I LOVE this video...lol, SO TRUE!!!
Cliff Bar Commercial on Youtube
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Fun Facts From IronCrazy.Com
I was googling today, looking for Ironman inspiration, when I found this blog.
Here were the fun facts he listed about the 2007 World Championships in Kona:
Um, Laurent Jalabert is A-mazing...that last factoid blows my mind!!!! See! You do not need to be an awesome swimmer to do triathlons/ironmans!! :-)
Man, finishing under 10 hours!!! I just want to finish under 17, which is now starting to make me develop cold sweats and accelerated heart beats when I think about!!!! I NEED TO TRAIN!!!! Ok, ok, calming down now.
I think I'm also getting super nervous because Monday marks the OFFICIAL Week 1 of 20 Weeks until my race! This is it! No more messing around. I can't miss any more training days or workouts. And I think I'm freaking out a bit more because 5 weeks just flew by like *that*, so how fast is 20 weeks going to just zip by?!?!?!?!
I am starting to note some races I want to do for my training: the 15K Shamrock Run, the Race for the Roses 1/2 Marathon, the Cherry of a Century ride out in the Gorge, and possibly the Hagg Lake swim in May. Ugh, I'm getting a little bit scared and am not feeling so confident. I really need to do a mental check and kick my butt into gear.
Thanks to all of you for supporting me and reading this here blog.
T minus 143 Days and counting...
Here were the fun facts he listed about the 2007 World Championships in Kona:
Chrissie Wellington’s race at Ironman World Championship 2007 was her second Ironman race ever. Her first race was Ironman Korea which she won only seven weeks before Ironman World Championship.
Chris McCormack ran a 2:42:02 marathon - this is a 3:50 min/km pace! After a super hard bike! At horrible Hawaii heat!
First 28 competitors finished the Ironman World Championship race under 9 hours. Average time difference between these competitors was 1 minute 35 seconds. This is a hard race for sure: with so much talent such a small amount of people went under nine hours. For example, Challenge Roth which is considered the fastest race in the world (world record course) had 32 athletes finish under nine hours. However Challenge Roth does not have so many professional competitors. Ironman World Championship had 70 PRO finishers and around 90 PRO competitors and Challenge Roth had approx. 50 PRO competitors, I am not aware how many of them finished.
291 competitors finished under 10 hours. Average time difference between them was 21 seconds. Average time between competitors who finished during the hour between nine and ten hours was 13 seconds. Super competitive! This means that if you gained one second every 3 km of the run you could climb one spot. So one second every kilometre would be three spots. Etc etc… It is surely a race with the most pressure ever!
Laurent Jalabert, ex Tour de France cyclist, exited the swim at 1145th spot and finished the bike after 4:45:49 in 105th spot. Laurent Jalabert passed a total of 1040 competitors which means he passed someone every 16 seconds! I imagine that if he did not have to do so much passing and avoiding other competitors he would surely have a better bike split.
Um, Laurent Jalabert is A-mazing...that last factoid blows my mind!!!! See! You do not need to be an awesome swimmer to do triathlons/ironmans!! :-)
Man, finishing under 10 hours!!! I just want to finish under 17, which is now starting to make me develop cold sweats and accelerated heart beats when I think about!!!! I NEED TO TRAIN!!!! Ok, ok, calming down now.
I think I'm also getting super nervous because Monday marks the OFFICIAL Week 1 of 20 Weeks until my race! This is it! No more messing around. I can't miss any more training days or workouts. And I think I'm freaking out a bit more because 5 weeks just flew by like *that*, so how fast is 20 weeks going to just zip by?!?!?!?!
I am starting to note some races I want to do for my training: the 15K Shamrock Run, the Race for the Roses 1/2 Marathon, the Cherry of a Century ride out in the Gorge, and possibly the Hagg Lake swim in May. Ugh, I'm getting a little bit scared and am not feeling so confident. I really need to do a mental check and kick my butt into gear.
Thanks to all of you for supporting me and reading this here blog.
T minus 143 Days and counting...
Monday, January 26, 2009
Feels Like Starting Over
Well, last week was a training disaster. I do not regret my "time off" of training but I definitely need to prevent more of these weeks from occurring in the future. We had out-of-town guests, and I let that distract me from training. Today marks the beginning of Week #5 of the 25 Weeks I have to prepare. But I guess that is just life. Life is always full of obstacles of some kind and unexpected detours, and I suppose the day of the race will probably be no different. This is all just a test of my ability to persevere. Thankfully I'm a stubborn Irish redhead, so I already have that going for me. And I would not go back and change last week. Sometimes people are just more important than training. Der!
