Triathlon

Ironman California Oceanside 70.3 Race Report

April 6, 2012 by Asia

We're Half Ironman finishers!

I did it! I finished my first Half Ironman! Does that make me half an Ironman now? I don’t know, but I do feel really accomplished and had an amazing day. Who knew that racing 70.3 miles could be so much fun? Read on for my Ironman California (aka Oceanside 70.3) race report. It’s going to be very detailed so I can reflect on this as I prepare for my full Ironman.

Watching the course safety video, showing off our fancy swim caps

Expo: The Day Before the Race

At 1:30pm, Nicole and I went for an easy 20 minute bike ride and 10 minute run. (Thursday was our full rest day.) I tried out my race day outfit – a new Tri Club of San Diego 2012 tri kit with black arm warmers. My bike was running smoothly after its quick checkup at Trek, and my quick laces functioned properly during my run. I did notice that they were tighter than how I usually do my laces, but I figured they would loosen up. (I probably should have adjusted them.) Late Friday afternoon, after Jeremy got a new chain on his bike, we went to the expo.

Participants names on a t-shirt (that I also purchased). Look for my name!

I have never been to a more organized event. Athlete check-in was limited to triathletes only, and there were about 6 different tables to go to, each with a different purpose (waivers, wristband, timing chip, etc). Athlete check-in ran Thursday/Friday 9am-6pm which helped the flow of traffic. We got there Friday around 4:30pm and didn’t have to wait in line for anything…I don’t want to be that last minute at my next race, though. It added unnecessary stress to my day, and I felt rushed thinking about getting my parents’ car, making dinner, packing our race bags, and getting a last minute lesson in tire changing. (I’m a high stress person who has trouble shutting her brain off!)

Showing off our Ironman Wristbands

Also, a lot of t-shirt sizes and trinkets from the IM store were gone! I still managed to spend $140 there on 2 tops for me, 1 for my mom that says IronMom, 1 hat, 1 water bottle, 1 coffee mug, and 1 sticker. I also recently ordered a zip-up hoodie and my finisher medal name/time on an engraved piece – a new feature this year! (P.S They give you a hat at the finish line so save your $26 and wait for it! Now I have 2 hats.)

Our Moms

After the expo, we picked up my parents’ SUV for race day and came home to make our pre-race pasta meal which included:
– regular fusilli pasta (One of the rare occasions I don’t make whole wheat bc you don’t want anything hard to digest a couple days before the race.)
– homemade “sauce” of olive oil, red bell pepper, and onion (We stay away from red sauce and veggies like brocoli which upset our tummies.)
– chicken for our protein (Real for Jeremy; and fake for me – Quorn product is the best non-soy vegetarian option!)

After dinner, Jeremy and I went to Mike and Nicole’s place (GO TEAM WODS!) for a quick pre-race check-in. I wanted to learn how to change a tire. (Last minute, I know.) I learned once and have never been able to put it to practice because I’ve only had 1 flat tire to date, and Nicole put her newly acquired skills to use that day. Let’s just say that I got a good overview last night, but I was unsuccessful at getting the tire off the rim or vice versa. I left knowing that I probably couldn’t change my own tire on the race course if something happened, and that freaked me out! My fault for leaving it so last minute, but it’s hard to make yourself practice changing a flat tire when you rarely get them. There were 5 tech support vehicles on the race course, so I figured worst case I would sit and wait for help if I needed it…Luckily I didn’t need it!

We laid out all of our gear into 3 piles which correspond to our 3 race day bags: Morning Clothes bag (aka dry gear), Bike Gear, and Run Gear.

Morning Clothes, Bike Gear, Run Gear

After we laid out all of our gear and checked it thrice, we finally called it a night. In bed around 10pm, alarms set for 3am, and I couldn’t sleep a wink. I probably dozed in and out of some sleep, but I couldn’t stop checking the clock and thinking about what was to come.

RACE DAY! Saturday March 31, 2012
Note: My age group is Female 25-29

We woke-up a little after 3am and left the house at 4:15. This was the perfect time to leave because we got an amazing parking spot right next to T2!

T2 Setup
The first thing we did was set up our T2 area (bike to run transition). The Oceanside course was changed this year so there were 2 transition areas. This was my first race with 2 transitions, and I didn’t mind it. It might have even made it more efficient. After the race, the volunteers did a great job of transporting everything for us from T1 back to T2 area (not actually in T2 but next to it).

Here’s what I had at T2:
– 1 frozen water bottle with nuun
– shoes
– 3 packets GU
– hat
– extra bib with my number on it (they give you 2)
– Just in case items: towel and running skirt if I was chaffed and needed to change, running socks, salt tabs, hair ties

4:30am time for T2 setup

There were free shuttles running from T2 to T1, so Jeremy’s mom took the shuttle to the race start (T1), and we biked with our bags to the same spot about 1 mile away. We started off walking our bikes because our bags were so heavy, but we were wasting time, so Jeremy managed to bike with all 4 of our bags! I probably would have lost balance and crashed. He has more skill than me. The first time I even sat on a road bike was less than one year ago.

Headed to T1

T1 Setup

Everything started really sinking in as we entered T1. I saw signs for Swim Start and Bike Out and knew that I would be under those banners in a couple of hours. Team WODS got to rack up next to each other because we signed up for a special TCSD rack. This made the pre-race experience more enjoyable since I got to be with Jeremy the entire time. We setup our transition area, went to the bathroom (twice), got our body marking done, and double checked out transition area again. Nicole and I realized we both forgot to leave something at T1 instead of checking it with our dry gear bags, so we rushed back to set it down. That’s when we saw all the light blue swim caps lined up close to the front of the race! So we ran back, had a peanut butter GU, kissed our boys goodbye, and ran to meet up with our group. We were probably standing there for less than 5 minutes before it was time to get into the water. Time flies by!

Body Marking

Here’s what I had laid out in T1:
– 2 towels (1 for feet, 1 for face/body)
– wetsuit, earplugs, goggles, silicone swim cap (I double capped to stay warm), swim socks
– bike, bike shoes, socks
– helmet and sunglasses
– heart rate monitor and jersey top (I decided to swim in sports bra only so I would be warmer on the bike)
– arm warmers and jacket (jacket was just in case)
– Timex watch (hooked on my bike)
– “just in case bag” of hair ties (I used one!), bobby pins, contacts, and contact solution
– hand warmers in my bike shoes (not sure if they did anything)
– body Glide and sunscreen (both applied pre-swim only)

A view from outside T1

The Swim: 1.2 miles in Oceanside Harbor
45:55 (46 out of 52 in my age group, 1635/2235 overall)

Getting ready to start the swim! The last time I saw Nicole before the run.

After posing for a quick picture, Nicole and I went to the front of the pack and got in the water as soon as we were allowed to. I wanted as much time as possible to acclimate to the cold and get to the start (which is a short swim out from the dock). I stuck my face in the 58 degree water and blew bubbles. Then I let water into my wetsuit. Then it was time to swim to the start line. We tread water for less than 1 minute before the gun went off and it was time to go! I lost Nicole at the start of the swim, but saw another training buddy, Pattie, to wish good luck to. There were 3 age groups in my wave start. Apparently there aren’t a lot of women ages 25-29 that like to do this sort of thing! I noticed that there were only 4 women ages 18-24 that did it!

