Ironman training

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 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 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.