Sad Beautiful Tragic

[Taylor Swift]

Spudman...

What can I say about Spudman?

It was... hmm.. interesting? lonely? tough? reassuring? disappointing? strengthening?

Basically.. it was all over the place. An emotional rollercoaster.

It's one of those races I am glad to have behind me.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed myself... mostly. But, I had a number of hurdles to jump through to finish.

1. For one reason or another, I ended up taking the 3 hour drive to Burley, ID to stay and compete alone.

2. I didn't have a tent or anything, so I slept -- rather uncomfortably -- in my car. [Luckily, I was so tired that it ended up not mattering.]

3. The pinky toe wasn't healed. Ya... ugh. The biggest UGH of them all. It didn't impact my swim and run much, but my running was S-L-O-W. It wasn't even the toe so much. I was compensating for the hurt with my ankle, which caused WORSE hurt. So I had to back off to prevent REAL injury.

4. I didn't take the day off to drive up there, so I was late coming from work. I rushed to dinner and then to setup my bike transition. Since I was in a hurry, I forgot to setup my Garmin watch. Decided I'd go back in the morning, but never made it there.

5. The morning of the race, I was running to start line zipping my wetsuit. And just barely had time to ask a girl to zip it up after it got caught on my singlet.

6. I didn't get on the podium... [failed New Year's resolution].

But....

1. I had a great swim. Learned a couple new things for the next race, too.

2. My bike was -- for me-- amazing. I am NOT a cyclist. It's my weak area. But, I kept nearly a 18mph pace! Incredible for me.

3. I finished the run under an hour, even with the injuries.

4. Overall I PR'ed by about 10 minutes!

5. I was reminded that I am independent and can make it on my own.

6. There was accomplishment in just getting there, starting the race, finishing each leg, and then crossing the finish line. So much, that I broke down in tears.

Life was trying to break me. But, I am in control of my life. And I'm not giving into the hard times. I am positive about the future and know, from experiences like this, that I can get through and fight whatever comes my way. I love when running can teach you those lessons.

“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!” -Dr. Seuss

What lessons have you learned from/while running?

Help team #highnuun get to Ragnar Colorado!

Vote daily through August 9th!

http://gotchocolatemilk.com/team-refuel/high-noon

Come What May

[Moulin Rouge]

I am only 2 days into #stayingonthewagon and life is presenting me with MORE excuses challenges.

Today...I now have a broken toe.

-- Begin Story -- 

I was leaving work. Chatting it up with my coworkers. Packing my laptop into my bag. Chatting it up with my coworkers. Forgetting to zip my bag. Chatting it up with my coworkers. Fling the bag on my back. Laptop comes flying out. Lands side up (the whole weight of the laptop) onto my [bleepin'] pinky toe. Laptop bounces off toe. Laptop lands on floor. Laptop is okay. Toe is not.

-- End of Story --

So yay for being ME.

[That was a sarcastic tone. If. You. Couldn't. Hear. It. Because, somedays I really HATE being ME. For example, today.]

[Sidenote: Can this qualify for worker's comp? LAUGHTER. Only joking.]

Anyway, I don't know what this means for #spudman. It makes me so upset to even think about. Especially after working through bricks of each distance. I was actually pretty ready to compete.

Please tell me a broken toe can heal in 3 days? If so, I am still planning on going. I've even considered just going for the swim. Pretty sure I was going to dominate the swim this year.

But, let's set that aside, I am still not letting this throw me off the healthy wagon. I am buckled in for the bumpy ride.

So I turned my evening run into an evening swim -- aka sport for the injured ;).. and mission #stayingonthewagon is still a go!

What is the worst injury you've raced with? Have you ever had to pull out of a race because of injury?

Help team #highnuun get to Ragnar Colorado!

Vote daily through August 9th!

http://gotchocolatemilk.com/team-refuel/high-noon

Undone

[No Doubt]

It's not a good sign when I am 9 days out from my "A" race and I am sitting on the couch eating [homemade] cookies and milk....

Not. Good. AT. ALL!

Why do we allow ourselves to get in these situations? Setting goals, not giving them our all...

I had big plans this year.

1. Qualify for Boston. Strike ONE [Since BQ has to be in by September and I am not running any marathons in the next 2 months.]

2. Finish 30 Credit Hours in school. Strike TWO, since I had to drop out of my summer classes. (For a couple reasons).

3. Place in my division at Spudman...

Ya... Spudman... that "A" race I was talking about.

