Enlisting help, Keuka tri, and the first long bike ride of the year

I've got quite a bit of ground to cover in this post, so bear with my ramblings... The Keuka Lake tri is coming up quick, I'm now working with a Ironman coach and I crushed my first long bike ride of the year (though the sunburn on my back says otherwise.

Keuka rapidly approaching

I'm now **gulp** 13 days out from the Keuka Lake triathlon and **bigger gulp** 55 days out from Musselman. In addition I'm going to sign up Friday for the Quakerman olympic triathlon June 16 and the Wine Glass full marathon Oct. 6. I'll also sign up for Highlander Cycle Tour Sept. 7 at some point.

I'm so nervous for Keuka! I'm already having nightmares about forgetting my equipment, finishing last and blowing out a tire. Here's why:

• I've never swum in open water! I don't know if I'll have the right equipment. I have the sleeveless wetsuit, but I don't know if I'll need the neoprene cap and sleeves! 
• I don't feel like I've practiced swimming in the wetsuit and my bike/run transitions enough. I'll get on it but I'm running out of time!
• Did I mention I'm terrified of open water? 

Setting my fears aside, it will be a fun trip! I'm staying in the dorms at Keuka College, found the dogs a trusty dog sitter in Greece with a huge lawn, and might make a side trip to Bully Hill winery. Because wine makes everything better. I also just put an inquiry out about staying in the dorms for Musselman!

Enlisting help

A couple weeks ago I was struggling with my training and decided to reach out for a bit of help.

Random ramblings for a Tuesday (mostly about food)

It's been awhile since I've done a random ramblings post. So why not?

-I swam 2,000 yards last night in 56:09. I think my fastest time for this distance was 53-something, but I was still excited. Before then I'd done exactly one swim in three weeks, which I got done but didn't do so well because I still was having trouble breathing. I had similar trouble breathing the last five laps of the effort, so I kept my head up for the cooldown.
-The water was warmer then usual at the DFC. While I should be getting used to cold water, warm water was nice.
-I bribed myself with nachos from Moe's Southwest Grill to get my lazy butt in the pool. Definitely had an eyes bigger than stomach moment. They were delicious.
-Putting a Moe's Southwest Grill in between my gym and the parking garage is cruel and unusual punishment.
-I'm really hungry today.
-I'm again trying to track my food. I've given up counting calories, I eat too many salads and crockpot concoctions, so I've just been tracking in a Google Doc. Mission for the week: More protein. Hello, Chobani.
-So far I've consumed two Wegman's club packs of strawberries in four days. Delicious.
-Earth Balance coconut and peanut spread is delicious. I cut the middle steps and just eat occasional spoonfuls.
-Why did I open this soda? I don't even like soda. I don't want it.
-I started to write a bunch of scardy-cat bullets about the Keuka Lake tri, but then I decided to make it its own post.
-The Chase Corporate Challenge is in one week. Excited!!!
-Breaking news gotta go.

Back on track, but how to proceed?

After shaking off my Nyquil hangover after about three days of sleeping off a nasty cold (seasons, I appreciate that you changed, but you did it too quickly) I looked at the date on my phone, did some quick math and cringed a little bit.

The Keuka Lake Triathlon, a .46 mile swim, 13 mile bike and 5K run is 27 days away. The Musselman half ironman is 69 days away.

Because I might ship this blog out to a few pros for advice, I'll start from the beginning. I was crushing it with my training. I was following the Beginner Triathlete half ironman plan from March up until two weeks ago. Prior to that I wasn't doing much cardio but I spent about six months working with a trainer focusing on weights which really helped my speed and helped me get ready for the pool.

The only thing I hadn't been following closely on the plan was the bike, mainly because up until just a few weeks ago it wasn't feasible to get outside. I've been on the spin bike a lot though, teaching a lot of classes, but really couldn't stomach more than 90 minutes at a time. I was doing 2000 in the pool in about 50 minutes, and I did the Flower City Challenge (more on that in a second.)

So that was all up until two weeks ago. Then, I took a taper week for the Flower City Challenge. All I did that week was two spin classes, one short bike ride and two short runs.

I crushed the Flower City Challenge. Day 1 was a duathlon, a 5K run, 20 mile bike (with a few killer hills) and a 5K run. Day 2 was a half marathon. Felt great for both. But then the sinus infection came on, and I had to skip my trip to Ohio where I should have done another half marathon Saturday. All I did last week was two cycle classes with hardly any resistance on the bike.

I'd love some advice: How to proceed? 

I probably still can't get in the pool, not for a few more days anyway, because of my sinuses. Maybe I'll put in some time on the rowing machine just to do something. I've still never swum in open water.

Here's what my training plan calls for this week, lots of bike time. I can imagine I'll scale this back, today maybe I'll run instead of swim.

