Day 1: The First Day of "School" ~ From Guppies to Big Fish... and beyond!
One word: Unbelievable. It's the word I keep saying over and over to myself after my day today. I can't believe what we were handed by our Coaches today in the way of our training schedule. And I certainly cannot believe what I did with it.
I'm just continually astounded by what the human mind, heart, spirit & body can do. If you were to ask me a year ago -- no, four months ago -- what I thought I could successfully accomplish in one day, I don't think a triathlon would have even crossed my mind. What began as a rather intimidating, built-up Saturday morning ~ beckoning all the members of IronTeam (from all ends of the Bay Area) to show what we're made of... surely became a day filled with challenges. All I could really do was roll with the punches, keep on a good face and positive outlook, and not run away from what could potentially be the dark, scary face of adversity. And, boy, let me tell you -- I saw that face, it was ugly, and I didn't run the other way.
My very first open water swim. The Team suited up in the parking lot at the Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore. The temperature of the water was around 52 degrees Fahrenheit, or so. From what we were told, it was a "warmer" day because of the rain we've been having. As we faced the lake -- no lane lines, no visible 'bottom' of the body of water, I walked in. Some of my other teammates, I could tell, were also apprehensive. About all the unknowns, the unfamiliarity, and of course -- the temperature! But they trudged on, boldly and confidently and so I followed suit, in my wetsuit ;) Once I put my face in the water, it was piercing cold. Just imagine submerging your face in a bucket of ice water. And you'd probably get a similar sensation. And we had to swim in it for 30 consecutive minutes. Believe it or not -- once my body got acclimated to the water (I know, you're probably wondering, 'how does that happen?') -- I was actually able to swim normally. It took some getting used to, not being able to see through the murky water, but it was actually kind of invigorating! I also got the hang of my sighting technique -- gradually bringing my head up forward to make sure I'm swimming straight / on course, without breaking my stroke. Before I knew it, it was time to get out of the water! 30 minutes in the lake were up, just as I was getting comfortable. My first experience with open water swimming, though initially scary, was now in the bag and I couldn't be more thrilled by how it went!
Up next: the bike. And major hills to tackle. Well. By now I'm sure you know of my ongoing saga with the bike. I've been through quite an array of experiences (good, bad, ugly & with bruises aplenty!) with the ol' two wheels 'n saddle. But this time, we were warned by our coaches that we might hit a wall during the ride (as well as at any point during the long day). Ohh that wall. I know it well. From a few of my long runs during marathon training ~ and particularly during my bike ride through Berkeley when I encountered a hill so steep and seemingly endless that my brain just quit and so did my will to continue on. To simplify: It sucked. When you hit a wall that is seemingly impossible to penetrate or move around, it's just one of the most defeating feelings ever. And for me, bonking, or hitting the wall on the bike, is just a whole different kind of animal. Notice I keep referencing "seemingly" to describe this phenomenon. While the wall ~ both affecting the brain / central nervous system & your body, is a very real situation -- it doesn't mean that it's impossible to overcome. You just need to have what Coach Dave calls an "exit strategy" for when you do inevitably reach that point of no return.
I had this ammo in mind today and without even knowing the kind of hills I'd face, I was ready and willing to whip out that strategy whenever and how ever often I needed it. Would you believe... I had to reach into my back pocket for that strategy FIVE minutes into the ride?? Yep. Mines Road. For those of you local, drive it. You'll find yourself gassing up those hills like there's no tomorrow. And then hop on a bike and try it to compare. After today, I know what the term human-powered miles means! There I was again, at the bottom of a hill, looking straight up at the daunting task ahead of me. To get over that hill safely and efficiently -- without wanting to collapse at the top. Sounds dramatic, I know. But that's exactly how it was! And this was no foreign scenario to me.
