Jan 31, 2009

25 random things

ok this facebook thing is going around so here it is 25 things about me:

1. name has nothing to do with Shakespeare but always gets asked
2. has 13 tattoos - 12 snowflakes and 1 Ironman canada
3. has always lived in the seattle area but always thought I would have moved
4. is a morning person
5. decided to do an ironman after only doing 3 sprints and has been addicted ever since
6. can eat an entire flat of berries in one sitting - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
7. occasionally I find myself turning in circles like a cat
8. had 2 concussions with in the first month of meeting my husband Kyle
9. my cat Toko sleeps on me every night and thinks the 5am alarm means it is time to cuddle
10. still loves to twirl when cherry blossoms or leaves get blown around
11. went to Italy with my Mother in-law and left my husband at home
12. loves baby blue but will settle for most shades of blue
13. is dyslexic
14. finds happiness in the details
15. loves feeling like a girl when I drink cappuccinos from my polka dot cup and saucer
16. would wear athletic clothing all the time if I could
17. is a glass half full kind of person
18. i love sweets even though they give me headaches
19. likes to wear skirts and compression capris together
20. has a hard time sitting still
21. lives with 4 spoiled cats - Jinx, Toko, Swix, and Pixel
22. there are a lot of photos of me sleeping in a toolbox as a baby
23. has as many bikes as I have skis - 2 - fischer fat skis and my all time favorite fischer slalom skis, a cervelo R3 and 1980 bianchi single speed
24. is a mac addict who lives in the shadow of the evil empire Microsoft (and even worked for them for a year)
25. took 2 days to figure out this list

Jan 29, 2009

time to think

Even with work stress at a high I was able to start to get on track with my training last week. I did substitute runs for bike rides since my right foot is STILL bothering me but overall by the weekend rides I was feeling good. Then Monday I hit a wall and got the flu and have done nothing besides nap for the past 3 days.
Since all I have been doing for the last couple of days is laying around and watching Ironmans I have been thinking about 2008 and my strengths and what still needs more work and how that plays into my goals for 2009.

The strengths:
I ran a 1:45 at the Vancouver half marathon.
My bike skills have improved a lot, I actually prefer to be in my aerobars.
I managed to stay injury free most of the season with the help of pilates and both ART and deep tissue massage.
Had an overall good race at Vineman 70.3 with a 5:52:37 and got a slot for the Ironman World Championships 70.3.
Was in the top 7 in my age group at some local sprints and my first olympic distance triathlon.
I had a pr swim of 38:17 at Ironman World Championships 70.3.
Consistency in training - I'm really good at getting my training in and fallowing my coaches instructions.
I really worked at finding what is right for me - I had a hard time deciding to change coaches mid-season but it was what I needed to do.

Things to work on:
I struggled with nutrition on the run on the 70.3 races - tend to stop eating the last 7 miles or so.
Overall strength - my upper body is just not strong enough, and my legs could be stronger as well. Pilates has helped a ton with my core though.
Need to not make assumptions about what I can and can't do.
Confidence/mental - I struggle with being intimidated and trusting my abilities and strengths. I know I can keep going but I have a hard time believing I can go faster.

Goals/plans for 2009:
To stay positive and believe in myself
I have already added in 3 days a week of a circuit style strength training workout
Run a sub 1:40 half marathon and run a 1:50 off the bike in a 70.3 race
Swim goal is to be able to go hard off the start line and continue getting faster - my form has already improved a lot and masters is helping push myself
A sub 3 hour bike in 70.3 race and be brave enough to go faster on the downhills
Eat healthy and eat enough
Overall build speed and strength to take into next year to do my second full ironman

Overall I'm happy with 2008. I grew a lot as a athlete and feel like I have only scratched the surface of what I am capable of. I'm excited about 2009 and 2010 for that matter. Now if only I could get over this stupid flu already and get back to training.

Jan 19, 2009

train, work, train, sleep, repeat

I just wanted to do a short update I am training and feel on my way for the year. The usual stuff, 3 days a week of masters swim, a couple of runs and I have been doing my long rides on the single speed and a interval bike work out on the spin bike. The main change up is that I have 2-3 days a week of strength training - which I can already tell is helping my swimming :)

I tried out a new swim suit from splish. Sadly it just does not work for me - the top catches sooo much water it feels like it is going to come off. so I'm back to my old faded 2 piece for the time being.

The hard part has been that I have been juggling a big project at work and Kyle's mom broke her arm and we have been helping out a lot so I have been doing my best to get in my work outs and still get some sleep. Kainoa told me to use the workouts as an outlet which really meant that I did not get to use work as an excuse to miss workouts. Of course she has been right finding the time to workout has helped me balance the stress and I'm happy I already feel like I'm getting back into shape and my recovery chub is going away.

The only hicup is that I have had to miss pilates and as a result I have not been getting in enough stretching and my right leg has tightened up to the point that I'm having a lot of ankle pain and some planter fasciitis on the ball of my foot. So I'm having to shorten my long runs and go a little easy on some of the strength training till I can get this dealt with. I'm getting back to the pilates studio along with some ART massage on thursday and I'm hoping I will be good by the weekend. fingers crossed...

ok that is it for now time for sleep so I can get a some spinning done in the morning.