Last year I competed in Spudman, an Olympic Triathlon. I worked from February to July to get ready. I WAS ready. AND I did well for my 1st triathlon. I placed 11th in the swim and 9th on the run. Or something like that.

This year, I had this vision....

maintain my swimming and running + decrease my cycling time = place in my division

 It wasn't going to be that hard... REALLY, it wasn't. And how things were going with my running, in preparation to BQ, I had decreased my 10k time by a almost 10 minutes -- buffering my cycling time. I was so ready for this.

But today.. I am not feeling ready.

I want to blame this all on my quad injury from the Salt Lake Marathon. But for the past month, since Ragnar, I haven't had quad issues... so it's not really an excuse. [I did have a glimpse of IT band issues and ankle problems... but nothing I couldn't work with].

My next excuse is work. It's wiped me out. I am trying to save my job. Fulfill extreme expectations. Still, I've trained through difficult work issues before. I've done stressful environments. Not a good excuse.

But ya... one excuse or another, I am here. Having only taken my bike off my trainer and to the great outdoors ONCE this year [and bike computer not working]. Not having swum for over a week. And my pace has slowed to 8:48/mile.

But, I am determined to not have a DNS or DNF on my athletic record.

My brother asked what a running record is. Well, it's mental -- that's for certain. But it's also physical. Here.

Nonetheless... this is my self pep talk... I can do this.

I won't place. Fine. There is always next year.

But, that doesn't mean I give up.

I won't. I am going to compete.

I refuse to do less than that. Because I know I can go and give it my best. The best of what I've got to give NOW.

And I'll not give up on my goals. I'll just realize, this is not the year for them. Life has other plans for me this year.

But, I just purchased this book today and I'll be getting up bright and early to swim out 1600m tomorrow morning. And I'll move forward. Trying. One day at a time.

...AND hey! I am still "purchased sweets" free [I haven't had a piece of candy for 6 months and 18 days!] and I still fit into that jean size I was working towards... so not a complete failure this year... right?! I just can't let that work go down the drain... Plus, I have to have some WINS. Life can't just complete go to shit. Anyway....

What advice do you have for cramming for a race? Is it possible? How do you bounce back from struggle to meet your goals?

The Bitch is Back

[Elton John]

Did you have a nice Memorial Day? I made whole wheat waffles, rocked a mile swim, got started on my tan, read/studied, and then laid in the hammock at my in-laws. It was nearly a perfect holiday.

With summer here, swimming will become more of an option for exercise, for some...

My two sisters, Krick and Hilz, and I have created our own Master's swim class. We call it "Swim Club" because my family seems to have a lot of "clubs", sushi club, board game club, running club, garage sale club, etc. This was just another random thing a set of the family has formed excitement over.

I was unofficially designated coach of swim club. Each week I come up with a workout that I write onto a 4x6 index card and throw on deck. After a busy day at work, then staying late for HTML coding class, I didn't get home in time to pull together a workout. Thus, when my sisters showed up, they weren't happy -- mainly because the back up was a ladder set up to 1 mile.

After the huff and puff, I wasn't showing up for the next club swim without a plan. So I came up with this:

"The Bitch"

(named after the fact)

Warm-Up:	100 easy swim 100 kick
Set:	200 (50 kick, 50 pull, 50 kick, 50 pull) 4x100 flutter kicks 4x50 build 100 1-arm drills (each 25 rotate arm) 200 (50 kick, 50 pull, 50 kick, 50 pull) 8x50 choice drills 200 easy without walls 100 count strokes 50 kick
Warm-down:	50 easy swim

This was only 2100 meters, but the kick intensive focus was killer. None of us are strong kickers... but by the end of the workout we immediately had already seen an improvement in our kick. If you are a swimmer, give this workout a try... you will feel the burn. It's awesome!

Swim

[Madonna]

==Event 1: Swim==

Swimming is BY FAR the event I've been most nervous for. You want to know my swim experience prior to signing up for the Tri? Zero. Ziltch. Nada. NONE. I hadn't ever learned how to competitively swim. Form was never something I associated with swimming. Suntanning...that is. Not form. And though it helps my looks, it's not gonna help with the race.

In February I started to attend our rec center's weekly Master Swim class. I highly, very HIGHLY, recommend taking these classes. Master's swim is a group coached swim class. Our coach posts a workout on a white board and then walks around addressing various questions and watching for how we can improve our swim. It helps swimmers of all levels. Without this class, I am 90% sure I wouldn't be prepared for the race on Saturday. It's been a HUGE part of helping me tackle the swim event.

