Good swim

Good swim at Circle C this morning. I really like workouts that have a pattern and I think Coach C does too. Today was 8 x 50s, then 4 x 100s, then 2 x 200s, the first half at 85% effort and the second half at 90%. So my 50s pace high was 58s- really pushing and flailing. 100s- 2:03! Really excited that a sub 2:00 100 is in my near future! And 200s- 4:10. I think I'm finally getting the coordinated pull and roll, with a strong, coordinated, whole body kick. When it's all working together, I feel like Dara Torres. When it's not, it's really not.

Austin Tri Race Report

Not to waste any time: a 30 minute PR!

This was a great race- always well organized by the High Five/ Jack and Adam's team. It was going to be hot and dusty, but they did as best they could to minimize the problems that comes with this drought we're stuck in. I was worried mainly about the "training through the race" that the coaches recommended- doing 9.5 miles running on Friday morning, and 52 on the bike on Saturday. I had stretched and rollered, and tried to recover as quickly as I could, but I could definitely feel on Monday that I didn't have any power left in my legs. But I didn't feel horrible, and I was excited about this race because my friends C and S were doing their first Olympic distance, and there were a bunch of T3ers out to race, cheer, and volunteer too.

Swim- 2:48/ 100m- the same as Cap Tex 2008, which is the only other time I've done this course. I zigzagged a lot, especially coming back up into the sun. And I probably couldn't worked a little harder, but I wanted to save some energy for the rest of the day.

Bike- 14.9 mph- it was a three loop course, and the first loop, I had a hard time settling in and getting into a rhythm. Only two hills and one false flat, but they seemed to take a lot out of me- probably due to the "training through the race" thing. I did get to see a bunch of T3ers out there on the out and back parts, plus some old TNT buddies from last year, and my cousin K, who just happened to be running on the trail and saw me- how fun and random! No flats and a 3 mph improvement.

Run- 16:15/mile- same as last year. It was hot- 90 degrees with 50% humidity. I liked the course with the winding out and backs on grass/dirt and pavement, and I tried to run in the shade wherever I could find it. I was getting dehydrated and headachy at this point, and I couldn't drink enough at the water stations to stop it. I ran the entire way except for water stops, and kept a good high cadence. And most importantly, I could imagine it was just a training run- it felt the same, and I could imagine I could keep that pace for another 6 miles, though I would need a lot more water stops to get there!

And last year I had the bad flat on the bike course, so if I wanted to get all negative, I could say I didn't improve, I just got lucky to not flat. But really, I had 8 hours of training over the weekend and no taper. So if I actually trained for this like it was my A race, I could go even faster. That's the positive spin, and what I'm going to choose to believe!

Week #10 Longhorn Training

This week's plan:

Swim 2.5; 2.5- schedule change moved the AM swims on Tues/Thurs to Circle C- awesome!

Bike 5; 5- awesome!

Run 4; 3.75- pretty damn good!

Core 1; 1- awesome!

Total 12.5; 12.25- pretty damn good!

Long bike 65; 52- broke the 50 mile barrier, but shortened it a little for the Austin Tri on Monday.

Long run 13; 9.5- ditto

The morning workouts have made the difference. Getting up early and getting it done is great. And next week starts the new Corefit, so I'm not sure how I'll change it up.
M, W, F- spin
T, Th- swim
or
M, W- spin
T, Th- swim
F- core
or
M- core
T- swim
W- spin
Th- swim, core PM
F- spin, yoga PM
What a plethora of options!

A ride in which I didn't get passed

With the Austin Triathlon Olympic on Monday, the coaches suggested that if it wasn't your "A" race, you should train through the weekend. I amended that to going at least 50% on the long workouts, so I wouldn't expire during the race. But I wound up going about 80%, so there's still a chance of melting into a heap of cramping, bonking pain.

Friday, I did 9.5 miles on the trail- cut off the last section because I was done- mentally and physically. And it wasn't even that hot. But a good soaking in Barton Springs really helped. And even though I vowed never to run long before the long ride, I didn't have any choice, and luckily it went much better this time.

Saturday, the route was Kiker to San Marcos for 65 miles. I looked at the map and figured if I left from my house, I would cut off about 12 miles, and that would be just fine. I left at 7 am, when the group was meeting at Kiker at 7:30. I figured I would get caught at the Valero pit stop in Kyle. One guy stopped there too, but I couldn't remember if he was a T3er or not, so it was just the nod and smile. And since we were both stopped and off our bikes, it's not technically getting passed- he just got back on his bike before I did. I saw the big group of T3ers heading to the Valero about 20 minutes after me, so I thought it wouldn't be too long before they caught me.

