doesn't even feel this way).

- I lost my job and have to start over anyway, may as well do something fun.

- Zach's ready for something new job-wise as well.

Reasons we picked Portland:

- Cost of living is dramatically lower.

- Still a big enough city for fun cultural activities. In fact, it is a very very cool city.

- We can afford to live right in the heart of it all in some hip vintage apartment.

- My best friend since 5th grade, Deana, lives there (side note, prepare to hear tons about her and my evil plan to turn her into a runner/triathlete) (second side note, my other bestest friend lives in Phoenix, and I would rather take my chances with the rain than the desert heat, no offense Inga, family that lives there, millions of other residents)

- It's half the distance to our family in Montana compared to here.

- Outdoor opportunities such as backpacking, skiing, kayaking, etc abound. Such activities are more popular there, less of a drive, and less crowded.

- It's purdy:

Well that about wraps up my big news. :) Please feel free to share any tips or experiences on living in Portland. Yes, I know it rains a lot, I shall deal. Also, feel free to contact me if you happen to have some awesome direct connection to a high-paying job in Portland in the following fields: Market Research, GIS Analysis, Land Use Planning, Consumer Analysis, Location Intelligence, mediocre but enthusiastic triathlete. I know employers these days can happen on applicants personal blogs and such, but I'm allright with that. Besides some bad language and the occasional mid-day glass of wine I'm a pretty good girl. And wicked smart and hard working, wink wink.

Well that wasn't so bad. Compared to telling other people in my life, this was easy. I have to say that with all the change that is happening in my world, it is good to know that this little part of my life is staying exactly the same. :)

I'll throw a quick summary of my taper workouts even though they will be overshadowed by my exciting news:

Monday: off

Tuesday am: bike
5.0 miles/1:34:13/15.9 MPH

Tuesday noon: swim
2750 yards/1:03:39

Wednesday am: run
6.0 miles/56:03/9:21 average pace

Thursday noon: swim
2500 yards/1:00:32

Friday am: bike
25.0 miles/1:33:35/16.0 MPH

Friday right after that: run
3.0 miles/26:19/8:46 average pace

I'm planning on running 8-10 miles in Portland on Sunday, then nothing until I get back on Tuesday. Have a great weekend guys! :)

Tri for Fun race report and tons of pics

The Tri for Fun is a three race series that takes place at Shadow Cliffs Park in Pleasanton. Last year I did the August event with Zach as our first ever triathlon. This year I did it alone as a practice day for my half ironman on August 2nd. I didn't push too hard but I certainly didn't take it easy and I'm really happy with the results!

Pre-Race

Got up about 5:15 am and ate a bowl of oatmeal and headed out the door. We arrived about 6:00 am, checked in, and I crammed my bike into a nearly full rack. It sure pays to arrive early, which I did not. Set up my transition area, made a quick bathroom stop, and then put on my wetsuit and headed down to the water. I jumped in the water really quick- it felt really warm and comfortable so I knew I didn't really need to warm up. Zach was snapping pictures and I was feeling very relaxed.

The Swim 400 y.

The first three waves went off and I entered the water. I knew there were a lot of first timers, and there had been a self-seeded "competitive wave" already, so I figured I was safe to start toward the front. As I positioned myself in shallow water, I was sinking in mud and stepping on sharp rocks and these sharp shells that are everywhere. I felt like something was kind of stuck to the bottom of my right foot, so I tried to shake it off, but it didn't move. I asked a girl next to me if I could hold onto her for a second, and I picked my foot up out of the water and sure enough I had a big effing gash in it. What I thought was something stuck to my foot was a flap of skin. Horf. I didn't know what to do, but figured I was fine and just get on with it.

(I'm on the far right, that's probably exactly where I cut my foot)

I was right up front on the outside, so I kind of went out fast to stay ahead of the crowd. My foot hurt a little at first but then I forgot about it. I felt really good and comfortable in the water. I remember last year being totally thrashed around and scared out of my mind, but this time I was just like la, la, la. The water was warm, the swim was short, and I wasn't running into anyone. I found some feet to draft off of and just swam. The whole thing went by pretty fast and I tried to swim hard as I approached the beach. Zach said he was surprised to see me because I was at the front of the pack. Yay! I ran out of the water and pulled my wetsuit off. I hit the lap on my watch at that point and it said 7:14.

