Impromptu Triathlon

Having set my sights on the Square Lake Triathlon in September, I settled back into the usual humdrum of law school and exercising when I had time or the weather cooperated. Enter Ann, a fellow law student and great friend, the Fruit at the Finish Triathlon, and why I decided to enter.

First, the chance to see the St. Johns/St. Bens campus, which I have heard about since my relocation to the Twin Cities was a huge incentive for participating. The bike and run course were to wrap through campus, the Lake Wobegon Trail, into the school arboretum and throughout a set of woods. A lovely way to start a spring morning in April!

Next, I was tempted by the indoor swim. April is way too cold for lake swimming in Minnesota, and I am still pretty scared of unknown lake creatures lurking in the depths. I can't do flip turns, but I knew my swim time in a pool would be far faster than my lake time last summer.

Ann also assured me that this was a relaxed race, not that competitive, and a great way to start the season. I was initially a little nervous, because I haven't been training anywhere near as hard as I did last summer, but with those words of assurance, I paid my $17 and made the commitment!

Flash forward to April 30. Minnesota is inundated with severe storms and heavy downpours. We drove to St. Johns hoping the entire ride that the rain would stop and we would have the sunny spring day we had planned on. The rain did eventually stop...2 hours after we had finished the triathlon. Competing in this so-called relaxed triathlon turned out to be one of the most hardcore things I have ever done. The swim was great, but the bike ride. Oh, the bike ride. Limited visibility, high winds, CROSS winds, cold, stinging rain, slick surfaces, it was nuts. By the time we got off our bikes and began the 5K, my feet were numb and my legs felt like sandbags.

But you know what faithful readers? This is just one more testament to willpower and friendship. Ann and I did the race side-by-side, had a FANTASTIC time, horrible weather aside, and the excitement from the race kept me in high spirits throughout the rest of the weekend, which during law school finals is saying a lot. I saw a bald eagle and heard about a million frogs chirping to each other, totally loving the rain. Now I'm concerned that the Square Lake tri might be too far away for my increased triathlon appetite, and I'm looking for a June or July race!

52 Degrees in the Twin Cities

Having become obsessed with the ten day forecast upon my move to Minnesota, I use this weather predicting feature fairly often to plan outdoor events. Today was no different. Knowing it was going to be in the 50s, I scheduled a run with Claire earlier this week, and we had a really great run together this morning along the Mississippi River. We were both working off hangovers, and today's run proved to be a satisfactory treatment.

Running with Claire is great, because she keeps a good pace, challenges me to pick up my speed, and we don't get to see each other too often, so we chat the whole run and the time just flies by. I canceled my gym membership earlier this week, so my last day at the gym is going to be April 14. But between scheduling running dates with Claire, and Rachael, who I run fairly often with as well, I think I will have ample opportunities to exercise. Claire is running her first 10K next week, Rachael signed up for a half marathon, and another friend, Lanser, is competing in her first triathlon this summer! Working towards my new triathlon goals and having some friends to keep me accountable is going to make this summer especially productive.

Bicycling Barristers

The above map is an approximate route of the bike ride I'm going to be doing every day this summer, twice a day, to my bar review course. The starting point is not at my apartment, just in case any of you stalkers out there were attempting to figure out my exact location. The ride is 8.5 miles each way and an estimated hour and a half commute roundtrip. I. AM. SO. EXCITED. I can't wait to start riding my bike again and really getting in some longer rides in the warm weather.

Even better, Erin lives near the Greenway, albeit a little further down the trail, and she plans on meeting up with me along the trail and finishing the ride together. I'm calling us the Bicycling Barristers. Maybe I'll even make t shirts. Studying for the bar 8 hours a day and still dealing with the additional pressure of not having a job has dampened the joy I typically experience in looking forward to the summer, but my daily bicycle ride is definitely something I can't wait for!

Guess Who's Back

Whats up, readers? It's been a long time since a new post, but that is all about to change. There are only two days left in March, and if there is a governing deity in this world, then the snow will be melting soon, and I will be training for my second triathlon!

Get ready for a summer full of excitement, sweat, and progress towards new goals. I have signed up for the Square Lake Triathlon sprint distance race, which will take place on September 10th. This race is different from last year in a number of ways:

1. new location 
2. longer course (.5 mile swim, 16.5 mile bike, and 5 mile run)
3. later date aka more training time 

Since the St. Paul triathlon I have done my best to stay in shape so I wouldn't have to start from square one again this summer. It has been tough, especially with my last year of law school not being as easy as I anticipated, but I've managed to maintain a fairly frequent gym routine. I'm looking forward to starting a new training program soon and having a schedule to follow every day. My goal is to start actually training after finals, oh and a little thing I like to call GRADUATION. Until then I plan on continuing to work about 5 times a week, but trying not to feel to guilty if I let school work take priority over the gym.

