I swam 2500 yards today...

that over half of an ironman swim...and I am beat! That's all I can type!

Training days 17, 18 & 19

I got a little bit behind on my posting! I had a terrible workout on Saturday! I was supposed to ride my bike for 1:45, I rode for 44 minutes and the workout kicked my ASS! I was very disappointed with myself. So, I go into my Sunday workout feeling GREAT, 20 minutes into it my right ankle/shin starts to hurt a little, I push on, it feels okay so I continue on for another 40 minutes. By the last 5 minutes my leg hurt pretty bad but I really wanted to finish and I was feeling a little bit wimpy letting pain get the best of me. I was wrong to push on! My leg is now killing me and it feels like my shin muscles are "burning" when I walk and that sucks! I have started and continue to follow the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) protocol and I am hoping for quick results. I wrapped my leg tonight and tried to slowly walk on the treadmill in the low zone 2 range, it didn't work my leg hurt too much. The good news is that I got on my bike and felt fantastic! I rode for 45 minutes and rode 14 miles, I am getting faster!!! In addition to the bike ride I also was able to get in a 20 minute swim. I was able to swim 700 meters which I was happy with after being out of the pool for 2 months. I have a long way to go but you gotta start somewhere!

Training days 15 & 16

Yikes, I missed day 15! It was way too long a day with travel and visiting Tiffany's I just couldn't do it. Actually with my day starting at 4:45am and going until 7:55pm, I just didn't have time. I know, I should have got up at 4:00am and rode my bike for 45 minutes but that was not happening, no way, no how.

I did however after falling asleep somewhere between 9:15 and 9:30 last night manage a 4.5 mile (60 minute) run this morning. I had a hard time for the first 20 minutes keeping my heart rate in zone 2 so I was a little slower that I would have liked to have been, but that also tells me that there is a great need for me to get up and work out as the race begins bright and early in the morning on the 22nd, no excuses on that day!

Training Days 13 & 14

Wow, I am loving this INSPIRED...that is what I am! I cannot believe that things are going along so well. Yesterday morning I got up at 6:00 and walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes, the heart rate monitor is fantastic for early morning workouts because I didn't have to work too hard to be training in zone 2!

Today I did 30 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes of running, I actually didn't want to stop running but I did need to get back to work and I wanted to stick with the program. My very favorite part of the workout today was that I ran for 13 of the 15 minutes, the first 2 minutes were spent acclimating my legs and then I was able to run and keep my HR in zone 2, usually I would be way too tired at that point, it is very encouraging to see results.

So I was at the rec center pedaling and I decide that I want to try to keep up with the guy next to me. I think after a while he caught on to me and I felt like a nut, not quite as big of a nut as the Larry Craig incident at Red Robin but a nut all the same :)

Ironman Training day 12

Great workout again today, 60 minutes on the treadmill! tomorrow is a rest day and I think my A-S-S is going to be happy about that, it is feeling a little bit tight and ever so slightly sore...

All this exercise is certainly a good thing this time of year, I sure am wanting to eat a lot of good food and I think way deep in my brain there is a little voice saying "hey, go for it, you have burned a lit of calories this week" the reality is that I am not quite to that point yet but I am sure looking forward to that day :)

J.P. got me some new socks, Champion Double Dry, they are fantastic! I am hoping that they are going to help my very disgusting feet, I figure that they can only get better!

Ironman Training Week 2 Day 5

Well, I am starting to see a pattern with my workouts. I think I need to eat more prior to the actual exercising. I rode my bike for 1.5 hours today (22.27 miles on the trainer) and about 65 minutes in I was about to fall off the bike, luckily an apple was offered and I readily inhaled it :).
I think that maybe a power bar or fruit prior to the workout would be a good idea.

On the topic of the actual ride, 75 minutes in to it my hamstrings were starting to really ache, I slowed way down and kept pedaling and I made it to the end, it was a little bit of a struggle but after a few good stretches I felt much better. I am so inspired right now, I anticipate that there will be difficult days and weeks but for now things are GREAT!