Mass swim start (3 women's age groups)

I started the swim out wide and towards the middle of the pack. I’m slow, so I didn’t want to get trampled in the front or be in too close to the buoys because that’s where it’s the most crowded. I was swimming into people, and people were swimming into me, but nothing earth shattering happened that I wasn’t expecting. I found myself sighting quite a bit in the beginning because I wasn’t 100% sure which way I was supposed to go (there were a few turns in the beginning – it never felt straight) but once I realized how many people were around me and in front of me, I tried to sight less and follow the pack more. I focused on keeping my elbows high and pulling in the water. I tried to let my head relax but I think I was pretty tense from the cold water and all the anticipation. I actually had a confidence boost when I started passing 2 different colored swim caps (both women). I think they were struggling because I’m not fast, but I guess I’m not the slowest of the slows either!

After passing a few people, I remember looking ahead and seeing a lot of buoys in the distance with no end in sight. That’s when I though, oh crap. This is a long swim! Nothing eventful happened until about 1/3 of the way into the swim once we hit the boat basin. BIG swells were coming in, and I was not expecting anything that big. I figured the water would be a little choppy, but I wasn’t expecting to rise and fall with the waves like that. This added a new element to the swim, and I tried not to swallow water and had to focus pulling at the right time. A little while after that, I saw the red buoy which meant make a u-turn. I thought to myself, I love that red buoy! I love it so much! I wasn’t tired, but I was happy to see that I had made it halfway. It was all easy breezy from this point on, I told myself…but then I suddenly had to stop swimming because I couldn’t breathe due to some unexpected phlegm in my throat (gross)! I also choked on water from a swell and gagged. Finally I started swimming again, but every once in a while I had to cough while swimming so that ruined my breathing for a little bit. I saw a woman doing the back stroke ahead of me which was kind of annoying because I had to go around her. I would have felt bad if I swam on top of her like that!

Jeremy started about 20 minutes after me. He's the one with his arms up! Wooooo!

Once that eventful part of the swim passed, I could tell I was nearing the finish. I started feeling men from different swim waves swimming past me (and hitting me on the way), so coming into the finish was crowded and worse than the swim start for me. I also noticed that my legs were starting to cramp from the cold water, and every time a swimmer hit my leg, I would cramp up. That was annoying, but I just pulled with my arms only until I could begin to move my feet and legs again. I guess I should have had pickle juice before the swim start!! (I tried it before a master’s swim class once and never cramped!)

It took me a while to find the ground to stand on, and there were volunteers helping us out of the water and unzipping some wetsuits. I immediately unzipped mine and started the undressing process, and then I heard my family yelling “Asia! Asia”! I turned to my right to see my mom, dad, and Terri (Jeremy’s mom) all cheering me on! They looked so excited which made me really excited! I kept going forward but then felt dizzy and started to lose my balance. I started going down so I instinctively placed my hand on the guy in front of me, knocking him over, consequently knocking over 2 guys in front of him. Sorry you guys!! I managed to stay upright after placing my weight on the guy in front of me. Thank you, stranger, for breaking my fall, and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. (To be fair, the mat was also rolled up which made it easy to trip.) After this episode, still on the ramp, my dad ran up next to me and said “Go Asia!” and gave me a high-five. That felt good!

I'm the little one in the blue swim cap

My dad's the one in the orange pants. I'm hidden behind the camera man.

T1: TCSD Bike Rack
9:14
There was a long run from the swim finish through the transition area and back to my bike. During that time I took off my swim cap and goggles and took my hair tie out, accidentally losing it on the mat. I looked back to try and find it, but quickly gave up. I think I overhead some girl offering me her hair-tie, but I knew I had a spare one waiting for me in my transition area. Good thing I went back to place my bag there! When I got back to my bike, I saw that Nicole was already gone as I expected. (Her swim time was roughly 7 minutes faster than mine.) The boys’ bikes were still racked so I knew they didn’t pass me on the swim which meant I was doing OK. (They started 15-20 minutes after me and both swam 34-36 minutes.)

The first thing I did was turn on my Timex watch so it had time to connect to GPS. Once I stopped I realized I REALLY had to pee. (Not unusual for my teeny tiny bladder.) After I went pee and got out of my wetsuit, I fumbled around trying to get my heart rate monitor strap on me. Luckily I saw one of the TCSD volunteers at the next rack and I called her over. Karen was so helpful! She fastened my strap, helped me get my top on, and even packed up my T1 bag for me after I left. She offered to put my arm warmers on but I decided to struggle through those myself. Btw, I put my helmet on before my shirt and then had to take my helmet off. I was doing everything in a really weird order. Guess I need more transition practice. During this time Mike joined me at T1 after his swim and I had the chance to say hi before he was gone…Clearly he is better at getting through transitions!

Finally, I looked at Karen and asked if I looked ready. She said yes, so I started running and realized that my feet felt really funny. I had to stop, take off my shoes, and dump out the hand warmers that I accidentally left in my shoes to try and heat them up for me! I guess it really is true when they say to do nothing new on race day. Everything else was kind of a cluster, and it took me 9 minutes to complete the transition. (That is a really long time!) That being said, I’m glad I took the time to pee and get everything on right because I would have been miserable for 3:30 hours on the bike without arm warmers on a full bladder!

The Bike: 56 miles through Camp Pendleton
3:35:02 (38/52 age group, 1833 overall)

Leaving T1

After my awkward T1, I was ready to go for a ride. The course profile is as follows: miles 1-23 mostly flat, miles 24-42 very hilly with 1 exceptionally long/steep hill, final 14 fairly flat again but with a strong headwind. There were volunteers with cups of water immediately exiting T1, so I took a cup and was on my way. That was the only aid I picked up the entire bike ride; the rest I carried on my bike with me. I had 1 bottle of water, carbo pro and vitalyte (480 cals) and 3 packs of Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (480 calories.) I also packed 2 extra GUs just in case.

Before the swim, Mike Reilly announced that the marine layer was very low and heavy and to be careful for wet, slick roads on the bike. This made me extra cautious because I have never ridden in the rain or on wet roads. Less than 5 miles into the ride, I saw a lonely bike getting walked away from a crash scene while his owner was sitting in the back of an ambulance bandaged up. That made me even more cautious. I paid extra attention to the road and when passing others. I’m not sure how much this affected my speed. I tried to watch it and keep it above 18 mph, and I tried to stay in my drops (I have a road bike right now) for most of the first half of the race since it’s a flat part of the course. I still got passed by a lot of people. The men 30-34 age group started after me, so there’s no telling how many people passed me. At least I passed some people too! Jeremy caught up to me at mile 20, and we exchanged a few words before he charged ahead. I was happy to see him! That was a perk of him starting after me, even though I’m sure he wasn’t happy to start in the very last wave.

On the bike!

The second half of the course had a couple of very steep challenging hills and several rolling hills, and I welcomed the challenge because hills meant change. I was getting a little bored out there. No spectators were allowed on the bike course! We road on the Camp Pendleton Navy base which was a very cool experience, but I wish there were more people along the course. It got lonely out there, and I only was on the bike for 3:35…It’s hard to image what the bike ride will be like when I do the full, but at least there will be more spectators for that. I had another concern on my mind – What if I got a flat tire!? I saw a lot of people tending to their flats on the side of the road, and I was praying that it didn’t happen to me because I wasn’t confident that I could change a flat on my own. Luckily, I didn’t get a flat, but going forward, I really need to learn how to work on my bike so this isn’t a worry for my 112 mile challenge. I think I wasted some energy stressing about a flat tire and also worrying about the bike penalties since there were a lot of rules (stay at least 4 bike lengths away from the person in front of you, complete your pass within 20 seconds, etc.)

Jeremy on the bike!

