Chad's Blog

Hey everyone. Just to let you know Chad started a blog about his powerlifting, so you should check it out:

www.grizzlygeiger.blogspot.com

Something Fishie....

Well well well....I got some interesting news last night that APPARENTLY everyone but me knew about!!!! Ha ha ha. I guess the jokes on me:) Chad admitted to me last night that he signed up for the super sprint triathlon in Lethbridge in May. Hmmmm so many things make sense now!

I have been looking for my other pair of goggles for about a month now, and guess who had them? We also seemed to be running low on towels....???? And he has been coming home from his "workouts" at weird times??? The little bugger has been swimming. Don't get me wrong I am super excited....but that sneaky little shit! I am so proud of him though. He said he has been working on his swimming since January...face in and everything! He made me promise not to get involved before he even told me, unless he asks of course!

He was having a hard time hiding it from me and it was only a matter of time before I ran into him at the pool. The other night I told him it looked like he had goggle marks around his eyes! Ha ha, he told me it was because he was tired and I believed him!

Training is going well, I feel better this week. I had a day off training yesterday and I laid on the couch for a few hours last night and it was glorious! I have to run and swim tonight and if I feel good maybe some weights, I am still kinda sore from weights on Monday though. Anyway chat with ya lata!

Weekend Update

So it turns out I am kinda dumb...on Friday I was supposed to run right from work (so I could run in the day light, otherwise it is scary:). So Friday afternoon rolls around and I am pulling all of my running clothes out of my gym bag....alas no pants. That's right no pants. I didn't really feel like running down the street in my ginch, so that meant no run for me. I was also REALLY REALLY tired all week last week for some weird reason, so it took all of my gumption to get ready for this run and then I couldn't go. ARRRRGGHHHH! I was pretty mad at myself, so I was sentenced to running on the treadmill at the gym later that night. Man oh man was that ever boring, kudos to those of you who can run on the treadmill all of time.

Also on Friday night Chad and I were keeping up with Ironman Malaysia. Everyone in Calgary probably knows Greg Bradley from Speed Theory right? So we were periodically checking in on how he was doing. I can't even imagine trying to run in that heat! Blah.

On Saturday I woke up feeling pretty good, I had slept for about 10 hours and I think I really needed it! I went for my usual 2 hour run and it was soooooo nice outside. At about 90 minutes I was ready to be done running, I didn't feel bad but I didn't feel good either. I think it was just one of those weeks for training.

What was exciting about my run on Saturday...well actually 2 things. The first being that I ran waaaaay farther than I have yet in a 2 hour run and was able to keep my heart rate down. Hmmmm does that mean I am running more efficiently...I think so! AND I for the first time in as long as I can remember I didn't have a nap after I ran! When I do long runs I usually tucker out at some point later in the day and fall asleep. Yay me! Instead I went out dancing with one of my girlfriends. Again a sign of improved fitness perhaps:)

Sunday I had to work at the Tech Shop and then I had to go home and bike for 3 hours and 15 minutes. A couple of things did not go so well with my ride yesterday and I think that I learned a few things in the process. It was a very HARD ride yesterday.

So first off I ate OPA (I love Greek food!) right before I got on the bike, mistake #1. So I felt a little slow at first and after about an hour I honestly thought that I was going to toss my cookies...not good. Mistake #2 and #3 were as a result of my festivities the night before. Due to staying up until 5 am I was a little on the tired side, although I didn't feel too bad all day. Turns out my body had another opinion once I started biking! Since my festivities involved a couple of alcoholic beverages (I did try and drink water as well) I was a bit dehydrated still...oops. Lesson learned: save going out with friends for recovery weeks! Hahahahaha!

Anyway, I was still a little tired this morning when I got up but I sure once I wake up a bit more I will feel good to go! I am quite excited for daylight savings in a couple of weeks. I find the extra daylight really helps with training....bring on summer!

With all of the training I did this weekend I made it through Virginia, Maryland, and I am through Dover, Delaware. Holly smokes hey! I always find this one easy to remember "double D's" ahahahahaha. I successfully passed my test last night, I had a hard time remembering Mississippi and Florida yesterday. With a little smoke coming out of my ears I got it though!