So what can I relay here that would be important to know?

(1) Go to a Master's Swim Class, whether you are planning to do a Tri or if you just want to get into better shape.


(2) Swimming has been the BEST workout. You should take it up! (It's full body! And it rocks!)

However, if you can't or don't have a Master's Swim Class and want to start swimming (which you should) here are a couple things I know now that I didn't before:

Freestyle Stroke

East Canyon Reservoir

• Prevent a shortened stroke on one side by breathing every third, fifth, seventh, etc. stroke. Basically rotate which side you take your breath.
• Keep your head down! You want the water to hit the middle of the top of your head.
• Rotate. Keep your shoulders and hips aligned. You should pretty much be on your side with every stroke. This lengthens your stroke and prevents drag. 
• Kicking is mainly what causes the need to breath. Kick less (for triathletes), pull more. (Pull is the arm movement to propel you forward.
• Play catch up. Keep one arm alway outstretched in front of you, only bringing it into a pull once the other hand catches up and replaces that arm.
• Lay your head on your outstretched arm when you take your breath to prevent lifting your head and causing drag.

Useful Drills

• Sidekicks: When you take a breath and are on your side kick 6 times before returning to your next stroke. This builds your form during breaths.
• Fist: Form a fist with your hand and swim. This is so hard. It's amazing how much a flat hand pushes you forward. Without a flat hand this drill will build your forearm strength and movement which also helps propel you forward.
• Fastkicks: Keep your pull the same tempo while you kick as fast as you can. Be prepared to be exhausted after this drill, but it builds your kick power!

Tips and Tricks

• Before each swim session put a dab of baby shampoo in your goggles. Spread it around and then rinse it out. This will keep your goggles from fogging up.
• Putting on a swim cap is a pain. But here is a tip...place both hands inside the swim cap. Spread your fingers and extend the cap, then move your hands over your head allowing the cap to cover your hair and once over your head remove your hands. Wa-la!
• Swimsuits are NOT cheap, but you can make them last by alway --ALWAYS-- showering before and after a chlorine pool swim. Don't EVER put it in the washer and dryer. Always handwash with cool water and a very gentle detergent. Don't twist and ring your suit...just roll it up in a towel and then hang dry.
• Don't forget to drink water. Swimming is a workout like any other. You need to stay hydrated.

The DREADED Open Water Swim (OWS)

Forget all that you've learned...it goes out the window in open water. I had my first and only open water training session on Saturday. Needless to say, it wasn't my favorite thing. Put your hand out in front of you. I couldn't see that far. And the "ick" factor for sure messed with my head. Lastly, don't forget the fear of fish. Yep, I swear there were piranhas in the lake. 

Panic. 

That's the description that goes with open water swimming. So here are some ways to practice getting ready for an open water swim in a pool and hopefully decrease some of the panic:

... Set your stuff up at the deep end. During rest between intervals and sets, do not hang on to the wall

... Look at the far end, close your eyes (so you can't track the line on the bottom of the pool), take several strokes and see where that gets you. This is also a good way to see if you have stroke imbalances and tend to pull to the left or right.

... Keep practicing to increase the number of strokes you can take before needing to sight the far end of the pool.

Plus, swim in your wetsuit BEFORE the race. It's a different experience. But, one I think you'll be happy with...thank you buoyancy!

Recommended Resources

• Master Swim Class
• http://www.usaswimming.org/
• http://ruthkazez.com/swimming.html
• http://www.goswim.tv/

How many of you swim? Anything you'd like to know or add here?

Good Day Sunshine

[The Beatles]

Taking a phrase from my mother-in-law, "I prayed to my angels." So I didn't really. But, I did send my wishes somewhere. I imagine they just floated around in the air (or the web) and luck grabbed them. But, whatever happened to them...they came true. And today I got:

SUNSHINE

I'd say it was just in the knick of time. As I described yesterday, I was due for some swim training the next few days and I really enjoy it so much more outside. It makes me feel like I am enjoying summer rather than just putting my face in the water and grinding out some exercise.