The “big scary hill” that everyone talks about for this half Ironman was pretty long and steep, and it comes about halfway through the bike course. If you don’t have climbing experience, you will struggle. If you’ve been practicing hills, you will make it up with a lot of effort, but just fine. That’s not to say that it isn’t tough. I was going 5 mph at some points! I saw several people walking their bikes up the hill, but you shouldn’t have to do that. There were two “tough love cheerleaders” at the top of the hill. The guy yelled “No sympathy here!” while the woman yelled things like “Tough love!” They weren’t very nice, but I welcomed any human contact at that point, and it gave me something else to focus on. I was happy when the marine told me that I had reached the top. I actually yelled, “Thank God!” in response. Another woman beside me joyfully exclaimed that we were halfway through the bike course.

Sometime around mile 30, I noticed I had to pee. Again. (My bladder is TINY.) There weren’t many port-a-potties on the course. They were at the 3 aid stations (about 12 miles apart), and then there were a few others placed throughout. I decided I’d hold it until T2 because getting off the bike seemed like a waste of time and effort. (No, I didn’t consider peeing on my bike, but it probably would have been OK since I didn’t have any underwear on…)

Somehow I missed this motivational sign, but now all the whistling makes sense

The other significant hill that everyone talks about is a somewhat steep, long, windy downhill with a 25 mph speed limit since someone lost control, crashed, and died there one year. I will put your fears to ease because the hill is not as steep, windy, or scary as I thought it would be, especially with the speed limit in place. It has a no passing zone and you have to stay below 25 mph so you won’t get a yellow card. They have one of those flashing signs like for cars that shows your speed limit. I think the guy behind me got a penalty for being so close to me because he yelled “Aw come on!” at one point. Who knows. I was just obeying the speed limit!

Around mile 40 I noticed that I was making pretty good time on the bike. I was doing much better than I anticipated! I projected it could take me up to 4 hours to finish the bike course, so I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I could make it in about 3:30 vs. the 4 hours I had estimated. I don’t really know my full potential on the bike yet.

I exhaled a huge sigh of relief when I noticed familiar territory again and had less than 5 miles to go. The very last part of the bike is a no passing zone because we ride on the beach strand right next to the runners. (I think there were 3 of these zones total). As I approached the boardwalk, I got choked up and teary eyed. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and relief making it through the bike, and I was excited to do what I do best. RUN.

Jeremy getting off the bike

T2
4:43
This transition went fairly smoothly compared to the first one. What slowed me down was 1 port-a-potty stop and an inquiry at the penalty tent. I also stopped by the tent to ask them if I had a penalty. Yes, you heard me. I was confused about the penalty process and was actually worried that I had one, so I decided to ask them. Obviously I didn’t have one because one of the motorcycle refs would have approached me. It made me feel better to ask, though, because I seriously thought I might have gotten a drafting penalty at one point! Lesson learned. If a ref doesn’t TELL you that you have a penalty, you don’t. Those motorcycles made me nervous! I put my shoes on, grabbed my thawed water bottle with nuun, and was on my way (after I went pee!)

The Run: 13.1 miles on the coast
1:55:48 (23/52 age group, 884 overall)

Running on the boardwalk

The run was my favorite part of the race. I just love to run. I felt really fresh coming off the bike and entering the home stretch of the course. I remember thinking that this distance wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I was having too much fun to notice if I was hurt or tired! I did notice, however, that I was running kind of fast, so I kept checking my Timex watch to make sure I wasn’t going out too hard (anything sub 8 min/miles). I tried to keep my pace between 8:30-8:45 the entire time but I definitely slowed up the steep hills on the pier. I felt fantastic the first 10k and probably had a faster split that for my second 10k because that is when I started to feel it in my hip flexors, knees, and feet. Suddenly I was in some pain and took back my earlier comment of it not being that hard. 🙂 I was finally pushing it.

Jeremy on the run. We have awesome matching orange shoelaces!

The run course was new this year. It was 2 1/2 loops on the boardwalk and the 101 and perfect for spectators. It had some rolling hills and a couple of short, steep climbs on the pier too. I guess the run course used to be completely flat, so a lot of people were struggling with this change. I didn’t mind the small hills, though, because I usually run on the 101 and am used to hills. I was just so happy to be running on the coast with a view of the ocean and feeling that lovely coastal breeze.

I am so glad I wore my TCSD tri kit because I have never had more cheers for me in my life. Every 3 minutes someone shouted “Go tri club!” and depending on how tired I was, I would smile, wave, or hoot in reply. In addition to tri club supporters, I had friends, family, and even a coworker on the course shouting for me. It felt incredible. I was so happy to be out there running with all that support. I also got to see all of Team WODS in action! Nicole, Mike, and Jeremy were looking good out there, and I was so happy to see them again. There were also two beach houses that played great tunes including Chariot of Fire and the Rocky theme song. I even did some fist pumps with people in the crowd. Music can pump me up at any time. Earphones aren’t allowed on USAT race courses, so since I couldn’t run with my own music, hearing other people’s music was the next best thing. I even remember hearing Barbie Girl at one point.

Having fun on the run

My nutrition was sub-par on the run. I never felt hungry, and I was sick of force feeding myself. I took 1 GU around mile 3 or 4 because I felt like I probably needed the calories. I took 1 more about 45 minutes later, and then threw it up in my mouth and decided I was cut off from GU that day. I switched to water and orange slices from the aid stations and was able to push through the run on those calories alone. I need a new fuel strategy for my full Ironman because I got sick of not having any “real food” really fast. (Peanut butter sandwiches anyone?) See more on my nutrition at the very end of this post.

I saw Nicole sometime after mile 12 for her, heading for the finish line, when I was approaching mile 9, and I knew I had to give it everything I had to maintain my pace and finish strong. I was the last one of Team WODS on the course, like I expected, and I wanted to have a good finish. I silently repeated my running mantra for the last 3.1 miles “Pain is temporary, Pride is forever” and I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me across the finish line. I remember I had a huge smile one my face as I stepped on the Ironman red carpet. I got choked up again and nearly cried with joy and relief and accomplishment when I crossed the finish line. I will never forget that moment. Words can’t describe how good it felt.

A moment of pure joy

I DID IT!

Total Time:
6:30:41 (37/52, 1487/2235)
2,235 people started the race that day…2,138 finished. I guess finishing in itself is an accomplishment!

Finishing on the boardwalk

Post Race:
Right when I crossed the finish line, I was given my medal, my timing chip was stripped off, and I entered the food garden. I went straight for a recovery drink and salty Lay’s potato chips. I literally ate a paper plate full of potato chips. I also had a piece of veggie pizza. The cookies weren’t very good. Salt, salt, salt is all I wanted. After my food fest, I was reunited with my family. Jeremy found me first and gave me a big hug. I was so happy to be with him again! I was so proud of us! My mom, dad, sister, niece, Jeremy’s friends and mom were all there to congratulate me and give me high-fives. They were surprised at how well I was functioning and said I looked great crossing the finish line.

Exiting the food mecca

Potato chips and high-fives!

I felt great. This was truly one of the most memorable moments of my life.

We did it, honey! We did it!

Nutrition Recap

Goals:
BIKE: 60 grams/carbs per hour = 240 calories/hour
RUN: 1 GU/40 minutes (how I fuel on my open half and full marathons)

Breakfast: 2 waffles with peanut butter and agave nectar

T1 Setup: 1 banana

Pre Swim: 1 GU

Bike actual:
I packed 3 packs Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (160 calories/pack and 10 chews/pack) and 1 bottle filled with 4 scoops carbopro (400 calories) and 2 scoops vitalyte (80 calories). I drank 95% of the bottle, and I left 14 chews which means I actually took in about 720 calories or 205 calories/hour. It worked out OK because my bike took me 3:35 hours instead of 4:00 hours. Had I been on the bike longer, I definitely would have needed to keep eating. I was sick of eating, though.

