Filles de Fer

Today’s amusements brought to you by the folks at marriedtothesea.com

While I’m swimming, I sing songs in my mind.
Alexandr Popov

I went for a really great swim on Friday. My shoulders are sore because I mostly did pull sets, but I felt great.

My wetsuit WetZoot has arrived! And I’ve ordered a trainer! Hooray!

[details to follow]

A while ago, I posted Triathlete magazine’s gear suggestions for beginner cyclists/triathletes. Today, while shopping for a wetsuit (yes, yes - I’m finally getting my wetsuit!) I found OneTri’s race equipment checklist. Since the off-season is the best time to buy these things, it’s time to do an inventory:

Swim

Swim suit or tri shorts - I have a couple of swimsuits (Speedo and TYR), but I’m actually considering getting a trisuit to wear under my wetsuit. TBA.
Wetsuit - ordering it now (there will be a post about this when it arrives!)
Goggles - right now, I have a pair of Speedo goggles that I use in the pool, and some Aqua Sphere Kaimans on the way.
Swim Cap - I still don’t have one. My hair is crunchy from chlorine. I should do something about that.
Lubricant or anti-chafe - I have a stick of Body Glide that I bought at the marathon. I’ve used it plenty of times and there is no dent. I think it lasts forever.
Towel - check.
Ear Plugs - I’m not really an ear plug kind of person. They’re too uncomfortable to be useful to me.

Bike

Bike - my pretty pink Fuji Finest 2.0.
Helmet - a cheapy one from Target, to be upgraded at a later date.
Bike shorts or tri shorts - Pearl Izumi.
Bike Shoes - Pearl Izumi Vagabond M4 mountain bike shoes (I like the bigger treads).
Sunglasses - still looking.
Water bottles w/energy replacement fluids - I have several bottles now. Regular plastic ones I picked up at Performance, and my new insulated Polar bottles.
Energy gel or snacks - I like to buy these closer to race day. I don’t know if they expire or not.
Biking gloves - Pearl Izumi Gel-Lite gloves.
Sunglasses - still looking.
Spare Tube, CO2, Tire Levers - you’d think I would have gotten these by now. Nope.

Run

Race shoes with quick laces (elastic laces are generally not preferred for longer distances) - I have my Mizunos, but they’re getting on in miles. A trip to Running Away will happen soon.
Cap or Visor - I have a baseball cap. I don’t think that counts.
Lubricant for feet - I don’t really use this.
Race number on race belt - this will arrive closer to race day.
Energy gel or snack - again, closer to race day.

Other

Warm clothes or Rain clothes - got it.
Sunscreen - I’m shopping around for Bullfrog brand. I got a free sample of it at last year’s Flying Pig and it was phenomenal.
Bag - the old trusty Adidas bag that I’ve been using since high school soccer.
Extra Energy gels and snacks - I’ll get these closer to race day.
Sandals - comfy Adidas sandals
Change of clothes for post race - I have clothes. Possibly too many.

It’s that time of year. The beginning, that is. Resolution time. I actually managed to achieve all of my 2007 resolutions (including run a 1/2 marathon and then a full marathon by the end of the year), so I’m hoping that 2008 will be just as successful. Here’s the list:

1. Run a faster marathon Now that I’ve gotten a 26.2 under my belt, I’d like to shoot for a PR. I’m not going to resolve to get a Boston qualifying time, but if I can beat last year’s Chicago time, I’ll be a happy kid.
2. Run a smarter marathon I got hit pretty hard by Chicago. I’m not going to beat myself up over it (who didn’t get hit hard by that race?), but I am going to make some changes in my training plan this year. More heat training, smarter hydration practices (I may even buy one of those belts. Maybe.), and better pre-race rituals. Eating cake and staying up late the night before a race? Not gonna happen in ‘08.
3. 70.3 This is the year of the Half-Ironman. Run-bike-swim is my new mantra. I don’t care if I come in last place, as long as I finish that event, I’m golden.
4. Race for a cause Selfishness is so 2007. This year, I’m going to run at least one race for a charity.

Happy Christmas, everyone! I hope Santa filled your stockings with lots of nice toys. I found some fabulous tri-themed goodies under my tree this year:

Insulated water bottles At first, I thought Cap was trying to suggest that we take the bikes outside this winter, but then I remembered that insulation works both ways. These bottles keep cold drinks cold. I’ve always been a fan of cool or lukewarm water over ice cold, but Cap reminded me that my 70.3 is at the end of July, and in addition to keeping hydrated, I’ll need to keep myself cool (Chicago Marathon, anyone?).