TODAY - SWIM WU 2 x 75 last 25 each breaststroke; MAIN 2 x 600, CD 150 easy (will skip); BIKE - 75 minutes with hills
TUESDAY - BIKE - 60 minutes, aero for middle 40 time
WEDNESDAY - 75 minutes w/ long tempo - 15 mins, 50 mins, 10 mins
THURSDAY- OFF
FRIDAY - SWIM - 400, 4 x 100, 200, 2 x 100, 100; RUN - 1 hour
SATURDAY - BIKE - 90 minute bike use aeros; RUN - 30 minutes after bike
SUNDAY - BIKE - 2.5 hours easy (I'll shoot for 50 miles)

A "do not start" for Capital City :'-(

I hate to feel like a quitter, but I need to keep my eyes on the prize and maintain (what's left of) my sanity.

I will not be racing the Capital City Half Marathon Saturday.

I've looked at it from every angle, and given the following circumstances there is no way running 13.1 miles in two days can be considered a not-horrible decision:

• I came down with a cold after my half marathon Sunday. Ok, that's a lie, I came down with a cold before my half marathon Sunday. Woke up at 1 a.m. and couldn't breathe. I just pumped myself full of DayQuil and Ibuprofin and miraculously survived, then slept for 36 hours. Oh, and I also ate my magic coconut peanut butter. (It's magic because it's peanut butter and I actually like it.)
• Many many many sources tell you not to take cold medicine and Ibuprofin before a run. I've already not listened once.
• Said cold has overstayed its welcome by about four days. Either it decided to get worse again this morning, or someone hit me with a bag of bricks overnight. 
• Against my better judgement I went to spin this morning, using the logic that "maybe if I get up and get moving I'll feel better." I did not feel better.
• I refilled my big water bottle at least six times yesterday, and still woke up dehydrated.
• It's going to be almost 80 in Columbus Saturday. I don't do well in the heat even when I'm used to it. I have not run in the heat this year. 
• Cold meds make my tummy hurt. 

The odd thing is, I feel tired but otherwise fine. No fever. I'm functioning surviving at work and had the energy to play with laugh at chicken butt Lizzie dog this morning (and clean up the half glass of orange juice she knocked over with her tail). Tonight I'll probably venture out to the store to buy more tissues and return my overdue Redboxes (to plow through Lincoln, or accept the fact that I will fall asleep during it?) Sooooo.... you get the picture. 

Even after all this, and multiple people telling me to listen to my body, I was tempted to go and try to run. "You jumped into a dumpster full of ice in November a year and a half ago and were fine the next day," I tried to tell myself. "That means racing doesn't make me sick!"

This was the deciding factor: I've already lost a week and a half of half ironman training from tapering and this cold. On Sunday, I will be 11 weeks out from Musselman. I am really far off my training plan.

If I run this, it could mean being out for another week, for a race I've already put a lot into.

That won't do.

I deferred my entry, so I'll look forward to the Capital City Half Marathon 2014.

I'll take my day off tomorrow, teach my class, then rest. Maybe take the dogs for a walk. Maybe introduce Flower to the Canal trail. Maybe get in the way of the Hollywood crews downtown like the rest of the city.

(And maybe go fight that parking ticket.)

Race report: Flower City Half Marathon

I can't believe I got through it. I completed the Flower City Challenge this weekend, a duathlon Saturday and a half marathon Sunday.

I did the du in 2:29:37. Check out my blog from yesterday. Yesterday I did the half marathon in 2:44:37 (is 37 my new lucky number?)

I've been pretty beat up today but it's well worth it. The best part? My rack of medals is officially too heavy to hold the new ones. Time to buy a new curtain rod!

That morning was icky at best. I woke up in the middle of the night with a stuffy nose and sore throat. My quads were sore and so were my calves. I took some cold medicine and was a little better by the time 5 am came. I nervously texted Megan and played on Twitter as I got my stuff together.

The weather was perfect. I walked to the office, across from the starting line, for some quiet and real toilets before the race. At 7 we headed to the start line and met up with Megan.

We couldn't hear a lot of the Boston tribute because the speakers kept cutting out. I'm really glad they did it though. We definitely crossed the start line to Save A Horse Ride a Cowboy.

You can usually tell how a race is going to go by the first few steps, and I was thrilled that I felt strong.

The first mile took us down West Main Street to the Susan B. Anthony House, where people were out with signs in colonial garb, awesome. We circled back and took Main Street to East Avenue. I still felt strong as we cut to Park Avenue. We took Goodman through the Highland Hills neighborhood, which had by far the best crowd support.

Up until this point we were holding a steady 11 minute pace. Then the hills hit.

Drums took us up the hills in Highland Park. Those weren't bad. Then we went into Mount Hope Cemetery. That kicked my butt. This part was really long, about three miles. I was exhausted toward the end, so the next mile along the Riverway Trail was rough. We came across the bridge to Exchange, and kicked it in.

So proud of Megan for finishing her second half! I walked around the arena and felt a little nauseated.

Got my second medal, tried to wear them both but they were too heavy! I slowly walked back to Corn Hill and collapsed. Several hours later I woke up with a full blown cold. I've been down all day.

But I did it!!

Race Report: Flower City Part 1

Race one out of three is complete! Now it is time to rest up for a 13.1 mile recovery run tomorrow!

