The Super Brick: 8 Weeks to Ironman Texas

So last year we did a workout at 8 and 4 weeks to go until Ironman called a "super brick." It's one of those workouts that challenges you physically but I think also prepared me for the mental strain of 140.6 mile race. 

The general outline is 1 hour swim (~3100 yards), 5 hour (or 90 miles, whichever comes first) bike and a 2 hour run (~13 miles) with 90 minute breaks between legs to get nice and sore and unmotivated. Some lessons I learned last year: wet tar looks just like dry tar,  peanut butter cups are not a good snack before the run, and that the run feels easy, right until you start feeling your legs again.

How it went this year: 

Swim Leg

Last year the swim was easily one of my weakest legs so I have been putting in more pool time this year and the results are very positive. I got a water proof iPod which significantly helped break the monotony and keep motivation up. Only bad thing is the pool doesn't open until 8 on Saturday.

Nothing about this isn't fun

Bike Leg

The new bike is not set up yet so I am still on a friends bike. Right now my FTP (functional power threshold) is 224 watts (4.04 watts/kg) so my set power for my long rides is 145-150 watts. I know there's some more power in there and I'd like to be able to race Ironman at 160 (FTP of 245). Last year my biggest gains in FTP were in the last 8 weeks so we shall see! Of course today there was a torrential downpour so I ended up covered in mud and somehow also sunburnt, but we're going to go ahead and say it builds character. 

I did get to wear my new team kit from Champion Systems, felt good on the bike but did not run in it since I wanted to get the mud out before it stained. 

I ate a Bonk Breaker Bite every 45 minutes, along with my carb drink mix to feel out my nutrition plan for Ironman. All systems go!!!

Run Leg

I'll be honest, when it came time to start the run it took a lot of effort and bribing to get myself out the front door. Once I got moving it was alright, but my legs definitely just felt like hams attached to my bones. Good news is now I can remember this workout at Ironman and know that I have gotten this far before and I can do it again.

Recipe of the Week: Mini Turkey Meatloaves (Makes 12)

I might have gotten carried away with the BBQ sauce.
I regret nothing.

What you need:

• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 1 egg, beaten
• Half a yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• Additional BBQ for topping

1. Preheat the oven to 350degF
2. Lightly spray a muffin tin
3. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, then fill the muffin tin
4. Brush BBQ sauce on top of filled cups
5. Cook for 40-50 minutes (Until internal temperature reaches 180deg F)

I have been bringing two of these to lunch every day with a baked sweet potato and they keep very well.

Other things going on this week:

The guys over at Flo Wheels have the bet customer service! With the new bike I do switch from 10 speed to 11 speed and with a call to the guys at Flo, they sent out the part I needed to make the switch so I am on target for Galveston 70.3! I've said before how much I love these wheels, aluminum rims and good aero performance give a great bang for the buck and good guys to work with to boot! 

The new transition bag from Ogio came in and it's awesome. The separate compartments for glasses, shoes and helmet and a ventilated section for dirty clothes will make packing for races a breeze.

Less than 11 weeks to Ironman, where did the time go?!

So no races to report since the Surfside Marathon debacle, but that doesn't mean we can't do a few updates!

Next race on the schedule is the Texas 70.3 in Galveston, but my biggest focus right now is Ironman Texas in May. This will be my second IMTX, and here's to hoping for a new PR! I did just complete a rest week where I reduce the intensity and mileage to give my body a chance to recover and am ready to hit it hard again! Time to get to it!

The last week had a big good-buy and a couple small hellos. 

Unfortunately this past week I had to retire my Trek Speed Concept 7.0 due to frame damage from a rock :(. Good news is the guys at Campus Cycles in Denver are helping me get on a new Speed Concept 9.5 next month. Until then I will be training on a friends tri bike so I can uphold my aero position strength. 