So I took that hill. One pedal stroke at a time. Not looking up, to the side, around me, at anyone behind or passing me. I just focused. And damn it, I was going to get up that hill and I was going to feel strong at the end. I climbed and climbed and once I turned a corner -- there was another hill. This happened continuously throughout this set of hills. The me from two weeks ago would have undoubtedly quit by now. But to pull out a quote (which helped me during the climbs): Success is impossible without failure. So without my previous experiences of hitting walls, feeling defeated, not getting it right, getting back up and doing it over again -- I wouldn't be able to face today's challenges with as much mental fortitude and vigor. So with a little more focus, digging deep into what was in me (remember, this was only the start of the ride...) I did it. And man, you should have seen the smile on my face when I reached the top of that hill.
The rest of the ride consisted of flatter terrain, gorgeous views of Livermore's Wine Country, and LOTS and lots o' wind. I ended up having to cut down my mileage for time purposes, but I think the ride back -- complete with... you guessed it, the SAME set of hills -- more than made up for the quality of that ride, if you catch my drift. What can I say? It kicked my ass. "Hard" is not even the word I'd use to describe those climbs. There really is no word to epitomize it. They were long, semi-steep, with no chance of really catching your breath (I'm going to pull out another quote from a previous post -- When you start climbing [or even descending] a hill, you have to commit to it.). So if you're on your way up a hill. Honey. There's no stopping. You just keep climbing, because that's the only option you have. And same with descends. If you're flying down a hill at 30 mph (yes, with cars zooming past you on both sides of the street), you just hold on, take down the tension in your neck (and death grip on the handlebars) and you go for it. And that's basically the description of the remainder of my ride. Again -- highs. Lows. Exhilaration. And tough-ass moments. But 25 miles later, I was done and on a natural high. Once again, I feel like a different person after that bike ride.
And finally, the run. 1 hour of trail running through the park. Much of it was uphill, but I managed to get a second wind on the back half and pulled out a sprint for the finish. One of the most reassuring moments upon reaching the end of our simulated tri today, was my fueling and hydration plan. Somehow, I just got it right. I packed and downed a total of 700-800 calories today over a span of 6 hours, mixing up a variety of drinks, food and supplements. The fact that I didn't physically bonk, or have any stomach pains or digestive issues -- still feeling strong and able at the very end, is a testament to a well-executed fueling plan. I still intend to play around and experiment some more, particularly as the weather warms up later on in the season.
All in all -- a major success in each of the three sports, followed by some excellent stretching and foam rolling exercises with Core Coach Doug, which definitely helped to loosen the fatigue and lactic acid.
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Day 2: A Day of Many, Many Transitions... in more ways than one!
Well. The joke was on us. We all thought yesterday was hard. But today, Day 2, hit new levels of challenge, endurance and pushing our limits ~ most especially on the mental front.
Where do I begin? The South Bay / Silicon Valley Chapter IronTeam graciously hosted us for the second installment of our Boot Camp, in San Jose. We were back in the comforts of a heated pool, but boy... we sure didn't know what was coming next.
First up, the swim. Simply put, we were told to follow the instructions / drills / workout on a sheet of paper -- and to "repeat it over and over until we were told to stop". And friends, that was a phrase we were going to be told all day.
We swam for an hour, which I handled pretty well. It's just extra tough when you don't have any type of endpoint in mind. So despite our swim being the hour we're normally used to, it seemed extra-long because we couldn't anticipate when we would stop.
After the swim, came the bike. We had set up our bike trainers on the pool deck, but for whatever reason, I didn't initially think that we'd be taking them off the trainers and onto the road. We rode through parts of San Jose I never even knew existed! Secluded wooded areas, horse ranches, and yes... hills. We were told the hills wouldn't be so bad. But to our dismay, they weren't easy either. I pumped those legs (still fatigued from Saturday) up more hills and took my time. Hard stuff, but I pushed and pushed my way up. For the descend, it was a bit scary. Sharp turns, high speeds and the rain had just started to pour down.