T1

I used the water bottle I had in my transition area to rinse my bloody, dirty foot cut before putting on my socks and bike shoes. Once it's clean it doesn't look too bad. It doesn't really hurt either so I soldier on. Helmet and sunglasses on, off we go. 1:44

The Bike: 11 miles (actually 10.3)

There's a slight hill coming out of transition, but nothing at all like the one at Showdown at Sundown and I didn't even need my easiest gear. Once up the hill I just zoomed along. I didn't really know how long the bike course was (was it 11? 12? 15? I forget...) but I know the course pretty well so I knew when I was getting close. It is really flat and I was flying along. There were a couple fast girls that I was trying to keep up with but mostly the whole course was passing slow guys on mountain bikes. I felt like such a bad ass. Then I kind of felt just like a regular ass because this is a Tri for Fun and I'm totally showing off. :D Oh well. It felt great to go so fast on the bike, usually I'm holding back a bit because I'm riding a lot farther. I was at 16+ MPH the whole time and spent a lot of time going 20-22. Soon enough I see the landmarks that indicate I'm back at the lake so I push hard for the last bit. Down the little hill and off my bike. 34:07/18.0 MPH

T2

Rack the bike, change shoes (notice large blotch of blood on sock), visor on, grab the race belt, off we go. 0:33

The Run: 3 miles

Still felt really good and under control. I remember from last year the run is all over these little hills in the park area and is not a fast course. At first I wasn't pushing too hard, but just running along. The whole run I was passing tons of guys who all started in waves before me. One girl passed me right away but that was it (well, almost). I got water at the aid station and kept cruising along. I saw Zach and waved. Then, about 15 minutes into the run, I hear footsteps right behind me and they stay there. That is, someone caught up to me but is not passing me. At one point I see that person in my peripheral vision and sure enough it is a girl. She stays behind me, RIGHT behind me, for the entire rest of the run. Oh game on sister! I increase my pace by about a minute per mile. I crank up the hills and I fly down, twisted ankle be damned. I felt really good and had plenty of energy so I hammered. Finally, we are over the last of the hills and heading back into the beach part of the park. I don't hear her behind me anymore but I don't take that for granted, I pick up the pace even more. I figure I have about a quarter mile left so I try to get as much distance on her as possible, as I know she'll try to get me in a finishing sprint. I get onto the paved path, I could see the finish line ahead, and WHOOSH, girl blows by me like I'm standing still. I tried to sprint with her but that lasted about 4 seconds before I gave up. I kinda jogged it in, finishing a few second behind her. I wish I could have held her off, but that girl was the best thing that could have happened to me since she made me run harder. Plus, it was fun. 25:36/8:32 average pace (if the distance was correct, which I don't know about. I think I ran a lot faster than that)

One of many dudes I chicked:



This picture says it all: the blue shirt girl about to kick my ass, and the guy giving the the stink eye for kicking his ass. Ah the circle of life.

I saw the girl past the finish line and we high-fived and talked for a minute. She said I was setting a good pace and I said "You're welcome" hehe. I made my way over to the food table and ate my weight in cantaloupe.

I am really happy with my finish time and my effort. I finished about 6 minutes faster than last year. The best part was that I really felt like I knew what I was doing. I'm glad I got one last race in before Barb's Race, the transition practice itself was worth the entry fee.

My foot is fine, by the way. I cleaned it out and put some antibiotic ointment on it and covered it up. I was kind of a baby about it in retrospect.

I spent the day resting and took a nap, and then Zach and I headed to Berkeley for dinner and a concert. We went to a tapas place called Cesar's and then went to the Greek Theatre to see Feist. I didn't get to bed until about midnight, so it was a long day.



Sunday I really didn't feel like doing anything, but I wanted to get in my last long bike ride and wrap up my last big week. It took me until about 3:30 pm but I finally got my butt out the door:



Sunday pm: bike
34.6 miles/2:23:12/14.4 MPH
Iron Horse Trail because I was too tired/lazy to tackle any hills.

TOTALS for the week: 20 miles run, 125 miles bike, 9,200 yards swim
TOTAL training time for the week: 15 hours

Now it is taper time! Thank GOD! I am celebrating by taking today completely off. I might walk down to the library later or something like that. Have a great week everyone! :)

Video from the start of my wave

Short Feist video

3 Week Fire-iversary

Three weeks ago at this exact moment I was pouring myself a glass of wine and absorbing the fact that I just got laid off. Today I'm enjoying my glorious unemployment by spending the morning in my robe, drinking coffee, and blogging/watching The Price Is Right.

