Only 1 Body

Hi, it's Laura,

When I started to write this morning, I started complaining about how hot it is already and how much running in the heat stinks. How much my foot hurts and how frustrating it is that they cannot fix the orthotic so my feet don't fall asleep while running. This is until I went to the gym and then I changed my mind about what I wanted to write.

I consider myself very lucky to be who and what I am. It has taken nearly 45 years to get here and I know that that the project of me will never be complete. I try to make myself a better person all the time and all of the time that is not easy. Keeping boundaries and keep yourself first while taking care of others is a daily struggle but I am aware of the struggle and I embrace it.

What brought all of this on you ask? Two things: an article that I read in the times a few weeks ago and woman I saw at the gym this morning.

I will start with the woman from the gym this morning.

I was thinking about describing her in full detail but best you use your imagination. I myself was working hard, moving from one exercise to the next to get & keep my heart rate up. Of course I situated myself directly behind her while she was on the lat pull down machine. This was not really my intention merely but the way the gym is set up. I did not have a choice. I studied her out of the corner of my eye. Mind you, she is not your typical JCC gym member. As I watched her, I was looking for how much weight she was using and her technique. All the while, I was admiring what she has done to herself. (Can I say a fine specimen?) I could not quite place her age. She was not 50 and definitely not 20. She had beautifully sculpted arms and back. As I watched, I reminded myself not to compare  myself to her. I have no idea where she is on her journey in life and I would be completely unfair to me to start doing that to myself. My journey to get here is not anyone else's and they should not compare themselves to me either.

It’s hard to not compare yourself to other people whether they are on magazine covers, catalogs or someone you pass on the street. (I used to want to run very fast for long distances but I have short legs and that is never going to happen.) Everyone is on a different path in life. We're born with different genetics. We just happened to end up in the same place at the same time. Wherever that place is that you come across each other, there is no way to know if that is the destination or just a stop along the way.

My second inspiration is an article I saw in the NY Times a few weeks ago: I Am Not This Body. When I finished reading that article I thought how very sad it is that the author feels this way about himself. (Please read the article, hyperlink above.)

It also got me thinking about what I love about myself. This is not meant to be conceited in any way.

I am not embarrassed by my body. My body is beautiful in its own special, unique way. So is yours by the way.

I do not walk around lockers room naked [Editor’s note: The JCC locker rooms are famous for its lack of clothing]. I do have modesty but I am not going to hide behind a closet door until the coast is clear.

My body is a gift that I need to take care by feeding and watering it. Sounds so simple right? The science here can get a little complicated but lean protein & leafy greens is a good start.

I am proud of my legs. They are strong and powerful and have carried me hundreds of miles with many hundreds of more left to go in my life I hope.

I am fascinated with how the body works. If you give it protein and water and exercise it will shrink. If you smother it with cigarettes and drugs and alcohol it doesn't quit it adapts to keep you alive. (I call that too many episodes of Intervention.) It’s amazing what it can adapt to do.

The author of the Times article talks about how disgusting our inner workings are to him. Blood and vomit and mucus. (Oh my, had to do it.) Granted these are not the most pleasant things the human body can do. It is the body's way of talking to you and telling what is wrong and what is right. Our guts and kidneys don't speak English (kind of like The Dog) and have no other way to communicate.

I can go on for days about his article and how sad I am for him and happy I am that I have the body that I have. Everything seems to be working correctly for now and I do everything in my power to make my internal workings job a little easier by giving my body the right things.

Which brings me back to my original thought influenced by both of these events.

You are beautiful both inside and out. Do not discredit yourself because someone else has blonde hair or long legs or a V shaped back. Do not feel bad about yourself because clothing companies cut pants in batches of 100 which make every single pair different even though they all have the same size on them. That is a cookie cutter mold and you are not. (They are also out to make money. making custom jeans for everyone would be very expensive.)

Embrace our differences instead of thinking them as inadequate. Love yourself (at least try) because there is only one of you.

Laura     

 

The Last 14 Days

Hi. It's Laura. 

Did you even realize it was 14 days since my last blog? I did. I always feel a little guilty when I cannot "record" what has happened during my training. 

Where have I been? Swimming and biking and running of course. As if it was that easy. 

It all started last Monday. I sat down to write this blog to talk about the brick workout I did on Saturday. I was easily distracted with planning for the upcoming long weekend. The Husband and I were planning our getaway for the Memorial Day Weekend. We were going to spend four glorious days in Vermont, swimming and biking and running and playing golf (he was only going to participate in the golf part).  

In order to bike and swim and run in VT, I need to take my bike and all of the rest of my equipment with me. Seems simple enough. Since the last time we used the bike rack (a Thule that hooks on to the top and bottom of the rear hatch) was last year and a car ago, I figured I should find out what the settings are for the new car. Maybe I would even get the rack on the car before Friday so I was not rushed trying to get out of the City 

I perused through the Thule website for our particular make and model to find the dial options. On this model every car is a different number on the rack itself for a good fit.

