Triathlete- April 2011

April was a month filled with distractions and obstacles.

We had our weekend trip to Orlando, then Kylie's birthday celebration and then Easter. These were fabulous events that meant the world to me. And while I wouldn't change a moment of them, they did take up a lot of room in my head this month. The planning, the organizing, and the events themselves took my focus off my triathlon training.

It's been said that in order to train for a triathlon, you need to do at least 2 swims, 2 bikes and 2 runs per week. I lost sight of this. Plus I had some obstacles to overcome.

So here we go: For the 30 days in April, I trained 22 days and had 8 days off.

Swim
FACT: This month I had 11 swim practices-- 8 with Coach Gus and 3 on my own.

OBSTACLE: Swimming more than 75yards freestyle without stopping. There is a big mental wall there based on fear and I don't know what else. I've been frustrated to the point of tears during practice. My very best efforts haven't helped me climb over this wall. But I did find a way around it. Swimming breaststroke. My breaststroke needs lots of work but I can at least swim it for 100yards at a time.

NEXT STEPS: Gus and I talked and for now, we are mixing breaststroke in with my freestyle training. This takes some of my self-imposed pressure off and lets me concentrate on getting stronger in the water. We've worked on getting stronger two ways in April. First, by swimming lots of yards 1400- 2000 yards, mostly with fins. And second, by swimming around 750 yards during practice with kicking drills (with kickboard, no fins) and by 25yard speed drills.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I can feel myself getting stronger in the water. I bought a wetsuit so I could swim in my neighborhood outdoor (and unheated yet blissfully unoccupied) pool. I learned to do a flip turn. I can't do it while swimming laps yet but I plan on nailing that in May.


Bike
FACT: I was on the bike 5 times: once using my indoor trainer and the other four out on the road. My goal at the end of March was to stay on for one hour which I did. For my four outdoor rides, I averaged 1 hour and 12.5 - 12.75 miles.

OBSTACLE: Pain in my seat. Lots of shooting pain and numbness that would last for days afterwards. I would have to stop and get off the bike after 30 minutes of cycling just to stop the pain. I grit my teeth and moan over every bump. I'm not exaggerating here folks. Lots of pain. Joy, my strength trainer, suggested a different brand of bike shorts. I got a new pair of cycling shorts which helped with the pain along my bikini line and bum. But it did not help the most painful area which was my "girl parts".

NEXT STEPS: Finally, with Joy's recommendation, I went to a bike shop and had them pick out a new bike seat for me. I also had them take off the bike clip pedals (I wasn't using them but rather flipping them over and still using my running shoes) and put on regular pedals. The larger pedal helps me feel more secure. Perhaps someday I'll try clipping in again but not anytime soon. Let's hope the new bike seat helps!

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I've stayed with it. I haven't given up.


Run
FACT: 6 runs for the month of April.
Long Runs
12 miles in 1:57 9:75 pace
12 miles in 1:54 9:50 pace
13 miles in 2:03 9:46 pace
11 miles in 1:48 9:80 pace
09 miles in 1:35 10:00 pace

Tempo run
4.5 miles in 39:00 8:66 pace

OBSTACLE: I didn't do my easy or tempo/interval runs this month. And I could feel it at the end of the month. The last two weeks of April kicked my but. We went from temps in the 70's to the mid 80's. And my long run fell apart. I just "didn't feel the legs" for pushing through the hot weather and humidity. I carried water in a pack that fits in the small of my back for the last long run of the month. Those extra ounces feel heavy. It's something I'll have to get used to it again. The 5-6 mile easy or tempo runs help keep my legs in running condition. I really missed not having those runs in place for April.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I did see a 13 miles in 2:03 which gave me a glimmer of hope that come Fall I could do a half marathon in under 2 hours.

NEXT STEPS: Get three runs per week in May. Get that long run back up to 13 miles, even in hot weather.

Strength
I completed four training sessions with Joy. They were great sessions that really pushed me and left me sore for days afterwards. I only got in 1 strength train session by myself. I plan to get more in May. I got in 3 Body Combat classes in April.

Weight
I dropped from 120 to 117 in April. I wasn't really planning on losing more weight.

I spoke with Joy and with Karen on how I can maintain this healthy weight without dropping any more pounds. My fear is that with all this training, I'll lose muscle mass. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief over making sure I have ENOUGH calories when for almost 2 years my focus has been keeping the calories to a weight-loss minimum. It's a BIG mental transition. I have some strategies in place to get the great nutrition my body needs.

So that's it for another month! Thanks for reading! And if you've made it this far, please leave me a comment. Comments mean the world to me.

March 2011 summary
February 2011 summary
January 2011 summary
December 2010 summary


Goal: Triathlon in 2012- initial post from December 2010
One Little Word: Triathlete post