Today is a swim day. I have not been swimming for almost 2 weeks now, so this workout will be interesting. Oh fun times! I really enjoy the pool and am actually looking forward to this time to clear my head and have some silence.
As for my thoughts on this whole Ironman endeavor...there are still moments when I stop and think about the distances I will be covering, the toll it will take, and the mental endurance I will need in order to keep moving forward, and I think, "Kelly, what the H?!" But yet, there is still this inner confidence that I'm going to get to that finish line. I just do not even have a doubt. And yes, anything can happen and I could not get there, but instead I'm taking that risk, that leap of faith and pursuing something that slightly seems "impossible."
But what does "impossible" really mean? Human history is full of amazing stories of perseverance and triumph over "impossible" goals and experiences. So here's to continuing my journey that will hopefully end in triumph.
Today is a swim day. I have not been swimming for almost 2 weeks now, so this workout will be interesting. Oh fun times! I really enjoy the pool and am actually looking forward to this time to clear my head and have some silence.
As for my thoughts on this whole Ironman endeavor...there are still moments when I stop and think about the distances I will be covering, the toll it will take, and the mental endurance I will need in order to keep moving forward, and I think, "Kelly, what the H?!" But yet, there is still this inner confidence that I'm going to get to that finish line. I just do not even have a doubt. And yes, anything can happen and I could not get there, but instead I'm taking that risk, that leap of faith and pursuing something that slightly seems "impossible."
But what does "impossible" really mean? Human history is full of amazing stories of perseverance and triumph over "impossible" goals and experiences. So here's to continuing my journey that will hopefully end in triumph.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Ebb & Flow
Oh life...how funny and ironic you are sometimes. Let's just say that this week the training is not happening so much. I'm not worried. I can get two long workouts in this weekend and hopefully a swim workout in on Friday, but I have definitely taken more time off than I "should" this week.
Oh the "shoulds."
Oh the "shoulds."
Monday, January 19, 2009
Wind 1, Kelly 0
So yesterday marked the first day that I got to ride my new little bike, which I've now dubbed "Roo" or "Little Roo." I took some pictures and a couple of videos on the ride, which I will try to post (yes, I'm a nerd). It was a great day for a ride: sun, no rain, decent temperature, and wind. WIND?!!! Yeah, wind. Lots of it.
The ride started out great. I had decided to head out toward Marine Drive, which parallels the Columbia River. The sun was shining, there were beautiful views of Mount Hood, and again, no rain. Then I hit Marine Drive and hit the wall of wind that was blowing Westward through the Gorge. I can think of 2 other bike rides in the past that I encountered wind that made it tough to ride, but let me tell you, the wind yesterday was fierce.
Marine Drive is flat, and on non-windy days or days when the wind is at your back, it's a smooth and fast ride. From where I live to Blue Lake Park on Marine Drive is about 14.94 miles (I mapquested it). To give you a little illustration, it took me a grueling 90 minutes to get to Blue Lake Park and an EASY 38 minutes to get back!! NUTS!
Basically, I was humbled by Mother Nature. There were about 4 times on the ride when I had to stop because the wind was so strong that it nearly brought me to a standstill on my bike (while peddling!) and I was about to fall over. CRAZY! And yet, I decided to persist. I'm kind of stubborn like that.
The f-bomb was dropped on more than one occasion on my fight into the wind, and there were a couple of times that I had to stand on my bike to keep momentum in order to move forward because my legs weren't feeling strong enough to keep pushing while I was seated in the saddle. CRAZY! I kept laughing to myself thinking that I must look ridiculous to the motorists passing by! I did at some point try to ride in the aero position (unfortunately, I didn't try this earlier on in my ride!), and I found it to be much easier to peddle and move through the wind (DUH Kelly! Aero position = a more aerodynamic body position = less resistance moving forward...hey, we can't all be geniuses, right?!). I was scared to try it at first because I was being jostled so much by the wind that I was afraid of being blown into the traffic (that almost happened to me once before on a ride out in the Gorge last year - not fun). But honestly, once down in the position, it wasn't so scary or hard to control the bike.
I finally made it to Blue Lake, took in the scenery, and headed back. The fight was worth it for the tail wind that I had on my way back. It was quiet, no sound, as the wind was blowing in the direction I was riding, helping me along. I could ride fast and easy in the aero position and was just flying by. I LOVED IT! I love riding fast on my bike on a flat road.