We rode close to 20 miles and by the end, I was as filthy as ever. Drenched from the rain, and with all kinds of mud and debris from the road sticking to me -- twigs, dirt, grime. You name it. But they never said training for an Ironman would be clean!
Upon our return from the ride, we were told to quickly and immediately transition for the run. So off we went -- I ran with Margaret, Liz & Kristie and we kept a good pace once we loosened up the bricks in our legs. But there was something "special" about this run. Not only were we to go out and back 30 mins each way. We had to do a series of "burpies" (kind of like a jump, squat & push-up all rolled into one single movement) and crunches every 15-20 mins. At this point, I could only laugh, because we couldn't get any messier or soggy or muddy ~ and so getting on the ground, hair and clothing getting all personal with the dirty trail... I just embraced it and crunched those abs whenever we were supposed to. The ladies were also very encouraging, which made a huge difference.
After the hour-long run, the South Bay coaches wanted us to transition quickly and immediately... to get back on the bike. And this time, we were stationary. I thought it would be a relatively easy spin, just getting us to loosen up the legs and utilize difference muscles on the bike. Wrong again. Simulated hills, hard gears; the South Bay coaches had a whole bag o' tricks for us and certainly weren't holding back. This was around the point where my tolerance level for these so-called tricks and at this point, SURPRISES, was starting to waver.
After the bike, I threw on my running shoes to head to the track. Alternating easy and hard laps around the track, we were summoned to the center of the field to do jump squats & reverse crunches. More laps, and then stadiums. More laps, and then bench dips and leg lifts.
And just when we thought we were just about ready to throw in the towel (and in my mind, take some time to stretch and cool down) -- we were told to quickly and immediately transition to return to the bike.
Now. It was getting personal. My crabby side, for the first time all season (and probably my most grumpy in all my endurance training seasons), reared its ugly head. Legs fatiguing, but perfectly able ~ I Ironed Up and did the damn thing. More than anything, it was my heart and mind that were keeping me from going or wanting to continue. I properly and successfully fueled again, so no concerns or issues with physical pain, cramping or stomach discomfort. I was ravenously hungry, starting to get sick of eating GUs, gels and Gatorade. But it is what it is and I just kept on going.
Sprints on the simulated hills. Sprints on flat-level easy gears. Sprints all around. Again, the coaches held nothing back. After the bike... say it with me now... back to running.
And just when one more run felt like the very end... we had a swim. The swim consisted of more drills, and I used it to really stretch out my muscles and relax. Before I knew it... finally... we reached the end of our day.
Swim / Bike / Run / Bike / Run / Core / Bike / Run / Core / Swim
...in 8 1/2 hours. Haha and can you believe, 9 transitions?!
Today I reached a tougher and much different mental wall than before. Rather than feeling like I couldn't do it or go on (as in my battles with hill climbing on the bike), this time it was more of a frustration and angst to get it done and over with. And that is exactly what our coaches wanted us to experience ~ to be pushed to our mental limits and break through that wall. To realize that not everything can be planned or anticipated. At some point, you WILL want to give up because you're tired and over it. But just like in an Ironman, you don't just walk off the course midway and call it a day. To be an Ironman, you have to endure and outlast your own expectations of what you think you have left in you.
It was a tough lesson to learn, especially first-hand. But as I looked around the track (the first and second time) I could see other teammates and good friends of mine getting fed up, aggravated and grumpy. So it was a relief to know I wasn't alone in my feelings. Many an expletive had been thrown around -- throughout the track and up and down those bleachers :) Just goes to show that it isn't easy, but it's doable. And IronTeam certainly proved that this weekend.
16 1/2 hours of swimming, biking, & running this weekend ~ and making it through it all not only in one piece but feeling that much stronger and able.. I'm so proud of us! Go Team! Way to Iron Up.
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Week #15 Workout Summary:
Swim: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Bike: 7 hours and 30 minutes
Run: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Core/Strength: 2 hours and 0 minutes
Total Workout: 18 hours and 30 minutes