Like last year, Chauncey and I met up over spring break, but this time I went to Berea, Ohio to visit him. Luckily, Berea had much less snow than Minneapolis, and we were able to go running together a few times. This is about the time last year when I had made the decision to sign up for a tri and really challenge myself. Running with Chauncey this spring made me realize how far I have come in a year (at this time last year I couldn't run for more than a mile without stopping!), and it really made me excited for this upcoming season.

Stay posted for more updates and reader love!

The Finish Line

 

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!! More details to follow, including final race time and pictures.

Second Open Water Swim

Last night I attempted another open water swim in anticipation of my upcoming triathlon. While I am hesitant to say it went well, I will say that the experience was much better than swimming in Cedar Lake. I drove up to Clear Lake, MN with my friend, Phillip, and after surviving torrential downpours and flash flooding in Maple Grove, we finally it there around 7:30 pm. The section of the lake we were swimming was .4 mile, and I thought once we swam that leg, we would have a leisurely break on the beach and then swim back. Just kidding. Because once you swim out the .4 mile across the lake, there isn't a beach or place to exit. So we just had to turn around and swim back immediately. It felt like we had been swimming forever, and for one of the first times in my life, the thought of drowning briefly crossed my mind. Then Phillip reminded me that we had only been swimming for 17 minutes, and I realized I was being a HUGE baby and started swimming again.

While I was swimming, I tried practicing sighting, which involves turning your head forward to see where you are on the course, as you take a breath. It is definitely a practiced skill, but I was happy to try it out in open water, because going off course means being in the water longer, and I would very much prefer to be in the lake the shortest amount of time as possible. As I was swimming back to the beach on the second leg of the swim, I found myself thinking how great it would be to be a dolphin and have sonar. While this lake was clearer than Cedar Lake, I still could not see anything in front of me while my face was in the water, and I was slightly, read majorly, fearful of swimming directly into a sunken tree or a school of piranhas. I definitely felt more confident when I was swimming beside Phillip, which gives me hope that during the race, I will actually seek comfort in the fact that swimmers are close to me, rather than claustrophobia, which I have been anticipating feeling. Plus, all that splashing from others will drive away any creatures in the lake, right?

The Road to Recovery

All you readers out there have probably been anxiously awaiting my blog posts and concerned with the lack thereof. Sadly, your favorite triathlete was stricken with a bout of strep throat earlier this week and has been out of commission since Tuesday.

Being unable to maintain my training regiment has been very disappointing over this week, but the good news is that I am nearly 100% again and ready for action. Yesterday, I did one of my favorite bicycle rides to Hopkins with Erin. We took our time to enjoy the beautiful weather, and it was a good way to get back into the swing of things without going overboard the first day. If things go well today (meaning I leave the office at a regular time), then expect a post about my first lake swim very shortly!

REI Wonderful

So, as you might have inferred from my prior posts, I'm kinda obsessed with REI. Reasons why:
#1. Salespeople there are always nice to me (including the times when I have an attitude)
#2. Products are guaranteed for life
#3. They accept returns on anything
#4. The stores are pretty inside
#5. The stores are never crowded (even in MN, where people are actually willing to spend a lot of money on camping gear)
#6. Good Amazing sales (do I even need to tell you about the one time I got Uggs there for like $20?!)

Ok, those are just a few of the reasons that immediately came to mind. I bet that if I thought about it for a bit more, I could come up with even more reasons I <3 REI (like how the guys that work there are oh, so ruggedly handsome). But ANYWAY, the point of this ramble is that I returned my swimsuit and got a smaller size today. I'm not sure if my suit was no longer fitting well because it stretched, or because I lost weight, but you know what, I didn't even have to fully contemplate the "why" in this scenario, because REI takes back products, no matter what.

Oh, and what is that you say? The store didn't have a smaller size in stock? No problem! They ordered it for me, had it sent to the store, and then I show up a week later, give them the old suit, get a brand new one, and I'm on my way to the pool. Niiiiice! I'm happy to report the new swimsuit fits perfectly, and I had a great pool workout. This week's workouts are increasing again, so today I swam a total of 1,350 meters.