So, the 2 hour ride on my training schedule ended up to be more of a 2 hour 40 min ride, and I didn't end up going as far as I had hoped. Oh well. What I did learn is that the wind is fierce. You win, Wind! Wind 1, Kelly 0.
The ride started out great. I had decided to head out toward Marine Drive, which parallels the Columbia River. The sun was shining, there were beautiful views of Mount Hood, and again, no rain. Then I hit Marine Drive and hit the wall of wind that was blowing Westward through the Gorge. I can think of 2 other bike rides in the past that I encountered wind that made it tough to ride, but let me tell you, the wind yesterday was fierce.
Marine Drive is flat, and on non-windy days or days when the wind is at your back, it's a smooth and fast ride. From where I live to Blue Lake Park on Marine Drive is about 14.94 miles (I mapquested it). To give you a little illustration, it took me a grueling 90 minutes to get to Blue Lake Park and an EASY 38 minutes to get back!! NUTS!
Basically, I was humbled by Mother Nature. There were about 4 times on the ride when I had to stop because the wind was so strong that it nearly brought me to a standstill on my bike (while peddling!) and I was about to fall over. CRAZY! And yet, I decided to persist. I'm kind of stubborn like that.
The f-bomb was dropped on more than one occasion on my fight into the wind, and there were a couple of times that I had to stand on my bike to keep momentum in order to move forward because my legs weren't feeling strong enough to keep pushing while I was seated in the saddle. CRAZY! I kept laughing to myself thinking that I must look ridiculous to the motorists passing by! I did at some point try to ride in the aero position (unfortunately, I didn't try this earlier on in my ride!), and I found it to be much easier to peddle and move through the wind (DUH Kelly! Aero position = a more aerodynamic body position = less resistance moving forward...hey, we can't all be geniuses, right?!). I was scared to try it at first because I was being jostled so much by the wind that I was afraid of being blown into the traffic (that almost happened to me once before on a ride out in the Gorge last year - not fun). But honestly, once down in the position, it wasn't so scary or hard to control the bike.
I finally made it to Blue Lake, took in the scenery, and headed back. The fight was worth it for the tail wind that I had on my way back. It was quiet, no sound, as the wind was blowing in the direction I was riding, helping me along. I could ride fast and easy in the aero position and was just flying by. I LOVED IT! I love riding fast on my bike on a flat road.
So, the 2 hour ride on my training schedule ended up to be more of a 2 hour 40 min ride, and I didn't end up going as far as I had hoped. Oh well. What I did learn is that the wind is fierce. You win, Wind! Wind 1, Kelly 0.
Video and Pictures from Sunday's Ride
(BLUE LAKE!! I took this picture because I had actually made it to my goal.) 
(Hello Washington! Can you see the white caps on the water?! Yeah, it was windy out there!!) 
(Above is a picture of Mount Hood at the beginning of the ride before I headed off to battle the wind.) 
(And of course, any good nerd should have a picture of herself on her new bike...yep, me on my bike!) And for the videos...I hope this works...
And finally...
Sunday, January 18, 2009
How's Training Going?!
I remember several people saying that they were sick of the question above when they were training for their Ironman races. Now I know what they are talking about and it's only the end of Week #3.
It's a legitimate question, I realize, for my friends and family to ask. It's legitimate because training is my life right now. It's like when people asked the question, "so, what are you going to do when you graduate?" It's like that question because at that time, my life was school and school was ending, so they wanted to know what was next for me. What were my plans for life? Just as now people want to know what is going on with the thing that is consuming my life.
"Consuming" is a strong word. I'm not consumed yet, just focused. At the end of Week #3, I'm realizing that for the next 22 weeks, my free time will almost not exist. Monday through Friday look like this: wake up, get ready for work, go to work, work, go to the gym for 2-3 hours, get home, eat dinner, go straight to bed, and then repeat this pattern the next day. My schedule is much regulated, which is something I'm definitely not used to. I like freedom and spontaneity, but those two things won't get me to the finish line of an Ironman.
And I'm tired. Muscles are sore and fatigued; I missed ALL of my swims last week and feel a little guilty. I can't start slacking now! 2.4 miles of swimming is a long way and that is only the beginning of the race.