Ironman Training Week 2 Day 4

Busy week, hard to find time to blog! Yesterday, I was at the rec center and was running on the treadmill, I was about 16 minutes in to the run and decided to check my pace, calories etc. I toughed the keypad and got a static like shock and the whole machine shut off! So I restarted and again about 14 minutes in, I decided to check the same stats and again shocked and the machine shuts off, very strange. So I start all over again, this time keeping my hands to myself and not touching a thing and I am able to successfully run for 15 more minutes without shutting the machine down, I have decided that I won't be using that machine in the future, it just seemed a little bit sketchy.

Ironman Triathlon Week 2 Days 2 & 3

I missed posting yesterday, I was kind of busy! Things are still going really well, I biked for 30 minutes and ran for 15, I felt great! Today was a "spinning" day, 30 minutes at <100 rpm's in z1. I stayed in high z1 to low z2, I couldn't find the right balance of tension but I will work on that. I am amazed at how inspired I feel and how on occasion I have wished that I had a little bit more to do, I know that once I add the swimming back in that will likely no longer be the case :)

I will say that it felt weird on Monday not doing anything because so much had gone on the week prior. 4 Hours over 6 days, that is pretty good, it is kind of hard to believe that I am only in week 2, over the Christmas Holiday it is going to be difficult to stay on track!

Ironman Training Week 2 Day 1

Another great day! 30 minute run, 16 minutes in to it, I was really wishing that I had eaten lunch prior to the run, oh well, lesson learned.

I am still hesitating getting back into the pool, I have a cut underneath my left baby toe, it is very similar to the injury that left me with strep toe last year so I think I am going to let it heal completely before going back in, the ear infection has me a bit spooked!

Other than that I will have my first business trip next week, it will be a challenge to make sure that I get the work outs in, especially after having dinner with potential donors!

Ironman Training Day 6

Well, I am feeling so encouraged! 45 minute run tonight, I did my "ladder" training, trying to improve my conditioning. I am actually pretty happy with the shape that I am in going in to training. Let me correct that, the "shape" I am in, not my actual shape :)

My hip flexor was fine until about 38:30, I had to walk the last 6 minutes because I just couldn't run. Jeff gave me some really good stretches from his track days and I hope that it helps, 26.2 miles is going to be miserable with a hip flexor that hurts after 38 minutes!

Ironman Training Day 5

I decided to put the "Ironman" in the title to make it more real. I had a great ride tonight, one hour on the trainer, lucky for me ABC Family is playing all of the Harry Potter movies, that makes the time fly by!

I can't figure out my Schwinn bike computer, maybe that's the problem. Jeff seems to like mine but I am not sure he knows how to use it either, but why would he?

Tomorrow's training will be interesting, hopefully I will be able to get to it, there is a big winter storm rolling in, could make the road trip north a bit trecherous--oh well the Disney Princesses await!

Triathlon Training Day 4

30 minute run today, I felt good, it loosened up my tight hamstrings :) I did not hit the pool this week, I need to get back in, I am sure I have lost every bit of progress that I had made, darn ear infection!

Okay, so I really only go to the rec center to swim but have been trying to utilize the other amenities a little bit more. So today I go into the locker room and I do not have my be Ironfit book with me that has my locker combo, (I think I should memorize it) I think I know what it is so I stand there for 10 minutes trying every combination of numbers that I think it should be, nothin'. Luckily I was bringing new clothes to put in my locker so I was able to get a run in without knowing my combination, but it made it almost impossible to shower, no way was I going in without my shower shoes! Everybody else is happy about that too, they just don't know it!

Triathon Training Day 3

Woo Hoo! I have to say that my hamstrings and glut's were a little tender today after the bike/run combo yesterday but it was the good kind of sore. Tonight I rode my bike for 30 minutes with the 100 RPM spinning, I got a little bored with the spinning, I like to be able to change around the gears.