So sleek, so sexy, so... neon

So it's no secret to anyone that I loved my Newton Running Distance U's and I ran those poor shoes into the ground. But dare I say it, the Distance Elites bring even more to the table. The shoes is a bit lighter, and has some more ventilation through the mesh upper. This is great down here where every tiny breeze helps in the Texas heat. They also have a wider toes bow which many runners (myself included) prefer as it reduces hot spots and blistering on the toes.

It's a wee bitty bonk breaker!

I also recently received several boxes of Bonk Breaker bars. I chose the bonk bites as I use them mainly as a small breakfast-like snack before my early morning runs and a full bar is a bit much at 4AM. I have been running about 8 miles and having a bar before I start helps me keep up energy and not get hungry until the very end of the run. The taste is also quite a bit better than bars I had tried previously!

 

   

Recipe of the Week: Kielbasa Lentil Soup

So I can't take any credit for this one, my girlfriend (who is a much better cook than I am) took a few of her favorite recipes, combined them and came up with this!

What you'll need: 

Nomnomnomnom

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lg onion chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp paprika
• Approx 1 lb (14-16 oz) kielbasa, sliced (Could be subbed with chicken or turkey sausage)
• 1-14.5 oz can diced or stewed tomatoes
• 7 cups chicken stock
• 1 lb (16 oz) lentils, rinsed
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ cup white wine (Could sub in water if preferred)
• 3-9 oz fresh spinach (as much as desired)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley 

Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onions and sauté until glossy, about 5 minutes. Add chopped carrots, celery, garlic, and paprika; sauté for 10 more minutes.

Add sausage, canned tomatoes, chicken stock, rinsed lentils, and bay leaves. Stir well and then add white wine. Season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for at least 90 minutes, until lentils are fully cooked and tender.

In the final minutes of cooking, add fresh spinach and parsley. Enjoy!

Favorite workout this week: Half Mile Interval Run

How it goes: 1 mile easy running for warms up
                       4-5 x (0.5 mile fast + 0.5 miles easy jog)
                       Remainder cool down

What it looks like: 

This is a workout suggested by my training partner, I don't know the exact science behind why it makes me faster but I think part of it is during my long runs I have thoughts like "Well at least I'm not doing my half mile interval pace" and it makes those seem easier. 

Surfside Marathon Race Report 2-1-2014

Well this run was one full of many lessons. I did come out as third overall women's and first in age group but it was not a comfortable finale. I came in far behind the first place finisher, but the second place finisher passed me at mile 26 (seriously, at mile 26) and I just didn't have it in me to keep up at that point. 

This race was a huge lesson in proper pacing, between running on the sand (full beach course) and the strong tail wind to start and head wind coming in, I couldn't settle on a proper pace and started out way to fast. I might have also let my competitive nature get the best of me rather than running my own race. My final race time was 3:58, 9 minutes slower than I raced at the Houston Marathon two weeks ago. Part of this was the extra resistance from running in the sand but part of it was having a very weak last six miles. 

Looks like things got a bit rough 2.5 hours in, too bad almost 90 minutes were left!

Neat.

Good news: the first 20 miles of the race was incredibly fun. Running on the sand along the ocean while the sun is coming up is a race experience no other course presents. Should you ever choose to run the Surfside Marathon, I suggest carrying your own water bottle as there were only water stops every 2.5 miles or so. It's always a very fun swag bag- this year having a shirt, bag, visor and coaster. The finisher medals and trophies are always very fun and unique.

I wore the same gear as in the Houston Marathon and still loving all of it! 

Recipe of the week: Pumpkin Cookies

I am constantly plagued by a raging sweet tooth and could easily ruin the next day's workout by eating a whole box of sugar cookies. Luckily a while back I happened on a cookie recipe that uses pumpkin (yum!) and packs a heavy protein kick!

What you need (it looks like a lot, but most of it you probably have!): 

They keep well for snacks at work to!

• 3/4 cups sugar (original recipe uses splenda sugar replacement)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup flour (white or whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup soy flour
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp molasses
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp water

What to do:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, adding in wet ingredients after well blended. Roll the whole mixture into 14 balls and put on sprayed cookie sheet.
• Bake for 5 minutes. Yes 5 minutes only, they get very dry if over baked. 