I found ours and went to the numbered exceptions in the last column, fit tips:

 

101: clips go in the front end of the hatch

102: covers the bottom clips. (So far so good)

121: can't use the rear wiper. (Knew that so no biggie)

128: Lower arm of carrier should be positioned on upper tier of bumper. Ok. last one

151: If this vehicle has a spoiler installed, it is a "NO FIT" 

I wonder if we have one of those. A flurry of texts messages went back and forth between the husband and I and we determine that we have one. Now what?

We agree the old one was not exactly making either one of us comfortable (we had a few slips last year where we almost lost the bike). Get a hitch! That’s the way to go.

 

The rest of my Monday morning is spent calling around to find a hitch bike rack only to discover I need a hitch first. I will say I was clueless. I called the dealership. Outrageous price! I called AutoZone. The exact opposite because I can install it myself.(me? Install a hitch? Preposterous)  I finally came across U-Haul. Who knew they installed hitches? Of course, when I book the appointment, they do not have the part and it needs to be ordered but we can have installed on Wednesday. YAHOO! We are leaving Friday. Perfect.

 

All the while, I am still swimming and biking and running.

 

Wednesday! My appointment is in Jersey City. I know nothing about Jersey City except for it is across the river and I may have relatives there. I find the U-Haul and my appointment, scheduled for 1:00, starts promptly at 1:30.

 

For some reason the people who work there hate me and relegate me to an office chair in the corner of the store because as I was told "installing a hitch doesn't take five minutes". I felt like I was back living with my parents being punished for something and I wasn't sure what I did. An hour and half later, I'm on my way home. But not before the store manager credited me back $50 for the delay. (Ms Long Island should like that one ;))

 

Thursday! The forecast for the weekend is not looking good in VT. I would like you to know that Killington was open for skiing through the Memorial Day Weekend. The Husband and I thought it would be a hoot to do a run then go play golf. Sadly we never got the chance. For as bad as the forecast was for NYC it was worse for Killington. They were calling for 42 degrees, 20 MPH winds and soaking rain for both Saturday and Sunday. Being it still Thursday we needed to make a decision and the decision was not to go.

 

On Friday, I needed to make a plan for the weekend ahead. If the weather was going to be as miserable as they said, how am I going to get a 2 1/2 hour bike ride and a 15 minute run in? I spent the day obsessing over it. If it is not raining in the morning, I can go. I could wait until later in the day but that is not fair to The Husband and makes it hard to do anything else. I could go to the gym but it is just not the same as riding outside. And sitting on an indoor bike trainer for 2 1/2 hours is just not a lot of fun. 

By the end of the day I conceded that, worst case, I would head to the gym but not do 2.5 hours on the stationary. I would only do one hour and hop on the treadmill afterwards. 

Saturday morning the weather was as bad as predicted. I have a hard time seeing rain outside our window unless it is absolutely torrential. The Husband did me the favor of texting me his outlook from his walk with The Dog. "Go to the gym." I still wasn't convinced but I dressed for the gym. By the time I was ready to leave they were back (The Dog and The Husband). I may have whined a little "are you sure". "Even the stupid cyclists are not out, go to the gym" he said.  Also he gave me three other good reasons, one of which “it’s dangerous”. I went to the gym to ride and to run.  

I could not argue with the crowd because there was none. It was me and four other people. Happy Memorial Day weekend.

 

FYI, we did look at the Killington web cam for the golf course and the rain was sideways. We found out later they actually closed the course because they got snow. We kept on eye on the weather all weekend up there. Since Saturday was cold, rainy & wet and Sunday was dry but literally freezing, we knew we made the right choice. After all, most people spend Memorial Day weekend in bathing suits, not parkas.

 

This week started off odd. First, I was not supposed to be here. I was supposed to be cycling on beautiful rolling hills of Vermont, transported to another place to get a break from the city sights.

Instead I took to the West Side and there I was personally introduced to CitiBike, NYC's new bike sharing program.
 

Oh my. I love the idea of getting people out to exercise but NYC is not bike friendly and people who use Citi bike are not required to wear helmets. Enough said! Monday, being the actually holiday, was also apparently "ride your bike day"

 

I started in the park albeit a little later than usual, PACKED. Dangerously packed. If it were just gangs of cyclists, that is one thing but it was tourists and rental bikes. Yikes. I head out of the park and over to the West Side. Worse. Cursing, I head to Riverside Drive. Not bad. There are a few cyclists but true cyclists. The kind that can pass me like I am standing still and I’m ok with that. Of course the pool always needs to be mentioned. Lovely on Monday morning. Mostly empty but not completely and everyone who was there meant business.

 

Secondly, it is always strange when The Husband is home. I always feel a little guilty leaving him behind for so many hours. Regardless of the holiday, the work needs to get done, so I continued on with my normal Monday training.  

To make up for our lack of golf rounds on our non-trip, we booked tee times and doggie Day Care for Tuesday. I headed out first thing in the morning for a 7 miler while The Husband and The Dog took to the park for their daily constitutional.

We all returned home and discovered there was an 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms for our outing. And yes, you guessed it, we cancelled. I went to the gym for my strength training instead. Starting to feel more like a regular week than a holiday.