Pink Lemonade Organic Honey Stinger Energy Chews are delicious!

I need to adjust my nutrition for the full Ironman. I started getting sick of all the sweet calories on the bike, and I was definitely sick of the GU on the run. I needed/wanted real food. I heard that peanut butter sandwiches are a good way to go on the bike. I’m also considering a Luna bar.

Run actual: I grabbed my water bottle with Nun from T1 and ran with it for the first few miles. Then I took 1 GU around mile 3-4 and 1 more about 45 minutes after that. After feeling sick from GU, I had 2 orange slices from the aid stations and water. I don’t think I had enough calories on the run, but I’m happy I got through it OK. I need to adjust my nutrition strategy for the full Ironman because I obviously can’t only take 2 GUs for the entire 26.2 mile run.

Ironman Training, but not Blogging

March 28, 2012 by Asia

Nicole and me - training buddies for life!

I looked back to see when my last weekly Ironman training post went up….IM training week 10 which was 6 weeks ago! It seems like only yesterday, but somehow I let weeks of Ironman training go by without blogging about them. It’s scary how quickly life can pass you by! This won’t be the most exciting blog post, but I find it important to log every week of my training so I can reflect on them. That being said, here’s what I’ve been doing the last month and a half along with a few pics of highlights.

Week 11 (2/13-2/19)

Valentine's Day gift!

Monday: Easy spin 1 hour, and JCC Technique/”Mini Masters”
Tuesday: Rest/Valentine’s Day
Wednesday: Sufferfest “A Very Dark Place” spin, Energy Lab Training Group Strength class
Thursday: 90 minute spin, Solana Beach Masters Swim
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Bike 60 miles, run 4
Sunday: Ocean swim attempt, 8 mile run, Ironman Seminar at HERevolution

Week 12 (2/20-2/26)
Monday: No work! 45 mile Pizza Port bike course (=hills)
Tuesday: 4 mile run, Solana Beach Masters Swim
Wednesday: Sufferfest Fight Club spin, Energy Lab Training Group Strength class
Thursday: 30 min spin + 4 mile run brick, Tri Club of San Diego meeting
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Practice Triathlon with Energy Lab Training: 1k time trial swim, 30 mile bike, 4 mile run
Sunday: 40 min lap swim, 90 min run

Week 13 (2/27-3/4)
Monday: Mobility Group Class with ELT
Tuesday: Sufferfest “A Very Dark Place”, Solana Beach Masters Swim
Wednesday: spin/run brick, ELT group strength class
Thursday: 60 min spin, Solana Beach Masters Swim
Friday: Private swim lesson with coach Trevor from Energy Lab Training
Saturday: 70 mile bike + 30 min run (=Longest bike ride to date!!)
Sunday: Lap swim and 75 min run

Week 14 (3/5-3/11)

1/4 Ironman Practice Triathlon. I'm the squinty girl on the left.

Monday: Mobility/Stretch class
Tuesday: Solana Beach Masters Swim
Wednesday: 60 min brick (45 spin + 15 run), Strength class
Thursday: 45 min spin + 3 mile run, Solana Beach Masters Swim
Friday: Rest
Saturday: “1/4 Ironman” practice triathlon for Oceanside 70.3 (.6 mile ocean swim, 28 mile bike, 6.2 mile run)
Sunday: 30 min bay swim

Week 15 (3/12-3/18)
Monday: Mobility class
Tuesday: Sufferfest “A Very Dark Place” spin
Wednesday: YMCA Masters Swim, ELT Group Strength
Thursday: 10 mile run, spin/run brick class, Solana Beach Masters Swim (= 3.5 hours of workouts in 1 day! Not planned. Was very tired by the swim.)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 3.5 hour indoor spin on trainer + 30 min run (=CHALLENGING. I’ve never been on the trainer that long and don’t really want to do it again, but when it rains, you’ve still got to train!)
Sunday: Rest (fun trip to LA)

Week 16 (3/19-3/25)

I don't like big waves, so I prefer the bay

Monday: Rest (back from LA trip, tired)
Tuesday: 1 hour Sufferfest spin, Solana Beach Masters Swim
Wednesday: 45 minute spin
Thursday: Spin, Bay group swim intervals workout
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 50 mile bike + 30 min run
Sunday: 30 min bay swim (56.1 degrees!) + 5 mile run (=The water is going to be cold for the race! 55-59 degrees is the predicted temperature. At least it’s good practice for Coeur d’Alene on that level.)

Currently on Week 17 tapering for my Half Ironman in Oceanside this weekend! Again, I can’t believe how time flies. It seems like only yesterday that I was doing my first masters swim class and trying out road bikes. My full Ironman will be here before I know it! IM Coeur d’Alene is less than 3 months away! At least Chrissie Wellington wished me good luck. 🙂

Chrissie Wellington wished me good luck!

Surf City Marathon Race Report

March 21, 2012 by Asia

6 weeks later, I am FINALLY completing this blog post! Excuse me for my blogging laziness, but I still remember this race like it was yesterday, (and this post has also been sitting in my drafts). That being said…

I loved Surf City Marathon!! It was a fast course, well-organized, and I got a personal record! I even had my driver’s license returned to me in the mail after I lost it somewhere along the course! The Surf City staff was very responsive on Facebook to all questions and concerns.. My only complaint? The 3:50 pacer slept in (or quit. I don’t know what happened to him.) Luckily, Nicole and I used the combined power of our Garmin and Timex watches to break our 3:50 goal without following a man with a stick. Here’s how it went down.

Saturday afternoon my race buddies and I drove to Huntington Beach to go to the expo and get situated for the race. The expo was well organized and buzzing with pre-race energy. I quickly picked up my bib, race shirt, and bought some last minute GU. (You can never have too much GU! Peanut butter is my new fave! Sometimes I have it for breakfast!) The expo was small compared to the Rock n Roll marathon expo I attended in June, so it was easy to collect my things and go.

Marathon Expo

We went to Macaroni Grill for a good carboloading and coloring session. (For those of you that have never been there, they have white paper tablecloths and crayons for your doodling pleasure.) Restaurant Tip: One part of their menu is fully customizable. You select your noodle, sauce, veggies, and protein. I felt like this was a safe choice, and I didn’t have any stomach problems that night. It took a little over an hour to get seated, but I was told the wait was an hour and a half at Olive Garden, so I guess it could have been worse! We should have known better. 20,000 hungry runners invaded Huntington Beach that night! Only 2,000 of them were full marathoners like me, but there were 18,000 half marathoners. This is a big perk of being a full marathoner at this race. Smaller number of participants means a less crowded course AND you get to start 1 hour before the half marathoners!

Race morning began at with a 4:15am wake-up call. We had no trouble getting to the free parking lots and shuttles, so we were at the race start 1 hour early. I was very nervous and went to the bathroom 3 times. Luckily the bathroom lines weren’t bad at all. I didn’t even have to use the port-a-potties because there were plenty of public beach restrooms available. If you’ve ever run a marathon, you understand how important this is! I just wish I didn’t have nervous stomach problems before the race, but I’m glad I got it out of my system because the nervous jitters went away once I started running. (That’s why I think it was just nerves and not my dinner from the night before. This happens to me often.)