Yesterday, I went on a 45 minute run with my friend/housemate Molly. I had done a 40 minute strength training video and a 30 minute easy workout on the elliptical machine before we headed out for our run. The schedule called for a 90 minute run, but with some personal issues, 45 minutes was all that I decided to complete. It turned out to be a good idea for reasons that I won't go into publicly. The good thing was that I still felt good and strong at the end of the run and could have gone longer had the other problem not persisted (a problem that won't be back for another few weeks thankfully). Let me just say that it's tough to be a woman sometimes. :-(
All to say, training is going...it's going...I guess it's just going. Truth be told, I don't really know how to answer that question. How is training going? Well, since I have never trained for an Ironman, I don't really know how it's going? Am I doing enough? Will I be ready with what I'm currently doing? Did I pick the right training schedule? I just do not know yet. I guess, as Molly says, I'll know when I know, and then, I'll know.
It's a legitimate question, I realize, for my friends and family to ask. It's legitimate because training is my life right now. It's like when people asked the question, "so, what are you going to do when you graduate?" It's like that question because at that time, my life was school and school was ending, so they wanted to know what was next for me. What were my plans for life? Just as now people want to know what is going on with the thing that is consuming my life.
"Consuming" is a strong word. I'm not consumed yet, just focused. At the end of Week #3, I'm realizing that for the next 22 weeks, my free time will almost not exist. Monday through Friday look like this: wake up, get ready for work, go to work, work, go to the gym for 2-3 hours, get home, eat dinner, go straight to bed, and then repeat this pattern the next day. My schedule is much regulated, which is something I'm definitely not used to. I like freedom and spontaneity, but those two things won't get me to the finish line of an Ironman.
And I'm tired. Muscles are sore and fatigued; I missed ALL of my swims last week and feel a little guilty. I can't start slacking now! 2.4 miles of swimming is a long way and that is only the beginning of the race.
Yesterday, I went on a 45 minute run with my friend/housemate Molly. I had done a 40 minute strength training video and a 30 minute easy workout on the elliptical machine before we headed out for our run. The schedule called for a 90 minute run, but with some personal issues, 45 minutes was all that I decided to complete. It turned out to be a good idea for reasons that I won't go into publicly. The good thing was that I still felt good and strong at the end of the run and could have gone longer had the other problem not persisted (a problem that won't be back for another few weeks thankfully). Let me just say that it's tough to be a woman sometimes. :-(
All to say, training is going...it's going...I guess it's just going. Truth be told, I don't really know how to answer that question. How is training going? Well, since I have never trained for an Ironman, I don't really know how it's going? Am I doing enough? Will I be ready with what I'm currently doing? Did I pick the right training schedule? I just do not know yet. I guess, as Molly says, I'll know when I know, and then, I'll know.
My New Bike!
Meet my new bike! She doesn't have a name yet, and we are still getting to know each other. When I first got her, I was shocked. I was at Athlete's Lounge with my Dad and the plan revolved around possibly outfitting my Serotta (which I love dearly) with aerobars. Instead, I walked out with the Kilo above. My mind was racing. AEROBARS, BRAKES ON THE HORNS AND SHIFTERS ON THE AEROBARS?!?!?!?! I'm going to wreck. A TRI BIKE?! Am I ready for this?!?!?!?!?!!! I sort of panicked. I hadn't even rode the bike in the "real" world and was feeling VERY nervous about the purchase.
At the same time, the big snow storm hit and my bike was left at the shop. When the snow finally melted and I was able to get back to the store to pick her up, my heart started to open a little. My friend Crystal was with me, and as is necessary for triathletes, all we could talk about was racing, training, and gear. So, it was fun to have her thoughts and tips on my purchase. As I walked out of the store, with my bike rolling along by my side, I realized that this little guy has some major spunk. She felt like a hyper dog or adolescent that just wanted to GO! Words like "zippy" and "peddle fast" came to mind as I looked down at her. The energy was contagious and the next thing I knew, I wanted to hop on and GO.
We are still strangers, but we have over 20 weeks to get to know one another. Welcome to Ironman training little Roo!
Friday, January 2, 2009
One of Twenty-Five
Monday, December 29th marked day 1 of my 25 week training. I don't quite know how I want to format this blog or this particular journal entry. I think I will just type and see what happens.
I'm currently on day 5 of week 1. My plan this week, was/is as follows:
Monday: Run 45 minutes, swim 2500 yds
Tuesday: Run 45 minutes, bike 60 minutes
Wednesday: Swim 1550 yds
Thursday: Bike 60 minutes
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Run 90 minutes slow, swim (I forgot the yds)
Sunday: Bike 90 minutes (can go longer if I made all this week's workouts comfortably)
So far, almost so good. Here is what really happened...
