Russ

Once again I find my alarm going off at 4:15 a.m. I hit the alarm and have my prayer. Next thing I know I am some how pulling my self out of my warm bed and leaving sleep behind for a swim. When I really think about it I just don't understand how I can leave my warm pillow, sheets and comforter for the cool early morning air. Most of the time I don't leave myself enough time to think about what I would rather be doing; instead, like a robot, I turn the alarm off, have prayer, get dressed and start training.

  On swim days I have to drive to the YMCA in order to get my laps in. I usually always show up at the Y around 4:50 or 5:00 a.m. and start my laps around 5:05-5:15a.m.  I don't swim in any particular lane or on any particular side. Mostly it's fun to just mix it up. Usually swimming laps at 5 in the morning allows you plenty of lane options since not many are swimming yet. By the time I'm finished with my training all the lanes are filled and some people are waiting for a lane. 

  On a typical swim day you have people swimming that are faster than you, about your speed and then some that are slower. It poses a problem when I swim next to someone that is about my speed or a bit faster. Instead of sticking to my training I go off on a tangent trying to just keep up with the swimmer next to me. This is not good for several reasons. First of all, I'm going to get the most out of my swim training if I stick to my swim workouts. Second of all, when I merely try to keep up with someone I lose all technique and replace it with something called a spin wheel. See, I have never had a swim lesson before in my life and it shows. When people see me in the water they can tell that I'm not a "swimmer".

  When you walk into the pool you can easily spot all those who have been on a swim team or who have grown up taking swim lessons. They are beautiful to watch. They glide through the water effortlessly, pulling their bodies at great speeds. They are reaching, rolling, and flip turning. They are keeping their head down, their hip/butt kisses the surface of the water and their arms are relaxed above the water's surface and pulling hard beneath the water's surface. The swimmers rule the pool!!! Then you have me.... I stand out in the pool and not because I'm good. I wear a colorful swimsuit called Dolphin Uglies and I also stand out because my head isn't down like it should be, my left arm crosses over my midsection, I don't roll as much as I should, my left arm enters the water flat and my legs kick like mad. Oh and I do not do flip turns. So there you have it...I do not look like a swimmer and that's because I am not a swimmer. Swimming is survival for me.  :-)

   I use to think I was an okay swimmer until I was taught what "real" swimming is suppose to look like. The more time I spend in the pool the more I learn. I honestly never grasped how important technique is in swimming until just recently. In fact technique is everything in swimming. Swimming is a skill; a skill that doesn't come easily to everyone. I have been figuring out that I don't really have the swimming skill but I'm working on it. Thankfully a retired swim coach saw me in the pool and had pity on me. He has been my saving grace. 

  Russ is his name. After my swim one day Russ asked me if I wanted any help. I had no idea that he had been watching me for awhile and that he was very anxious to help me. I jumped on the opportunity and told him I desperately needed help. Over the past fall/winter Russ has been helping me every morning I swim. He has given me so many pointers, so many drills, so many words of advice. I owe him BIG time!!!  Russ is a truly amazing man. He has given me days and hours of his time. Russ not only coaches me from the side of the pool but he will jump in the pool and illustrate for me, etc. My swim stroke has improved but Russ would completely agree with me when I say I have lots to work on. I still don't look anything like the "swimmers" but I look alot better than I use to. Russ has helped me improve my time, he has helped me make my stroke more efficient and he has helped me understand my bad habits. 

  Unfortunately last week I went into the pool, like usual, and saw Russ but he informed me that he would no longer be there in the mornings. He was leaving for a couple weeks and when he returned his schedule was changing. I became instantly very sad cause I know that without Russ I won't push myself like I should and I will lose track of my stroke. Russ has kept me on track. I am completely bummed. The good news is that Russ is going to take time out of his schedule to meet me at the pool when possible. He knows I have a long road ahead of me and he wants to be there the whole way. Russ is my swim coach (whether he realizes it or not) and he will get all the credit for my swim performance the day of Lake Placid Ironman. Russ has never asked for pay for all that he does for me; he helps me out for free due to his love of the sport. If I had money to pay him you can be sure I would pay him well...he deserves it. Some day, some how, I will repay him.

