Clarity Defined

Dam(n) Hill

Originally uploaded by strong_enough

Here’s one of the pictures I took while riding… this is about 1/4 of the way up the hill. It gets even steeper around that corner. There are a few other pictures from today at Flickr… so click the picture to get back to the rest of them.

Good friends who so kindly check in to see how training is going,

So sorry that I haven’t posted about last Saturday yet! I was completely exhausted afterwards on Saturday (plus I had to work) and then time just got away from me.

Let me tell you about that Dam(n) Hill we call Del Dios Highway and the brick that I’ve been assured ISN’T the hardest (this news makes me very frightened, haha). If you want to see the route, the July 12th image is relatively accurate… our Lake Hodges point was just a mile farther than last time… adding just over two miles to our total bike distance.

As per usual, the day started bright and early. I needed to arrive at Lake Hodges in Escondido at 7:30am for our workout and I was working diligently to achieve that first goal of the day. Since my knee has been bothering me on the ride the last couple of weeks, my old roomie (and current neighbor) came over and taped my knee. She is an angel. Seriously. She woke up on Saturday morning, walked to my apartment, and taped my knee at 6:45am. ANGEL!

I arrived just a couple of minutes late, but I was one of the first teamies there so I felt pretty good about it. I put my bike together, loaded up the camera, phone, gels, and waters. (As an aside, a friend asked, “What are gels?” and I realized that some of you or all of you may not know. Gels are energy bars in a gel consistency. Most of the time, I use PowerBar Gels because the aid stations have had them. The taste is decent, though I’ve learned chocolate is one of my least favorites. The taste is just fine, but it’s a much thicker gel than the other flavors which makes it much more difficult to consume while riding… at least for me. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.) I checked in with our coordinator Heather and talked to my teammates.

We had our weekly Mission Moment courtesy of Mike, received wisdom from Coach (who we missed dearly the week before as he was officiating a Half Ironman in Solana County), met some fantastic alums who were joining us/helping us with the ride, and got ready to go.

I alerted Coach to my continued knee pain before we headed out and he had me go around the parking lot a few times first. He lowered my seat a smidge (although is now considering raising it again) and told me that I need to constantly remind myself that my heel must NEVER be lower than my toe. Never. Ever. It seems that I’d overcorrected my toe down (which leads to numb toes) to heel down (which strains the knee). The pressure should be on the ball of your foot.

I began the ride and instantly noticed how much more concentration it took to remember my foot positioning, but *whatever it takes* became my motto. I also noticed how fatigued I felt. After sand intervals last Tuesday, pool swim on Wednesday, and ocean swims on Thursday and Friday, I was tired. My body was tired. I knew that I just had to push through though and I did my absolute best.

I still couldn’t get all the way up Rancho Rd, but I made it up that first steep section a little bit farther than last time before having to hop off and walk the rest of the way to the highway. I survived the first trip up the dam(n) hill (the hill where Lake Hodges Dam is visible that also happens to be horrendous) and noticed that the ride down to the beach was about as tough as I remembered. My knee wasn’t hurting, but it was still a difficult ride and I found myself stopping more frequently that I expected I would on the first half of the ride. I was extremely grateful for Iris (a teammate) running SAG that day. I caught her at the top of a hill and was refilled with water and Accelerade to push me through the rest of my downhill journey.

I got all the way to Fletcher Cove and had an immediate turn around to go back up… no more rest stops for chatting! As Coach says, “The honeymoon is over!” I did end up stopping about halfway up Lomas Santa Fe for a water/gel break. My knee had just started having twinges too, so I wanted to try and alleviate pain before it got worse. I got back on and trekked up that hill. Once more, Iris saved the day at the perfect time and I had another refill and also got ice for my helmet. What an amazing feeling!! It also saved the water for drinking instead of pouring over my head!

The ride back up the mountain was much easier, overall, than the ride down. The way the hills roll really assists you on the bike and I was regularly able to use my downhill speed and momentum to throttle me up the next hill. The dam(n) hill still got me though. Oh! It’s so brutal. It took me nearly 20 minutes to go the toughest, steepest portion of the climb (between the mile 10 and mile 11 markers). Iris was there to great me nearly all the way to the top and I had more refills, encouragement, and ice. I booked it from the 11 marker to the 12 and just zoomed along the rest of the way. Approximately 27 miles later, my knee didn’t hurt and I’d completed the ride in just under three hours.

Then, I set off on a four mile run. My legs could not run. They were cramped, tired, and terribly angry with me at the suggestion that they move. At all. We made an agreement, my legs and my brain, that we’d do a walk/run combination and that stops for stretching out the calves would be allowed. I completed the first mile about 3 minutes slower than what my per mile 10K pace would be… though that projected 10K pace is on the basis of a 10K alone, not incorporating the prior swim and bike. That being said, I wasn’t terribly disappointed in my time, but I do wish I could speed it up. My second mile was faster than the first, but my third and fourth miles aren’t accurate representations as I actually went farther than the mile marker by accident… oops! My four mile run turned into a four and a quarter mile run.

