Pacific Coast Triathlon

Yesterday was the big day. I was worried because Skyler had been feeling sick all week. I thought he would not be racing, but somehow he felt better yesterday morning. So the three of us raced in the triathlon (me, Skyler, Kristina). The water was frigid. It was 58 degrees. Thank goodness I was wearing a wetsuit. Kristina said she felt hypothermic (she didn't have one). The swim was about twice as long as our last race. I did ok on the swim, once I got past the icyness of the water. So I finished the 1/2 swim and then there was a hill that ascended 300 feet that we had to go up. It was the type of hill where you go just as fast walking as you do running. It was intense! The bike went well for me. The course pretty much just consisted of hills. I felt strong on the hills. I was passing people going up and coming down. Last was the run. I felt good on the run. At our last race, I felt like I wanted to pass out on the run, but this time I felt good. I definately ran faster but they threw in some curveballs. Towards the end, we had to run on the sand for about 1/2 mile. And the very last part of the run was another giant hill, similar to the one we had to go up after the swim. It was very difficult. I finished the race with a time of 1:33:50. Skyler had a time of 1:27, I think and Kristina had a time of 1:20. She placed third in her age group. I placed 16th out of 40. I feel really good about my time. I am anxious to see the splits.

I guess the next race I am training for is the Muddy Buddy. The only problem is that I don't have access to a mountain bike so I will have to go to the Spin Class a lot for practice. That race is on November 4, about two months away.

4 More Days!

Last night I swam 64 laps but I didn't have the best time because I was sharing a lane with another girl that was slower and then a dad playing with his kid in the middle of the lane. But I still swam a mile in 30:30 minutes. After that I did some weights. I would really like some nice-looking calves. I lifted a little of everything. Then, it was yoga class. Not sure what tonight will consist of. I am back to the days of inconsistent workouts due to Skyler being home more often. I like that!

Hot Weekend

It was a scorcher! But I did get some workouts in. Saturday Skyler and I swam at Corona del Mar. Our whole swim was probably about 20 minutes long. Not too bad. The water was cold so I was glad we were wearing our wetsuits. Yesterday I went to the gym to get away from the heat. At least I would have a reason to be hot. So I ran 2.8 miles in 22:15 minutes. That is a 8:00 minutes mile pace. It was hard, especially since I had to go to the bathroom the entire time I was running. That's why it ended up only being 2.8 miles instead of 3.1. After that I swam 20 easy laps in the pool, just to cool down. Then I did some weight lifting. Tonight I am going to do a serious swim and then yoga. Yesterday I was at 109, almost the same number as the temp in Fullerton.

Going strong

Yesterday I ran 4 miles on my new running loop. I did it in 34:16 minutes. That averages to about 8:35 per mile. Not bad. I am getting a faster time on that run, so that is good. I can run faster at the gym, but it's the outdoor running experience I need. Tonight I am off and tomorrow Skyler and I are going to do some swimming at the beach and maybe a bike ride. I need to get my back bike tired because it is flat for the tenth time. I think there is something wrong with my bike wheel. I want to get it checked out.

Feeling a little sore

These past two days I have felt a little sore, not like a hurt sore but more like a worked-out-hard sore. Last night I went to me Spin Class. The regular instructor is gone for the next 4 weeks so we had a sub, but she wasn't nearly as good as the sub from last week. She had old music (on CDs even!) and wasn't as motivating. But I still got a good workout. After the class I did 10 minutes on the stairs again. I figure that I don't need to hurry home since Skyler is not there. I really miss him and will be glad when the party is over!

Tuesday

I got a good swim in last night. I swam 64 laps in 29:32 minutes. My record time from the other day was 6 seconds faster than that. After swimming I went to my yoga class where she worked out our legs and shoulders a lot. Tonight I am once again on my own so I am going to go to the Spin Class. I wish the sub from last week was going to be there again, but I am sure I will still work out hard. I worked out on the stairs the other night for the first time and I can totally feel it. I think I might try to do them again tonight before the Spin Class. Last week I got five work outs in for the week and this week looks like it will be the same. That's the only good part about Skyler hanging out with his friends too much!

One hour

I have made it my goal to stay at the gym for at least an hour when I am there, so yesterday I made sure that happened. First, I ran 3.1 miles at a 8:28 mile pace, about 25:20 minutes. Then I walked another 1/2 mile as a cool down. Then I lifted weights upstairs for about 20 minutes. I still had a little time left so I did the stairs. This is no stair-master. It is full-on stairs that move. So I did those for 10 minutes. As I am driving home I talked to Skyler who said he was just leaving home to go to a friend's house. I took my time getting to the gym and then stayed so long that I missed getting to see my husband for the night. Oh well. I had a great workout. Tonight is swimming and yoga.

The Weekend

Friday I had all the time I wanted to run so I decided to try out a new route. I ran up Acacia into the rich area of Fullerton. There were a lot of hills up there. I had to stop about three times to catch my breath after some huge hills, but I ended up running 5 miles total. My total running time was 44 minutes (that does not include walking time). I felt great!

Saturday I swam at the gym. I didn't feel as great as I did the other day when I ran. It could be because I wasn't feeling so good the previous night, but I still swam fairly well. I swam 64 laps (one mile) in 29:55 minutes. That is about 30 seconds slower than the other day, but I am ok with that. Tonight I am hoping to run and maybe swim. But if I don't swim then I will lift weights.

Yeah for swimming

Last night I swam my fastest mile ever. Although I have only swam a mile a handful of times, I am still proud of my time. I swam 64 laps in 29:26! I think the change came from my small sprints. Every 10 laps I sprinted one lap (25 yards) and then I would return to my normal pace. But right after the sprint I would still be swimming faster than my normal pace so it kinda helped me go faster. After swimming I went to yoga. I hadn't been in 2 weeks so it was nice. But crazy buff Mexican girl took space that Jill and I have claimed as OUR spot. So we had to re-adjust. That girl could kicks our butts--at the same time!