The first wave of marathoners (sub 3:50 pace) took off two minutes before my wave, so Nicole and I got to start at the front of the second group. We looked for our pacer, but he wasn’t there! I’m convinced that there was supposed to be a 3:50 pacer, but we only saw times faster and slower than our goal. Not part of the plan! We had a backup plan though, so that was OK. I was still SO nervous waiting for the signal. My stomach was upset; I already felt like I had to pee again; my heart was racing (definitely not at my resting heart rate)! I felt good once we started running, even though the feeling of having to pee never went away…I was determined not to stop and use the bathroom because every second counts in a race. So, I learned that I can hold my bladder while running for 3:49:30. (No, I’m not one of those gross hardcore runners that can pee on themselves.)

So nervous!

Nicole and I worked together to stay around a 8:45 min/mile pace for all 26.2 miles. I kept my watch on the current pace per mile, and Nicole kept hers on the overall average pace. This strategy worked for us, and our pace was very consistent for all 26.2 miles. Most of the course was very flat which made it easy to pace. The first few miles were on the 101 which is a straight shot. Then we veered right into a neighborhood and then into a nice park which had welcoming patches of shade and windy pathways. This kept it interesting, and there were a lot of local middle schoolers on the course to cheer us on. The one short, but steep, hill fell around mile 8 and it was over with very quickly. About mile 10 we were on the 101 again where most of the supporters were located and I got to see Jeremy, my love, who wasn’t doing this race with us due to an injury.

The out and back on the 101 was my least favorite part. No shade. Minimal crowds. But it’s early enough when you can definitely power through it, and it’s flat and fast, so I can’t complain too much. There were also plenty of port-a-potties with no lines on this stretch, but I told my bladder it would have to wait. Again, every second counts!

Out and back on the 101

The final section of the course is out and back on the boardwalk. This is where it got a little crowded since apparently you can’t close that off to pedestrians, but it didn’t faze me. I was in the zone. Miles 18-26.2 were tough, but Nicole and I were still on pace as much as we could be, and we were dusting people! We passed countless men and women who had hit “the wall”. It felt good to know that we still had some juice left in the tank, but it was getting much harder and I made a comment along the lines of “This is getting hard.” That’s when Nicole told me “We only have 1 hour left in the pain cave! We can do it!” I later told her that wasn’t a helpful comment. The look on my face when she told me that probably looked something like this…

This is getting hard.

…Some time later, mile 25 appeared and I started to run with every ounce of energy I had left in me. I picked up the pace all the way until I hit the finish line. There was no stopping me. I started yelling “on your left!” as I passed people who were in my way. I think I even elbowed a couple of people on accident. I feared that I wasn’t going to break 3:50 (even though my Timex assured me I was on track). Needless to say, this was a much stronger finish for me vs. my first marathon in June. At mile 25 of that race, I wanted to walk SO badly. At mile 25 of Surf City, I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me, and it was totally worth it because I reached my goal of a sub 3:50 marathon by 30 seconds!! (Nicole was only 5 seconds behind me!) Imagine what my time would have been if I had stopped to pee or decided to walk at any point. Every second counts!! Next year I want to run this course again to qualify for Boston! That means my next goal is a sub 3:35 marathon….That sounds fast.

My official race splits

I was very pleased with my results, especially considering that I did this during Ironman training. I didn’t only run to train. I also had to bike and swim just as frequently. I had a lot more to balance this time, but it all worked out, even though I’ve heard that training for a full marathon while Ironman training isn’t recommended.

Happiness is setting a goal and reaching it. Sub 3:50 marathon goal achieved! Next goal: Finish Oceanside 70.3 on March 31, 2012.

Ironman Training Weeks 9 & 10 – Marathon Time!

February 12, 2012 by Asia

On our way to setting personal records at Surf City Marathon

Lately it has been all about my “C race,” Surf City Marathon. (My A race is the Ironman and my B race is my half Ironman. Yes, this is how triathletes talk. Don’t believe me? Watch this educational YouTube video!

Week 9 of Ironman training I set a personal record and ran 26.2 miles in 3 hours 49 minutes and 30 seconds, and week 10 I spent recovering from those 26.2 miles. It was a great two weeks dedicated to my passion – RUNNING. I’m thinking my next goal will be to qualify for Boston!! But first things first. I want to be an Ironman!

Smile! We all set personal records!

Week 9 Marathon Taper and Surf City Marathon: January 30 – Feb 5

Monday: 1 hour technique swim
Tuesday: 5 mile run, 1 hour masters swim
Wednesday: 1 hour spin, core and stretches
Thursday: 5 mile run, 1 hour masters swim
Friday: rest
Saturday: 2 mile run
Sunday: Surf City marathon!

Week 10 Marathon Recovery: Feb 6 – Feb 12

Monday: rest
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: yoga
Thursday: 45 minutes easy spin, 1 hour masters swim
Friday: Ab Ripper
Saturday: bike 30 miles
Sunday: bike 30 miles

Now that I’m fully recovered from my marathon, my next week of training will be back up in volume and I will focus on my weak spot – the BIKE.

Ironman Training Week 8 – Marathon Taper

January 31, 2012 by Asia

Ironman Training Week 8: January 23 – 29

Swimming, biking, and running on the coast is a beautiful thing!

I had a great week of training and got more sleep than the previous few weeks. Yay!! I’m going to keep tracking my sleep. Even though I haven’t gotten up to 8+ hours every night, I still generally feel refreshed and ready for my workouts when I make a conscious effort to get enough rest which usually means 7 hours/night for me personally.

This week I also continued to taper my running for my marathon which is coming up on Super Bowl Sunday!

Monday: 8 hours of sleep
AM: Rest
PM: Sufferfest “Angels”

I definitely recommend checking out the Sufferfest spin workouts. When you workout to them, it’s as if you are actually part of a cycling race! There is no talking; only music. All cues are written on the screen (cadence, perceived effort, etc.) I think this will help get my speed and power up, and I think it’s unlikely that I’ll get sick of these workouts because there isn’t an irritating leader to annoy me. (I have a different spin DVD in mind for that!) I haven’t gone to a group spin workout yet, but that’s something else I would like to try in the future.

Tuesday: 7 hours
AM: 8.5 mile run (mid-week long run taper)
PM: Solana Beach Masters Swim

Wednesday: 7 hours
AM: Sufferfest “A Very Dark Place”
PM: Swim 1,500m at gym

Thursday: 6.5 hours
AM: 10 Yasso 800s
PM: Solana Beach Masters Swim

My first time doing 10 Yassos was a success! Now I just need that to translate to my 3:50 marathon goal on Sunday!

I lead my lane in masters swim class for the first time. Even though I’m in the slowest lane, it still gave me a mental boost to be the leader! Plus I had to stay on top of my game for counting laps and remembering drills, so it was a good exercise for me.

Friday: 8 hours
REST

Saturday: 9.5 hours
12 mile run (marathon taper)

It was hot and windy from the Santa Ana winds, so what was supposed to be an easy 12 mile run turned into something with a lot more effort. I am praying for cool, calm weather for the marathon, but I don’t think that’s in the forecast!

On a random note, I caught a clip of comedian Whitney Cummings the other night. She was making fun of guys that holler at girls when they’re running…Nicole and I encounter this almost every time we run. Why do men yell or whistle as they drive by when you’re running the other direction and can’t possibly even stop to acknowledge to them? My boyfriend explained it to me like this. Guy sees hot girl. Girl is passing by quickly. Guy doesn’t know what to do. It’s all happening too fast! So guy yells at girl and says “Heyyyyyyyyyy!” into the wind. I guess I’ll just take it as a compliment. But the honking needs to stop because that startles me!