Houston Marathon Race Report: 1-19-2014

Well this past weekend I completed my first stand-alone marathon and am pretty happy with the results. Conditions were absolutely perfect, great weather and course. My goal time was four hours and I finished in 3:49 and did not have to walk even once so my pacing was good. I did not stick with my original plan but the overall results were still good.

The original plan: Start at a 9min/mile pace, speed up to 8:30 at mile 18 if possible.

What actually happened: Started at an 8:45, held consistently with the intention to drop to 8:30 at mile 18. Wasn't feeling it at mile 18, or 20, but I cut down to 8:37 for mile 22, getting progressively faster and finishing on a 8:02. At this point I think I was running fast based purely on the thought that the faster I ran, the sooner I could sit down. As a whole, I finished about two minutes faster than was originally planned.

Some snazzy data for your enjoyment, check out that heart rate drift!

My awesome emotional support crew at Mile 23

For the race I wore my new Daft sunglasses from Spy Optic, my Newton Running Distance U's and a good layer of Ruby's Motion Potion for Every Notion. Very comfortable the whole race and not a single complaint! The Daft glasses fit perfectly against my face, keeping the wind from drying my eyes out, and they fit tight enough to keep sweat from dripping into my eyes behind the lenses. I've been a huge fan of the Newtons since I got them last fall and this being my longest run in them I am still very impressed and will be getting a new pair of the same when the time comes. 

I'll take a few weeks easy on the running, keeping my bike and swim workouts as planned but reducing morning runs to 5 or 6 miles runs and my only weekend run between now and then around 10 miles. On February 1st I'll be running the Surfside Marathon and plan to have a similar finish time to the Houston Marathon, depending on conditions. The Surfside Marathon is the only marathon that occurs entirely on the beach and it'll be fun to run this very unique course. I highly recommend signing up if you are in the area. Nice course and great swag!

Recipe of the week: Recovery smoothie!

It's starting to warm up again down here on the coast, and looking forward to a cold fruit smoothie makes the workout much more. It's also a great way to get good nutrients for recovery in while you relax!

What you need:

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 3/4 cups of your favorite berries, I like raspberry and blackberry mixed
• 1/4 almond milk
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tbsp Flax or Chia seeds ( I prefer chia)

Toss is all in a blender with some ice, blend, rock and roll!

Getting Ready to Hobble Through the Houston Marathon

Quick Update

Relocating for work after college leaves me 1200 miles away from my nearest relative and leads to a whole lot of holiday traveling. Trip went from Houston to Denver to Truckee to San Francisco and as a whole I kept up quite well with 1-2 workouts a day between running and swimming and taking one off day a week as per the usual. On the good side of things I was able to do two long runs and get a baseline time for the Ironman swim distance (1:29:15). On the bad side, the airline getting me home really, really screwed up my flights (I know weather was preventing trips, but my plane came in From Los Angeles to Oakland then to Houston, all of which are known for their pleasant winter weather so that excuse is schenanigans). 

Original plan involved a couple days to settle back in and get long weekend workouts taken care of, what actually happened was I got 90 minutes of sleep before  having to go to work on Monday then had to make the hour trip back to the airport to pick up my lost luggage so I could get my run gear and do my long run that evening.

Work the next day.

Apparently long runs, in cold weather, on 90 minutes of sleep and in a generally poor mood are a no-no and I am now terrified for the Houston Marathon 10 days from now, shortly followed by the Surfside Marathon two weeks later. I am trying to relax a bit about it because the main purposes of those races is to get me ready for the run in Ironman Texas so as a whole time doesn't matter; however, we all know that isn't what we are thinking the day of the race.

The thing is it is happening whether I am ready or not so here we go!