 

Oh, don't even ask about Wednesday it was just a blur. I know there was a bike ride in there somewhere

This morning, Thursday, I went out for my run and ran into The Dog and The Husband on my way to the park. He said to me “WOW. It looks like Saturday in there”. He tends to exaggerate and took it with a grain of salt.

 

I finished my first half mile and I said “WOW”. I looked up at the road and all I could see were bikes. It was like a flash mob of bikes. I encountered bikes all 6.2 miles of my run. I have never seen the park like it was this morning and I cannot even speculate as to why.

 

My issue this morning though was the heat. I don't like heat. At 6:00am it was 73 degrees so the run feels like 93. It makes me slow and I have a sneaker issue. My toes are falling asleep which makes my foot hurt and it takes longer when it’s hot. WHAAAAA! I even have custom orthotics in my running shoes. The store that made them will tweak them for me but I have to run in them until they hurt to figure out the problem. Hopefully before the brick on Saturday, we can get this figured out.

 The trend seems to be, if the park is packed the gym/pool is empty. Some days buck the trend. 8 people in my lane for my swim this morning and only two of them didn't belong there. Normally the pool is busy, but today, again, it was as if today was "Go Swim at the JCC Day". By the time I was down to my last 400 meters, it was a little quieter. We were down to four people in my lane but back up to 7 by the time I got out. Don't people know you are supposed to get into bathing suit shape before bathing suit season, not during?

For as empty as the city was this weekend, apparently, everyone is back and in full summer swing. Harrumph!

I too am back on track after the last two weeks of being absolutely consumed by outside activities.

Play hard!

Laura

 

FAQ's

Hi. It's Laura.

Happy Friday!

It is indeed a happy Friday. It is recovery week for me which just means that I am not killing myself during every workout. Nice leisurely rides, no hardcore runs and swims that are manageable. Of course this all comes to end on Monday as I enter week nine of training.

I thought it would be nice if I answered some of the questions that I get asked all the time. My answers to the FAQ's are very specific to me and to the NYC Aquaphor Triathlon.

What is a triathlon?

The modern triathlon consists of swimming, biking and running in consecutive order. The participants’ times also include the “transition” times between each event. The multisport race format is designed to test the endurance of its participants, much more so than swimming, biking, or running alone.

What is T1 and T2?

T1 (transition 1) is the period between the swim and the bike portions of the triathlon. During this stage, triathletes switch from their swim gear into their cycling gear.

T2 (transition 2) is the period between the bike and run portions of the triathlon. During this stage, triathletes switch from their cycling gear into their running gear

Where is the triathlon? What is the distance?

1500 Meter Swim

The race starts on Manhattan's Westside at 99th Street in the Hudson River. The point to point swim course is near the seawall to minimize the effect of the current. Kayakers, lifeguards, jet-skiers and other members of the water safety team frame a 20 yard swim lane from start to finish. Athletes swim south and exit near the 79th Street Boat Basin before running into transition (T1). The Hudson River, one of America's most famous waterways, is home to many open water swims and is considered one of the cleanest rivers in New York. Because it feeds into the ocean, it is a salt-water river.

40 Kilometer Bike
The cycling course exits Riverside Park at 79th Street. Athletes enter the northbound entrance of the Henry Hudson Highway, staying in the right lane. Athletes will continue on a moderately hilly course north out of Manhattan, over the Hudson River Bridge, and exit onto the Mosholu Parkway. The course proceeds south on the Mosholu and U-turns at Gunhill Road in the Bronx. Participants will proceed back to the Henry Hudson Parkway and ride south in the northbound lane to 57th street where another U-turn will be completed and cyclists will head north and exit the Henry Hudson Parkway at 79th street and proceed back to the transition area (T2). All bicycle traffic will utilize the normally northbound roadway which will be totally closed to vehicular traffic.

10 Kilometer Run
Runners will exit Riverside Park at 72nd Street and run into Central Park. Runners turn left when entering Central Park and run in a clockwise direction around the northern loop of Central Park. The Finish line is on Dead Road, just west of the band shell on the 72nd Street Transverse in Central Park

When is the triathlon?

The triathlon is Sunday, July 14th, 2013

Pro athletes swim start is at 5:50 am. Age groupers swim start begins at 6:00 am and athletes enter the water in 15 at-a-time with 20 seconds between the next wave. Last year I was in the water by 7:00AM.

What do you wear on race day?

This is by far the most frequently asked question.

I wear a sports bra, tri top and tri shorts for the bike & run and a wetsuit, goggles, swim cap and all the previous mentioned for the swim. There is not option to change into your clothes during transition so whatever you are going to wear for the bike and run is what you are going to wear to swim in. This is why it is so important to know what you are wearing on race day so you can train in the clothing and know it works

When I dress in the morning on race day, I don the outfit. At the swim start, I just pull my wetsuit over my outfit. The whole ensemble is wicking so it will dry while I am on the bike and then get wet again while I sweat.

Tri shorts are very similar to bike shorts but with less padding so you can run in them.

