I'm going to work my way backwards through this weekend's training activities because they seemed to go from good to bad.
Hormonal Digression
First off, let me digress by saying that triathlon training is tough. (I would recommend that the men stop reading at this point, but they didn't listen about the "Flower Power" post, so I won't waste my time telling them again). Anyway, triathlon training is tough for any athlete, but I contend that it is even tougher for a female. It is especially tough for a 45 year old woman who's body is in the process of a "last call" of sorts. Not that anything has stopped, unfortunately.
If it could all just be over, it would be great...I wouldn't have to cross reference the calendar with the race schedule. If things could just be normal, it would be fantastic. Unfortunately for me (and Hot Stuff), things can get a little crazy. I am guaranteed at least 4-5 days a month of insomnia. No matter how hard I train, I cannot sleep though the night. I will wake up around midnight and toss and turn until about 3am. If I am lucky enough to doze off, I am cruelly awakened by my alarm at 4:15am.
This little sleep problem is what kept me from going to swim practice on Friday morning. I had managed to fall asleep and when the alarm went off, there was just no way I was dragging myself to Lodi to go swimming. On top of the sleep thing, there is bloating, fatigue, weight gain, and a wee bit of crabbiness. All of this can wreak havoc on a training schedule.
I know the female problem is ramping up when I start crying for no particular reason. After my dreadful run this afternoon, I sat poolside, soaking my feet and reading "Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop: From Common Man to Ironman" by Andy Holgate. When I got to the part where he crossed the finished line and became and Ironman, the tears started to flow. Uh oh. This is a another warning sign...be prepared for more posts about crying and running. LOL
Ok, enough about that...other than I hope my hormonal stars align for Barb's Race...on to my training this weekend.
Is It Hot or Is It Just Me?
This morning Mike T asked me how far I planned to run. I answered 13-15 miles and fully intended to run that distance. I started my run about 1pm and by mile two I was downing my Gatorade. Typically I carry water with me, but I decided I needed Gatorade today. Big mistake and I drank too much too fast. After I passed mile three, Hot Stuff caught up with me on his bike and caught me walking. I told him the heat was really getting to me and my stomach was starting to bother me too.
The next three miles were a combination of running and walking. At mile six I had a GU gel and some water. Thankfully, Hot Stuff reserved two of the water bottles on his hydration belt for me and filled them with water (I won't say what was in the other two bottles). Mile seven was good, but during mile eight the GU gel got into a battle with remaining mexican food in my stomach and I started having serious cramps. I walked most of the back side of Embarcadero and wondered aloud how hot it was. Hot Stuff wasn't sure, but it felt like 90 degrees to me.
My Garmin recorded a temp of 79 degrees, but Weather.com said it was 89 degrees in Stockton. I'm not sure which one was correct, but regardless, it hurt. All I can do is continue to work on getting used to the heat. I've read that the run portion of Barb's Race can get warm.
Sunday Runday by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details
Why Not Ride to Practice?
Saturday morning I told HS that I was going to ride on the trainer for about an hour before we headed
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| Coach James gave me a special cap today |
Unfortunately, the wind had picked up again and we battled a head wind all the way to Lodi. I could tell that HS was really, really mad at me (He was wearing the backpack). He didn't speak to me the entire ride there and I had to dodge snot rockets most of the way. Trina remarked that after that ride I was "F'n Tracy"! LOL Oh, well, the ride home was much better and we had a five mile segment where we averaged over 20 mph.
F'n Tracy Ride by tpengilly at Garmin Connect - Details
The transition clinic was good. Luckily James is very patient and handled all the questions and side conversations with ease. He had a trial by fire with our first tri group, so he knows to just ride out the talking until he can get going again. Hot Stuff, on the other hand was not quite as patient and kept trying to quiet people down to no avail.
During the transition clinic, Coach James presented me with a cap from his Ice Breaker Swim. This Saturday was the official end of the pity party (over my swim) and the cap was a great way to end it! I am looking forward to my next swim and I swear I am going to relax and not race!
Hand Grenade with a Water Bottle
Last week during our Zin Spin ride, James pointed out a rider in front of us. She was swerving around a lot and didn't seem to have good control of her bike. "You see that?" he asked "That's what you call a hand grenade!" OMG! I hope she was far enough ahead of us that she didn't hear what he said :-) The funny thing is, I am a hand grenade! Ok, maybe not at bad as that lady was, but I have my moments.
Friday morning, after skipping swim practice, HS and I went on a ride. During this ride, I practiced drinking out of my water bottle and replacing it. A couple of times I let the water bottle dangle from my teeth as I worked to steady myself enough to replace the bottle. I need a lot of work in this area. I fully envision doing the entire ride portion of Barb's Race without taking a drink and then falling over from dehydration. (Just kidding James...I promise to work on this until it's not a problem).
Looking forward to another week of training!
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