THANK YOU RUSS!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Open water swim practices will be starting soon. Time to get the wetsuit out and ready. By the way, I hate swimming with my wetsuit on. I feel like I can't breath since it's so tight against my neck. But, it's about time I get use to it. Floatation baby!!! Oh yeah!!!
Smiles, Alicia

The Current Training Routine

Training in a nutshell:

A triathlete’s training plan is his or her map to race day. The map may have detours, it may have bumps and sharp turns, it may have long flat boring roads, or high head winds. In the end the map better prepare you for race day or you will pay for it somehow. The cool thing is the map can be re-written, re-created or simply adjusted. I have found that I am constantly making improvements to my map. I have not yet found the perfect training program yet. I think it’s going to take a lifetime of constant adjustments. My daily life schedule is constantly changing thus affecting when and where I can train. Half of the fun of training (for me) is making the “map”. I love to get all my references together and scheme up a new and revised way to improve my training.  Currently my training plan is prepping me to ride and run the Lake Placid distance by this coming July, improve my time on the Pumpkinman Half Ironman by this coming September, and to run the Maine Marathon this coming October.  

Below you will see an overview of what my weekly training schedule looks like. It’s important to remember that I do take one day off a week (Saturday) from all training. I do not do any planned swims, bikes or runs. I do not monitor my exercise that day and I do not worry about intensity. I have found it refreshing both physically and mentally to take a complete day off of training. I am still active on that day just in a very different way.

Every four weeks I try to do a recovery training routine. I still train just with fewer miles and/or less intensity. My schedule is also weather dependent which means that sometimes I switch the days up so I can do my long run or bike on a sunny day or something to that nature. But for the most part my current training schedule looks something like the following (it will change once summer arrives):

Sun: Long bike

Mon: Long run

Tues: Long swim

Wed: Bike ride followed by run

Thurs: Swim followed by a run

Fri: Bike followed by an optional transition run.

Happy training everyone!!!

Smiles :-)

Training Update One

This entire blog is about many things but mostly about how realistic it is to train for an Ironman and still maintain relationships, keep up with my jobs, and stay spiritually connected with God. I haven't updated you yet on how I am keeping up with a "normal" life while training. Here is an overview of the situation:

  The spiritual aspect has been tough but in some ways I feel I am doing better. I don't always have my worships in the morning, instead they are in the middle of the day or in the evening. I find when I have my worship in the morning I often feel rushed thinking about everything I have to do. When I have my worships in the middle of the day or in the evening I don't feel so rushed; I usually feel somewhat accomplished and able to relax. Also I have been alot more vocal about who I am and what I believe. The Lord has provided me with many occasions to share with other's that I am a Christian.  I have much to improve on but all-in-all my training is not leaving my spiritual life behind. 

 

 My relationship with my husband is wonderful. God is so great!!! I don't deserve Jamie but God gave him to me so I am keeping him!!! :-) Jamie and I have been learning to give and take. We are both supporting each other's goals. For the most part my training takes away from getting up together in the morning and that's about it. Soon it will take away from some occasional breakfasts together. We try to have  date nights and catch up via cell phones several times a day. We usually always do stuff together on the weekends with and without Tucker. Jamie is even running with me on Friday's. We are helping him train for a 5k. Jamie is very open and honest with me and let's me know if my training is affecting us. He won't let that happen and I don't want it to either. 

 Tucker doesn't even have a clue that Mama is off training early in the morning because he is fast asleep. Often I will get home and Tuck is still asleep. Sometimes I get a little tired in the afternoon and feel like my energy level is low but then I work through it. Other than that my training hasn't negatively affected Tuck and if it does something will have to change. 

 

  Work is starting to pick up and is posing a threat to my training. I am currently teaching part-time at USM and at Atlantic Union College. In two weeks I will be teaching the evening triathlon class at the local YMCA and I am also triathlon coaching through CoachMe Tri. As work picks up life gets hectic. It's getting harder to keep up with everything. But I'm determined.

 

  Family and friends would probably say that my communication skills haven't changed and that's because I am horrible at communicating as it is. Part of the problem is my stupid cell phone (which isn't working) but I am also a big part of the problem. I have been trying to do better at communicating with everyone but I have lots to improve on. I swear I have cell phone-ophobia. I do not like talking on the phone. I love emailing, texting, writing and talking face-to-face, just not on the phone. No offense to anyone it's just a weird quirk of mine.

