Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Um, call it tapering?

I really wanted to do a brick at lunch to give me the high intensity/low duration cap to my week before an easy swim tomorrow and pre-race rest on Friday. A peek outside just before lunch showed the wind kickin' like karate, somewhere between 16 and 18 mph. Um, no thanks. I could do it, but I'd rather not put any bad vibes into my noggin from slow times before Saturday. So I finished watching the Tour de France on the web and grabbed some sammich fixins, returning to my desk early. The afternoon floated by, and I got a lot done, but I absolutely HAD to do something today.

I get home, walk up to get Grace, and Mendy is returning from the gym on our way back. We get to the house and I tell Mendy I'm going for a quick run. Or rather, I hoped it would be quick. Into my new C9 tank from Target and some shorts, and I'm warming up. No need for Garmin, I'm doing my standard 2.4 mile out-and-back. It was cross wind almost the whole way, so there wasn't much I could blame on wind. I could, however, clearly tell my nutrition wasn't ideal for this effort level. It would have been at lunch, but I was low on carbs. Not a bad run, but a few ticks off my PR last week:

2.4 miles in 15:13 @ 6:20/mile

I was pretty drenched after the run, though I won't go into an R rated discussion about peeling my soaked clothes off like Jess did! ;-) So, what better way to celebrate Wednesday, no thunderstorms today, a run, and...whatever else?

Yes, sports fans, it was Mexican food night for us! Though they didn't have DosXX (again!!!) the mole sauce on the pollo poblano was absolutely the best! Grace was reasonably well behaved, for a terrible 2, and no stinkies while there! Grace has a tendency to unleash the most foul of movements particularly while we eat Mexican. Since the place is frequented by lots of local construction workers all day, the dudes' bathroom isn't so awesome to change a diaper/pull-up. Poor Mendy gets that "honor" most times, but she's a trooper about it...usually. :-)

As I mentioned, tomorrow is a mild swim to round out the week, and we are going to the tri clinic tomorrow night. Mendy is a participant, and I'm a mentor/assistant/case study. I may even be asked to speak to the group as a relative tri newbie, albeit kicking some serious "A" in my first competitive season! LOL

Speaking of swimming, I think I missed a day. Here's yesterday's workout:

500yds in 6m 58s @ 1m 23s /100 yards
5 X 100yd sprints
1st 1:17
2nd 1:19
3rd 1:21
4th 1:29
5th 1:32

I was getting pretty bushed, as evidenced by my increasing times. Stupid swimming!

10 comments:

Jess said...

"Kickin like karate"! That slayed me! I'm so using it now. I just need the right context...

It's always hard when you stumble upon a great phrase with no where to use it; then you just end up blurting out in the wrong place and wasting it's power.

Thanks though -- it's going in the vault.

Marcy said...

No R ratings unless you posted up some pics of that scene :P

ROFLMAO! Dude, toddler poop is the WORST! When they're at that age it's like "Come on, this is like adult poo. Can't you just do it in the toilet already?" I have felt your pain Mendy LOL

Sweet job on that run!! Have fun at the clinic!

sunshine said...

What? No tequila with Mexican food? What's wrong with you!?!?!

Training sure gets in the way of drinking... Just Kidding! :)

Marcy said...

Ohh and I forgot . . . excuse my naivete but what goes on at a tri clinic? LOL I meant to ask before when Mendy talked about it in one of her posts. Is it lessons in swimming, biking, and running?

Gotta Run..... said...

No DOSXX... what is up with that. It took weeks to get it back last time.

This summertime weather is making me CRAZY!! Scott and I are going to attempt another ride at DS today. Should be good per the last weather update.

Can hardly believe that an entire month has gone by since your last Tri. You will do great!!!

Nikki said...

ohh Corona...my hubby would be ok with just that and a lime :p

I hate beer(sorry Jess, we'll have to slam maragaritas)

LOL about the toddler poop! Marcy you slay me!

Swimming sounds good...in this heat!

Good luck on friday!!

Mom tried decaf once said...

You guys and your mexican food are killing me. There is only one thing to do...go out for mexican food.

Don't get too comfy in your c9 tank, the next thing you know Target will take them all and clear them out and leave you with nothing. Nothing I tell ya!

Oh and btw, last week that other blogger that you are thinking of swam 3200 m not 2300 silly. And her checkbook is overdrawn because she told her hubby she had enough for her $300 purse when really it said $.30 in there. Magic math I tell ya, magic math.

Thoughts on Giant vs. Trek bikes?

Jess said...

Yahy! heude! Okay, so drunking whenpst is gotta be spontaoes, so I tries to keep it real, yo. See ya later.

kay, Marcy says we could all get tats togetehs re, I and Isay Yay@

Mendy said...

Jess, you are too much! Gotta love thursday nights!

Yea, Mexican food - we eat it like twice a wk. But after my day at work, I was SOOOO wanting a DOSXX, but had to settle for Mich ultra, instead, and still saw a drop on the scale the next am.

When we're out and about doing errands, I wind up changing Grace because the Men's bathrooms are SO much worse! and this is no exception at the local mex jt.

That's great times on your swim. You make me look like I'm just hanging out (standing around) in the pool.

Unknown said...

Good job with the swim...and the Mexican food.

Biggest hurdle I had moving to the HIM distance was nutrition. The first one I did, I didn't get anywhere near enough calaries and hydration on the bike and bonked HUGE on the run. I learned enough from that that I did another six months later and loped off nearly an hour. Best advice I can give you is to practice taking in food and beverages on your long rides and try a bunch of different things. It is amazing how something that you love in training makes you want to hurl at mile 50 of the bike or mile 6 of the run during a half.

One more thing, at my first half I had dinner with a guy who had won his agegroup in Hawaii the prior two years (he was a stud). He told me that it took him about 15 halfs before he felt like he finally had them figured out. So don't worry if things go sideways in your first few, the long course stuff takes a lot of time and experimentation to figure out.