Tri tops are really just a bike shirt with pockets in the back to store equipment and fuel.

When you come out of the water at the end of the swim, you strip off your wetsuit, slap on your helmet, sunblock, sunglasses and go. Pro's usually keep the bike shoes on the bike and get their feet into the shoes while they start riding. I am not a pro.

After the bike, back to transition (T2) to change sunglasses (faster to swap them out then to clean them,) running hat (hair management and sweat absorption,) slip on sneakers ( speed laces make this much faster) and then I run.

I hope this answers some of your questions. Keep the questions coming and I will be happy to answer them as best as I can.

Happy Friday!

Play hard!

Laura

 

Use Your Words

HI. It's Laura.

BRRRRRR.

Welcome back to winter. I hear the forecast is supposed to change but I am not holding my breath. The one weather condition I don't train for triathlon in is snow. I would not be surprised if it is in the forecast for next week.

I usually like to swim as the second workout of the day, not first, because, to me, it is logical. I would have to rinse off before I get in the pool, then swim, then leave the gym wet and then ride my bicycle. I will be wet and cold and smell like chlorine (I pretty much smell like chlorine most of the time anyway).

The chlorine also makes my skin itch. So it is logical to me that I swim last and then jump into the shower and be done for the day.

Monday was so cold and windy all day that I would still be waiting for it to get warm if I had waited. I took myself out of my normal routine and headed to the JCC to swim first thing in the morning. This switch messed up my whole day. I was so confused as to what time it was for the rest of the day.

I sat staring at my wind chill calculator later in the morning. With it being 42 degrees outside plus 18 mile/hour winds plus my speed, there was no way I was headed out to ride to be a popsicle. I waited until after lunch before I went out for my ride and donned my winter gear. It was lovely in the sunshine.

At this point in my training I am usually fraught with stories about the pool and all of the squabbles that take place due to people's inability to be considerate to each other. In the pool so far I have encountered attentive life guards, mindful lane mates and piddling crowds.

My stories seem to be coming from cycling and, today, the gym.

I think at some point in our lives, all of us have been inside a gym. I am also inclined to think that gym etiquette was introduced to you before you went, after your first visit and/or by the friend you were going with to the gym. A lot of it is common sense: wipe your sweat off the machine, put your equipment away and don’t talk on your cell phone. One common gym etiquette is sharing equipment. I will admit, I don't like to share equipment but I have no issue letting someone work in with me. My strength routine is quick and dirty so I don't spend a lot of time on any one piece. I often do two exercises at once.

Last week, it began. I was using the lat pull-down machine (excellent for swimmers BTW). While resting from that exercise, I was holding a side plank. When I stood up from side plank, one of the members was standing there staring at me while leaning up against the weight racks, like he was waiting for a bus. I had no idea what that was all about so I continued. The second I stood up from side plank he pointed at the lat machine. I figured out what he wanted, annoyed that he had no ability to speak, I walked away. I was done anyway.

On Tuesday (yesterday), I did the same workout routine. I was happy as the gym was very quiet. It was generally the same time of day and the same man stood staring at me leaning from the same weight rack.

I stood from side plank, clicked off my music, and pulled out my headphone.

“Can I help you? You are staring at me." He pointed at the seat of the lat machine. I wanted to say “I don't speak ‘point’”. This will probably make me look really nasty. I wasn't. I was frustrated that an adult male cannot use his words to ask for something that he wants.

I looked at him and said: “You did this to me last week as well. Don't stand there and stare at me. It’s weird. If you want something ask for it.” He stammered at me, “well you were on your side and then you rolled over”. DUH.

I went back at him: “If you don't communicate with me what you want I cannot help you. If you want to work in with me you have to ask me because I can't read your mind.” I then went about my business.

Right after I went about my business he went to the front desk. The next thing I knew the head trainer was on the lat machine. I was well out of the way by then and on to other things.

Communication is not new. We have a whole language we created so we could ask for things. Why are we so bad at it? As I write my blog entries, I become more and more aware that public altercations stem from frustration due to a lack of communication (we should already know about personal communications). People come up behind you on the bike and don't tell you what side. People, in the pool, pass or jump ahead of you in the pool without asking. And runners in the park…. Well these days, I am not sure there is a problem since I have not had many incidents in the park so far this year.

Use your words!

Play hard!
Laura

Brick Workout #3

Hi. It's Laura.

Happy Monday.

The rule of thumb is that there should be nothing new on race day. This includes your clothing. You definitely want to train in whatever outfit you are going to race in. You certainly do not want to deal with chafing, blisters, wedgies or even sunburn on race day (or any day for that matter). Is there anything more annoying than a pair of shorts that slip down or a shirt that rides up?

I already know exactly what I am wearing on race day. I wear it every brick and I wore it last year on race day. Unfortunately, it has been too cold to actually wear my racing outfit so I have been piecing things together based on the weather.

Also, on race day, you don't want to start messing with your food. You need to know what you are going to be eating the night before, for breakfast before the race and during the race itself. I know last year I did not eat enough during the race and I definitely ate the wrong thing the night before. I made the mistake of eating out and having a pasta dinner (my body is not a fan of pasta).