 Sleep and recovery are probably being affected a bit but I try to protect my sleep as much as possible. I need  about 8 hours a night. In the last year I have been going to bed around 8 or 9, getting 4 hours of sleep before midnight and 4 hours of sleep after midnight, waking up at 4ish. I usually feel well rested and I think it's mostly due to the 4 hours of sleep before midnight. Several years earlier I use to get about 8 hours of sleep but only 2 of those hours were before midnight and I never felt rested. So I am a firm believer in getting as many hours of sleep before midnight as possible.

 

My training has helped me improve on several things which I am super excited about. First of all, those of you who know me are aware that I have a wicked bad sweet tooth. Eating a dessert most every day was not unheard of for me and in fact that's pretty much how I use to roll. Now I eat dessert only on the week-end. I feel noticeably better. My water consumption has improved but still has room for more improvement. I am more focused and organized during the day. If I'm not organized and on top of things then everything falls apart. I don't watch much television due to no time. It's more important for me to spend time with Jamie and use every minute of my day in a productive way. If I'm not productive then I don't have as much time to train. Ironman is my goal not television. I have no clue what the latest, greatest shows are on t.v., I have no clue who the contestants are on American Idol, and so on. Some may say I am sheltered and others may say I'm better off without the television...so far I have only seen positive results. Every minute of the day counts. Technically I guess you could say that ironman training has affected the "down time" in my life. More on that later.

 

So that's a quick update. My training is about to pick up this coming week and I have a feeling that it won't be as smooth sailing. I will keep you updated. Stay tuned... 

The Beginning

 College years proved to be the beginning of many new things for me. I met so many wonderful people, did a lot of camping, and hiking, learned how to white water kayak, drove many, many miles back and forth from Tennessee to Maine, met the man of my life, and so much more. BUT, there was one thing I was determined not to do: the Cohutta Springs Triathlon. My Aunt Donna was one of the race organizers; she greatly encouraged me to do the triathlon. I refused my freshman year but then gave in my sophomore year.  I most certainly didn’t do the triathlon because I wanted too; I did it because I felt like I had too. After signing up for the race I was instructed to start “training”. What in the world did “training” mean? Did it mean swimming? I didn’t have a clue how to do the crawl; I didn’t own goggles or a swim cap. Did training mean biking? I didn’t own a road bike and didn’t have the money to buy a bike. Did training mean running? Well, that was the only thing I could do but only about 2 or 3 miles.

   In my younger years my family and I were always active, I knew how to swim (not laps), I knew how to bike up and down the road, and I knew how to run away from my brother but I never contemplated combing all three events. Who in their right mind would want to even do such a thing? It didn’t interest me in the least!!!

   The Cohutta Springs Triathlon was/is .5 mile swim, 18 mile bike and a 4 mile run. After signing up for the race I spent many sleepless/restless nights thinking about how I was going to make a complete idiot of myself on race day. I couldn’t even swim across the pool!!! I was sick over it.

  I will never forget the first time I went to the pool to swim. The pool looked so big and intimidating. Everyone was swimming like a pro and had on goggles, cool swimsuits and caps. I, on the other hand, had no goggles, no cap and was wearing a very stretched out, transparent swimsuit. My beach towel remained tight around my body until I was at the very edge of the pool. I quickly dropped the towel and jumped in the pool. Thank goodness my cousin (who had been a competitive swimmer for years) was there to give me a jump start. She showed me how to do the crawl and she encouraged me a lot. That first pass across the pool will forever stay engraved in my brain. Let’s just say I didn’t look like all the other swimmers. I didn’t blend in at all. In fact I stuck out like a sore thumb. I couldn’t even do the crawl for more than ½ a length.

 My aunt let me borrow one of her road bikes which was fantastic. It was an older bike with the shifters on the frame. My first several rides out were spent simply trying to figure out how to shift the thing. I bonded with that bike in a very short amount of time. Most of my rides were solo and went smoothly. I wasn’t very fast and had so much to learn but I really enjoyed biking.

  Running was the only thing I had been doing for awhile but I hadn’t run any more than 2 or 3 miles. I wasn’t a strong runner and it’s still a survival thing for me but it makes me feel super when I’m finished.