It felt really good to get in the pool and have a solid workout. I let my training fall by the wayside this past weekend and opted for nights out on the town, comedy shows, and beer festivals. But today was the first day of Week 5, and my excitement/anxiety about the race is beginning to grow!

Sky Rats

I was riding my bicycle to work this morning along the Greenway, minding my own beeswax, when I heard the evil screech of a sky rat above me! Pedaling faster to no avail, I soon felt a wet drip on my calf. Yes, that's right readers, your faithful triathlete was shat upon this morning by a maniacal sky rat.

Oh wait, but then what happened? "Spice Up Your Life" came on my ipod, and I instantly forgot the doings of the sky rat and proceeded to have an awesome ride to work. And yes, I still listen to the Spice Girls, and I LOVE IT. Shat was wiped off immediately upon entering the building and making it to the nearest restroom.

Above is a drawing of the sky rat in action.

"I stopped riding bicycles when they stopped making seats big enough for my rear end."

The title of this post derives itself from a comment made by an older gentleman I work with when I mentioned that I was going on a bicycle ride after work. I instantly thought "Oh I've seen people way bigger than you on bicycles," but something kept me from spouting that out, and in retrospect I'm happy that I just laughed nervously instead and returned to my desk. People are so weird.

I completed a quick 35 minute bicycle ride on the Greenway, and honestly, I am having a problem adjusting to this recovery week. After riding for over a hour last week on my bike, 35 minutes seemed so short that I felt vaguely unfulfilled at the end of the ride. But I'm far from an expert on triathlon training, so I'm sticking to this 12 week program come hell or high water. As long as my butt continues to fit in the saddle that is.

Recovery Week

I didn't mention this yesterday, but it was the first day of week 4 in training. Weeks 1-3 flew by, and after the completion of this week, I will be a third of the way to the triathlon! The book calls this week a "recovery week," meaning all my routines decrease in intensity and duration for one week. Today's swim routine decreased to 800 meters, which is 500 meters less than what I swam last week. It felt very easy, and I was in and out of the pool in no time.

On the way out of the gym, I stopped to ask two important questions: when does my current membership expire, and can I go to other YMCA locations with my membership? I need to remember to renew by July 17th, and I found out that I'll be able to work out at the YMCA in PA when I am home over the 4th of July. Awesome!

Sub 30 minute 5K!

Hey there readers! Guess who's favorite triathlete ran her first sub 30 minute 5K this evening? YOURS TRULY! I guess the trick to running faster is to head to Lake Calhoun, alone, around 8:30 pm just as the sun is setting, and then halfway around the lake remember that there was a shooting there just a couple weeks ago. Oh shit. Run faster. Claw the eyes out of anyone who approaches.

Don't worry Mum readers, I made it out of the war zone before it was completely dark and back into the safety of my car. It was then, when I checked my cell phone, that I noticed it was not even 9 pm. I left the car at approximately 8:30 pm and was back by 8:58 pm, which I don't know if you can keep up with the math, but that is less than 30 minutes! My miles thus far have all been around 10 minutes, so this was a really big deal for me. It means that I'm becoming faster and stronger, and I'm going to ANNIHILATE this triathlon and every contestant around me. Ok, I'm getting a little carried away. But really, I am hoping to at least smoke one person, even if that person is 60 years older than me. 70 days until race day!

Bicycle Ride to Hopkins

After work yesterday, I completed a bicycle ride to Hopkins, MN and back. The ride took about 70 minutes, including time spent stopping to take pictures. I wore my bicycle jersey that I purchased at the Microsoft campus when I was in Seattle in March. Actually, Giul and I bought these together - twinsies! As you can see, it's not nerdy at all and obviously something that only very sexy, cool people wear while bicycling.

Anyway, this was the first time I had ridden to Hopkins and back by myself, and I was mildly nervous about getting lost. But with the help of my friend, Lee, I wrote down some detailed directions on a scrap of paper, stuck it in the nifty back pockets of my jersey and was off. I referred to the directions a couple times on the ride, but really they served as a safety blanket, because I was always going the right way and recognized the turns and trail changes from my previous rides.

As evidence of my dedication to this blog, I remembered to bring my camera along for the ride and capture one of my favorite parts. This is a beautiful tunnel on the North Cedar Lake Trail (obviously), and it's a lot of fun to ride a bike through. The temperature drops, you're momentarily sheltered from wind and outside sounds become muffled. It also separates two distinct worlds: the forest you can vaguely see at the other end of the tunnel and a series of baseball fields and starter homes on the other side out of view. The baseball fields were packed last night with kids in uniforms and parents perched on top of coolers. Summer in Minnesota really is one of my favorite times of the year. I mean it's not Christmas or my birthday, but it really is a close third.

