Snooze button

Posted on April 18, 2007 by Joanne

I hit the snooze button four times this morning yet the sunshine still managed to break through the clouds. The cold grey start to my swim had my right shoulder feeling tight and sore. I’m probably feeling the effects of yesterday’s extra pushups and heavier dumbells. But by the end of the swim, the sun was streaming through the water and somehow that just makes everything better.

A bright sunny evening will make tonight’s T2 workout much less annoying. Note to self – do not go into tonight’s T2 workout thinking it will be annoying. So what if you suck at transitions. Workouts like this are a chance to get better.

“It doesn’t have to be fun, to be fun” – Sandy McCallum.

swim
w/u 200f, 100p, 50k, 4 x 50dr, 150f @ 20sR
1 x 40min = 2km
6 x 50f @ 25sR, (50s pace)
c/d 100b

bike
T2 bike to run transition workout Continue reading →

Trail Running vs Commuting

Posted on April 17, 2007 by Joanne

On most days, I bike, bus, and/or carpool my way to and from work/workouts. I’m proud of my efforts to be a greener commuter. But once and a while, I drive. I can’t stand car commuting. It’s aggravating, bad for the environment, and there’s no parking. Really, it’s mostly that I get in a terrible mood from the stand still traffic. I can’t believe people do it every day. But this morning I discovered a nice way to counter the commute. If you’ve got to drive, an hour trail run in Pacific Spirit park does wonders to balance your morning.

run
58 min + plus 20 min walk
Avg HR 143

In case you’re wondering, I used the M2 Route Scout site to map my run in the endowment lands. The route was 10.6km.

Yahoo, what a victory! I managed to make it to the gym tonight. With my run done in the morning, there was lots of “my actual life” time in the evening. After a sunset walk, I headed to the gym.

gym
same as last week
added 5lbs to 2nd set squats
added 10lbs to dumbell press

Slow Leak

Posted on April 16, 2007 by Joanne

I missed the rain in the morning and had a soggy commute home in the afternoon. I flatted out by the airport. I stopped but didn’t end up changing the tube because when I pumped it up it seemed to hold air. I thought my slow commuter speed was because of my tired legs, but it’s probably because I rode most of the way with a flat rear tire. I was thinking of Tam, with her three flats on Saturday, right before I noticed my own slow leak.

bike
two way commute
~2hr

Chickadee

Posted on April 15, 2007 by Joanne

After a good morning of training, I spent this sunny Sunday afternoon puttering around. The evening was full with dinner guests and ferry pickups. This little gal joined me while I was cleaning my bike. She’s ambitiously collecting bits of fluff for her nest that she’s setting up in a bird house we’ve got in our yard. She sang her spring song for me, “Fee Bee”.

swim
2km 400m sets @ pace
run
1h45
HR <145

Almost Worked

Posted on April 14, 2007 by Joanne

Oh, so close. Torbin and I had a plan – and it almost worked. We often get creative with commuting with one car and two very active lives. This weekend was no exception. Torbin needed to get to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal for Udder Bowl and I had my big ride. The plan was hatched. Torbin would drive the car to Jesse’s house, catch a ride to Nanaimo, and then I would ride to Horseshoe Bay, back to the car, do my brick run, and then happily drive home. I put my shoes and snacks in the car, and saw Torbin off in the morning. Oh, it was such a good plan… Continue reading →

Sorry Legs

Posted on April 12, 2007 by Joanne

Woah, Nelly! This has been a serious three days of training. Tuesday = too many squats in the gym, Wednesday = hills + long ride. By Thursday’s hard run, I was seriously suffering. My legs were sore to touch and were carrying some serious fatigue from Wednesday’s bonk.

This sorry state of affairs was a perfect chance to practice my mental toughness. I tried to keep the complaining to a minimum (except to Philip, of course, because we can’t resist complaining and laughing Continue reading →

First Outdoor Swim of the Year

Posted on April 11, 2007 by Joanne

Put on your sunscreen, outdoor swimming starts today!

After this evening’s tough bike workout, I rode home. As I started home, I knew I was too tired to make it the full 20km. So I called for a pick up. Unfortunately, ‘tired on the bike = stupid in the head’, so I said one thing and thought another. The rendezvous at airport station didn’t work at all, and I ended up riding the whole way home. At least the thought of a car ride home motivated me to keep riding my bike.

swim
200f, 100p, 50k, 150f
1 x 35min 1700m
2 x 100m
100c/d

bike
5 x 4min hard, 6 min easy
(up Spanish banks hill, 4up, 3up, 2up, by yourself)
6 x 1min hard, 1min easy
ride home – woah, I got tired

Pumped Up

Posted on April 10, 2007 by Joanne

Does anyone else out there hate gym attitudes? I’m talking about your pumped up steroid chumps who hang out in the gym. They get in the way, they ooze attitude, and if you’re a girl with a purpose they think you’re an alien. Worse, what about the girlfriends who hang about in pink sparkly low rider pants? I watched this girl ask her monkey boy to hold her purse while she did a set of swinging ab exercises. Thank goodness for the sunny run before this gym workout. Otherwise, I think I would have lost my mind.

run
25 min easy jog to the gym
gym
35 min
core and legs, still sore two days later

Continue reading →

Wild Horses

Posted on April 8, 2007 by Joanne

We headed up to the KVR for a morning run. On the hilly trails, we climbed up and around above Trout Creek, running past wild horses on the dusty route. In the afternoon, we took the dogs up to the KVR in Penticton to get this view of the lake. The wind and sun sent us back down to the lake to cool off the dogs with a swim. The dogs played in the large choppy waves. Harcus barreling head first into the biggest waves while Penney waited for the chop to send back her stick. Between laughs at the dogs, the large waves had us hoping that a North wind doesn’t show up for IronMan.

run
1h15

McLean Creek Ride

Posted on April 7, 2007 by Joanne

Doug and I headed out for a ride on Easter Saturday. The route was Trout Creek to Penticton, Lakeside Road, Maclean Road, through OK Falls, to Vaseux Lake, and back. We cruised along at a pretty brisk zip and the ride felt easy. I’m way stronger on my bike (i.e., this ride was way easier) then I remember from last year. The trees and vines are trimmed way back. The countryside has a different look: cleaned up, ready and waiting. Spring blooms will come any day now.

bike
2:53:23
Avg HR 137, Max 157, 1461Kcal
78.7km, Avg 27.2 km/h, Max 59.2 kph
Avg Cad 88, Max 108

Alive With Sport

A journey of triathlon, training, and everything else

Monthly Archives: April 2007