  The day of the triathlon came and my nerves where out of this world. I felt like I was in a dream…just wasn’t sure yet whether it was a good dream or a bad dream. I will never forget sitting in the water getting ready to swim out to the first buoy. I was shaking with fear and anticipation. The gun went off and I was stuck in a pack of flying hands and smacking feet. I survived the swim mostly doing crawl. Several minutes into the swim I finally calmed down and just started to soak in the experience.  The bike was slow but smooth and the run was pretty good. Every mile I went the more I started to realize that this triathlon stuff is actually fun. When I crossed the finish line I was addicted.  But there was yet another experience that really made me determined to continue in the sport and see how well I could improve.

  The experience happened several days after the triathlon. I was in the guy’s dorm at Southern and met up with some friends. One of them asked me how the tri went. They then asked if I placed and I had in fact placed first in my age category (surprisingly). They then went on to remark that I placed probably ONLY because I was the only one in my age category. They went on to imply that I wasn’t capable of doing well and there must have been a catch. This bothered me so much especially since this individual and their siblings had consistently put me down for years. Honestly I started to believe their comments. I decided that I had to do the Cohutta Springs triathlon again and was able to finish first in my age category and third overall female. The race has gotten a lot more competitive since I did it way back when, so my times aren’t very impressive but it is a confidence booster when you place. After my second year of doing the triathlon I started to fall in love with the sport and wasn’t driven to do it to prove anything to anyone. Now triathlon is actually part of my lifestyle. Being involved with the sport motivates me each morning to exercise. Triathlons give my training direction and meaning. I am not a pro and never will be; I’m not fast and never will be but I love the sport and enjoy the whole experience.

  As for my friend and I…I cannot lie, I still have hurt feelings not just from the triathlon comment but others too. That’s what life is about though. We all go through tough experiences. What matters is whether or not you come out of the experience a stronger, better person. If it wasn’t for my Aunt’s persistent encouragement (she is the best, I love you Aunt Donna) and for my friends sneering remark I might not have ever discovered my love for the triathlon sport. I would have missed out on something amazing.

I will forever thank my Aunt Donna for encouraging me to try the Cohutta Springs Triathlon. She knew I would enjoy it. The Cohutta Springs Triathlon is a great triathlon. It is well run, well marked and full of helpful volunteers. I highly recommend it.

Race website: http://www.southerntriathlon.com/event.htm

Smiles

3 Struggles

God, family, relationships, work, chores, house work, etc all take lots of time; precious time; good time. Trying to squeeze triathlon training into the mix hasn't been much of an issue for me until recently. The magnitude of Ironman training is a whole new beast. Sprint triathlon training and even half-ironman training is fairly doable but wow, ironman training takes a good portion out of your day. There are several things that I am currently struggling with. Let me explain...

 

  First of all you are all well aware at this point that I am a Christian. I strongly feel that the greatest work to be done on this earth is to prepare others and myself for "Home". I definitely have hope for something way better beyond this life on earth. My beliefs, my hope in a better life, my faith in a loving, forgiving God is what gives me the courage to keep going. This world is ugly, cruel, and down right despicable. So, where am I going with this spiritual stuff? What in the world does it have to do with the Ironman? It actually has alot to do with Ironman. Training can take so much of your time, your energy and your thoughts. If you're not careful it will take away from your relationship with God. I have made a pact that if my training negatively effects my spiritual life I have to stop. I have to be done!!! I am determined to stick to this pact. Life isn't about training and doing an ironman. Life is about relationships. 

 

My second struggle is trying to stay one step ahead of exhaustion. I find myself just barreling into the week-end; stop just enough to breathe and then start all over again. I feel like exhaustion is knocking at my door and just waiting to come in. I fight it but sometimes I lose. It's a fear of mine because several years ago I experienced overtraining which resulted in taking four years off from the triathlon sport. After four years of focusing more on hiking and backpacking I came back to triathlons feeling refreshed and ready to go. I do not ever want to experience overtraining again; it was horrible (I will devote an entire post to that experience in the future).  Anyway, I am definitely finding it hard to keep up with part-time jobs, being a full-time mama and keeping up with all the house duties. BUT I'm not going to give up!!! I'm going to take a look at my schedule again and see what I can do differently in order to get a little more sleep. :-) It's going to be even more important to get my rest/recovery when my training picks up this spring/summer.