Swim swim swimming

My swim workout increased today from 1,100 meters to 1,300 meters, and though the increase was fairly small, I was tired at the end. But not too tired to be eternally grateful that I finished my workout just as a man with a HANDLEBAR mustache and a speedo asked if he could share my lane. Dude, doesn't that thing give you major drag in the water? And I'm not talking about the saggy junk you are so eager to show off.

In other news, I continue to be very satisfied with the training program I'm following in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Triathlon Training. Every time I begin to feel comfortable in a workout, be it running, bicycling, or swimming, the workout increases just enough to bring that challenge back. I love that the workouts are easy to understand, and I trust the authors' advice because they are both Ironmen. In the past, I avoided following workout routines because the instructions were confusing, and I typically forgot what I was supposed to be doing halfway through the workout. That hasn't even happened to me once in the past three weeks of following the 12 week program in this book.

Plus, guess what readers?! In addition to building stamina and muscle, I have also lost weight. I stepped on the scale for the first time since making the decision to sign up for the triathlon, and I have lost seven pounds! It felt awesome to see success in one solid number.

Tomorrow is my "day off" from training. I won't be doing anything in an official capacity, but I'll still ride my bike 12 miles to work and back. I might have to step it up on my ride home to make it to Gigis in time to meet Erin for happy hour. Although, I can't think of many things that are more motivating than a glass of wine with a great friend!

The End of Week Two

So today's 40 minute run wrapped up week two of the twelve week training program, and to honest, I was pretty frustrated with my run today. I have felt really comfortable so far progressing with bicycling and swimming, but running continues to be a HUGE hurdle for me, and the hurdle gets bigger as each workout time increases.

I asked Rachael to go running with me today, and I was thrilled when she said yes, because I knew the run would go faster with a friend. Thank god she was there, otherwise I would have stopped a quartile mile in and withered in embarrassment as all the super fit bodies passed me on the running path around Lake Calhoun. I pushed through the workout, and we ended the run stretching in the shade. Stretching is another reason I was grateful for Rachael's company. It feels totally awkward to stretch by myself, vogue-ing it out in front of the rest of the seen-and-be-seen crowd at Calhoun.

Week three begins tomorrow with another 25 minutes in the pool, but that might be prolonged until Friday seeing as how I'm going to Canterbury to bet on horses and drink $3 beers tomorrow after work! And I wonder why I am still having problems running...c'est la vie.



Cheers!

First Transition Workout

So for any of you who don't live in Minneapolis, it was about 90 degrees outside and HUMID. Not exactly the best weather for exercising, but riding a bicycle outdoors is so much different ie, better, than riding a trainer inside, that I waited for the sun to begin to set and headed out on my bike around 7:30.

I keep meaning to stick my camera in the back pocket of my jersey to take some pictures along my ride, and I really wish I would have remembered today! There were a ton of sailboats on Lake Calhoun and cute ducks waddling around everywhere. Plus I saw a family of Canadian geese, little fuzzy yellow babies and all. And some straight-up-off-the-chain-people-watching. Old guy riding his bike without a shirt, stop it. Your nipples are scaring everyone. So, if you can, just imagine that scene, and I promise I'll start remembering to bring my camera on future rides!

Bicycling felt great. I did my usual 45 minute ride around the Chain of the Lakes and then headed home. I stashed my bicycle in my apartment, exchanged my helmet for a headband and was out the door again for a 10 minute run! Running was...eh...not so fun. By this point I had literally sweated through my tank top and was feeling the heat. But I ran for 10 minutes and completed the workout. From what I understand, the running portion was meant to be focused more on becoming comfortable transitioning activities, as opposed to experiencing a great running workout. I have really enjoyed the various workouts in this week's plan, and I'm looking forward to turning up the intensity dial next week.

And, if any of you were wondering, I succumbed to the evil Comcast giant and signed up for internet at my apartment. Downside: no longer sticking it to the man. Upside: regular blog posts!

Days 3, 4, & 5

Friday, Day 3, consisted of a 45 minute bicycle ride around the Chain of Lakes. It was a cool, overcast evening so the trails weren't crowded. After a quick shower, I spent the rest of the evening working on my upper body strength with three games of bowling at Memory Lanes. I could barely shift gears on the drive home, but it worked somehow.

On Saturday, Day 4, I swam laps again, adding one more lap to the warm up and changing the workout to 6 x 100. It was a windy day, so I wore my new jacket on my bike ride to the gym. Sidenote, I didn't buy that jacket from that website, I got it from REI. A totally normal store.