Actually I have already been pretty productive this morning, I got up and cleaned the kitchen, went for a run, and then showered. Yes, showered! I had a really fun week that included lots of training, dinner with Maritza, dinner in SF with some friends, and this afternoon I'm going down to hang out with my sister in law (also not working due to he r recent back surgery).

Tomorrow I'm doing the Tri For Fun, which is a non-timed (untimed?) sprint distance tri at Shadow Cliffs Park in Pleasanton. I did it last year with Zach as our first ever triathlon. I'm just doing it, you know, "For Fun," but also as a dress rehearsal/training run-through for my big race in two weeks (holyshit). It will be good to practice my open water swim start, transitions, and ass-kicking. Zach's not participating so he'll probably get tons of photos. Then Sunday I'm doing a final long bike ride to conclude my last big week. Then it's taper time, which I am really ready for. Although tapering really just means doing one workout a day instead of two, with a couple of days completely off. I'm just kind of winging it, as I have been this entire time, but I'll make sure I'm rested. Kind of familiar with the whole concept from my bazillion marathons.

Here's some stuff:

Thursday noon: swim
2700 yards/1:09:27
Master's

Thursday pm: bike
30.0 miles/2:00:11/14.9 MPH
Iron Horse Trail because I wasn't feeling very motivated and that's a nice compromise. It was pretty windy as usual.

Friday am: run
6.0 miles/55:08/9:12 average pace
Easy morning run. I downloaded a new audiobook: John Hodgman's The Areas of my Expertise which is hilarious. He's done a couple pieces on This American Life which is where I learned he is so much more than the adorable "PC" guy on those Mac commercials. Check it out.

Well gotta go catch the Showcase Showdown. Back in a couple of days with a little race report from the Tri For Fun and a weekly wrap up. :)

Jungle Run photos

I am such a giant dork. Look at that big goofy grin! You'd think I won the thing. Hilarious. Meanwhile Zach is all business.

Just added - found it in Lost and Found:

Quantity

I recovered pretty easily from the half marathon and have done lots of training stuff already this week. I realized today that my program is really all about quantity and not at all about quality. Which is fine, I guess, for a long event where it's all about endurance. I do feel kind of bad about being slow, but I feel great about the volume. Like this week I've done two swim workouts that exceeded 3000 yards which is insane! But, I lag so far behind the others that the coach has to alter the workout for me. Whatever. One thing I know I've really improved in overall is the bike. I'm loving it and really picking up the speed. I'm also getting stronger on the climbs and less weenie on the downhills.

The weather is much better this week, in fact it's been foggy/cloudy every morning until about 10 or 11 and only getting up to the 80's at the most. It's so nice to be able to do my training any time of day and without worrying about the air quality.

Here's my week so far:

Monday noon: swim
3100 yards/1:13:03
Master's

Monday afternoon: bike
25.0 miles/1:42:44/14.6 MPH
Easy spin on the Iron Horse Trail

Tuesday noon-ish: bike
25.2 miles/1:32:56/16.2 MPH
Crow Canyon Loop - speedster!

Tuesday right after bike: T-run
3.0 miles/26:17/8:47 average pace
Felt really good, legs are not sore from the race

Wednesday am: run
8.0 miles/1:16:40/9:35 average pace
Slow but felt really good

Wednesday noon: swim
3000 yards/1:06:02
Master's

Well I've got a few things to do this afternoon, then I'm going into SF for dinner tonight with my former coworker. I've actually been staying pretty busy despite having no job (although I still can squeeze in my daily nap) doing chores and errands and trying to find a job online. Unfortunately, I don't spend that much time on the internet so I apologize for not commenting as much on all of your blogs. I am reading, but usually just a couple at a time and without commenting. I know you're all doing great, so keep it up. :)

Jungle Run Half Marathon Quickie Race Report

Sunday 13.1 miles/1:54:17/8:43 average pace

The Jungle Run Half Marathon takes place in Los Gatos. The first half of the race course covers city streets and the second half is on the Los Gatos Creek Trail, where I've done several long runs. It was a beautiful morning - perfect for a race. The temperature was in the 60's, a bit of morning clouds blocked the sun, and once the sun was out were ran primarily in the shade anyway. It was mostly flat with a few short steepish hills.

I ran this as a "training run" because I really haven't been focusing on my running and haven't put up many fast times lately. I've averaged about 20 miles a week for the past couple of months with about two or three weekly runs. I've been doing a ton of biking and swimming, which has helped my overall fitness, but my running speed has suffered a little.