You need to practice eating on the bike. You need to eat what you would eat (or close to it) on the bike and the night before as you go through your brick workouts. This is what training is about. Figuring out what works and what doesn't during training so there are not issues on race day.

Of course there are always issues on race day. Goggle straps snap, you get cramps in your legs, back, arms, GI issues from nerves or a bad food choice. But these things you can control. You know how to stretch, you know what to eat and you can carry an extra pair of goggles.

The one thing we can't control is weather.

Rain or shine, my brick was going to happen on Saturday. The last thing I want to figure out on race day is how to handle my bike in the rain.

Saturday morning I was out the door by 6:15. I would have like to have been out by 6:00 but I am lazy and need my coffee.

Let me back up to Friday night. I woke up at least six times Friday night, waking up every hour to wait for the rain. I was very worried about the rain (more so than even I thought). Finally at 1am, I heard the thunder and the pouring rain. This did nothing for my nerves (that I swore I didn't have). At 2:30am, I heard more thunder and more rain. I managed to doze off until about 4:00am when I listened carefully and heard no rain. I thought to myself “I can deal with wet roads” and fell back to sleep until 5:30.

So out the door I go. Because the roads were wet and there was the potential for more rain, I decided to stay in NYC. My route was one five mile loop around the park then onto Riverside. The loop in the park does not have huge dips or large climbs where the bike could potentially slip. Riverside is completely flat with no curves.

Within the first five minutes in the park, my butt was completely wet. It never occurred to me that the back tire would kick up water onto my seat and back. I mean I knew but I didn't know. My first thought was “this is going to be a long ride”, second thought “fenders!”

Once I got going and my butt was sufficiently soaked, the ride was not so bad.

The park was devoid of other cyclists. Who really wants to ride in the rain on Saturday morning at 6:30? At the beginning in the park, it was not raining. There were a handful of dedicated runners but mostly the road was empty.

The rain started about 15 minutes into my ride. I can say I did not really notice. I saw the drops into the puddles before I felt it on my face. Here we go. The rain was the hardest 15 minutes later when I made my way out to Riverside. It was not torrential but noticeable. I decided to leave my glasses alone out of fear of making my vision worse. I rode slowly, not too slow. The average speed reading on my GPS was 11.5 mph (old lady slow) instead of my normal 15-18 mph. I hit the turn around, the rain had subsided, the wind was at my back and my speed picked up. The rain never really stopped but it did lighten up to a drizzle that was virtually unnoticeable again.

I hit the transition spot, realized it was still drizzling and then took off for my two mile run. The runs have been proving to be kind of miserable off the bike. They are supposed to be.

The first brick, I had wicked cramps. The second brick, I was light headed and had leaden legs. Those runs have also been short at 10 minutes. This week run was longer at 20 minutes. I discovered that I need the first 15 minutes to recover from the bike ride. At the 15 minute mark, the side cramps disappeared and I settled into a nice run.

I didn't even notice the rain. I usually don't notice it during the run (yes, I wore my rain shoes). I always feel like I am running so slow coming off the bike. It turns out I am not running as slow as I think. I was very happy to see on my GPS that, at one point, I was running a sub 9 minute mile.

One of my biggest fears was realized on Saturday, riding in the rain. I had no idea how anxious I was of riding in the rain until I couldn't sleep on Friday night. I had imagined all kinds of disasters happening like: there is a fairly steep hill that goes into Riverside park from 72nd St and I imagined myself on the bike not being able to stop because the brakes don't work well in the rain; sliding down the last leg of that hill, out of control and unable to stop, sliding across the actual path, hitting the guard rail and going over head first still attached to the bike. Hey, it could happen. But it didn't. [Editor’s note: What, no detailed description of the injuries, the treatment, rehab and potential recovery time?] (No, because I would be dead)

The brick workout was done by 8:15 am. The Husband took me out for breakfast and I was napping by 9:30am.

I doubt that I will ever be delighted to ride in the rain but I now know how the bike works in the rain. And, on race day, if it does rain, it’s not new.

Play hard!

Laura

2 Rainy Days, 1 Sunny Day and 0 Rain Bikes

HI. It's Laura.

My ride on Wednesday did not go nearly as I had hoped nor as I had planned.

When planning a week's worth of exercise and knowing how accurate the weather man can be, things can a little tricky. I knew the forecast was calling for morning showers. I did not know Wednesday morning was going to require an Ark to get around.

Wednesday was also my day to take the dog. I am absolutely aware of what I need to don before a long walk in the park on a rainy day. It started off just fine. My running hat was beading off the water. My trench was keeping me dry until about half way through the “Squirrel Circuit” when I had water dripping off my cap and my sleeves were wet on the insides. It was not the happiest start to the day. By the time my morning shift ended where I volunteer on Wednesdays, the rain had stopped and the sun tried to come out. This was making me very happy for my hour long dog park session and my outdoor ride.

Just as we, The Dog and I headed for the park, for our afternoon session the rain started again in torrents. I knew this was a possibility as per the weather forecast. So I spent some of the morning, pre dog walk, reading about cycling in the rain. Apparently, it’s dangerous. But I knew that and I think most of us with common sense could figure that out.