Monday: I had planned to run my 45 minutes at the gym but realized I left my sports bra at home (NOT GOOD), so instead I opted for a lower impact workout on the elliptical machine for 45 minutes. Then on to the swim. I completed the full workout and actually really enjoyed my time in the pool. Day 1 left me feeling determined and ready for the long haul. I'm ready to do this challenge and meet my goal!
Tuesday: This time I remembered my sports bra and off to the treadmill I went. 5 minutes into the run, I felt fine. I had music on my ipod, which was offering me a nice distraction from not getting anywhere fast on the treadmill. About 7 minutes in, I was losing all steam. I HATE RUNNING ON THE TREADMILL. My breathing was accelerated, I couldn't find the right "speed" setting, and I felt off. I would try to refocus, visualizing running in the IM or outside in Portland, and then, feeling like I had gotten somewhere, I'd look down and realize it had only been about 2 minutes since I last checked the time. UGH! It baffles me just HOW HARD it is to run on a stationary treadmill for time verses running outside. The mental endurance needed is often more then I usually want to give, so at 40 minutes I called the workout good and went in for the spin class at 24Hour. That was a great class! I set my watch (not wanting to cheat myself out of precious cardio minutes) and as expected only got 50 minutes of spinning in the class, so after the class, I hopped on one of the stationary bikes and rode for 15 minutes to make up for the minutes missed on the previous two workouts.
At the end of Day 2, I was feeling tired but good, and realized that no matter the weather, I need to run my running workouts OUTSIDE!
Wednesday: Completed the entire swim workout and actually really found myself enjoying the whole thing. When my last set was over, I was kind of bummed that I was done. I love swimming, especially when I get a lane or side of a lane to myself. Swimming is so meditative. There are no real sounds or distractions. Just the sound of my breathing and the thoughts in my head. I love it!
Day 3, doing great! Then New Years hit...
Thursday: Yep, never made it to the gym. Actually, never fully recovered enough to have enough energy so that a gym workout would have been productive. Ok, rest day is Thursday of this week and Friday = workout.
Now it is Friday and I must head off to the gym. More to come later...
I'm currently on day 5 of week 1. My plan this week, was/is as follows:
Monday: Run 45 minutes, swim 2500 yds
Tuesday: Run 45 minutes, bike 60 minutes
Wednesday: Swim 1550 yds
Thursday: Bike 60 minutes
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Run 90 minutes slow, swim (I forgot the yds)
Sunday: Bike 90 minutes (can go longer if I made all this week's workouts comfortably)
So far, almost so good. Here is what really happened...
Monday: I had planned to run my 45 minutes at the gym but realized I left my sports bra at home (NOT GOOD), so instead I opted for a lower impact workout on the elliptical machine for 45 minutes. Then on to the swim. I completed the full workout and actually really enjoyed my time in the pool. Day 1 left me feeling determined and ready for the long haul. I'm ready to do this challenge and meet my goal!
Tuesday: This time I remembered my sports bra and off to the treadmill I went. 5 minutes into the run, I felt fine. I had music on my ipod, which was offering me a nice distraction from not getting anywhere fast on the treadmill. About 7 minutes in, I was losing all steam. I HATE RUNNING ON THE TREADMILL. My breathing was accelerated, I couldn't find the right "speed" setting, and I felt off. I would try to refocus, visualizing running in the IM or outside in Portland, and then, feeling like I had gotten somewhere, I'd look down and realize it had only been about 2 minutes since I last checked the time. UGH! It baffles me just HOW HARD it is to run on a stationary treadmill for time verses running outside. The mental endurance needed is often more then I usually want to give, so at 40 minutes I called the workout good and went in for the spin class at 24Hour. That was a great class! I set my watch (not wanting to cheat myself out of precious cardio minutes) and as expected only got 50 minutes of spinning in the class, so after the class, I hopped on one of the stationary bikes and rode for 15 minutes to make up for the minutes missed on the previous two workouts.
At the end of Day 2, I was feeling tired but good, and realized that no matter the weather, I need to run my running workouts OUTSIDE!
Wednesday: Completed the entire swim workout and actually really found myself enjoying the whole thing. When my last set was over, I was kind of bummed that I was done. I love swimming, especially when I get a lane or side of a lane to myself. Swimming is so meditative. There are no real sounds or distractions. Just the sound of my breathing and the thoughts in my head. I love it!
Day 3, doing great! Then New Years hit...
Thursday: Yep, never made it to the gym. Actually, never fully recovered enough to have enough energy so that a gym workout would have been productive. Ok, rest day is Thursday of this week and Friday = workout.
Now it is Friday and I must head off to the gym. More to come later...
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