After the bike ride I made an Ariel cake and I have to say that it looks pretty good! I think that her skin color should have been a little lighter but other than that good. I think everybody at work will love it :)

Triathlon Training Log- day 2

Well, another excellent workout! It was kind of hard because we had dinner with some friends and since I was at a seminar all day again today I had to work out this evening. I rode my bike for 30 minutes and briskly walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes. I am going to try to follow the intermediate program when possible but I am not going to feel bad if I have to revert to the "Just Finish" program since that is all I really want to do anyway! I just want to feel ad good as I can in June :)

You ROCK

Nice juob starting right on time. I am going to start today. I am just not sure when. What program are you doing? Just finish or the intermediate one? I am hoping I will be able to get going on the workout and not be too tired from jet lag!

I love the logo! It looks great.

Official Training Day 1

Today's scheduled workout included a swim workout and a 15 minute zone 2 run. I had a seminar all day and was unable to get to the pool during open hours so I ran for 30 minutes. I felt great and right now I am extremely excited about the training program, hopefully this attitude will continue :)

Tomorrow's the day!

The "Official" 30 week training program starts tomorrow!! I am excited and nervous but Heroes is starting now so I don't have too much time to ponder my future pain. See you soon!

New Biking shorts and pants

Alright, I am so very excited about my new biking clothes from terrybicycles.com. 3 new shirts and 3 new bottoms; the spinnaker a "Lightly padded, in/outdoor relaxed bike capri", a pair of women's T-Short biking shorts, and finally my favorite of all the cool weather tights "Primo all-in-one padded tight for 40-60 degrees". They are so unbelievably comfortable, now if I only looked like the gals in the photos of the products I bought I would be ecstatic!

On to other things, I think I am done with my Christmas shopping, that is so excellent!

The bike saga

I am feeling mucho better about my bike, I actually like it now, yea!!!

I got a new angled stem so my handlebars are about 2 inches higer than they were before and I got a new womens gel seat which is taking the pressure off the butt. I am still thinking about the seat that I talked about in the previous post but I am going to ride on this new one for a while.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and on Tuesday of next week we are officially 30 weeks out from Ironman, yikes! The official, official training program begins. I was doing so well with my swimming until th ear infection, that rally derailed me, I hope I don't drown in the pool next week! I know that the lifeguards don't really want to get wet so I will be careful.

Training Diary
Last night I rode 8 miles in 35 minutes on the trainier, I think I need to get ALOT faster if I am ever going to complete the 112 mile ride!

A new saddle?

I am considering this "saddle", I found it on Nashbar.com I am trying to have a good attitude about my bike. I am sick of not having it. The new saddle is necessary because I really need to take the pressure of my nether regions, I have been doing quite a bit of research on bike fit and have definitely learned that this is not a problem unique to me! In my quest for an excellent attitude I was thinking that my seat could have something to do with my discomfort because I don't like to lean forward for very long because it is extremely uncomfortable. Maybe if I was more comfortable leaning forward I would want to use some of the other grips, just some thoughts.

My Bike (Still.......)

Hopefully, today will be the day that "Bruce" and I will be able to connect to get my bike figured out. I am staying positive and I will do my best with this bike but I right now I feel like it was a $700 mistake :( I take partial responsibility, I should have done way more homework before I purchased, knowing that I am a little bit picky, especially when it comes to comfort. I guess my first tip off should have been that the store was a "Mountain Sports" store, why I thought this would be a good place to purchase a road bike is beyond me, ah well, live and learn :)

My bike

I took my bike into the shop today, of course the guy that sold it to me was not in. I talked to the guy that was in the shop at the time and told him of my woes, he thought that they might change the stem to a shorter one to bring the handle bars closer to me. When I asked him what that would cost he said "we shouldn't charge you anything, we sold you the bike" I told him that I liked that answer.

I left the bike and my number, the manager was supposed to call me but I haven't heard from him yet. I will keep you posted as to how this goes.

awesome!