Extra slick areas would be painted surfaces, like road lines, and metal surfaces, like manhole covers. If you walk in NYC, you already know about these surfaces. I crossed many a crosswalk on a painted line and have lost my footing. Applying logic to a one inch tire, cycling would be a touch dangerous.

I read other logical things. Don't ride through a big puddle because you never know what is under the water. That makes sense and I already knew that but it’s always nice to hear the experts say it. One piece of information that I did learn was to lower your tire pressure by about 10 PSI. More tire surface on the road means betters traction. Light bulb! (do you hear Gru too?)

I waffled for the better part of the day on what to do with my ride. In the end I opted for the indoor trainer. Mostly because of the last article that I read had a whole list of things you need to do to your bike after riding in the rain. I am not equipped to do most of these like applying extra lube on my chain, hang it upside for all the water to release, take it apart to re-lube all the parts to then put it back together or just use your rain bike. RAIN BIKE? Please?

I may not have a rain bike but I do have rain running shoes (which is just my old pair of running shoes). They have enough life left in them to get me through the handful of rainy runs for the next two months for sure.

I had slow start Thursday morning. Something funky was going on with me Wednesday afternoon. So instead of getting up a regular time, I allowed myself to fall back to sleep for an extra half hour. During the afternoon, I felt almost like I might be coming down with something. I was a little light headed and just a little wonky.

The extra half hour did wonders for my hour long run. I felt strong out of the gate and was able to keep a nice pace throughout the entire run despite the rain.

I have to say, there has not been a lot of drama on my runs this year until today. Generally I prefer to run the park clockwise as opposed to counter clockwise for a number of reasons:

1)    The run portion of the triathlon goes that direction

2)    I don't feel like I am in a race every day because most people run counter clockwise

3)    I can run at my pace and not be annoyed by conversations that are coming up behind me

Thursday morning, running up Cat Hill, I passed some guy. I did not think anything of it. I pass people all the time. I also get passed all the time. So when the guy I just passed, decided he was going to pass me, then get in front of me, I was a little annoyed. Ego? Perhaps. His not mine.

He clearly needed to speed up to pass me, which is a pace he couldn’t keep. You always will find your natural pace. Of course, he slowed down. I passed him again. He couldn't just let it alone. He had to pass me again and pull in front of me once more. The third time I passed him, I never saw him again. My natural pace, which in my opinion is not all that fast, was just a little faster than his.

The rest of the run, other than the rain, was perfectly quiet. Nice for a Thursday. My Thursday swim went off without a hitch. I hit the pool at just the right time and had a nice swim group. I hate nice. Nice does not make for good stories [Editor’s note: But it makes for a happier wife. I like that].

I feel my training year so far is lacking in good stories. Am I growing more tolerant of people? Am I accepting those around me and their ability to annoy? I certainly hope not or this blog is going to get pretty boring pretty fast.

Friday morning was just an easy 35 minutes run. I brought the dog out with me. A change of pace for him and for me. We managed to stay away from people and stay out of the way of the cyclists. I can't complain about the weather. After the last two days, this morning's run was glorious.

My last piece of work for the week will be a brick on Saturday morning. Right now the forecast is rain and I will have no choice but to get the workout done in the rain. If it rains on race day, I am going to have to know how to handle it. So, no matter what, it’s going to happen. I already know it’s going to suck. I will keep you posted.

Happy Friday.

Play hard!

Laura

 

3 x 6.2 +1400

Hi, it's Laura.

A tad cryptic on the title for sure.

The week began with a big ride, at least for me.  A casual ride for me is generally about 10-15 miles and I take my time.  Since I am training, any ride takes on a whole new meaning.  I worry about cadence, hills, speed and wind. I am also very focused on what my body is doing during the long rides. Is the body: hungry? thirsty? The Brain also plays a part. The "can do" mind set needs to set in instead of the "oh, I have never seen that patch of roses before" or "hey, I really dig this song".

My ride called for long hill repeats. The only hills I know, that are close by and worth climbing, are in Central Park. Regardless of whether or not I have long or short hill repeats, I head for the park. I can't think of a more challenging area to ride in.

On Monday, I was fortunate to get to the park at an odd hour. It was also slightly overcast.   People, who need to be at work at 9am or earlier, had already left the park. It seems the tourists gaggles don't really get out until after 10am as I only saw one group at the end of my ride.

I was really the only cyclist in the park other than a couple of commuter bikes. And since they are usually dressed for work, they are not trying to ride fast or for cardio. They ride transportation.

In order to get my required time in, 75 minutes, I am going to need to head around the big loop of Central Park at least three times. The big loop is 6.2 miles approximately.

Around I go.  With so few people in the park, there was no drama, no incidents, just me talking to myself into hitting that big loop just one more time.

I went back to check my Garmin database to give you the actual mileage but it seems that my history is gone.  Not happy.  Not quite sure what happened there. I will have to check with my technical team (The Husband). But I do believe to the best of my recollection that it was 19 miles total.  6.2 x 3 maybe equal 18.6 but I do still need to ride home.