 

 My third struggle is just simply trying to stay balanced with all things. Haha!!! Impossible!!! I'm joking with myself to even think I am capable of doing such a thing. It feels good to list it here; at least I acknowledge that balance is needed. Do I get some credit for that? In most area's of my life I can be very balanced but in some area's of my life I like to go extreme one way or the other. My mom always said I was/am a swinging pendulum. This unbalanced approach in several area's of my life can not only take away from my spiritual life but can also leave me exhausted.

 

So as you can see my top 3 struggles are all related and intertwined. I just have to do something about it....now!!!

 

 

Smiles.

Guinea Pig I am

  Self-Coaching can be an incredibly hard task. For some it comes naturally; for others it's impossible. It doesn't come naturally to me but I'm not convinced that it's impossible either. Quite a few triathletes coach themselves. Self-coaching is all I've got to work with. One of the hardest things about self-coaching is there isn't anyone to hold you accountable. No one cares whether I get up at 4am to get my workout in except for me. No one cares if I miss my long run of the week, except for me. No one cares if I have bad swim technique except for me. You get the point.

   The other challenge with self-coaching is not having an outside observer or rather a coach (stating the obvious); someone who is watching your technique, someone that can tell you're overtraining, someone who can pin-point a problem and has a solution, someone who thinks outside the box, someone with personal experience, someone who is always finding a new and improved way to help you become a better athlete.

   I have learned, as a self-coach, that it's important to ask for "outside observation" from experienced athletes who are either training with you or who are in the vicinity of your training field. People are usually willing to help and are very generous with their knowledge. Many wonderful, kind, knowledgeable athletes have been more than willing to help me out.  I appreciate every one's wisdom and advice.  It has been so valuable to surround myself with experienced Ironman. It can be intimidating but once you work up the nerves to workout/train with these people you figure out how accepting, friendly, and understanding they are. They have all been where you are...at the beginning.    

    Ironman training is unfamiliar ground to me. It adds a whole new dimension to training. You don't just swim, bike and run. What jumps out at me most regarding Ironman training (besides the obvious 140.6 miles you must cover) is how you MUST allow yourself recovery time, how you must increase mental toughness both for pain and duration, how you must practice fueling over the extent of the bike and run, and how you NEED a support group!!! 

  Recovery time is crucial and something I struggle with. It's so important for me to add recovery into my routine every 5-6 weeks. I still "train" just without high intensity and long distances. Recovery weeks leave me refreshed and ready to tackle another 5-6 weeks of solid training. Burn out is inevitable if recovery isn't included in Ironman training. I also religiously have a recovery day each week. It not only gives my body a physical break but also a mental break. I am still active on my recovery day but it's unstructured activity.

  Mental toughness must be strengthened over the extent of training by pushing through acute,non-threatening pain and by swimming/riding/running long distances without anyone around to talk to. It can be very hard. Long distances start to get monotonous and a bit boring to me but at the same time I often get in the zone and focus well. When discomfort starts to creep in I begin to doubt myself and wonder what I'm doing to my body, but then I just keep pushing. Sometimes the discomfort takes my mind off how far I have to go and helps time pass quickly. Sounds a bit weird and proves the insanity of it all. On the flip side pain can also make time stand still; you feel like you will never reach your destination. No matter what, it seems you will fight pain if not during the Ironman than during training. It's inevitable.

  Fueling is a whole new ball game for me. With sprint tri's I never take the time to fuel and find it very unnecessary. As long as I eat solid, wholesome meals the week before and I drink lots of water there is no need to fuel while sprinting...just go for all your worth. Ironman requires fueling and alot of it. You will crash and hit the brick wall if you don't fuel. The worst part is you probably won't get back up after you hit the wall. The challenge for me is figuring out what type of fuel my body can handle and at what mile I can start to eat on the bike and run. I have figured out I can not handle really sweet fuels. I love the gummies and I hate the gels. I can start to fuel on the bike fairly quickly but I have to wait until I'm 4 or 5 miles into the run until I can fuel. If I fuel too fast, too much or if I consume something too sweet I will see it again...not cool!!! Throwing up means loss of water so you lose the nutrients and H2O. I have also figured out that it's extremely important to dilute any fuel I consume. So if I have some gummies, etc they are followed up with a good dose of water. If I don't dilute it my tummy often becomes very upset. I still have much to learn about fueling and plan on posting more after a little trial and error.  So stay tuned.