Sunday: 8.5 hours
Brick: 50 mile bike + 3 mile run

I’m the slowest of my training buddies on the bike, so long rides are always a little tough on me mentally. It’s not fun consistently being at the back of the pack! Overall, I felt really good on the ride, though, and practiced eating while riding. I was able to eat 2 GUs without falling off! Success! (I also got calories from CarboPro + Vitalyte as well as a Luna Bar.) I’m trying to increase my calories to about 60 grams of carbs/hour = 240 calories/hour. I was given those guidelines from a triathlon coach, so I’m going to follow them and see how I feel. So far, it feels good! At 120 calories/hour, I wasn’t eating enough previously.

TOTAL WORKOUTS
Swim: 3
Bike: 3
Run: 4
Strength/Core: 0

Ironman Training Weeks 6 & 7 – I need more SLEEP!

January 22, 2012 by Asia

In my last blog entry Ironman Training Week 5, I said I would start tracking my sleep because I know I’m not getting enough. So, next to each workout you’ll see how many hours of sleep I trained on. For example, on Monday, I trained after getting 7 hours of sleep Sunday night. My goal is to get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep each night. I’ve been told 9 hours is the magic number for professional triathletes, but I’m not a professional and I work 50+ hours every week, so that’s not always realistic for me. I’m working on it, but I’m not anywhere close to my 8 hours/night, and by week 7, I was definitely feeling the effects of overtraining and not enough sleep.

Week 6: Marathon Peak Week

Monday (Trained on 7 hours of sleep)
AM: Rest
PM: JCC Technique Swim

Tuesday (6 hours)
AM: 10 mile mid-week long run
PM: 1 hour spin
Monday and Wednesday nights I find it very difficult to get enough sleep because I don’t get home from swim until 9pm at the earliest, and I still have to eat dinner and wind down before bed. Then, my Tuesday/Thursday workouts incorporate my marathon training, and I’m generally tired for these workouts. My marathon is only 2 weeks away, and I’m already into my taper, so I’m not going to change anything at this point, but I will reevaluate my late night/early morning workout schedule in February once my marathon is complete (Feb 5).

Wednesday (7 hours)
AM: 30 min spin
PM: JCC Technique Swim

Thursday (5.5 hours)
AM: 8×800 Yassos and 750m swim
PM: P90X2 Yoga
I came home from work and immediately took a 1 hour nap. Then I made myself a quick bean and rice burrito and contemplated skipping my evening workout. Instead, I pressed play at 8pm and tried P90X2 Yoga for the first time. I’m glad I did because it felt AMAZING to stretch! I’m not doing nearly enough, so if yoga is going to be the only way I can get a good stretch in, I don’t want to skip it. Plus, I got plenty of sleep Thursday night since Friday was REST DAY!

Friday (8.5 hours)
REST!
I hope to always keep Friday as a rest day because it gives me the opportunity to catch up on my sleep.

Saturday (8 hours)
AM: 21 mile run
Last super long run during Ironman training!! (Our Ironman training plan never takes us above 2 hour runs. This was exclusively for marathon training.) Nicole and I ran from Pacific Beach to Encinitas again. It was the 2nd time doing this run. It’s basically an extended backwards version of the La Jolla Half marathon and is very hilly and scenic. Our upcoming marathon is a flat course, but the marathon at Coeur d’Alene has hills, so this was good practice, but it was a tough course.

Sunday (8.5 hours)
AM: 49 mile bike
This was supposed to be a Brick workout – 45 miles on the bike followed by a 3 mile run. We overshot the bike and were exhausted by the end, so we decided it would be best to let our legs recover and skip the run. Running 21 miles the day before definitely took it out of me. Marathon training is a lot of work!
PM: Triathlon networking dinner with Energy Lab Training
Coach Trevor spoke about how to lay out your race season, and he confirmed that my 70.3 is definitely enough before I do my Ironman. I’m happy to receive confirmation that I don’t need to squeeze in any extra races this season. (My wallet is happy too!) He also advised not to plan any races too soon after the Ironman because your body needs at least 4-6 weeks to completely recover. I think I’ll be welcoming the break! I also learned that I’m not eating enough on the bike and that naps are just as good as a full night of sleep, assuming you can get the total number of hours in from the two.

Week 7: Run Down

I caught a cold this week. Luckily I nipped it in the butt early, and it never progressed to more than a stuffy/runny nose, but it was a cold nevertheless. I was devastated when I realized I had to skip my Thursday workouts. To top it off, I also had to leave for a business trip on Thursday, so Wednesday was not the day to get sick. Looking back at my workouts and sleep the past 2 weeks, I guess I’m not surprised I got sick. My body wasn’t given enough time to recover from all my workouts, and I forced myself out of bed even when I was feeling “off”. Point taken! Zicam, water, and rest were my saviors. I recommend this regimen to anyone who has a cold.

Monday (7 hours)
AM: 30 minutes spin small chain ring
PM: JCC Technique Swim

Tuesday (6.5 hours interrupted – My neighbors suck)
AM: 8 mile mid-week long run
PM: Solana Beach Masters Swim

Wednesday (6.5 hours)
AM: Sufferfest “Angels” download – 1 hour tough spin
PM: Tri Strength and Mobility class
I felt sick leaving my first strength class of the season. I almost passed out when I was standing and stretching my neck at the end of class, and that’s when I knew that I was officially sick. I had a headache and felt stuffy all day, but I attributed it to a minor sinus infection (which I subconsciously made up in denial). Looking back, I should not have gone to the strength class and should have rested instead. I took a 30 minute nap before class, but I should have just stayed in bed! Otherwise, I really enjoyed the class and really hope to incorporate it into my Ironman training plan once marathon training is complete.

Thursday (8 hours)
Rest/travel to Arizona for work. Luckily I didn’t look sick to the rest of the world, but I still wish I didn’t have to travel right when I came down with a cold. I was sad to skip my Yassos and swim, but I’m sure I would have been sorry (and much sicker) if I pushed it.

Friday (7 hours)
Rest day/Arizona for work. The Barrett-Jackson car auction was quite the experience!

With Chip Foose at the Barrett-Jackson auction. Our vehicle sold for $115k, and all proceeds went to SEMA Cares charities!

Saturday (6 hours)
16 mile run – marathon taper
I flew home from my business trip on Saturday morning after a late night of too much wine (School House pino noir) and expensive seafood. (I ordered the lobster pot pie Friday night!) I figured I would struggle on this run, and I was right. It was my first workout since my cold, I had just flown in, I was tired from little sleep the night before, and I ate and drank too much Friday night. Recipe for disaster! At least it was “only 16 miles.” Thanks, Nicole, for putting up with me on that run! I was so happy to come home, shower, and spend the rest of the day/night on the couch with Jeremy!

: Lobster Pot Pie “Deconstructed”

Sunday (9.5 hours)
AM: 43 mile “Pizza Port” bike + 3 mile run Brick workout
This was the best I’ve felt on this bike course. It’s a hilly course affectionately named “Pizza Port” since the first time we did it, we met up with a group of riders to start by the Pizza Port restaurant and then ate there after our run. Today we started the ride from our house and didn’t get pizza afterwards, but maybe next time we will! It’s a good course to help me get used to hills, and that’s critical since Coeur d’Alene is full of them!

OK, it’s already 10pm so I need to rush to bed in order to get an acceptable amount of sleep tonight!! It’s already past my bedtime.

P.S. I can’t believe Ironman Training Week 8 is already here!