I know I am a dork but I don't care, my work outs have been awesome this week! I have felt recently that my conditioning wasn't quite as good as I wanted it to be, so I have resorted to my "ladder" training. I run in one minute increments increasing my speed each minute for 5 "rungs" then i go back to the first and start over. It makes the workout go much faster too! I am sure that there is a much fancier name but ladder works for me :)

I will be swimming again tomorrow, we will see how my ears do, they are still sore but hopefully the antibiotics will knock whatever it is out soon, I really hate taking antibiotics

oh my aching shoulder

My work out today consisted of 30 minutes on the treadmill in zone 2, I was tired and didn't feel like pushing it.

So I went to a massage therapist today, he is actually more than a massage therapsit but I can't remeber what the other letters behind his name mean so Message Therapist it is. Anyway, my right shoulder has been a little tight and uncomfortable for a while now, but lately it was starting to get unbearable so I went to see Tom. He worked on my shoulder for a good 50 minutes, it was unbelievable the knots that he was finding! I am a little sore tonight but it is the good kind of sore, I go back to see him in 3 weeks. Here is the crazy thing, he does Shiatzu massage as well, so he loostened up the rest of me with a shiatzu which is a massage where they have bars on the ceiling and kind of walk on your back, it was interesting but worked really well.

long time...

It has been too long since I last posted. My ears are not a whole lot better yet but I now have silicon ear plugs for swimming so hopefully I will see a change in the near future. Speaking of swimming, things are going well. Today I swam 1300M only 100 of which were the breast stroke as part of my warm up and cool down. I have to say I am proud of myself, I have come a long way, I still have along way to go but I am getting somewhere!!

So, just because I haven't been blogging does not mean I haven't been doing anything. I have set my goal to work out 6 times a week I usually get in at least 4 days. There are only about 7.5 weeks until the 30 week training program starts in earnest, yikes!!

Swimmers ear?????

I can't believe it, today I was diagnosed with swimmers ear. I thought that this only happened to kids! The good news for the rest of us who read this blog is that I have a recipe to keep the bacteria and fungus (gross!) away. 2 parts water 1 part white vinegar, put 3-4 drops in your ears after swimming. Apparently this will keep you r ears acidic enough that they won't grow anything, who knew!

My new bike

Well I bought my bike and I am very excited! I look forward to "Tweaking" things and getting it to be more and more comfortable. First order of business will be to get a new seat, I will take the donkey lama's advice and ride with my current seat for two months but I am pretty sure that I will be getting a new one :)

I am going to be a better blogger from here on out. Catch you on the flip side!

Say it ain't so.....

Since the site seems to need a little momentum, I thought I would contribute. There seems to be quite a bit of truth to the adages "Time flies when you are having fun!" and "The years go quicker the older you get!" I'm not certain which culprit to hold accountable in this case, but I know one thing; the official countdown to Ironman Canada is 4 DAYS 18 HR 15 MIN 18 SEC. Did time fly? Certainly. Did we have fun getting here? You bet!! (REMINDER: "Fun" is a user-defined term.)

Now, before all you blog reading/tri training fanatics start snickering at my impending bout with pain, I remind you your day is coming.....in exactly 305 DAYS 18HR 14 MIN 13 SEC!!!! Cheers!!

I did it!

I started training yesterday and it felt great! I biked for 20 mins in Z2, ran for 10 in Z2 and learned all the weight machines and did the weight workout. I am going to bike tonight, swim and run tomorrow and maybe weights again on Friday. Anyway-Happy Training!

Heart Rate training

Hey-
I just wanted to share an article with you about HR Training. I thought it was interesting. Basically says the same thing Don Fink does but here it is anyway: http://www.trinewbies.com/Article2.asp?ArticleID=40

Enjoy!

Today's the day

Hi All,
I am making a commitment to you today (and to myself) I am officially starting my training, again. Check back tomorrow! I will let you know how it went!

TTFN!

HOLY CRAP!

That's not long! YOWZA!

How Time Fly's!!!!!!! (Ha, I crack myself up!!)

Just a friendly reminder that we have 338 days and 15 hours to go!!!! (Now THAT is motivating!!!!).

SUPER FLY???? Say what?????

