Okay, so I've taken a month or so off after my first triathlon and I'm ready to set a new goal.

The Los Angeles Triathlon.

It's in the first week of September and the Olympic level course if well within my reach. The distances are .9 mi swim, 24 mile bike and 6.2 mile run. My first triathlon I swam .5 miles, biked 15 miles and ran 6.2 miles so I'm pretty sure I can be ready for the L.A. one in three months. This time I am really going to have a buy a bike though. And I can't train for that run on a treadmill (too boring!) so I'll have to do my running at night on the streets after Adam gets home.

I feel excited and relieved to have a new goal. It will be good to have another concrete goal to keep me excercising. Completing an Olympic level triathlon was my original goal for the year so I'm anxious about accomplishing it. Wish me luck!

I DID IT!!!

Today I completed my triathlon that I've been training for since January 6th. There was an official triathlon an hour away, but I was getting frustrated with logistics and hefty fees and decided to just do one by myself. Adam babysat Penny at home and I headed over to the YMCA. It was great! The best part was that I was able to do the distances I wanted and not worry about comparing myself to other athletes. I didn't get a t-shirt, any pictures of myself at the finish line or have anyone giving me water and encouragement along the route but I still feel like a champion. I guess I came in both first and last but I'll concentrate on the first part. Mostly I just surprised myself at how well I did overall even though my training has been non-existent for the past 3 weeks.

I knew when I started that I wanted to swim .5 miles, bike at least 11.5 mi. and run 3 mi. but once I started biking and running, it was really easy to do a bit more. I was mostly worried about the running. I haven't done much of it lately and wasn't sure of myself. I have never really run outside and have never done more than 3 miles, but once I got outside for the running segment, I had a ton of energy and once I finished the 3 miles, decided to do another loop to get 6 mi. My knees and hip joints are killing me right now, but it was totally worth it.

People seem a little disappointed with me for not doing an "official" triathlon, but it's not like it's any easier doing it all alone! Even though I did the bike segment on a stationary bike, I had it set to a really tough level with about 20 hills of varying intensity and was sweating my rear off. I KNOW the biking is easier in a group and most of the official triathlons have relatively flat biking surfaces so this was definitely harder than it would have otherwise been. I have a feeling I could have pushed myself a little harder on the run if I had someone to pace myself to. But I feel a huge sense of accomplishment. I want to do another, but will probably just do another by myself since it's way more convenient and less stressful. Plus, I can keep it flexible if I feel like going farther. My most compelling competition is myself and I push myself incredibly hard so this was the perfect way for me to do it.

Here are the nity gritty details for anyone interested:

I started at 10:09 am at my YMCA

Swim: 900 yards (a little more than 1/2 mile) in 14:38 (in the 25 yard indoor pool - 36 laps)

Transition: I didn't time my transitions, but tried to keep them under a minute. I jumped straight out of the pool, put on shorts, shoes, socks and headphones and got on the bike. I did the whole tri in my swimming suit.

Bike: 15 miles in 44:09 - approx 20 mph (on the upright bike - set to frequent steep hills the whole time. Very tough)

Transition: Grabbed a power bar, hit the street. It turns out I couldn't eat the power bar so I chucked in a trash can around mile 2.

Run: 6 miles in 1:04:24 (outdoors on the sidewalk - ran a 1.5 mi. loop twice. Had really bad cramps from miles 2 through 3 but had committed NOT to walk so I was able to run through it. My run time was a lot slower than I've been doing on the treadmill, but my legs were pretty mushy from the challenging bike and I was able to keep running the whole time so I'm not disappointed. Plus, I was able to double my distance so that made me feel pretty good! So I ran a little over 10 minute miles. Not bad, but I'll do better next time :)

I finished at about 12:15 pm and called Adam to get ready to EAT! I must have burned 1500 calories and we had a big Oreo cookie party when I got home to make up for it.

I'd like to thank:

Shonen Knife and The Crystal Method for giving me a soundtrack to compete to. When I started the run and Get Busy Child came on my mp3 player, I took it to heart and stepped it up a notch.

Adam for taking Penny so I didn't have to worry about the people in childcare getting me out of the pool to change a diaper.

Jared for all his encouraging comments - who also happens to be training for a marathon of his own and is full of good advice.