Ironman Training Week 5 – Reality Check

January 10, 2012 by Asia

Monday January 2 – Sunday January 8

Monday was my last day of my 2 week Christmas vacation, and Tuesday was a reality check when my alarm went off at 5:00am. This was the first week where my lack of sleep plus increased volume of workouts caught up with me. Friday I woke up feeling really “off”. I thought I was getting sick but didn’t have any real symptoms…I just felt like I was walking in a cloud. After work, I slept from 4-7pm, went to a birthday dinner, slept again from 1030pm-730am and then luckily woke up feeling much better! This put things into perspective. I really need to try to SLEEP more if I want to train at my full potential. Since sleep is something that I really need to focus on, I’m going to try to remember to record how many hours of sleep I get each night beginning next week. (I can already tell you I’m not doing that great!) Getting up to an average of 8 hours/night is going to take some serious work.

Monday: X2 Core
Jeremy and I wanted to try a P90X2 workout, so we did this 1 hour total body workout plus stretching. It was fun to change up our routine and workout in our living room together like we used to do when we first did P90X!

P90X2 from Beachbody!

Tuesday: 1 hour Spinervals (AM)
I’ve been using this DVD until Jeremy and I purchase the Sufferfest cycling videos. Nicole tells me they are intense and great for increasing power on the bike!

Wednesday: 45 minutes spin (AM)
4.5 mile run + 1 hr technique swim class at JCC (PM)
Swim. Bike. Run. I conquered all 3 this day, and no, that is not something you will find in my training plan unless it’s a race day. I decided to run right before swim class because I had 1 hour of free time. Looking back, it was probably unnecessary since I had a 9 mile run coming up 11 hours later. To top things off, I hardly got any sleep that night. I got home from swim around 9pm, made dinner, and got in bed by 10pm but I was too wound up to sleep. My neighbors were partying, so that did not equate to a good night’s sleep. I think this is when my burnout began.

Thursday: 9 mile run (AM)
45 min spin (PM)
My alarm went off at 4:45am, and I managed to drag myself out of bed for a run with Nicole. I didn’t feel as tired as I thought I would, and I had a good run. Everything caught up to me Thursday night, though. I came home so exhausted that I wanted to cry! Instead, I got on the bike for 45 minutes. I didn’t want to miss a workout, but I’m not sure if that was the right decision or not. It’s hard to know when to push through and when to let your body rest.

Friday: Rest!
This was when I woke up feeling borderline sick. I was so thankful for the rest day, and I slept a total of 12 hours that night.

Saturday: 18 mile long run
I woke up without any symptoms and decided it was OK for me to run. I’m glad I did because Nicole and I had an amazing run and we ran 18 miles at an 8:58 pace! This tells me that what my body really needed was rest, and I am so glad I finally listened to it. Later that day, a group of us celebrated Nicole’s birthday over drinks. Happy Birthday, Nicole!

Sunday: 40 mile bike + 3 mile run
I can tell that my recent increase in spinning on my bike has helped my long rides. The first time I did 40 miles, I was barely getting mid-week rides in and was always beat up by the end of a long ride. Now I feel great finishing 40 miles! This ride was encouraging because my mileage will only go up from here!

Have you ever thought you were sick but it was really just exhaustion? How do you know when to listen to your body and just REST?

Ironman Training Over the Holidays Part 2

January 2, 2012 by Asia

My second week of Christmas vacation was more productive!

Boston

Merry Christmas!!
Day 20 – Sunday 12/25 CHRISTMAS! rest (intentional)

Day 21 – Monday 12/26: 10 miles on the treadmill (8:41-8:45 min/mile pace at 1% incline)
Nutrition: 1 GU at 40 minutes. 1 Gatorade recovery drink immediately post workout.
Running 10 miles on the treadmill sucks!! It definitely requires mental toughness. I was bored after mile 4 and had to keep playing mind games to get myself to go another mile, and then another mile, and then another, until I reached 10. I told myself it was good practice for the Ironman! Running outdoors with a running buddy is 100x more fun than running alone on the treadmill, but sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes to get that workout in. My full marathon is only 1 month away!

Day 22 – Tuesday 12/27: rest (vacation mode)
Most of our family left Boston by Tuesday morning, so Jeremy and I decided to take the train to downtown Boston for the day. We had some great food!! We walked a lot, but there wasn’t any working out.

Cheese, please! The Original Regina's Pizza in Boston's North End

Day 23 – (flew home) Wednesday 12/28: rest (unintentional)
After a week of sleeping in and eating way too much, Jeremy and I still managed to fall asleep the second we got home at 4pm. No idea why we were so tired! Does flying take it out of you?

Back Home in San Diego

Day 24 – Thursday 12/29: SWIM (50 laps @ 25 yards for 35 mins) and BIKE on indoor trainer (small chain ring 45 minutes)
First day back in the saddle, and it felt great! I was a little apprehensive to do anything on the bike the day before a really long run, so I focused on an easy spin and keeping my cadence above 90. I still need to buy a wireless computer for my bike. Any recommendations? Counting my pedal strokes can only get me so far.

Day 25 – Friday 12/30: 20.6 mile run
*First day using new Timex watch!!*
Nutrition: Pre – 2 waffles + peanut butter & agave nectar. During – 4 GU. After – Recovery drink and veggie burger w/ fries
I felt pretty good on this run. It definitely got really tough around mile 18, but Jeremy surprised us and ran us in starting around mile 19. Anything to break up the routine was definitely welcomed at that point! After the run, I was beat. We went to the mall after lunch, and I quickly lost all of my shopping spirit and sat in the men’s shoe department at Nordstrom while Jeremy shopped.

Post 20.6 mile run. Too tired to move.

Day 26 – Saturday 12/31: 28 mile bike ride up the coast
Nutrition: Pre – 2 waffles + peanut butter & agave nectar . During – 140 calorie drink mix (1 scoop CarboPro + 1 scoop Vitalite). I was starving by the time I got home. Nicole wasn’t, however, and she didn’t eat anything on the ride. I think it had to do with my dinner the night before. After a week of heavy Italian food, I was craving a salad, so I had that with some bread. I guess my days of salad-only dinners are over. Sad.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Day 27 – Sunday 1/1/12 – Rest day/Recovery
My quads were still very sore, so Jeremy and I spent the day watching Mad Men and cleaning our place.

Day 28 – Monday 1/2 X2 Core from P90X2
Jeremy and I tried the new X2 Core workout from P90X2. It was really fun to change it up with a new DVD! We were glad to focus on strength too. (Learn more about P90X2 here.) Today my quads are STILL sore from my 21 mile run and 28 mile bike days, so we decided to do a different kind of workout to let them recovery more. Should I have swam too? Yes. There can never be too much swimming! I wish I had made time for it.

Today is my last day of holiday vacation. So sad! Back to reality tomorrow. The good thing about getting back to work is that it will help me with my workout schedule. I didn’t do as much as I wanted to over vacation, and I attribute that to having too much free time! I need more structure. Get up at 5am. Workout. Go to work. Workout. Make dinner. Fall asleep in my bowl of pasta. That sounds like Ironman training to me!

Did you follow your workout plan over the holidays?

Ironman Training Over the Holidays Part 1

December 26, 2011 by Asia

: Running by day. Partying by night.

The last week of Ironman training was sporadic and inconsistent. Training over the holidays is HARD. Looking back at my past week of training is a little frightening. It definitely does not resemble what one week of Ironman training should look like, and after the holidays, there will be no more excuses to have a light training week!