The good news is, even with minimal training I can still bang out a half marathon no problem! This was a great workout, a big confidence booster for my half-iron tri in 3 weeks, and a fun day.

I won't break it down by mile, because I felt pretty much the same the entire race. I held a comfortable, but not quite easy, pace throughout. I entertained myself by watching the people around me and enjoying the scenery. I felt strong and didn't have any "low" points. I drank lots of water and ate my Luna Moons. I didn't walk at all! My miles were fairly consistent between 8:30-8:40, but I had a three mile stretch of 9:00 ish miles, and I ran one 8:12 mile. My last mile was just over 8:00. I saw Zach and our friend Tim (this was his first half marathon and I made his training schedule for him and sorta coached him, thankyouverymuch!) as I entered the Los Gatos High School Track and they cheered me on. I passed a few people as I blazed around the track to the finish line (obviously had a bit of energy left). Zach and Tim had finished a loooong time before me, so they were right there to watch me finish. Check out Zach's blog later for his race report, impressive stuff.

I feel really good about my performance. It was one of my slowest half marathon times, but given the conditions I'm happy. I know for sure that I can finish the half marathon in my tri, even if it is a few minutes slower. I'm not very sore today and will continue right along with my tri training. Only 3 weeks to go, which means this is my last BIG week and then I taper.

So I ended up with a pretty strong week, especially on the run front. Here's the last couple workouts I did before that race:

Friday am: run

4.0 miles/34:27/8:37 average pace

Saturday am: bike

20.0 miles/1:24:31/14.2 MPH

Easy spin on the Iron Horse Trail

TOTALS for the week: 28.1 miles run, 75 miles bike, 6850 yards swim

TOTAL training time: 12 Hours

Have a great week everyone! :)

just like lance

It's been freaking scalding hot outside all week (seriously, as hot as 112 degrees), so I've been having some indoor fun on the trainer. Monday I just watched some cartoons while riding but today I gave ol' Chris Carmichael's CTS Train Right video a shot. As it happens, I worked out "just like Lance!" That's right, Chris had Lance do that same program leading up to the Tour. You know, Chris Carmichael was the coach of the legendary Lance Armstrong. Did I mention Lance Armstrong? Basically, since I was watching Chris Carmichael (that's Lance's former coach, in case you didn't know) pace around a stuffy old barn (seriously, where did they film this thing?) with some fit looking guys on stationary bicycles, I am essentially doing Lance's training and basically I am as good as him. :)

All kidding aside, it was a kick ass workout. But Chris Carmichael is kind of a dork and the barn was weird. The video was an hour and I sweated lots. I will be doing it again! And I will make fun of it for the duration.

I've had a great week. I did get outside for one bike ride, and I've had decent runs. I have been swimming a lot and continue to improve my tan, I mean stroke. I'll stop talking about it and just list the damn workouts already:

Monday am: bike
1:00:00 on the trainer
est 15 miles

Monday noon: swim
2750 yards/1:05:36
Master's

Tuesday am: bike
25.0 miles/1:38:44/15.2 MPH
Road loop solo
followed by T-run:

Tuesday am: run
3.0 miles/28:30/9:30 average pace
treadmill

Wednesday am: run
8.0 miles/1:15:30/9:26 average pace
Iron Horse Trail, it was already hot, I felt slow but good

Wednesday noon: swim
1400 yards/34:44
Open Water Swim at Shadow Cliffs with my mother-in-law. Fun!

Thursday am: bike
1:00:00 on the trainer
est. 15 miles
I am Lance Armstrong

Thursday noon: swim
2700 yards/1:02:46
Master's

Even though I haven't been able to enjoy the outdoors as much due to the extreme heat and poor air quality, I've continued to enjoy the Summer of Jen.

Here's a short list of things I've done that this week are very Summer Break-y:

-Swam in a lake while looking for neato fishes

-Investigated a bird's nest outside my apartment and found a baby bird egg on the ground

-Took lots of naps

-Ate Fruity Pebbles for breakfast nearly every day

-Drank a lot of beer

-Wore cute comfy summer dresses and no make up

-Finished a book

-Showered approximately once (hey, swimming gets you pretty much clean!)

That's all for now, I have to go eat some watermelon and read a magazine on the porch.

Oh ya, I have this stupid Half Marathon on Sunday and in case it's not clear, I'm not excited. The fact is, I be slow. I have been running less than 20 miles a week and it's not been quality mileage. I'm just doing it as a "training run" which is my blanket excuse for not doing well. But I promise to do my best, accept the medal (t-shirt, whatever) and wear it proudly. And I'll write a little race report. Have a great weekend everyone!