Onto the afternoon! I try to keep my swimming to Monday and Thursday. This allows me to get strength training in on Tuesday and Friday.  Since I amped my training this year to a more advanced schedule, there is just no room to move things around.  Careful planning has to go into every week taking in account of the weather.

The afternoon ticked away and I procrastinated going to the pool. I did escalate my swimming from a beginner to intermediate. Still, the workouts are getting longer and more intense. Monday's are usually the longest and more difficult of my swim workouts. Mentally, I know that if I just go, it will be done. And I won't have to think about it until Thursday. But knowing what lie ahead, I sat.

Monday's swim drills include, for the very first time, a fartlek included in my 1400 meter swim. Fartlek actually means "speed play”. Generally fartlek's are done in running but can be done in any sport. The first I ever heard of them was last year when I started training for my first triathlon.  What happens during a fartlek work out is your vary your speed & intensity in order to increase your conditioning.  I had 400 meters of fartlek to cover in the pool, which was one of the reasons I was dreading heading to the pool.

I did eventually drag myself there. It seems like I am always dragging myself to the pool.  It is not in my thought process to say “hey I will go for swim today” like I would say “let's go hit the heavy bag” or “let’s go for a run”. 

I made it through the warm up and started my main set or free style. Before you knew it, I was up to the fartlek.  After all the fuss and dread, I actually found the fartlek fun.

For 25 meters (1 length of the pool), it was all out effort then back stroke or slow freestyle back. The pool was just quiet enough so that I had the lane virtually to myself.  After 400 meters of back and forth, cool down and done.

The rest week is calling for rain. Wednesday, I have another bike ride. Ride in the rain or ride indoors?  We shall see.

Play hard!

Laura

2 Pet Peeves & 1 Gripe

Hi.  It's Laura.

Happy Monday.

My brick workout on Friday was such a delight.  Saturday felt like such a treat to not have so much work to do. I did still have some work to do, I had a three mile run and strength training to get to.  

It has been a while since I have run in the park on a Saturday and what a treat it was. I got into the park before the Revlon walk/run started but the park was crowded nonetheless.  I know I was dilly dallying earlier in the morning and wound up getting there at prime running time, 8am.  I have forgotten about the characters that populate the park on Saturday morning.

Of course there are the regular running groups usually in groups of 10 or more that insist in running in an abstract formation instead of maybe two by two. Next to the running lanes are the cyclists. I could write an entire novel on what is wrong with the cyclists in Central Park but who has time to read a novel. I’ll blog instead.

For some reason they all think they are in the Tour De France every day they ride in the park.  As long as they stay in their lanes, I don't really care what race they think they are riding in. When they ride in the pedestrian/running lane, which is when I get super annoyed (OMG I'm 16 again).  I like order and I like when people follow the rules (not my rules nobody could keep up with those but societal rules). It makes me crazy when they don't. It’s a safety issue.

When there are rules and you break them for the sake of breaking them that peeves me.

Peeve#1 the first pic is the sign of the pedestrian walkway. Seems pretty clear to me.

 

This second picture is a cyclist riding on the path where he had to pass the above sign to get to this spot.

If you look closely you can see my dog right behind him.

There is simply no reason for this cyclist to be on the walking path.  And he gave me and The Dog a dirty look.  Go figure!

Maybe The Central Park Conservancy should make the signs (pic above) a little bigger or perhaps a little brighter. I know I sound cranky.  I am a little. I go through this almost every day.

Saturday was special though.  It started with the guy running in what I would call “an UnderArmour base layer pants of white”.  Shall I continue?  Shirtless! And he was a tad orange (from self tanner I assume). 

Then there is the woman who sings while she runs, the woman riding the granny bike riding in the pedestrian lane, the runner, running in the cycling lane (can we say hell in a hand basket?), the woman dressed in purple from head to toe, the really really fast guy, they guy talking on his cellphone while running and then there are ear buds.

Peeve #2

Did you know that earphone/headphones do not make you invisible when you where them?

They also don't make me invisible when you where them. I am pretty sure that earphones have no magical power to make anyone disappear. This, just because you can’t hear me, does not mean I am not there. 

Ear buds also do not make you any smaller of a person. You still have to move over to let people get past you.  When you place them in your ears, you actually stay the same size and, regardless of your size, you take up space.

What ear buds can do is block out all of the irritating, irrelevant conversation that people are having around you.  Ear buds allow you to enjoy your music without disturbing anyone around you and help you get through your 2, 3, 10, mile run.

That is a lot of complaining for a Monday. I say, what better day to complain.

I am headed out for the beginning of my week's workouts.  A final big week of workouts before a recovery week next week. Yay! 

Play hard!

Laura

Brick Workout #2

Hi. It's Laura.

Happy Friday!

It’s a very happy Friday for me.

By a stroke of luck I was able to get my brick workout in this morning instead of having to wait until Saturday.