The route goes back towards Buda before going across to go south on the IH 35 access road. Here I was feeling great- the saddle was getting comfortable, I was averaging close to 15 mph, and I was secure knowing the last 12 miles in are mainly downhill back to my house. I had a new drink to try out- Sustained Energy that is unflavored, and tastes a little like powdered cheerios in water, which is a lot better than most of the drinks I've tried. It's a keeper.

The problem hit when I turned northbound on the access road. Any time I think there's no wind, I should look around, because most likely it's a tailwind! And it was. So the 10 miles on the access road were brutal into a strong headwind. Flat, no tree breaks, and just torture. I knew there was a gas station up ahead at the turn, and I was imagining sitting down against a back rest with a coke and a snickers. And eventually I got there. And as soon as I got comfortable, two T3ers, and about a minute later, two more, rode in. And we chatted and rested a bit, then we got back on to finish up the last 18. And again, I just got back on after they did- I technically didn't get passed. A minor victory, but still!

I saw some T3ers going southbound, but no one else caught up to me the rest of the ride. I guess starting 30 minutes and 6 miles ahead is what it takes! I slogged it back to my house for a total of 52 in 3:50, which averages over 13 mph. That is great for me! A long stretching session, shower, and nap. And then it will be interesting how fast my body can recover before Monday!

Week #9 Longhorn Training

Week 9- start of intensity build #1: not quite the intensity needed though.

Swim 2.5; actual 0.5, and that was more playing with the nieces than actual swimming.

Bike 5; 4

Run 3; 3- yay!

Core 1; 1- yay!

Total 11.5; 8.5

Long bike 55; 42 on Friday- the new saddle is not working for me. I had one more Mopac loop and the nails poking in my sit bones were just not going to allow it.

Long run 10; didn't happen. Longest run was an hour for about 4 miles around Matthews Lane.

Pretty Picture

Morning Awakening
Eva Gonzales, 1876

From a new blog I've just discovered: http://shapelywomen.blogspot.com/

What if I fail?

I've had a couple of tough workouts in the past two weeks where I have not hit the training target. From the start, I've modified the training goals to be okay with 90% of the specified distance, and I'm not even getting that. And we've passed the two months to go mark. So I'm a little worried.

What if I get to race day and I fail?

And specifically, from the event website:
All triathletes must be capable of completing the swim in 1 hour and 10 min from the last swim wave, completing the bike by 5 hours from the start of the last swim wave, and finishing the entire race in 8:00. All cyclists must be past the 28 mile mark of the bike course within 3.5 hours of the last swim wave start. All athletes must begin their second loop of the run before the 7:30 mark.

I looked at last year's last finisher at Longhorn, 8:43.

My times are improving, but by seconds, not minutes, so I can pretty reasonably predict what my times will be right now:
Swim 45 minutes
Bike 5 hours
Run 3.5 hours
That adds up to 9.25 hours, without counting any transitions, bathroom stops, or mechanical issues.

I think I was expecting a bigger drop in times with all the training I've put in this past year, but it hasn't happened. And again, it's been exciting to PR every race I've entered this year, and I would probably PR the Aquabike if I did that instead of the full triathlon. But my goal has not been a faster Aquabike. It's been to finish the Longhorn triathlon.

Of course, a lot has to do with luck too. If my age group goes off as an early wave, I could have an extra hour to work with, since they time from the last wave (and last year, Aquabike, relay, and Clydes and Athenas were the last wave). If my wave is towards the end, it's not so good. I really don't want to be the last biker in, as I learned last year. And it's not so fun to be the last runner in either, but that would be okay, unless they pull you from the course, which is possible, since they say you have to have started your last loop by 7:30. So I could be 6.5 miles from the finish of a 70.3 mile race, and get pulled off the course. And that would suck.

So it all adds up to: I'm worried I'm not going to be able to do it. I've put it out there to everyone that my goal all year has been Longhorn, and it will be embarrassing if I fail. But more importantly is how disappointed I will be in myself. I really have put in the hours and effort. And it may not be good enough.

And while there are two months left, I can't imagine dropping an hour off my time at this point. I would need a motorcycle and a power wheelchair to do that! Should I call the event producers and ask them to plan for more time for me to finish? Should I concede and switch to the Aquabike for the second year? Should I plan to just do one loop of the run before getting swept off the course? Should I "mistakenly" get in the first wave? I could fake an injury. I could pray for rain (or hail or tornado). I could pretend I lost interest and found a new hobby in chicken raising. I could move to Mexico.

Or I could wait and see. For now.