Yo-I am Supa Fly, according to my co-workers. Ok, not SUPER FLY but SupA Fly. I really don't have anything to blog because all I am doing is sitting on my fat butt and eating bon bon's. Ok, I am not doing that either but the scale doesn't like me and my heart doens't like me. Alright, I am going to work out...tomorrow!

Shout Out

Just a short shout out to the Tri Flys for a great day on Sunday. A very special wink wink to B Sue Fly for her first ever triathlon . You rock!!!

I now can say I sleep with a tri-athlete!!! (and that is as close as I will ever get to doing one myself).

athletic supporters

t fly and the fly never made it to mom and dad's for the photo op so here are the three of us, two Ironmen and one athletic supporter :-)

I can now be called a triathlete!!

Here is a picture of the three fly girls (t fly, b sue fly and the fly)

Well my first triathlon experience was humbling, inspiring, enlightening, educational and so much FUN!!!

I am so glad that I did the Valley Girl -- I wish I didn't have to wait a year to get to do it again; although over the next year I plan to find myself a road bike, no more Pee Wee Herman bike.

Now here is the recap for nobody but myself :-)

The swim was as hard as I thought it would be, I kept my head above water the entire time and met some nice gals along the way. It was so much fun to be in such a friendly, encouraging environment. I was surprised when I was out of the water in less than 20 minutes and alive, it was excellent!!

The bike ride was interesting, I didn't like the chubbier than me 41 year old who blew past me, but I had to remind myself that I was saving my quads for the run :-) The funniest part was that I was passed by at least 150 people on the bike ride, at the very end I just put my bike in the lowest gear possible and rode down the last hill and passed two people, I guess I am a little bit competitive.

The run was really fun. My hip flexor was killing me at the start of the third mile, so while I wanted to stop, it hurt way more to walk so I just kept running. I caught the 41 year old that passed me on the bike, so I had a little bit of satisfaction there.

After the race I was hopped up on adrenaline and then had a major blood sugar crash, fortunately the Fly Mom made a protein shake and the Donkey Llama recommended some Coke, that combo brought me back to the land of the living quickly, thank goodness!

I am really excited for the Ironman and all of the races in between. Now if only I felt as good on my run this evening as I did on Sunday...

How I am preparing for my first Triathlon

Well, I just rode my bike around the block and I will now wear my goggles into the shower. I can't wear my cap because Anna didn't drop it off. My clothes are laid out, I think I am ready.

Wait, now I have to go swimming with fly daddy. I think I am prepared.

I really need to start doing somthing here folks...

I can't believe I have been such a slacker. Next week I am all about the trianing. I think Valley Girl this weekend will be a very rude awakening for me but I will get some cool temporary tattoos so it's worth it. Maybe I could pitch a sign somewhere that says "Will swim, bike and run for temporary tattoos". Does that make me a nerd? Ciao! Happy Friday the 13th!

This Tri-Fly needs fly goggles

My eyes and mouth were absolutely full of flies, I think my corneas look like a windshield!!! I guess the more you do this stuff the more equipment you realize that you need. I am not sure if I can afford this sport. . .I think I will wear my safety goggles on my next ride, I am pretty sure that they will work to keep my eyes fresh and clean and they won't cost me a dime. In the words of Ron Weasley. . .that's brilliant :-)

Tonight, I actually didn't want to stop running!

I was amazed but after running for about 35 minutes, I arrived at home and decided I didn't feel like stopping. . . amazing! Even when my heart rate was in zone 3, I felt really good! I think I may have seen a very tiny piece of IRON in my leg :-)

I actually ran the entire time, verrrrrrry slowly up a few hills, but I was running all the same. So, as I am cruising along (I use this term loosely) this 20-ish couple drove past me, I was cresting a hill and thus moving close to a snails pace (maybe a bit faster) and the both looked over at me and started laughing! I was at first indignant, but then I decided that they were a great motivation! So now I also have tiny piece of IRON in my will. . .

157 participants in the Female 35-39 y.o. age group

That is a large bunch of crazy old ladies!! I was shocked that there were that many, as long as I am not last in my age group I will be happy :-) It's funny though, at the rate I am going (or not going as the case may be) I will be last, but at least I will finish!!