A bike computer Definitely something that I needed, but wouldn’t have bought for myself anytime soon. I’d held off on buying one of these because my focus was on keeping my balance, figuring out the gears, and getting used to being in the saddle. Tracking my stats seemed like a secondary objective. But, now that I have a computer, I’ll have the equivalent of my Nike+ for the bike – I can log cadence, wattage, and mileage, and I’ll be able to set benchmarks for my training.

A wetsuit My parents are fabulous. When I told them a year ago that my New Year’s resolution for 2007 was to do a half-marathon in May and a marathon by the end of the year, they thought I was crazy. They know I’m stubborn, but didn’t entirely expect me to train for either event, much less finish. How do they feel about 2008’s resolution of a 70.3? Well, they’re making sure that I won’t be too chilly during that swim in Lake Michigan! They’re coming to visit at the beginning of January, and we’ll be going wetsuit shopping.

A day planner La Roommate got me another something that I wouldn’t have picked up myself, but which will be super super valuable – a pretty little day planner made by Graphic Image. I just filled in the dates of the races I know I’m doing in 2008 (Flying Pig Marathon, Spirit of Racine Triathlon, Chicago Marathon), and I’ll be using the week-at-a-view agenda to log training stats. Sure, this info goes in my Outlook, but I like to have a hard copy of everything, too! This particular planner also has maps of major cities, so if I decide to go for a run in Prague, or swim off the Gulf coast, I can log those. Oh yeah, and the cover is shiny.

[I’m writing this away from home, so I don’t have everything in front of me right now. I’ll update this post later with specs and photos]

Tomorrow is the first official day I start my swim training for the 1/2 ironman.  It’s gonna be more of an experiment trial to test my swimming endurance.  I’m also going to ride the bike a little bit, which will be good for some cross-training.  I have to ease back into my running, which so far so good.  If my hip starts acting up again, the doctor wants a bone scan.  So I’m keeping my fingers crossed! 

If you want to learn to swim, jump into the water. On dry land, no frame of mind is ever going to help you.
Bruce Lee

I’ve just started swimming again recently. It’s been a few years. By “a few years,” I mean since high school. I used to be a pretty decent swimmer, but being out of the pool for so long has been kicking me.

One thing is for sure - I missed the smell of the chlorine. It’s probably better than caffeine for waking me up.

The pool at the fitness center at school is pretty nice. I’m never sure whether I belong in the beginner, intermediate, or advanced lane, but I suppose that’s all relative to the other people in the pool at the time. I usually start out doing long, slow sets in the beginner lane and sprint work in the intermediate or advanced lane. Eventually, I’m going to swim in the fancy little pool that has a current, and in the spring, I’ll get a wetsuit and try the lake.

My first swim was last week. Here are my workout notes:

2×50 - I hop in the beginner lane and try a couple of 50s, mostly to see if I can still swim. I can. I even remember how to do flip turns!
2×200 - Now that I’m not drowning, a couple of quick 200s to warm up. I’m on the heels of the kid in front of me, and if it weren’t for the pulls I’m about to do next, I’d switch to the intermediate lane.
3×250 pull - I’ve been running plenty, but my upper body needs some work. 750 yards of slooow, exaggerated pulling should be good for that, eh?
7×50 - Some quick 50s. I’m racing against the Bulgarian kids in the intermediate lane next to me.
4×100 - At this point I notice the giant clock, and can time my sets. Wish I’d noticed it for those 50s. Oops. 1:40 cycles, plenty of time to rest in between.
1×500 - Probably not the most effective cool-down, but if I’m going to swim in a tri, I need to work on my continuous distance swimming. A 500 was ok for the first time in a pool, I’ll step it up next time.

Total yardage: 2,500

Today’s workout was a short one. I didn’t have as much time in the pool as I wanted to.

I’ve been running for so long that swimming makes me sore in muscles I’d forgot I had. I feel like I’ve been sledgehammered between the shoulders.

I’m thinking about dropping in some Tuesday morning for a 7am spinning class. I’ve never done spinning before, but anything I can do to ramp up my cycling training is awesome.