Today I completed the Flower City Duathlon in just under two and a half hours. I'm thrilled with my performance but I'm also a little scared that I went too hard and didn't pace myself for tomorrow.

My times were:
5K run (just under 3.1 by my app): 30:45
Transition 1: 3:50
20 mile ride: 1:21:50
Transition 2: 2:24
5K run (3.4 miles by my app): 30:47
Finish: 2:29:37

I rode to the race, two miles away. I had attached a saddle bag and hand pump to my bike and wanted to make sure they were on properly!

It was a chilly start. I rode in wearing three layers. I'd be down to my tank top three hours later.

Run #1

At 7:20 they closed transition and we headed to the start. We started in waves, the du women went before the men, and at 7:36 I was off.

One thing I've noticed about Rochester runners that wasn't as true in Columbus is that everyone starts off so fast! In MIT they drilled pacing and running negative splits into our heads. I tried to start off slow, shooting for an 11:00 mile, and I was in the back of the pack.

Maybe it was the psychology of running in the back, but I felt like I was poking along. Not true. My app gave me the first half mile update, and it was sub-10. Woa there! I tried to back off but my legs wanted to carry me faster. Tomorrow I'll be happy for the pacers!

The course went along the river along the trail, and there was a nice breeze. Perfect running weather. I walked up the few very tiny hills, which saved energy and didn't hurt my pace.

My splits were:
Mile 1: 9:59
Mile 2: 10:12
Mile 3: 10:29

The average temperature was 43 degrees.

I went into transition feeling strong. I got on the bike and took off.

Bike

Here's the thing I love about running: No matter how much you spend on fancy shoes, clothes and hydration packs, the talent is all you. That's not true on the bike: Better machinery yields an advantage. You can buy speed.

It was my first race on my new road bike, she shall be named Flower from this point forth, and there was an incredible difference. On the Giant hybrid, I was riding around 12-14 mph. On Flower, I was riding 16 to 18. And that was during my first real ride of the season.

I was happy to be passing many, and only getting passed by a few. I rode the big chain ring the entire way, except for the hills.

We hit the hills by RIT and heading out toward Scottsville. We turned a corner by a gas station in Wheatland, around Mile 10, where a course marshal yelled out "it's all downhill from here!" I cursed her as we climbed yet another hill, but then it was mostly flat coming back through Chili.

My mile splits were consistently 3:20 to 3:40 on the flats, and as high as 5:30 on the hills. The average temperature for this segment was 45 degrees.

I felt wobbly getting off the bike, and went back into transition.

Run #2

Those first few steps were not pleasant.

Running right off the bike is a very odd sensation. It takes awhile for the legs to realize that it's time to work with different muscles. As a result, you can feel yourself moving, but your legs are completely numb.

I felt like I was shuffling along. The people around me looked like they were shuffling along. But when the app gave me the half mile update, I was close to a 9:00 mile. It was like I couldn't control my speed, and I also just wanted to be done.

I've been running with the app Runtastic, and it talks to you when someone online motivates you. I got two such motivations during this run, such a small thing but it really does give you a boost.

Continuing to run on autopilot, I crossed the bridge by U of R and a girl in a kayak yelled up at me, she recognized me from the pace team I ran with two weeks ago. This was another boost.

There was a paddle triathlon going on simultaneously, so we ran alongside the kayakers and the canoes, which kept me distracted. I didn't have any ability to pick it up at the end, but I kept a steady pace across the finish.

My splits were (not including the .39 at the end)
Mile 1: 9:11
Mile 2: 9:33
Mile 3: 9:02

After I stretched, laid in the grass and watched the band, rode home then went to an amazing yoga class at the Downtown Fitness Club.

Time to lay out my clothes, and get ready for Day 2.

(Typed from the tablet, I'll add in links/photos later!)

Flower City: As ready as I can ever be

In two days starts the crazy three-races-in-eight-days scheme: The Flower City Duathlon, the Flower City Half Marathon and the Capital City Half Marathon.

First, check out this video I did with some of my colleagues on the Flower City course. I'm proud of it!

So... I'm ready as I'll ever be! I got my new bike...

...have picked up my race packet...

... a very pretty t-shirt...

... and am getting my information together for the Capital City Half Marathon the following weekend!

The plan is to go slow for all legs of the Flower City Half Marathon and the Flower City Duathlon. Then I'll give Capital City all I've got!

My new family member

Per the rules, as outlined by a former MIT friend, she won't officially get her name until after Saturday, when she completes her first race, but meet Flower.

Flower is a 2013 Cannondale Synapse Sora, purchased from Bert's Bikes in Henrietta. Since this photo was taken she has had an upgrade of clip-in pedals and water bottle cages (sidenote: wondering if I can buy bike water bottles in bulk somewhere, I always lose them!)

I was looking forward to a Caad 8, but there was a slight miscommunication between the bike manufacturer and the store it did not arrive as planned. So, I got the Synapse, a slightly better bike, for the same price!

We went on a few loops around Corn Hill Tuesday. I'm pretty sleepy today, but might take her out for a small chain ring ride tomorrow. Looking forward to the du on Saturday (of which she is named after!)