Another great run

So I did another outdoor run yesterday. I ran the same route as last week, only backwards. I ran 3.8 miles in 3 minutes. That is a way better time than last week. I think part of the problem was that I didn't pause my stopwatch when I was stopped at a stoplight. Oh well. Just doing the run was a good exercise. Today I am going to swim and do yoga.

Outdoor Run

I am trying to do more outdoor runs because it will help a lot more with my races than the treadmill will. Yesterday I ran 4 miles in about 37 minutes. It was not a good pace but I feel like I accomplished a lot because of the distance. I am trying to work more on running longer distances. This weekend we are going to Lake Mead. Maybe I can get a good swim completed. Oh, we signed up for the Pacific Coast Triathlon on September 9. About three weeks away!

Yeah Running

So last night I skipped yoga and did a good run instead. I ran 3.1 miles before I started my slow jog cool-down. I think I need to run outside more often because it seems to be easier and the distance doesn't seem as far. It has just been so hot outside that I don't have a desire to go outdoors and exercise. After running I did a little bit of weightlifting. I am sore today from that. Tonight is my night off!

And I've Started Again....

Skyler and I decided that we are going to do the Pacific Coast Triathlon in Newport Coast on September 9. That is less than a month away. So yesterday I did a good swim. I swam 64 laps in 30:15 minutes. Not bad, but I need to kick it up a notch. Actually, I want to start doing drills so I can get better at sprint swimming. Jill won't be at yoga tonight so I might not go either. I really would like a good run. We will see!

Finished!

Yeah! I finished the Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon! It was awesome! I feel like I did pretty well. Yes, I was mad at first because Kristina beat me. But I felt a little better after I found out that she beat Skyler also. I guess she is better than we all thought, including herself. The swim was really hard for me because the waves started getting big as my wave started. I got thrown back by a few before I realized I had to watch the waves and then dive under when one was coming. Also, on this swim I felt like the s were swimming everywhere. I keep getting hit, kicked, and swam into by everyone. It didn't get any better as the end neared. But I feel like I still did ok. Then the bike was next. I pushed pretty hard on the first half of the bike, until I saw Kristina and figured out that she was 5 minutes ahead of me. Then I kicked myself into gear and did the second half of the bike super hard. So when I got to the running portion I was beat. It was so uplifting to see my family cheering me on. It put a smile on my face! Skyler ran next to me for the first 3/4 mile of the run to give me a pep talk. He is so sweet to me. I felt like I could barely lift my feet but I kept plugging on. By the last mile, I started to get some strength back and I finished my run strong. It was a great race! Not sure what our next race is, but I am hoping for Newport Coast, because it is close!

One more day!!!

Well, tomorrow is the big day! Yesterday I did a quick swim as my last workout. I swam about 34 laps in 16 minutes. I am ready for this race. The only thing I am worried about is my front bike tire. The other day it was completely flat, two days after filling it up. So Skyler changed the tube again last night. Hopefully I won't have a problem...although I do know how to change a flat. I hope all goes well. I hope the water is not too cold! Good luck to us!

Getting ready

So last night I planned on running 3 miles before my yoga class. As I started my run my legs didn't feel very good. I didn't want to get shin splints right before my race, so I only ran one mile. I am not even sure of my time, I think it might have been 8:30. Anyways, so then lifted some weights and went to yoga. Yoga is probably the best activity for me this week. I found out that my family is coming to watch my race. That makes me feel special. 3 more days!

The countdown begins!

So yesterday I had a pretty good workout. I had a great plan of riding to the gym, then swimming, then finishing with a long ride home, but I forgot about the swim class at the gym. So I went on my bike ride first. I rode 13 miles in 52 minutes. I practiced the Bastanchury/St. College hill twice and the Harbor/Brea hill once. I really want to excel at hills. I really need to excel at biking all together, because I think that is the only chance I have of beating Kristina. So after my ride I swam 40 laps in 18:20 minutes. Not bad. So I found out today that Kristina and I will be starting at the same time. That makes me more nervous because now the only way I will know if I am beating her is if I am in front of her. I know that I should only be competing against myself but now I have living competition and I want to win!

Good Run

Saturday Skyler and I did a long run on the Fullerton route. I ran a total of 4.8 miles in 40 minutes. Not bad. But I had to make two stops, one for a bathroom break and one at the halfway mark. Not a bad run, but I need to be more consecutive. Today I am either riding with Kristina or I am swimming and running at the gym. Tuesday I think I will do yoga but I want to do something else also. I can't run because I might run today. I guess I should take a bike ride today and then I can run and do yoga tomorrow. Then, I can swim on Wednesday and then one last bike ride on Thursday. Friday I can do an easy workout and then Saturday is the day!

Wednesday

On Wednesday I ran a fast mile. I ran it in a little less than 8 minutes. That's fast for this time in my life. I can continue to get faster. Then I went to my Spin Class, which I hadn't been to in weeks. It was a good workout. I am ready for this race next week. Kristina is very good at swimming and running so I think I will have to focus on my bike so I can catch up with her. She starts 5 minutes before me. I am so excited. Tomorrow is a prep and train day for Skyler and me. One more week!

Monday & Tuesday-Taking it easy!

So Monday I decided swimming would be the best workout for the day. I swam about 45 laps in 21 minutes and then my right foot started cramping up. I tried to keep swimming but it was hurting my toes. So I stopped. Tuesday I went to me yoga class. I hadn't been in about 3 weeks so it was a good workout and relaxation. Tonight I am looking for a tough workout. I want to go to my Spin class and try to run before the class. We will see how I do!