Holy Moses Where Does the Training Time Go?

I cannot believe that it is already half way through March, and less than 2 months to go before the Wildflower triathlon.

I have made some definite headway in my battle with swimming (as I will share later in this post) as well as added some distance to my runs and some hill climbing on my bike rides!

Since it has been way too long since my last post, instead of boring everyone with the Monday-Sunday details of my weeks, I will share the past few weeks by sport (with pictures!).

The (Dreaded) Swim Practices!

The month of February was not particularly kind to those of us who were out in full force to take on swimming at 8:30 in the morning. Over the course of the coldest two weeks, I believe the average temperature in Mill Valley, California (Marin County) was hovering somewhere around 34 degrees.




This is what the pool looked like on February 13, as we arrived for our swim/bike training!




This is our coach Samir explaining what we will be doing for our swim workouts.

 
However, despite the cold weather and somewhat heated pool, we all jumped in together and practiced swimming drills and started to swim sets, which will help us increase our distances as we move through the training.

I have gone from barely being able to swim 25m (which is one length of the pool, not including coming back) to being able to swim a 500m this Sunday without stopping! I am still in awe of the difference a month has made!

After the cold February came rainy March. I now know what it is like to swim in an outdoor pool during a rainstorm. Let's just say at some point it's a lot more comfortable to stay IN the pool!


Rainy March swim at Ignacio Valley College in Novato - you have to sing I'm a Little Teapot if you forget to sign out of practices!

Since the Wildflower Triathlon in May is in open water (which means a lake instead of a pool) and there are no lanes to regulate WHERE people are swimming, Coach Samir had us do a drill on Sunday morning called "The Gauntlet" and yes, it was daunting as it sounds. Basically, we had the whole team line up in two lines on each side of the lane and splash, pull and harass you as you swim down the lane through the gauntlet. This drill is to simulate what the beginning of a triathlon swim will be like, with everyone running into the water and starting their swims in waves. Let's just say this drill was a big awakening for me, and I am very glad they have started warning us what the beginning of my first triathlon will really be like!

 

 

The Gauntlet!

 

So, to sum up the swimming, it has been fun but very challenging. I still feel like swimming is my weakest leg of the three, but I also have to recognize the improvements I have made since I jumped back into the pool seven weeks ago. We were given our wetsuits on Sunday after the workout, which only means open water practices in the San Francisco Bay are starting up soon!

THE BIKE!

Since I have a Century and a Metric Century, as well as training cycles for both under my belt, the bike leg of the triathlon is the one I am least worried about. Or at least I was, until the ride in the Marin Headlands this weekend!


After two seasons with the Team in Training cycle team, I am confident about where I am with my cycling enough to move from "just wanting to finish the bike portion" to "trying to challenge myself on the bike portion to make up for my suckiness on the swimming leg" mentality.


I have been enjoying the sights and company of my teammates, and loving (almost) every minute of our rides!



Tire Changing Clinic




Before the Marin Headlands Death Descent. Seriously the SCARIEST descent down a hill I have ever done. Notice we are still smiling, as we don't know what is coming!





After riding the Headlands, back at the top ready to head back to Mill Valley! That's me on the very left of the picture. Can you see the Bridge in the background? It was such a beautiful ride!



The Run!

So... it's safe to say that every.single.time I have started a program that involved running I have immediately developed shin splints (which are VERY painful if you've had the luck never to experience them). Call it a miracle, blame it on the old lady running shoes (Brooks!), the cross training with swimming and biking but (KNOCK ON WOOD) I have yet to feel the pinge of the running pain!

So, we have already established that swimming is my weakest leg and the biking is probably my strongest leg (if I were to have a strong sport in a triathlon), so that puts the running somewhere in the middle.

Over the course of the past few weeks, we have gone from running 20 minutes to running 4 miles (sometimes on trails in Marin). I just have to put it out there that this is the first time that I have ran 4 miles, straight - WITHOUT WALKING!!- since probably conditioning soccer practices in high school. Breaking the 3 mile wall was such a great obstacle for me to overcome. The best part? I felt like I could run another 4 miles (which is a good thing since Wildflower has a distance of 6mi).

I cannot take sole credit for this however. It has happened through Wednesday nights at Kezar Stadium running laps around the track doing intervals followed by core workouts that always seem to make my butt muscles sore the next day...

Kezar Core Workouts!

Miraculously, despite all the rainy weather we've had lately, it has not once (knock on wood) rained during one of our Wednesday night workouts!

Weekend runs are more for establishing distances and getting my body ready to run SIX miles after swimming for 1500 meters and biking for 25 miles. So, we set off for distances that are the farthest that I've ever run, every week and enjoy what is around us!

That's me in the black in the white hat! Unfortunately, our luck with the rain does not hold true for weekend runs.

 I have really been enjoying the training that I have been doing over the past few months. I feel great, I have more energy and I am more and more convinced that this is the best thing that I have done for myself lately. I have met great people, I am helping to make a difference in lives of the people I have never met and learning more and more about the challenges that I can overcome if I just put my mind to it.

So today, March 15, 2011 I am asking for your help. I have to raise another $1,400 by April 14 to make my minimum fundraising goal. Please take the time to donate today. You are making a difference in the lives of not only myself, but of people you have never met.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/wildtri11/lmodenakur

Thanks for taking the time to read about my adventures. I will make a more conscious effort to post as often as I can about my journey!



Hanging out until next time!

  To donate now, please visit my website at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/wildtri11/lmodenakur