Day 11 – Friday 12/16: Rest (intentional)

Day 12 – Saturday 12/17 8:30am: 18.5 mile run
Nutrition: Pre Run – 2 waffles + peanut butter & agave syrup. During Run – 4 GUs. Post Run – Chocolate Muscle Milk Light and pretzels (immediately), then leftover tofu fried rice (1 hour later). I didn’t eat enough post run which left me feeling very lethargic.

I woke up feeling nauseous and “off”. I had to fight with my waffles to finish 90% of them. Needless to say, I was nervous for this run. Nicole and I felt that the first half of the run was harder than last week’s, but surprisingly, the last half was more effortless than last week’s so it was a flop of our 16.5 mile run. I had intended to try out salt tablets on this run but completely forgot them, and again I finished with a salty face. The marathon is 6 weeks away, and I still need to perfect my sodium intake. When I trained for my first marathon earlier this year, I never practiced with salt, but then on race day I had 1 packet at the starting line and 1 packet around mile 16. Overall, I felt great, so I was very lucky that something I never practiced with didn’t have an adverse effect on me.

Day 13 – Sunday 12/18 9am: 27 mile coastal bike + 3 mile run
Nutrition: Pre Ride – Evol breakfast burrito. During Ride – 1 waffle and 1 water bottle with 1 scoop CarboPRO + 1 scoop vitalite. Post Ride – 1 scoop P90X Recovery Formula (immediately), then veggie burger and split pea soup (1 hour later)

I felt strong on the bike and was pleasantly surprised at how good I felt the day after a really long run. I had some major issues trying to eat and drink while riding, though, so I definitely need more practice! It was chilly, so I had full fingered gloves on which made it nearly impossible to open my Honey Stinger Waffle. I got it open at a stop light, and it flew out of the package onto the ground! Nicole picked it up, blew on it, and said “10 second rule! You don’t want to let that nutrition go to waste.” What a good training buddy! I had a backup GU but decided to eat the tainted one anyway. Builds character. Next ride I’m going to try eating my food prepared out of a ziploc baggie in my bento box to see if that makes eating on the bike any easier.

Day 14 – Monday 12/19 5:45am: 45 minutes bike trainer
Nutrition: During ride – 1 banana and 1 scoop P90X Recovery formula

Normally I rest my legs in the morning and only go for a swim at night, but I knew this week would be crazy so I jumped on the bike at 5:45am. My legs definitely felt heavy, so I focused on keeping my cadence up in the small chain ring. Monday night my family and I did our early Christmas at my parents house and opened presents!! Some of my triathlon gift highlights were a Timex GPS watch and a cycling jacket!

My new training watch!

Day 15 – Tuesday 12/20 5:30am: 8 mile run
Nutrition: Pre-Run – 1 banana. Post-Ride – 2 waffles + peanut butter

I bundled up and ran to Nicole’s house in the darkness. The early morning run felt good, and I like starting my workday with an outdoors workout. It wakes me up and gives me energy!

Day 16 – Wednesday 12/21: Rest (unintentional/Jeremy’s Bday!)
Our neighbors were SO noisy, so I had a terrible night’s sleep and decided to sleep in. Wednesday night we celebrated Jeremy’s birthday!! Happy 32nd birthday, baby!

Jeremy's Surprise Birthday Celebration at Encinitas Ale House

Day 17 (NYC) – Thursday 12/22: Rest (unintentional)
Slept in and rushed to pack up for our trip to NYC. Went out in Rockefeller Center just in time to catch the magic!

Rockefeller Center

Day 18 – (NYC) Friday 12/23: 6×800 Yassos (7:41 min/mile 800m, 9:31 mph 400m recoveries, 5 miles total)
Nutrition: 1/2 Luna bar before, and 1/2 Luna bar after
Set my alarm and forced myself out of bed at 8:30am EST to do some speed work on the treadmill while I had easy access to the gym in my cousin’s building. Yassos were not easy today probably because I was out late in NYC and somewhat jetlagged. I was just happy to finish! We spent the rest of the morning at the 911 Memorial Site which is really coming along nicely, and then hopped on a train to Boston.

Day 19 – (Boston) Saturday 12/24 Christmas Eve: Rest (unintentional)
First full day in Boston in a household of 2o. Speaking of 20, it was 20 degrees outside when I woke up, so the So Cal girl in me justified skipping the 10 mile long run outside. What if I got frostbite?

My adorable niece, Kiva!

I’m in Boston 4 more days and get home Wednesday afternoon. The plan is to train every day when I get back because I don’t have to go back to work until Tuesday 1/3! (OK, maybe I’ll cut myself a break on New Year’s Day.) Stay tuned for Ironman Training Over the Holidays Part 2 when I conclude my crazy holiday training schedule, put it behind me, and get ready for a new year full of IRONMAN TRAINING!

Big poker winner! Merry Christmas to me!

Ironman Training Day 10

December 15, 2011 by Asia

Jeremy and me after our first Sprint Triathlon (Solana Beach) July 2011

Thursday 12/15/11

Woo hoo! Day 10!! Today I stayed indoors which is quite rare for my training.

Morning: 5:45am – 40 minute spin on my bike trainer
Nutrition: 1/2 banana pre-workout*, 1 scoop recovery powder (110 calories) during workout, 1 scoop after workout
*Jeremy came up to me when I was a few minutes into the bike and asked me what I ate before my workout. Such a good workout buddy looking out for me! He gave me 1/2 a banana so I had some fuel to start.

I finally got on my bike this week! Jeremy and I still only own 1 DVD (the one that came with our trainer), so I did that workout for a second time, but I had to cut it 20 mins short so I wouldn’t be late for my work meeting. It was still really tough! That workout makes me SWEAT. Our Ironman training buddies own multiple Sufferfest DVDs and they use them a lot, so maybe that’s something we will also invest in. The motto of those workouts are “I will beat my ass today to kick yours tomorrow.” Sounds intense! And awesome.

Evening: 5:45pm – 20 min swim, gym strength
Nutrition: Handful of trail mix on my ride to the gym. Another handful while I was out shopping for dinner post-workout.

This was my second time using my new gym membership. It still feels weird working out in a gym. I’m used to the great outdoors and working out alone or with 1-3 other people…Not in a room full of sweaty strangers! Nevertheless, I drove my butt straight to the gym after my work meeting, changed into my swimsuit, and jumped into the lap pool. It wasn’t crowded and I had an entire lane to myself…for about 20 minutes. Then I was kicked out for a water aerobics class. Next time I should check the schedule first! I still got a good swim in, but I wasn’t able to leave the gym quite yet, so I changed into gym clothes and played around a little bit.

I wanted to see if I could still do any pull-ups. I was able to do 7 at my peak just after P90X! I walked around aimlessly looking for a pull-up bar, and two nice boys showed me a few options. Haha. I took my pick and jumped up, hanging there for a few seconds, and then doing 2 1/2 pull-ups. Not bad. I jumped down and back up again and did 1 1/2 chin-ups. I still have some of that strength, but I lost quite a bit, so I want to incorporate some strength exercises during my Ironman training whenever possible. After my mini pull-up session, I did two sets of 10 push-ups – standard and wide. Then I did a mini Ab Ripper X series. To finish, I did 4 sets of 10lb dumbbell bicep curls (standard and cross body). I’m still not used to working out in the gym again, but I’m proud of myself for not running straight to the treadmill when my swim was cut short. I ran the past 2 days in a row, so it was time to change it up! What are your favorite training exercises to do specifically when you’re at the gym?

Tomorrow is Friday, and you know what that means. REST DAY! I’ll be back Saturday for an 18 mile run.