OK, Enough Snow!!

Wednesday was the day I was going to do my first brick of the year before Lavaman which is just over a month away. Shortly after I got up, the snow started falling and I was getting concerned that I would not be able to get my outdoor run on dry pavement.

My day at work took me into areas that had about 9 inches of the white fluffy stuff. Nothing to be concerned about unless you are wanting to run on dry pavement after your day at work. Spinning on the bike is fine as it is still set up in a nice warm spot in the house. My home is near sea level so I am thinking the snow will not be falling there but likely change to rain as the day goes on,,,, I hope!!! That will wash the snow away. On the way back from work, I come across a car that has slid off the road because of the road conditions and after some work we got him back on the road so he could get home also.

I was glad when I was on my home I could notice much less snow. I knew I would be able to get my brick workout done. The roads near home were bare and actually had some dry spots, no worries about ice!! I spun on my bike for one hour and was so hot and sweaty I didn't think I would need to dress warm for the run as my body heat would keep me feeling good. Was I surprised!! After only 100 meters my forehead was frozen. I thought of turning back and getting a toque, nah, I am only going 2km I can manage. The temperature was below freezing, and I wondered if the salt in the sweat would prevent the ice crystals from forming? About the 1km mark I noticed someone esle out running, toque, gloves,,, hmm,, can I borrow them? Speed up and get home, get it over. That worked, my fastest 2 km brick yet,,, a PB becauase of the cold.

I am so, looking forward to Hawaii, I am concerned there ,it will be too hot for me to train, let alone race. It is going to be fun finding out. Ten more days and I will have my bike out of the box with air in the tires and ready to go. So long snow!!!

Getting ready for Hawaii

Here goes again. This is an attempt at posting a photo with a blog so here goes!! January slipped by and the snow has melted,,, awhile ago thankfully so I was able to get some 16km runs in on Saturdays with a friend. I also competed in one 8km race (34:34) which for me was a PB. Tomorrow is a 12km race which I am looking forward to, but my taper was forced on me due to a cold and somehow without the exercise I managed to gain a few lbs,,, oops??? I did not think Grapefruits had that many calories :)

Four weeks from tomorrow I leave for Hawaii!!!! I am excited and this will be my first time there. I have tried to run while on vacation in the Carribean but because of the heat I ran in the Air Conditioned facilities. Sooooo, I moved my bike trainer into the house and now ride it where it is warm to get used to the heat. It is beside the fireplace, but I have not yet turned it on to train. All I need is a palm tree to make the surroundings more like Hawaii!!!! Of course everyone has a hard time putting in long rides on a trainer, but I try and go one hour at least, saving my longer rides for the Queen K. Riding there will be so much fun training for Lavaman Triathlon on March 29th.

My secret swim workouts consist of,,, Ok I am embarrassed here :) Luckily on Tuesdays there is a coach, a great coach that holds "World Records". She has us do warm ups, then drills which may be one arm swimming or swimming on one side. A main set of various distances, some sprints and then a cool down and ends up being 2200m. I try and get two other swims per week of 45 to 60 minutes (this is the embarrassing part!!)....

500m warm up, :60 rest then

sets of 200m pull, rest :10, 100m kick rest:30, and repeat as time permits,

:60 rest and then 100 free concentrating on form x 2,

some back and breast to cool down for 1750 to 2000m

Tuesday I am scheduled for my IMC tattoo so will miss swimming for a few weeks, so I will hit the weights for upper body workouts to make up for the time loss in the pool. I do have a few days to chicken out yet!!!

The sun has melted the frost off the ground and today is looking nice. A good day for a short run to see how the legs work after few days of inactivity. The 12km tomorrow will be the real test!!!