I soaked up some rays. Yes.  But, I also got in a hard workout today. I searched the web for some freestyle-centric swim workouts and found the following (with a few edits):

4x	300 - Warm Up
	100 - Pull Easy 4x25 on 15 sec. 100 - Pull Easy  4x25 on 15 sec. 100 - Pull Easy  4x25 on 15 sec. 100 - Pull Easy  2x50 - All Out
3x	25 - Sidekicks 25 - Fists 25 - Fast Kicks
	200 - Kicks
4x	100 - Swim
	200 - Cool Down

I was worried taking a week off from swimming was going to be damaging, but I was strong and loved every minute of the hour and twenty in the water. This was a fun workout, still it pushed me into some uncomfortable zones. The only downfall was for some reason I think I drank half the pool. I am feeling sloshy. It happens.  Or so I am telling myself.

OH...can someone answer me this...Why does water up the nose sting so bad? 

*Made a couple adjustments, but most of the workout is credited to: http://ruthkazez.com/SwimWorkouts/SwimWorkout49.html

Goodnight and Thank You

[Evita - New Broadway Cast Recording]

3 Things for Today...

1) I swam the full mile consecutively today. Actually, 1700m. 

[plus another 1050m of warm up/drills/cool down]

2) Hilz left me a box of pastries and a mixed CD when she stopped by to drop off cupcakes for my co-workers birthday. Mixed CDs are the best! [And only better when assisted with sugar]

3) I got this in the mail:

A good day in my books.

Break on Through

[The Doors] 

Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”

― Shel Silverstein

It seems like the shouldn'ts, impossibles, and won'ts are more often than not coming from within myself.

It's why I wear this bracelet. [Thanks again, Lisa]

I need the constant reminder that anything can be; That when I put the work in and am postive that what I want can be a reality. It's only myself holding me back. And I won't allow it.

This brings me to a good example of this.

I've been attending a Master swim class over the past few months. Despite my discouraged attitude, the fellow swimmers, triathletes, and coach have continued to cheer me on and show faith in that I will be ready for the race.

Back in April, I started my twice weekly regimen of swimming. Once at Masters to better my form and continue to learn. The other workout focused on increasing my continuous swim distance.

For this second workout, I started doing pyramid workouts. I believe I've already mentioned this before, so this might sound familiar. When I started in April it was, 25-50-25 (in meters, with a short rest period between each 10-60 seconds). Repeat, repeat, and repeat for an hour. The next week 25-50-75-50-25. And so on I'd increase my top pyramid by 25m each week. This increase was killer for me. Not only did I increase by 25m, but it also added in a second instance of my previous weeks distance increase.

This week I increased to 25-50-75-100-125-150-175 and back down. With the race being 7 weeks away (52 days to be exact) and having to get to a consecutive 1560m swim I was getting scared  [understatement]. Would I make it? At my increase I would only make it to 350m by race week. That's NOT gonna cut it...it's impossible for me to swim that far, I won't get there, maybe I shouldn't do the race....shouldn'ts, impossibles, won'ts.

But, I am not a quitter. I was/am giving it my all and then will see where I am at the week of the race. I've already paid for it. Why stop?

So I entered the pool monday and swam like any other training day.

Putting in the time.


Putting in the work.


Pressing forward.

I went through the first pyramid feeling better than the normal increase training days.

I started a second pyramid knowing fully well that I wouldn't be able to fit in the full set in the pool time I had left. So I decided to reach the 175m top and then call it quits for the day.

As I looked at the clock during the rest period between 150m and 175m I realized that I had still some time before the hour was up. So I made a decision to just see how far I could swim, rather than complete the hour doing drills or decreasing the mileage back down.

I swam the 175m.

I swam another 50m...

...and another 50m.

I stopped counting. Just kept swimming.

I felt like I could keep going when I stopped. But, I hate lane hogs, so I got out.

But, as I toweled off, it was like something snapped.

I could really do this. 
This IS possible.

All my time [literally] fighting for air. The drills. The coaching. The mental fight. And I was now seeing some hope.

I'll have to relay to you someday the details behind why I think this is now happening. But, it's happening. This Triathlon is possible.

Anything is possible. Anything can be. 

-Dr. Seuss

Flipside

[The Breeders]

It hit me this morning that I left my shampoo and conditioner in the locker room at the gym last night. Blasted!

OH. Well.

How can I be upset [really] when we had such a good workout.

I mean, I swam 75m consecutively. 6 times!

Okay, swimmers, I give you permission to get in a good laugh.

Let us know when you get back to us...waiting...waiting...

I know it's not a great feat, but for me, it's a big, BIG improvement. In the words of Bob [aka- Bill Murray], "Baby steps."