Anyway, swimming felt pretty good. I am still working on bilateral breathing. I breath on my left side, so transitioning to my right has been difficult. But the books I've read have suggested bilateral breathing, because it allows you to sight better when in the water so you don't go off course, which adds time to the swimming phase. Right now I'm adding time because I keep sucking down pool water every time I try to breath on the right side. I'm hoping balance will happen at some point soon. Also, chlorine makes my hair feel like sheep wool. Solutions?

Today was Day 5, and guess what I did today? Nothing! Day 5 was a resting day. Pfffff. This triathlon training is going to be a freaking breeze. I am the best at resting. I had brunch with some awesome friends at the Herkimer and drank wonderful beer brewed by Gustavo. Then I watched 30 Rock and The Office, and THEN went to Rachael's house and ate delicious grilled cheeseburgers. Day 5 resting - check!

And, as a special treat for reading until the end of this post, here is a picture of my new favorite dinosaur: Protosaurus. Photographed at the Field Museum in Chicago.

Day 2: Not so great of a run

Today's training regiment called for 30 minutes of running. Piece of cake, I thought to myself. A quick run around Lake Calhoun, and I'll call it a day. Yeah, right.

It was hot. It was humid. A bug got in my eye. My crappy shorts that I've had since high school kept riding up. And I kept getting stomach craps, which I know are a direct result of not drinking enough water today, for which I can only blame myself. Augh. Not enjoyable. I thought I would be over these sorts of things by now, but today was just proof that I still have a long way to go before August 22nd. I stopped to walk 3 times, but then forced myself to run the hills on my way home, so I think it evened out.

But you know what, readers? This will NOT get me down. First of all, today was also the first day of my summer job, and I had an absolutely wonderful day and am so happy to be working there this summer. Second of all, I had an even better hair day! And yes, having a great hair day really is THAT big of a deal for me. So bring on the challenges triathlon gods! I am owning this summer.

First Official Day of Training

It begins today: Week 1, Day 1, of the 12 week training program I am following to prepare for the triathlon. I'm really excited to begin a strict training regiment, because I think it will provide structure to what has been a very unstructured work out routine.

I swam laps today and did the following work out:
4 x 50 warm up
6 x 75 workout
6 x 25 cool down

Swimming felt great! I was able to keep a nice pace and finished the workout in about the twenty minute time span that the book indicated. My arms are a little sore, but I think that will wear off by tomorrow.

And best of all, I managed to get to the pool at a time when there weren't a lot of other lap swimmers, and I got my own lane! I know, I know, I should be prepared for swimming in a group seeing as how I will be swimming en mass in Lake Phalen during the triathlon, but I'm just not ready for human contact yet. When I am swimming and someone brushes against my arm, I tend to use my former lifeguarding skills to knock them unconscious in an effort to survive. Nevermind that we're in a lap lane no deeper than 12 feet, I'm fighting for my life here people! So as you can imagine, its better for everyone when I get my own lane.

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was packed full of activities, but between studying and some socializing, I also managed to get in some great workouts.

Saturday morning, I woke up at 7:30 to go to the gym. In doing so, I conceded to myself that I was totally insane, because no sane person would wake up that early on a Saturday to work out. Or so I thought until I got to the gym. The parking lot was PACKED. Who are these people? I had a nice 2 mile run, watched some of The Hills re-runs, and then wrapped it up with some weights. After swimming the other day, I thought I should probably lift some weights to build muscle in my arms because they were dragging by the end of my laps. I wish there was a girls only weights section though, so I didn't feel like such a dweeb with my 15 pound weights next to the guy on 'roids throwing down his barbell yelling "rarrr!" Again, at 8 am. Chill, dude. Roid rage is so 2001.

Today, I first spent an hour on my own attempting to install my bicycle computer that I bought a year ago to track my speed and cadence. After numerous failed attempts, I remembered why I had put off installing the computer so many times. I called my friend, Lee, bicycle extraordinaire, who came over and helped me finish the job. A dozen zip-ties later, I had all the sensors hooked up to my bike and was off on a 20 mile bike ride to Hopkins, MN and back. The bike computer definitely made me work harder on the ride as I struggled to maintain a constant RPM (revolutions per minute) on flat surfaces and inclines alike. It was a chilly day, but the ride was great, and I'm looking forward to more long bike rides as my training progresses.

p.s. Kerri Strug got married this weekend! Childhood flashback right here!