Okay, this was really long... I'm sorry, I will stop talking your ears off now! Chad has made a chart my training volumes since I started in January so I will try to post it sometime in the next couple of days. Alrighty, now I am really done!

Ouch Ouch Ouch

Well I have had interesting training in the last couple of days! I had a very effective training session of weights on Wednesday. Once you give your body 24-48 hours for DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) to set in, here is a good way to tell if you are working hard enough:

Upper Body:

Chest Sore - yes

Lats sore - yes
rhomboids sore - yes

shoulders sore- yes

biceps sore - yes

triceps sore - yes

abs sore - yes

Lower body:

Calves sore - yes...well cramping anyway.

butt sore - yes

hamstrings sore - yes

quads sore - actually they are ok!

So my lower body holds up much better than my upper body. Swimming last night was not very fun for the first 500m or so. All I could think was 'ouch, ouch, ouch, breathe...ouch, ouch, ouch, breathe. Fun hey... not really:) Once everything got moving I was okay, today however I am still very sore! I had to cut my swim short again last night due to cramping in my feet and calves. I have a plan in action to take care of this, electrolyte drinks aren't helping that much. Scott told me Apple Cider Vinegar might help so I am gonna give it a go.

I picked up one of those ginormous jugs of water (you know the ones for water coolers) at work yesterday and lifted it onto the stand. It was at about that time my bicep started to spasm and it took me an hour of stretching to get it to stop! Ha ha, note to self this was not a good idea!

Speaking of ouwies (not sure on spelling?), remember I said I played mini sticks on the weekend with my cousin and Chad. Well, here are some of my ouwies from the weekend that are still hurting me:( Thanks Levi! Oh well, Levi (my 12 year old cousin) may have beat me at mini sticks.....but I beat Chad! My kness are pretty sore, particularly when they get wet or bend, notice the foot as well!

In my crossing america challenge I am about 20 minutes past Raleigh, North Carolina. I can't remember where I am going next, but if all goes well I should be there tonight! I am going to go for an easy run after work...well easy until I have to run back up the 19th street hill. That's okay, good training:) I also am going to bike for 70 min, easy spin. Tomorrow I have another 2 hour run and Sunday a 3 hour 15 minute bike, after work. Have a good weekend!

Motivation...where does it come from?

Just a thought for everyone out there, what motivates you? Darryl talked about movtivation awhile ago on his blog and have been pondering it ever since.

I recently made up a program for an old client of mine who wants to do her first tri a tri. It brought back a few memories of not so long ago when I was new to this sport. Everyone has their own reason for wanting to do a triathlon and their own story about how they got there, so I ask you this...what is yours?

For me it was watching Ironman Canada 4 years ago, it inspired me. All of the different people working so hard, each with there own battles, all trying to obtain the same goal. Now, it is about living the lifestyle, being healthy, and the accomplishment. I love that with each race you do, no matter what the distance is, you learn something new.

Everyone has those days when you have to peel yourself off the couch to go train...even though you really don't feel like it, but you go. Why, what makes you do it?

"If you can imagine it,You can achieve it.If you can dream it,You can become it."--William Arthur Ward

Skates, Ski's, or Rubber boots

Over the weekend I was in Edmonton visiting family. On Saturday I went for a 2 hour run, and it was very interesting. Apparently we are a little spoiled in Calgary with having cleared trails to run on. The trail was so rough in some parts I could hardly run, I thought I was going to roll my ankle (This is where ski's would have been handy). About 10 mintues in I was going across an intersection and got a huge soaker, rubber boots. My foot was making squishy noises everytime I stepped down! Then there were the pieces of sheer ice....skates would have been handy:) My stabilizer muscles sure got a workout, my knees were even a little sore when I got back. I made it though, with a few close calls and a few more soakers I was done!

On Sunday I biked for 3 hours and it went really well. I set up my bike in my grandparents basement and I had a few visitors come down and keep me company. When I didn't have anyone to chat with (mostly my granny) I watched Pretty Woman.