Everyone who I told to bug me constantly about doing this triathlon until I completed it. You guys kept me on task and reminded me why I wanted to do this in the first place. THANK YOU!

My neighbors who when I went over today to tell them about my finishing, were too exhausted to talk because they had just finished a 16 mile run of their own! Covingtons, you guys inspire me. Maybe I'll try a marathon one of these days as well. For now, thanks for being good examples to me of physical fitness and for all your encouragement.

So that's it. I think I would like to do another triathlon, but don't know when. I'm not sure what will happen to this page. My original goal was to complete an Olympic level tri and I would still like to do that. There is the Los Angeles Triathlon in September that I would like to compete in if I'm able. I'll take a break from tri training for now and just focus on yoga, pilates and weights. Those are the things I really enjoy right now.

April 26 -
I read an article the other day saying that most weight lifters are not lifting enough to actually improve their muscles and to find the ideal weight you had to be lifting consistent reps at least 75% the weight of your one rep maximum weight. I had never found my max on any of the machines before so this was enlightening. Some machines I am WAY underlifting, but a lot of the I was doing really well.

Workout:

Weights: I found my max weight on each of the machines to make sure that I'm lifting engough to actually improve. I was very surprised to find how much I could bench press - Here are my results:

Squat:
Was lifting 155
One rep max: 195
75%: 146 (fine)

Calf Extension:
Was lifting: 155
One rep max: 270
75%: 202 (need improvement)

Leg Extension:
Was lifting: 55
One rep max: 60
75%: 45 (fine)

Leg Curl:
Was lifting: 56
One rep max: 75
75%: 56 (fine)

Bench Press:
Was lifting: 65
One rep max: 97
75%: 72 (need improvement)

Fly:
Was lifting: 33
One rep max: 50
75%: 37.5 (need improvement)

Seated Row:
Was lifting: 50
One rep max: 80
75%: 60 (need improvement)

Shoulder Press:
Was lifting: 30
One rep max: 57
75%: 43 (need improvement)

Bicep Curl:
Was lifting: 15
One rep max: 26
75%: 19.5 (need improvement)

Tricep Extension:
Was lifting: 23
One rep max: 28
75%: 21 (fine)

Back Extension:
Was lifting: 115
One rep max: 135
75%: 101 (fine)

Abdominal:
Was crunching: 75
One rep max: 80
75%: 60 (fine)

Lat Pulldown:
Was pulling: 70
One rep max: 95
75%: 71 (need improvement)


Yoga Class: 40 min - I don't like this yoga class. We lie on our backs the whole time and the instructor is very disconnected. I have to remember not to waste any time on this class again.

Obviously, I'm taking it easy on the area specific tri training activities, but like I mentioned last week, I'm basically just trying to enjoy working out so it was another light day.

Workout:

Yoga Class: 60 minutes - intense balancing and strength poses. REALLY good class!

I showed up this saturday with my baby and forgot that childcare closes at noon so I only had 15 minutes to workout. Lame, but my fault as usual.

Workout:

Eliptical: - level 16, VERY intense, 250 calories
Yoga: 10 minutes

Workout:

Eliptical Machine: 35 minutes - hill level, 450 calories

Weights: Full set, 11 machines, 2 reps each - went easy on the right shoulder

My new goal is to NOT OVERDO IT! The reason I wanted to do this tri in the first place was to enjoy my workouts more and have more focus at the gym and I ended up totally overdoing it. So I'm back to just trying to enjoy working out. That means I'll end up doing the easier tri on the 29th of this month, but I will also not burn out.

Workout:

Eliptical Machine: 20 minutes- level 14 hill, intense - 300 calories
Circuit Weights: Full set - eased up on the leg press and shoulder press since it's been a few weeks but otherwise I've kept my strength pretty well.

Workout:

Eliptical: 35 minutes - 500 calories, hill, level 13

I'm totally out of my routine. I of course have all kinds of excuses why I haven't been the the gym consistently in the past 3 weeks, but they all ring hollow. I'm trying hard not to feel like a total loser but can't seem to get myself back to the gym. It's such a disapointing feeling to get back and see how much progress I've lost. Lame.

--I was able to get to the gym today!