All in all, it took me just under four hours to complete 27 miles of tough hills and 4.25 miles of trail running. Wow!

Hello friends!!

I’m still busy plugging away at my fundraising and as always, I could use your help. If any of you are Padres fans, in the San Diego area, OR know someone that is… please read the following.

By purchasing $12 or $32 tickets to these games, you (and/or your friends/family) will be donating approximately 1/3 of the price of each ticket to my fundraising for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. So please, consider seeing the San Diego Padres play and buy your tickets through me! Pass the email along.

Please follow link to purchase Padre tickets:
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/sd/ticketing/groups/ll_society.jsp
Please view the tab above for the PROMOTIONAL CODE.

The promotional code is only good for the remaining four games:

Monday, July 28th – vs. Arizona Diamondbacks at 7:05 p.m.
Thursday, August 14th – vs. Milwaukee Brewers at 12:35 p.m.
Sunday, August 17th – vs. Philadelphia Phillies at 1:05 p.m.
Monday, August 25th – vs. Arizona Diamondbacks at 7:05 p.m.

Go Padres! Go Team!

Today’s brick workout consisted of a the ups and downs of the Palomar Airport Business Park. Four mile ride, one mile run, multiple by four or six and that’s that.

Oh! If only it were that easy…

Today’s workout didn’t workout for me. As it turns out, the people at the blood center aren’t lying when they say “wait 24 hours before you exercise.” I thought I’d be fine as it’d been over 22 hours, I’d eaten several meals, hydrated plenty, etc… but I wasn’t fine. My energy levels were at about 2 after only a few minutes on the first major uphill of the course. By the time I was reaching the end of the last uphill, I felt like I was getting woozy and I was relatively certainly those black spots I saw didn’t really exist.

I transitioned to the “run,” but I walked the course with an injured teammate and took a gel in an effort to boost my energy. When we returned to the transition area, I called it quits for the time being and hung out with my coordinator at the aid station. I drank more fluids and rested. I learned that post-donation, meat is one of the best things to have because the fast-absorbing iron replenished your energy faster. Oops, I was good with the heavy, filling meals (I even carb-loaded with a pasta dinner last night!), but I neglected the protein/meat category.

I did one more cycle loop at the end of the workout with my coach. My energy levels were significantly better and I didn’t get woozy at all, but last week’s knee twinge came back with a vengeance. This week will be spent icing, hoping, resting, and preparing for Saturday.

We’re returning to Del Dios Hwy… gulp! This time, we’re starting at the lake and doing the FULL bike course before the run… gulp!!! Pray for my knee!

Last night I was sore and strangely sunburned from yesterday’s amazing (and amazingly difficult) workout. Today I have some funny leftover lines and a little soreness. I had my first brick yesterday (bricks are workouts with two or more sports).

We rode from Fletcher Cover in Solana Beach to Lake Hodges in Escondido as a team today with some wonderful alums tagging along for support, encouragement, and assistance. There is no “easing into” this ride… it’s an immediate uphill climb and it’s a climb that last for 12 miles.

Well, kind of. The ride is mostly uphill, but includes some “delightful” rolling hills in the middle near Rancho Santa Fe. These rolling hills saved me in some parts as I was able to utilize my downhill speed to propel me up the following hill. Sometimes it was enough to get me all the way or even halfway up the next hill. Every little bit counted! Plus, even when the momentum couldn’t get me all the way up it gave me the momentum to pedal with ease in my big chain ring (which equals greater distance and power to get up the hill faster).

Unfortunately, the rolling hills only last the first six or seven miles and then it was the big climb on Del Dios Hwy. Pained and exhausted, I slowly climbed the hill as the hot sun beat upon my back. When I reached the top, I allowed myself to take a breather and douse myself with water. I stopped to do this as I wasn’t entirely certain my jello legs could balance while I was pouring water over myself. Unfortunately, my jello legs weren’t capable of standing either and I toppled over immediately beyond the asphalt. The shift in road coupled with tired legs did not equal positive results. I survived the fall though and so did my gear. Coach Robbie saved me with a gel once more. I hydrated and continued down the highway, up the last section, and ultimately zoomed down Rancho Rd toward Hernandez Hideaway (I hear they have great margaritas).

After 12.5 miles of riding, I refilled my water bottle, put on my hat, and took off on the run with Cat. We’d gone through most of the bike fairly closely and it was great to have that company on the run. I started to get a bit of a sideache and so I slowed down to walk with Catherine while Cat continued to run. Catherine and I ran/walked the three mile route because, as Coach Robbie said, “This is a nature RUN not a nature hike,” while passing us.

We made it back from our three mile run; I refilled the water bottles once more and put ice in my sports bra. What instant relief from the heat! It’s rare that women have an advantage and that’s definitely one we win over the guys. Then, it was back to the bike for a 12.5 mile trip back to Solana Beach.