Actually, I am making up a calendar and have my workouts scheduled, that should help to keep me on track, except for tomorrow because "The Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter" is on A&E tonight at 10 pm and there is no way that I can miss that and thus the morning workout will be very tough.

I am such a Harry Potter nerd, but I am just so excited for the new movie and the book to come out!! Sorry, I digressed, this is an Ironman blog not Harry Potter, I am back on track now.

Fly Daddy is posting for the first time!!!

Not really, but now I know why he doesn't post...it would take him hours to type out a two sentence thought, seriously. So mom and I decided that we would post for him :-)

He has decided after looking at the "just finish program" he is going to compact all of the "rest days" onto the beginning of his training, I am looking forward to seeing how that works.

Ironman CDA is sold out for 2008

Well guys-
IM CDA is sold out. Can you believe it? It took 6 days. I weighed myself this morning. I sure hope I can see the scale move down while training for this. I am not working out today but I will be the rest of the week. There are 2846 participants signed up. Only 627 of them are women, that's 22%. We've got to get strong and show these men what we are made of.

P.S....

It's not torture, it's FUN!

I like it...

Good training method. How is riding a bike after drinking wine? Did you air drum? I have a rendenacy (sober) to sing while I run. I am sure I look like Pheobe from Friends but at least I am having fun. Hey-when is the Fly Daddy going to get on this thing? I wonder if M-Fly or GiGi Fly will? I wonder if she will bring Brown Dog Fly to the race? Ok-I am really tired.

Excellent training method

Drink wine with your family at dinner, put your kids to bed, lay down on the bed and read a readers digest for 15 minutes or so, then, and only then, is it a good time to get on your bike and go for a ride. For this type of workout I would generally recommend listening to Motley Crue's greatest hits, but coupled with the wine and the inability to resist "air drumming" along with Tommy Lee this is not a good combination, not that I would know. . .

Shirts, definitely, shirts. . .

I love the idea of the shirts! Then all of our supporters can get them too, Fly Babies and a B Sue Fly's Guy, we might as well have fun while we torture ourselves :)

I agree...

Something about paying $500.00 to slack off doesn't feel right to me either. Hey, I thought we could have shirts made for the event (since you are wondering what to wear and what to do with your hair). We could get shirts that say "Tri-Fly's" on the front and then our Fly names on the back.

B Sue Fly
The Fly
Fly Daddy

Joe said he could get Fly's Guy! ;-)

This is going to be F-U-N!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOOOO

It's on Like Donkey Kong!!

The button has been pushed, the money has been paid and the sweat is beginning to pour! Literally, I was sweating so much tonight; I like to think that I don't really sweat all that much but I am just kidding myself, my shirt was quite damp when I got home, not that any of you wanted to know that.

It is amazing to what a difference it made to my commitment to buck up and pay the money, there are benefits to being, how do they say it? oh yeah, tight (frugal, not cheap); my run this evening was awesome, something about paying $500 to slack off just doesn't feel right!

I am so excited about this (I may feel differently after I have doggie paddled 2.4 miles but right now I feel great!) and I am so exited that we are going to do it together!

I am just glad that I have a year to figure out what I am going to wear and how I will do my hair on the day of the race. . .

well...

I paid the money and I am scheduled to be an Ironwoman on June 22nd 2008.

362 days and counting...

So I haven't pushed the button to enter yet but I did go for a bike ride. I am sure that most "Ironmen" and "Ironwomen" would laugh to know that I rode my bike to get toothpaste and it was a little bit hard, and I had trouble keeping my heart rate in Zone 2, and my chain came off, and I dropped my tooth paste and I couldn't unfasten my helmet when I was finished; but hey, I did it!

I am starting this blog for me as much as for the other two "Tri-Fly's". We can check in with each other, see where we are in our training, encourage each other and remind each other that the journey is as important as the destination and that anything is possible when you have the people you love behind you!!

We have been IRONSTRUCK! Aren't we lucky that we have what it takes :)