Since we had to skip Master's swim this week to attend a nutrition clinic tonight we had to come up with our own swim workout.

As I looked online for recommendations, it occurred to me that I need to approach this in the same fashion that I approached running.

When I first set out to run a 5k back in 2002, I was completely clueless on how to get to running a 3.1 mile distance. To get there, I started to play games with myself. I'd tell myself that I had to run 1 mile this week, then 1.25 miles next week, and build up from there.

Swimming is the same way. But, why do I feel like I need to go 1500m consecutively today? I don't. I just need to get there by July 28th.

With that in mind, we decided to do ladders; which would help us keep up with our increase to 50m swim and push to a 75m swim. Baby steps.

Here's how it went:

6x	25 50 75 }all slow 50 25
	In between each of the above sets,  do one of the following drills: 1x25: side kick drill 1x25: freestyle with a float* 1x25: underwater 1x25: kicks

After the first 75m lap, I felt incredible. I did it! Of course, of the 6 sets, I had some rounds that were better than others, but overall, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. And in the end, I built up more confidence that I will get to race day prepared and ready to compete.

Now if only this half-marathon would be over so I can hit the pool more and improve faster.

*We made up the drill "freestyle with a float". This is how sad we are....this drill is to help train a resting period into an open water swim. You start with a freestyle swim and then half way through the pool you'd turn onto your back to float. During the float you would gather your breath and relax your muscles. Then once you felt recovered enough to continue then you'd turn back around to finish out the lap in freestyle. We figured this is a good talent drill stroke move trick maneuver gimmick to have in our back pocket in the case we run out of energy during the swim and need to take a break. Sad, right? But, the goal of this race, "Don't die". And I am ---not joking--- that really is my goal. If I need to float, I'll float, okay?

What tricks/games do you play to reach your goals?

Week #14 in Review

I have mixed feelings about this past week's training. I started off the week completely burnt out. I decided to take Monday off to recoop. I hate taking time off, but I knew that if I didn't I would either have a mental breakdown or some important things in life were going to completely drop off. It was a rough day.

After I wasted Monday away, I got back into the game on Tuesday and the week then started to progress. By the end, I completed my last long run before the first race of the season...and I did it with much success. Perfect way to end the first round of training. [Plus, we took our run out to Daybreak, which was a nice change of scenery.]

During that run, I smashed my 10k recorded time:

Previous Records

New Records

I've been trying to break that record for some time now. Quite frustrating I hadn't until now.

Okay, here's the rundown:

Tuesday
1 hour cycling class

Wednesday
8 mile run
(Schedule 5 miler + makeup for Monday break)
Weight training: Arms

Thursday
1 hour Master's Swim Class

Saturday
12 mile run

Sunday
3 mile hill run @ 4.5% grade
Weight training: Arms

SLC Half-Marathon in 13 days and counting...

Rolling in the Deep

[Adele]

1x	100 - Warm-up
10x's	50 - Easy 50 - Drill
4x's	50 - Kicks 50 - Slow 50 - Build
4x's	25 - Underwater 25 - Easy 25 - Overkicks 25 - Easy

This was the Master's Class workout last night. And we killed it!

Okay, that might be an exaggeration...

We did well.

1600m again this week. This time in 1 hour 5 min, rather than 1 hour 10 min. [Cheers!]

We tried to move up from taking breaks every 25m to every 50m. It was tough and I was exhausted by the  end. Yet, SOOOoooo rewarding to know that I did it.

You've got to get uncomfortable. That's when you improve. And I am spending a lot of time being uncomfortable right now.

----------

PS - Got a great swim tutorial site for you to check out...Goswim.tv. Check it out here. This tutorial is similar to the drills we did last night. Still learning how to roll into a swim. I'll get there.



Where do you go online to learn new fitness routines? techniques?

Week #12 in Review

This last week was pretty sweet. 

I fit in 7 workouts, which is 1 workout more than I typically do in a week. I was able to do a X-stretch session on Monday, which is what I believe to be one of the factors that has prevented injury in the past. It felt great to give some time to this.

During my swim class, we had a sub (Coach A's lil' bro) who gave me a sweet tip about how to improve my kick "in stretch" (on the back). Previously, I was tucking my chin, creating drag. As soon as I lengthened my neck I found myself CRUISING along the pool. It was awesome. [I'm almost ready to learn the backstroke...gulp!]