Product Review: 

I have always used chamois butter and various other skin protectors while working out because my skin apparently flees my body at any signs of abrasion. I use it running on my feet, under arms and thighs and biking on my…uh hem… exactly where it says to. Ruby’s is a bit thicker that creams I was using previously which makes it last a lot longer but you want to make sure to get it everywhere you have trouble. I would provide the before and after pictures, but then I’d have to charge $9.95 a view.

Interpretive before and after.

Recipe of the Week: Quinoa Breakfast Porridge

If you’ve read any previous posts you know I am a die-hard fan of this super grain and like to incorporate it as often as possible.  This breakfast is easy to make in a large batch and refrigerate for use throughout the week and I like to throw a few berries and nuts before I microwave it to get a bright start to the day.

What you’ll need:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (~3/4 cup dry boiled in 1 ½ cups of water)
• 1 cup almond milk (keep some extra around in case it gets too dry)
• Personal taste but approximately
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar

What you need to do:

Mix the almond milk in with the cooked quinoa over heat, add cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar. Cook until there is very little excess almond milk and refrigerate for tomorrow’s breakfast!

Workout of the Week:

My adventures this weekend lead to me being very sore (walking like a duck sore) so I have been spending more time on my foam roller. I typically do a deep roll after long workouts but this week have been light rolling before working out, and then five minutes after and can tell a significant difference. I am going to try to continue this habit and use it daily from here on out. That sore feeling of a good workout is satisfying, but it’s also important to live to fight another day and appropriate rolling, stretching and cools downs will make that possible.  




Next time you hear from me will be the Houston Marathon race review! See you then!

Update: T-minus 1 Month to the Houston Marathon

Well things have been a bit crazy around here, out of town almost every weekend or with visitors! With more holidays coming up it isn't likely to calm down for a few weeks, but I will get some much wanted R&R and get to ride around my old stomping grounds in Denver followed by a ski trip in Tahoe.

I am about a month away from my first big race of the season, the Houston Marathon. Two weeks later I will be running the Surfside Marathon, which is ran down the beach and will present different types of challenges. Registration is still open for the Surfside race, and if you register by January 2nd you'll get a personalized race bib!

Due to the quick turnaround for the races I will be focusing more on time in the Houston Marathon than in the Surfside race. This will be my first time running a marathon outside of Ironman races so I am still trying to figure out my pacing strategy. At this point I have ran 18 miles at an 845 pace, so I am planning on starting at 9 min/miles and going from there. I have one more long run (going for 20) before the race then I will begin my taper. I still haven't decided how I am going to do this since it overlaps with the start of my Ironman Training for May. I am very excited for my first race as a member of Big Sexy Racing, even though it isn't a triathlon. 




I have recently made the jump to Newton shoes and will be racing in those. I bought a pair at the Las Vegas Ironman 70.3 World Championships and have ran on them ever since. After talking with the representatives at the booth, they helped me pick out the Newton's Distance U's a half size smaller than I typically run in. I'll admit the transition was hard, I had been off my feet for four weeks after Vegas with a partially torn Achilles and they induce a much different gait than most of us run naturally. My calves were very sore the first two weeks, where it's recommended you don't run over three miles until you are comfortable, but after that I started to see some marked improvements. I no longer have the hip, knee and ankle pain I used to experience and I can tell I am using more of the muscles in my legs than before. Overall I am running faster than I used to. I won't be needing a new pair for two months or so but am considering the Newton Ironman Elite they released this year.





I will keep you updated with a race review once it happens!



Recipe of the Week: Easy Peasy Hummus
Hummus is easy to make and easily modified to your preferred taste. As a good source of healthy fats and carbs, it's a great afternoon snack when you want to bridge the gap between your lunch and afternoon workout. 

It can be paired with fruits, veggies or pita bread to keep the variety up through the week!



What you need:

• 4 cups of canned garbanzo beans, drained but keep the juice
• 2/3 cups Tahini (Sesame seed paste, you'll find it in a can in the asian food section)
• Lemons for juice
• 2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tbls Olive oil
• 4 Garlic cloves, halved
• Paprika and parsley to taste
• Extras: you can add in almost anything, I've used bell peppers, spicy peppers, spinach, cilantro etc... If you use something like a pepper it can change the consistency but this can be balanced out by adding the juice from the beans in small quantities. 