The ride down Rancho Rd steep and quick, but meant that it was steep and difficult going back. Nearly all of my team members walked their bikes to the top of Rancho Rd before riding again. Cat and I tried to ride, but it was so difficult. My knees were killing me and unfortunately that feeling continued for much of the return trip. While riding to Lake Hodges I felt great most of the time, surprised by the ease with which I was overcoming the hills. I only stopped twice and each stop was brief. While riding back, I felt awful. My right knee hurt and I stopped five or six times with the length of pause varying at each stop. The uphills were worse than the downhills, but even the flats were rough. Plus, for a ride that was nearly all uphill on the way to Lake Hodges, it felt extremely uphill on the way back too. Uphill BOTH ways? No thank you.

I made it back though and I am so glad that Coach Robbie and Catherine were there to help me and encourage me on that trip back. I’ll be doing some experimenting on the bike and with my positioning to figure out the cause of this sudden right knee pain. It was not pleasant.

In the end, I rode 25 miles and ran/walked 3 miles yesterday in a workout that lasted nearly four hours (1hr 23 min ride and transition to run; 50 min run; 1hr 30-40 min (lost track) transition from run and ride). Then I showered, giggled at the strange lines the sun left (despite every effort to lather myself in sunscreen), and spent the afternoon with my sister. Overall, it was a good, though long, day.

Click to see LARGE with DESCRIPTIONS

What a ride!

My first ride back with the team was a “recovery ride” today. Most of my team ran in the Scripps Ranch 4th of July 10k yesterday (I was working), so we had an “easy” coastal ride today. I thought to myself, great! An easy ride is just what I needed because I haven’t been on a long ride for awhile. Perfect timing for some “recovery.”

My “easy ride” today was 31.2 miles long! My longest distance yet!

Today

We started at Fletcher Cover in Solana Beach at the base of Lomas Santa Fe and rode up Old Hwy 101. As it was a recovery ride, we had sections mapped out for us to show us how far we’d gone so that we could choose for ourselves how far we wanted to go. Some of my teammates turned around at Cannon (Point D) which made their ride nearly 22 miles round trip. I continued on into Carlsbad though.

That last section, approx. 12 miles round trip, was significantly tougher than 22 mile Old Hwy 101 section. For one thing, once I started up Cannon toward Faraday, the burn off from the coast fog occurred almost instantly and the heat went far too quickly. Plus, as soon as I started going inland, the hills started to quick my butt. Rolling hills that lasted much longer than the ones along the coastline gave me some difficulty, but I was proud of myself for continuing on.

View of the hills

You’ll notice I turned around at Palomar Airport… the actual ride could have been a couple miles longer, but at this point I’d been riding alone for about 6 miles or so and hadn’t seen another teammate. I wasn’t entirely sure I was headed in the right direction and decided to turn around and head back up College. As it turns out, I was only 1.1 miles away from the end destination and my teammates that did go to the end caught up with me on Faraday. I breathed a sigh of relief to not be riding solo anymore; it’s much more fun with friends!

Lessons Learned Today?

Spray sunscreen at the end of its life is not the most helpful. I only pinked a little on the arms though, so that’s good. Unfortunately, it seems I either forgot the back entirely or there was no sunscreen left at that point, but either way… I have the cutest singlet sunburn on my back ever. Haha. Right.

Also, sunscreen stick in a bento bag (and a bento bag in general) could prove to be useful. My nose is burnt and that DEFINITELY got sunscreened. I’m thinking that I probably wiped the sunscreen off at some point while wiping away sweat or extra water from when I poured water onto my head through my helmet.

Which brings me to the third thing, water through the helmet is amazing when you’re hot.

I tried pedaling out of the saddle today… my balance is improving! It needs practice, but it was a proud moment.

SAG (Support & Gear) vehicles are amazing and gave my legs a nice break.

I had gels for the first time today. I’m still not entirely convinced that I’ll be able to do it WHILE riding, but at least now I’ve had some experience with them.

Lastly, I DID IT! It was so encouraging to go OVER 25 miles today because the total miles for the tri is about 25. It was a great affirmation to accomplish this (and in around 3 hrs, possibly less) to know that come race day, I’ll definitely be able to do it!

So, what’s next?

Today, I turned in re-commitment papers… it was the final step in committing to raising $4500 and completing this triathlon. I turned in my race registration form too.

Tomorrow, we’ll run at Lake Hodges in Escondido, in preparation for next Saturday’s brick workout… and during the week? THREE swims, including our first ocean swim! I’m so excited! (I’ll be more excited if my wetsuit gets here in time.) I’m pretty sure we still have our regular Tuesday track practice too.

The Ride Before the Run

Next week’s bike ride will start at Fletcher Cove and finish at Lake Hodges, then we’ll run a minimum of three miles before riding back down to the beach. Pray for cool weather… because a 12 mile incline won’t be pleasant (and it’ll be even worse in hot weather).

Check back in again soon… and GO TEAM!