When I heard yesterday that the opportunity to get it done Friday was a possibility, I got all kinds of excited.  I know it seems silly to be so excited about getting in a two hour plus workout but if you ride or run in Manhattan you would understand.

On Saturdays & Sundays in Central Park, there is always some kind of run/ride/race taking place first thing in the morning.  If it’s not a walk for breast cancer, it’s a cycling race. If it’s not a healthy kidney run, it’s the 5 Boro Bike Tour (which is this Sunday BTW). I am not against any of these things except for the fact that most of them end on the West side of Central park, which is my neighborhood.  This makes both the park and the neighborhood quite busy.

Even Riverside Park is busy on the weekend.  The spot where I do my transition for my brick workout, Team in Training does theirs as well (apparently I am not the only smart one in the hood). Riverside Park is crowded on Saturdays, Central Park is crowded on Saturdays. So again, I am very excited for a chance to get the work done on Friday.

It is a work day and I already have my workout scheduled set. But who wouldn't switch the harder workout to a work day and take the easier day on Saturday?

I was up at regular time and had breakfast. I normally do not eat breakfast until after my workout. I prefer to train in a fasted or semi fasted state (I will Gu or Gu Chomp on longer run days). But today, heading out for a two hour ride and a subsequent run, I thought it best to fuel (remember lessons learned from last week).

Off to an excellent start.  Contacts in with no problem and no additional equipment issues to start (or finish).

It’s still too chilly to ride in cycling clothes. So I stuck with the jacket and skull cap. I have a two hour ride ahead of me and I know I am going to New Jersey again. The only problem with Jersey is, I really have no idea where I am going. Maps don't really help because they look at roads not bike routes. I do know that I was on the right bike path. The really large signs that say "cyclists ride single file" were a bit of giveaway.  I use the term "bike path" loosely.  There is no actually bike “path” just a road. 

I know that over the GWB, you can make a left or a right. I usually choose right and I chose it again today. Using the maps made for cars; I have been able to create a route and can share it with you where I went today. 

From W75th Street to Riverside Drive along Riverside to W177th Street and over the GWB (boy was I happy that I was not in that traffic today). Turn right onto Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee. There is a downhill on Hudson Terrace that is terrifying.

Cyclists tend to ride in the shoulder. At the bottom of the hill, it is completely pot holed and scarified pavement. I hit that area this morning at about 25 miles an hour. At that point the bike shakes and you need to brace everything to hold the bike upright. 

I get to end of the road. I already know, right takes me to the Palisades Parkway, left turns onto East Palisades Ave and to the traffic light. This is really the end of the road for me. I don't know which way to go. Sitting at the traffic light I see another cyclist coming from my right, right turn it is. Right onto 9W.  There is no shoulder for me to be on and I can only think that if I were in a car I would look at me and think "stupid woman".

I made it all the way out to Sage Road (past Unilever and CNBC). I know this because I marked it on my phone when I got out there so I can see where I was and then tell you. 

By the time I got out there, I was three minutes short of the hour.  I know I am going to be back too early. The ride home is always faster with lots of downhill.

As I was heading back down Hudson terrace I decided to go past the bridge entrance and see what is on the other side.

I pass the entrance to the GWB and the name of the street changes from Hudson Terrace to Main Street.  I figured I would go out about 10 minutes more then turn around and head back.

Can you say hill?  I became a little worried when I saw the truck warning sign.

It did not give a grade on the sign but I knew no good would come from this.

I got about half way down the hill and decided to turn back (mostly because I had no idea where I was going to wind up).  Once I finally got across the road, I could not quite make it back up the hill because I was in such a low gear. I had to head to the bottom anyway so I could change gears and start the climb back up.  I checked the GPS on my watch and I went from a -17% to 8% grade.  I put my head down and just worked. There was no looking up, no watch checking for heart rate or speed checking. Just get up the hill. And what a hill.

I thought about, if I had to get off and walk it up the hill, how disappointed I would be.  But I didn't, can’t quit now. By the time I got onto the bridge, I forgot all about that hill.

The rest of the ride home was a breeze. I made it back quickly and was just shy of the two hour mark.  Thankfully I do not have another really long ride for two more weeks. phew.

Since today was a brick workout, and the run was a short one, it was better than last week’s. It was a tad faster and I had a lot less side cramping.  Things are looking up.

I wish I could brick every Friday (on weeks I have bricks). It is such a pleasure to ride with no real bike traffic (car traffic is a different story all together). I know that I have the weekend that includes a rest day and short workout. It will feel like a real weekend.

I sat down to write the other day but found myself exhausted so I opted to nap instead.

The workouts this training season are killing me. I find myself tired all the time. I took a look back at last year’s blog entries to see where I was in my training. I was very happy to find out I was tired last year too! Apparently all this fresh air and exercise is exhausting.

This week’s workouts included an hour ride & an hour swim on Monday, a 7 mile run on Tuesday, an18 mile ride on Wednesday and a 5 mile run & 1100 meter swim on Thursday. I do not wonder why I am tired anymore.  I embraced the nap instead of feeling guilty about it. I enjoyed it so much, I may do it again today!

 Enjoy the weekend!

 Laura