On Monday we were staying with my aunt and uncle. We all went swimming for awhile that afternoon. My Aunt Nanette did her first tri last summer and she plans on doing another this year. While we swam Chad and my cousin Levi went and played in the wave pool and the swirly thing! My uncle Marc swam with us for a bit and then went to join the boys.

Today was my off day...and I am still a little bit sick. I really hope this goes away soon. I managed to give it to Chad again...he can't talk really well right now!

I am 36 minutes past Columbia, South Carolina! Yeah. Slowly but surely I will get there. I have a pretty busy week ahead of me. So I have to keep on truckin. Til next time.

Back at it!

I have had some really good training in the last couple of days...I'll get to that in a minute because I have more exciting news. I went to Speed Theory today and put money down on my bike. YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!! I could not believe the difference between a road bike and a tri bike. Holly molly, it was so good to be up higher and not stretched out, not to mention the hip angle (Which I now have a greater appreciation for after learning about bikes today!). I know it will be a bit of an adjustment, but well worth it. I am sooo excited. I am getting a Cervelo P2C Ultegra (the one on the right in the pic). If anyone is looking for a new bike, I recommend Speed Theory. They are great; I was in there for an hour and a half today talking with Greg about bikes, Ironman, training, nutrition, etc. and I learned a lot!

Back to training. On Monday I ran for 40 min which went okay. I wasn't feelin' the run too much on Monday as I later learned I was catching a bit of a cold.....AGAIN! I don't know what is wrong with my immune system in the last 3 months, I haven't been sick in ages. At least this time it is hardly there so it hasn't prevented me from doing anything. I also biked on Monday for 65 min, which felt way better than the run:)

Tuesday was my day off of training, which worked out well because that was the day my pseudo sickness was the worst!

Wednesday I biked for 75 min and I also swam for 60 min. I didn't get much mileage on the swim due to cramping (still). I had to keep stopping and stretching...booo, but what I was able to do was great. I felt fast and I like that feeling:)

I just finished a brick session. I biked for 90 minutes and ran for 30, nothing too crazy though. My legs feel great right the whole time, even at the start of the run which tends to hurt the most.

I am just past Tallahassee and into Georgia now. I can't keep up with the pics, I think I need to blog more often:) Chad is already planning where to go once I am done all of the states. I'm coming up into Canada...and all of Canada...all the way up to the great white north and into Alaska. Which reminds me I am already bugging Chad about Ironman Coeur d'Alene. One thing you can count on with triathlete's they are always thinking about the next challenge before they are done the current one. So true when you think about it! He hasn't said too much about this latest development, but I got some pull:)

We are off to Edmonton this weekend to visit family. I have a long run and ride to do, so I might be bringing up my bike and trainer and setting it up somewhere. I don't think my family will mind! Have a good weekend.

Leslie

Recovery Week

Well, last week wasn't very exciting due to the unloading week. One thing I did notice at the beginning of the week I was feeling pretty lazy....I think I am a little of an "all or nothing" person when it comes to my training. By Wednesday I had identified and corrected that behavior.

That being said I had a good week, I felt really strong during each workout. On Friday I went to the gym later so I could workout with Chad. I have been trying to work on power-endurance with my weight training, this will make climbing hills, getting away from a crowd of people in the water, etc a lot easier.

Weeellll, there was one point on Friday where I was sitting on the bench in between sets trying to breathe and telling myself it is okay if I can't feel my legs, arms, back, shoulders....ouch. I started out the workout with power cleans (a whole body movement where you move the bar from your feet to your head). Then I did Chads weird modified clean & jerk exercise (which are really good for triathlon training because you hit every muscle). The first 10 reps are super easy...then it gets hard. After an exercise for swmming (more shoulders and legs) I did step ups with an oblique crunch and shoulder press (this is where I couldn't feel my body). I was finally done with the pain from that workout only to go home and bike.