  Every day I'm learning something new about self-coaching. Not only am I figuring out different motivational strategies, I'm also figuring out different ways to train, effects of nutrition on my training, the importance of a good nights sleep (even on the week-ends), and the importance of variation. I'm learning more about myself, my limitations, my capabilities (or lack of), when I self-doubt and why. The bottom line is I'm learning; simply learning and I have SO SO much more to learn!!! So teach me!!! 

Funds and Fun

As I mentioned in my first post it takes a good share of money to do triathlons. There are many things you must have, quite a few things you think you must have, and then all the extras that you just want. So, let’s see...to name ONLY a few: swimsuit, goggles, cap, swim equipment, wetsuit, swim workout books, road bike, tri bike, bike trainer, helmet, eye protection, jersey, riding shorts, riding pants, booties, warm riding gear, water bottles, aerobars, aerobar bottle, fuel pockets, clipless peddles, clip-in shoes, personalized seat, race tires, trainer tires, tire pump, C02 cartridges, GPS heart rate monitor, running apparel for both warm and cold weather, running shoes every 6 months, iPod, music, water belt, race number belt, glide, race registration, coaches, swim instructors and the list goes on.
  Triathlon is not a “free” sport and is most certainly not the cheapest sport but there are some ways around saving your dollar for the “must have’s” in the sport.
  I thought I would share with you some of the ways I’m saving a buck. First of all I am not paying for a coach or a swim instructor. Instead I’m acting as my own coach which can be very tough at times (we will save the reasons for another post) and I have some lifeguards (retired swim instructors) helping me on my stroke. I owe the lifeguards big time for all their support, help, and instruction. They are wonderful people willing to give freely of their swim knowledge. Somehow I will repay them. You may wonder how I have access to a pool since I can’t afford a gym pass. Great question; I work part-time at our local YMCA and part of my contract is a free membership; another great way to save a lot of money each month.
  I’m planning on saving some cash on a tri bike by buying a used one. I’m not a pro so I don’t need the latest greatest. I just need a bike that fits me and that will get me to the finish line. I do not have a tri bike currently but I’m in the process of figuring out how to get one. In other words I’m working on another part-time job that I can do from home.
  Currently I’m saving money on running shoes by buying my shoes at Dick’s Sporting Goods where they have an insurance policy. The first pair of shoes I bought at Dick’s I paid full price plus paid $8 extra for the insurance policy. If I wear my shoes out within 1 year of the insurance policy then I can ship my old shoes to Dick’s headquarters and they will send me a full refund. Since I’m going through shoes within 6 months the policy works great for me. I’m only paying $8 for a new pair of shoes every 6 months!!!  J
  I saved money on a wetsuit by buying a leftover at a triathlon store that was going out of business. I believe I paid about $200 less than the original price. J
  I bought my bike trainer at L.L. Bean for several reasons. First of all my hubby and I had $60 gift card and L.L. Bean truly has the best customer satisfaction. Bike trainers are not always the most dependable things. I already had to return one since it broke. L.L. Bean graciously exchanged the broken one for the newest version. J
  Winter spinning classes have proved a huge savings for me as well. At several local gyms it costs over $100 to join a 12 week spin class. My local Midcoast Triathlon Club has a spin class offered every Mon, Wed, and Fri morning for only $50 for 20+ weeks. The best part of the spin class is I’m surrounded by Ironman. Seems like most of the crew has done more than one ironman and is currently training for another this coming season. I find myself just soaking in everything I can from each of the participants.  The guy that leads out does a fantastic job and really knows how to put a good routine together.
  A bunch of the other triathlon equipment has generously been given to me for Christmas or birthday presents. Pretty much my entire wish list revolves around triathlon gear.
 So these are just a few ways I have saved money so far. Having a limited budget is all part of the challenge for me. I am not complaining I honestly really enjoy the challenge. If it was easy to do an Ironman and it was easy for me to purchase all the gear most of the fun would be taken out of it. So let the challenge continue since it not only motivates me but also encourages creativity, which I lack.  
 My precious little man has woken up from his nap so its mommy, baby play time; one of my favorite things to do. Smiles.