Workout:

Eliptical Machine: 35 Minutes - 500 calories - 2.8 miles - intense

I was babysitting and being social all day so was planning on running this evening after a 7:30 meeting. The meeting went late, the gym closed at 9. Poor planning. I'll make up for it tomorrow by a really hard run.

I know I shouldn't be using the Eliptical Machine to train, but it's so easy and burns more calories than anything else so I did it again today. Better than nothing. I'm balking at getting back in the pool again but it needs to be done.

Workout:

Eliptical Machine: 40 minutes, hills, intense, HR sustained at 175. Even got to read the whole issue of Rolling Stone while I was at it.

Yoga/Strech: 10 minutes. My hips got tight in the past two weeks. Need to work them out.

I wore appropriate footwear today so it's back to running I go. Urgh.

Workout:

Treadmill: 25 minutes, 2.3 miles including warm up and cool down (2 miles in 18 minutes). Manual, 1.0 incline. Max sprint speed 8.5 for last 1/4 mile.

Whoops! Two weeks of not going to the gym and already my pants are getting tight. Intertia kills me. I went back today but accidentally wore two different running shoes so I had to do something else that wouldn't hurt my feet.

Workout:

Eliptical Machine: 35 minutes, Hill, Level 13 - 600 calories

It's been almost a week since I ran and boy am I feeling it. I need to take some of Jared's tips for next time so that the 3 mile run doesn't always kick my rear.

Workout:

Treadmill: 3 miles, 29 minutes. This time includes a 3 minute warm up walk and a walking break for 1.5 minutes after 1.5 miles. I ended with a 1/4 mile sprint going 8-9mph. I thought I was going to die.

I had a wedding to attend this weekend but thanks to a well planned reception, I was able to get a butt-kicking workout in on the dance floor!

Workout:

Dancing like a maniac: Approx 2 hours - medium intense

Workout:

Upright Stationary Bike: Approx. 35 minutes, level 13, maintained intensity and level. 11.5 miles

I joined the USAT finally. You have to be a member with them to do most of the races. Also, a guy at the gym is going to lend me Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel. It's supposedly a really good book to help with training. All the tri people I meet keep asking me if I'm reading. I'm not but they all seem to think it's the key to competing well. I'm sure they are right but it's enough just finding time to train without reading about training. But I'll do it.

Workout:

Treadmill: 3 miles in 28:10. Manual, incline of 1.5. Ran 1st two miles at 6.5 mph, slowed to 5.5 for a few minutes to catch my breath and did the last mile ranging from 6-8. I ran the whole time. I remember now that I'm really running why I haven't done it in the past. My asthma is surprisingly bad. Adam said I can have one of his inhalers. I hope that helps because it's like I'm breathing through a coffee straw and I feel like I'm going to die. But it was a good run and I'm very happy with the time. Just a little more improvement needed to get to my 25 minute goal.

Great day at the gym. I was able to go almost 2 hours thanks to careful planning with Penny. My friend met me at the pool and gave me some tips on how to swim better and some good drills to practice. I even managed to IMPROVE my time by using my legs instead of the opposite. It wasn't drastic, just cutting 1 second off my time, but it's good progress.

Workout:

Swim: 1/2 hour class with Laura analyzing my stroke and drills. 1/2 hour my time. I swam 18 laps in 7:49 minutes. Pretty good compared to the competition at the triathlon. I'll be at the top of the swimming crowd for sure.

Upright Practice Bike: 11 miles, 35:25 minutes level 13-14. I was carrying on a conversation with my trainer the whole time so I wasn't able to fully concentrate on the workout, but it was still a pretty good time I think. I'm going to try and get it under 30 minutes though.

Good day at the gym. With only 4 weeks to go, I need to get serious about decreasing my run time. I looked at last year's results for running, and I'm definitly one of the slowest. I am going to try and run 3 miles in under 25 minutes which means I need to get going. Today I decreased my time by 4-5 minutes. It's a good start.

Workout:

Treadmill: 29.5 minutes, 3 miles 1-2 incline. Walked at 2 miles for 3 minutes, then tried to run the last mile without stopping, but didn't do very well. Bad cramps the last mile.

Hatha Yoga Class: 30 minutes - I was a little too keyed up from the crazy running to really benefit. Oh well.