When I woke up on Saturday I felt good....quick recovery....and then I tried to lift my arms up. My shoulders and every muscle in my back was sore, it was awesome! My legs were fine which is good because with the -20ish weather I opted to stay inside and bike. I went for 90 minutes...all good.

I did brave the cold on Sunday (it was -16) and go for an easy 60 min run. I was worried about the cold but it was so nice out. No wind, the sun was out for a bit, blue sky. I had gone out for a girlfriends birthday on Saturday night, so I was a little worried about how I would feel, but that was the best I felt all day!

I made it through Montgomery, Alabama without a hitch. Chad thought I might get a capital wrong being hungover and all yesterday...but I survived! I am on my way to Tallahassee, Florida next; I should be there by Wednesday I think?

Chad also sold my Crosstrainer to one of his clients which is awesome because that means I have more money for my bike fund! Yay!

Have a good one,
Leslie

High volume = tired legs

This past week was the highest volume of training I have done since last summer:) Whoa....I was tired. Onto the good news though, I have an unloading week this week! Yeah. Sometimes it isn't the training load, it is not having enough time to do everything else you want to do in a day.

Back to Friday...I said I had to bike and swim. Well, I got the bike in for 75 minutes. I opted to go to Olive Garden and eat rather than swim....a girls gotta eat with all of this training right?

On Saturday I went for my first of many 2 hour runs. I felt good the whole time, and when I had to turn around I felt like I could have kept going, so that's a good sign. My legs were still pretty sore from the disagreement I had with lunges last week though. Once I got home Chad wanted to go to Speed Theory...so my hands helped my legs into the shower and then we were off.

Funny story, so Chad has been looking for a new gym bag for awhile. He is a power lifter and his belt, chalk, wraps, binder (Blah, blah, blah) doesn't fit in any bags. What does he walk out of Speed Theory with??? A very pricey triathlon transition bag (after all it is a ZIPP bag). I thought it was funny...I think he should do a triathlon now that he has a triathlon bag! He did say I could use it though.

Yesterday I had to work at the Tech Shop, so I didn't get my ride in until later on in the evening. I watched an entire disk of Lost, man that show is interesting. Strange things happen on that Island, not somewhere you would want to go on holidays. Anyway, I biked for 2 hours and 45 minutes. The first 15 mintues I wasn't too happy but then I felt good up until the last 1/2 hour. At that point my legs were feeling pretty fatigued. I think all of the Paralyzers and Jagerbombs I had on Saturday night weren't working in my favor yesterday:) I got it done and thats the important part.

This is a picture of me riding at home, with Lost on the tv. I better get comfortable since I am going to be spending a lot of time here in weeks to come!

I am going to go some weights tonight and go for a swim. On Tuesday I have a day off of training, which I am excited about. It was a long 10 days of training, but I feel fantastic so it was worth it!

In my Crossing America Challenge I am through Baton Rouge and a couple of hours away from Jackson, Mississippi. I am going to have to update every couple of days because the states I am into now are pretty small.

Anywho...I guess I should get back to work...Bye!

Feeling Good

I have been pretty tuckered out over the last couple of weeks due to the volume increase in my workouts since January 1. All week I have felt really good and on track with my training. I was running on the treadmill last night and I was able to run way faster than I have ever before and keep my heart rate down. I had to keep bumping up the speed trying to keep my heart rate where I wanted it.

I also did some weights last night and holly crap my butt hurts today. Lunges....they are deadly. I haven't been as good at keeping up with regular weight training, maybe a couple of times per week. I did some olympic lifts on Tuesday and I was in a whole other realm of upper body soreness!

On Wednesday I braved the cold and went swimming. The air in the pool was colder than usual. I could feel it everytime I brought my arms out of the water. Brrrr. I swam for 60 min, had a lot of variety in my workout. Little did I know that If I would have swam for 7 more minutes I would have been in Austin, Texas!

I am out of Austin and on by way to Baton Rouge, Louisianna! I have to swim and bike tonight. I have a long run and bike planned for the weekend as well. It is supposed to snow tomorrow, but that's okay. I would rather run when it is -10 and snowing than when in is -30 outside:)