Giant Week

My first week of being unemployed lead to an enormous volume of training. The smoke finally cleared and I got over my cough, and ended up with a lot of good workouts. I'd call it a "bike focused" week because I rode that 50 mile loop twice and did very little running. I passed on the 5k, which is fine. I was not mentally or physically prepared to put forth that kind of effort.

Here's how the rest of the week went:

Thursday afternoon: bike
25.1 miles/1:33:17/16.1 MPH
Check out that average speed! A personal best. And truly "personal" because I did this ride, all on the roads, alone. That's a first!

Thursday later that afternoon: run
4.0 miles/35:59/9:00 pace

Friday am: swim
2500 yards/1:01:57
Special 4th of July Master's swim. Got invited to a bbq held by one of the coaches and spent the evening eating, drinking, and talking about swimming. Fun, mellow party, and very fun to see the coaches drunk.

Saturday: hangover/rest/shopping

Sunday mid-day: bike
50.0 miles/3:42:25/13.4 MPH
Redwood Road Loop again with Zach. Our speed wasn't much faster than Tuesday but I felt a million times better on the climbs. The second half got really really HOT, like over 100, so we couldn't push as hard on the way home. I stupidly didn't follow my nutrition plan (was going to practice race-day snacks) so I was pretty tired at the end. Got home, had a smoothie, cooled off a bit then headed out for a brick run:

Sunday afternoon: run
3.0 miles/27:49/9:17 average pace
It was u-g-l-y. I did what I could though, which was jog pathetically while dumping water on my head and stopping in the shade every 1/2 mile. I got a bad side cramp and felt kinda woozy. It had to be upper 90's if not 100+. It was probably unnecessary to put myself through that but I was disappointed in my low running miles for the week. Plus, my race will probably be a comparable sufferfest, so it was good mental training.

TOTALS for the week
17 miles Run, 140.7 miles bike, 7900 yards swim

TOTAL training time: 15 hours 50 minutes

Training is the new working. Also, stressing out about what I'm going to do with my life is the new relaxing with a beer after work. But still, awesome.

This coming week will be less volume and more of a "run focused" week. I'm doing that half-marathon on Sunday and I'll try to get in three runs before then. Also, the temperature is going to skyrocket and the air quality will be back to sucking, so I can't do as much outside. Last but not least, my in-laws from San Diego are coming into town today and staying till Thursday. It's all good though, I could use a little cut-back week. Then I've got about two more weeks of real training and then a taper. It's getting close! :) Have a great Monday, people!

summatime

My first week of summer break (aka unemployment) is going great. The only downside is that the bad air quality of last week really caught up to me in the form of a hacking cough and a sore throat. The air is better now but it will probably take me a few more days to get over this. Kinda sucks because I feel motivated to do some hard training but my body won't allow it. I am sticking to my schedule but have been taking the pace very easy. I'm thinking of not participating in the 4th of July 5k as well. That's really an excuse though, albeit a good one, because the truth is that I know I won't run a blazing fast time and I don't see the point in paying $30 to prove I'm not in peak running shape. Especially since I already did pay the $65 or whatever for next weekend's half marathon, which I suspect will prove the same point.

Here's my slow but fun workouts for this week so far:

Monday noon: swim

2600 y/1:10:30

Master's with Zach (he took Monday and Tuesday off this week)

Monday afternoon: bike

15.5 miles/1:02:45/14.8 MPH

Cut this ride short because my throat hurt

Tuesday all day: bike

50.1 miles/3:44:50/13.3 MPH

Giant loop from Dublin through Castro Valley, then north past Lake Chabot and up to Moraga, then back home via Danville Blvd. Lots of climbing, gorgeous route, fun fun fun. Stopped for lunch in Danville. Here's a couple pictures:

Wednesday am: run

10.0 miles/1:34:29/9:27 average pace

throat feeling a little better, and legs feel great, but took it really easy anyway

Wednesday noon: swim

2800 y/1:00:00

Master's

One thing I've discovered is that swimming for an hour at noon gets me wicked tan. I gob on the sunscreen but I tan very easily anyway. I never burn, just get toasty brown. I kinda hate it, because usually I get a farmer's tan from running clothes. Swimsuit tan I can deal with. Plus, it goes well with my whole summer break thing.

Well I suppose I should do some chores, it's only fair since Zach is working all day. I should probably also look for a job. Yawn. Perhaps I will do those things after a nice nap.