I tried today, I really did - I had company in town and wanted to bring my friend with me to the gym so she could do a class while I worked out. I got there at 4 with my friend and Penny and realized that they didn't open child care for another hour, and I had gotten the time wrong on the class. We had to go back home because there was nothing we could do with my baby.

Drr.

I ran into a friend at the Y today who gave me a great recommendation on where to buy a bike, offered to lend me her bike rack for race day and is going to meet with me next week in the pool to help me with my swimming problem! I'm very relieved. She used to be a competitive swimmer and was very generous about offering to spend some time with me in the pool helping me get ready. She does the one kick per pull technique that I desperately want to learn so I'm pretty excited. It was a good workout - cut short, as usual, but the fact that I have a crabby baby in childcare. But a good day.

Workout:

Upright Stationary Bike: 35 minutes, 11 miles, hill interval, level 12

Run: 12 minutes with warm up and cool down - mile sprint, 9 minutes. I need to start increasing my running speed!

Only 28 days till the tri. I am getting nervous for good reason. I still haven't gotten a bike, ran on the road, or done a real transition practice from biking to running. I talked to another tri guy today and he said that was the most important thing as the bike/run transition is what kicks most people's rears. I'll start looking for a cheap bike tomorrow.

Workout:

Treadmill: 40 minutes - ran 3 miles in 33 minutes - constant 1.5 incline - level 12
Weights: 8 machines - no shoulder or calf extensions (time constriction - had to cut out a few)

Totally strange day. I got back in the pool today after a bit of a break from the water. I bought a new waterproof watch with a timer so I thought I'd time my laps. Here are the weird results:
25 meters Kicking only: 40 seconds
25 meters Arms only: 23 seconds
25 meters arms and legs: 27 seconds.

So my legs are slowing my down! I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but it's got to be something major. I'm going to talk to the swim lesson lady at the Y and maybe get one or two personal lessons so that she can help me use my legs to cut down on time instead of increase it.

Workout:

Swim: 1/2 mile, 30 minutes, drills, timing
Yoga Class: Kundalini - 60 minutes - awesome! I really needed a good mind makeover. I was able to do some stomach exercises that I've never been able to before. Mind over matter.

I did another great yoga class today. There is an intermediate class that I should take though since this one was pretty easy for me.

Workout:

Yoga Class: 60 minutes - floor stretches
Circut Weights: 9 machines - easy on the shouler and insole.

Sundays are my Rest Days. Judging from the way my workouts have been going in the past few weeks, I'm in major need of some encouragment. I was getting bored of the bike/swim/run workout every single day and am starting to put some fun yoga, pilates and strength classes in. I just have to try and not do ONLY classes even though they are so much more enjoyable. I love lifting weights probably because of the instant gratification of seeing results. But the tri is at the end of March and I have to make sure that my running and biking are under control. It's nice not to have the pressure to win, but I certainly want to make it across the finish line.

My body is feeling great. I have good muscle definition and am limber and I've ever been. So it's all good even if I can't get 6 days in every week. I'll be fine.

Workout:

Total Fitness Class: 60 minutes - free weights, ab work, lunges, arms
I had never tried this class before but it was pretty intense. I was surprised at how much work my abs need compared to a lot of the other women in the class. My arms are pretty strong because of all the weights I've been lifting but I realized today that I need to spend a little more time on my core.

Workout:

Full set of Circuit Weights: 12 machines, 2 reps. Still feeling a little pain/crunchyness in my shoulder but am trying to be more moderate in my maximum weights. It's hard to not lift the max but I don't want to kill myself :(

Workout:

Circut Weights: Full set, 2 reps. I have overloaded my shoulder and am going to have to lay off a few of the arm machines for a week or so. Plus I've strained my insole on the calf extension. Why do I always have to push everything past its resonable limit?

Workout:

Yoga class: 60 min. Gentle but strenuous. This is why I like yoga. You always go to your maximum no matter how "easy" the position is. I'm going to try and change up my workout a little bit so I don't get too sick of working out.

I'm trying to take it easy at the gym. My old theory was do bike, swim, run and weights each 3x a week but I can't maintain that with Penny and my schedule so now I'm trying something more realistic like each area twice a week. We'll see. I don't want to keep missing days!

Workout:

Treadmill: 40min, 3 miles, walked at 20 min for 3 minutes. I lost a lot of momentum here but hope to gain it back quickly.