What you need to do:

Depending on your blender or food processors capability, chop the garlic and extra add ins to the needed size. Toss everything but the olive oil, paprika and parsley in and blend to your hearts content. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of paprika and parsley. 

Because I typically make this on Sunday and bring it to the office throughout the week, I add the paprika and parsley in during the blending stage. 

Update: Getting Back in the Swing of Things

Back to work today, it's always hard to get up and going after taking any significant amount of time off. I always try to workout every day while on a trip (other than Mondays, Monday's are rest days and the rest day is sacred) but it's one thing to workout when you have leisure plans the rest of the day, versus working around the 40 hour work week.

The best advice I can give is to get back at it and into a standard schedule as soon as you can, my flight did cut my long run on Saturday somewhat short but I did get out there to do it regardless. It might have been for the best as I ran all last week anyway so it was good to give the ankles a rest. Workouts will probably feel harder and a bit slower this week due to the rest, so it's OK to ease back into it. A week of easier work is hardly anything and you'll bounce back quickly and newly refreshed!

Got my cute face on. 

I did do a Turkey Trot 10k while I was away, and while my Age Group placing was 6th (4 down from last year) I did do a significantly faster time and PR'd at 50:23 so I am overall happy with the results. The Magnuson course is also really fun because it has a lot of terrain changes. 

I always have trouble pacing 10ks, because I want to go as hard as I would in a 5k but can't and somehow my 10k pace is only 30 seconds faster than my half-marathon pace. I hope to start racing some Olympic races this year along side my full and half distances, so this is a good bench mark.



Recipe of the Week: Stuffed Bell Peppers

A bit of a warmer recipe for the cooler months, this recipe include quinoa, cottage cheese and chicken so it is tasty and packed with protein!


What you'll need:

Yum!

• 1 lb diced chicken
• 5 bell peppers ( I prefer red, but they looked a bit wonky at the store so green it is!)
• 1 cup coked quinoa
• 1/3 cup of cottage cheese (don't go for the fat free, they just add sugar)
• 2 handfuls chopped spinach
• 15 chopped up cherry tomatoes
• 1 onion diced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

What you need to do:

• Preheat the oven to 400F
• In a deep skillet, saute the diced onion and garlic in the olive until soft. Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Heat until chicken is mostly done.
• Remove from heat, add quinoa, cottage cheese, spinach and tomatoes. 
• Cut the tops off the bell peppers and gut the innards, a quick rinse will get rid of the seeds. Fill the peppers with the mix.
• Place in a cake pan and cover with aluminum foil and cook for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil for an additional 5 minutes to make the tops crispy.

Workout of the week: Practicing for open water in the pool

When I started in triathlon, I was deathly afraid of the swim. I was a weak swimmer to say the least and adding a crowd of people and taking away the lanes wasn't bound to help.

Unfortunately the best solution to swim start anxiety is practice practice practice, never make your first race of the season your A race and if you get a chance to swim with a group outside.

It is surprisingly difficult to swim in a straight line in the open water, in the pool you have lane lines and guides to keep you on course. Unfortunately in the open water you just have the wild blue yonder. Practice swimming in the pool with your eyes closed and see which direction you drift, most people tend to be stronger on one side than the other and it pushes them off course. Once you find which side this is, one armed stroke drill can be done to even it out. 

When you get yourself swimming in as straight a line you can, it's time to practice sighting. Sighting allows you to look up occasionally without interrupting your stroke and redirect as needed. Either pick a landmark in the pool (such as the diving platforms) or set up a kick board at the end of the lane to sight off of. Keep your eyes closed when your face is in the water and every eighth stroke or so push up slightly with the arm going into the water and bring your head up to catch a quick glimpse at the target. The more you do this, the more natural it will feel and you'll find a sighting position that works best for you. 

That's it for this week! Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments on things you want to see!