Also, did you know that washing your goggles in baby shampoo prevents fogging? I didn't. But I do now. Master's Swim = the best thing! Learned that from a fellow Master swimmer after complaining about my goggles being fogged up. She loaned me some baby shampoo and my goggles were crystal clear for the remainder of the swim.

Plus, I logged 1600m, surpassing my race distance. Now I just need to reduce my breaks to zero.

I had a really difficult cycling class. At one point, I totally had to give myself a cheesy self pep-talk in my head. But I got through that final push and felt awesome for giving it my all and completing the interval. It's times like that which help you get stronger and help you remember you can do more than you think you can.

On Saturday, we put in our 10 mile run [for which I paused my watch at a street light and forgot to restart for 3/4 of a mile...bummer]. But the run was great and I tried out some new fuel. I am so sick of GU blocks and sports beans. So I tried a Stinger Bee Waffle. Kind of nuts to be eating a waffle during a run, but it was such a nice change and actually yummy.

Then post long-run, Krick and I attended a Triathlon fair at the local Rec Center. The main purpose of attending was to join the triathlon training club, Triology.

 

We got tons of swag and some awesome suggestions. It was so worth it. Plus, I am excited to have a group of people to train with [and learn from].

Then when I was logging my runs for the week, I saw that I surprisingly beat my 10k Nike+ time by a whole minute! 

Previous records

New records

So here it is, the weekly log:

Monday
3 m run with hill intervals
Weight training: Tri Circuit
1 hour P90X X-Stretch Session

Tuesday
1 Hour Cycling Class

Wednesday
5.5 mile pace run outside

Thursday
1 Hour Master Swim Class

Saturday
10 mile run outside

Sunday
3 mile recovery run
Weight training: Arms

And a million words later....

This is what happens when I don't post for a week.

So my question for today: What is your favorite endurance fuel?

Week #11 in Review

I felt like I made some good improvements this week. The first of which was decreasing my 1 mile recorded run time on nike+:

Previous records

New records

Giving time to intense and dedicated cross training has really improved my running and this is proof. I feel so much stronger and can push myself harder now that I am working my body in multiple ways. I am loving it. 

The second stride was during my Master swim class on Thursday. I was able to push to 1350 meters during the hour class. My breaks between each length of the pool are getting much shorter and it's allowing me to swim further. I felt really good during this class.

The only downfall to this week, was the lack of my iPad which contains my food journal. I definitely didn't eat as nutritionally as I should have this week, but I also didn't completely fall back into a completely junky diet, so it wasn't a complete loss. But I look forward to having that journal and reporting back for this coming week, which is going to be a tough one.

Monday
5 mile pace run
Weight training: Legs

Tuesday
1 Hour Cycling Class

Wednesday
3 miles with speed drills
Weight training: Full Body Tri Circuit

Thursday
1 Hour Master's Swim Class
1350m

Saturday
Recovery week - 3 mile run
Weight training: Full Body Tri Circuit 

Sunday
20 minutes on the Elliptical Trainer
1mile run

What cross training activities do you do? Do you find they strengthen your main activity?

Lucky

 [Britney Spears]

I didn't even know it was my lucky day until it was over. Seriously, I should have taken more advantage of the day. But, I didn't know...okay?

I happened to enter two giveaways earlier this week, on two running blogs I read. I usually don't enter these random drawings, simply because, what's the likelihood you'll win? (Plus, I work in email marketing and understand how easily people try to find loopholes or trick you into getting on their list).

But, I've been following both these gals and between trusting them and really wanting a shot at the giveaways, I decided what the hey!

Lo and behold, I won both. 

No joke.

My mom claims I am the luckiest person she knows. She'll die when she reads this.

The cuff bracelet above was one of these coveted items. It was given away by the sweetie over at Runwiki (Lisa) and made by GeekDecree...So cute, right? [Thanks again, girls!]

The cuff is supposed to be a display of your personal mantra. And for the purposes of the contest.. a running mantra, specifically.

I chose to go with a direct quote from Dr. Seuss and a reference to another quote Shel Silverstein; both that I think about a lot when I struggle or doubt I can get through a hurdle (particularly during training or when I take on a new challenge...aka - marathon, triathlon):

"Anything is possible, anything can be."

-Dr. Seuss

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”

-Shel Silverstein

I love the bracelet. A constant reminder that I can do anything. Even if I'm the one saying that it's impossible or I never have...Anything is possible, anything can be... Including, swim a mile [wink]. 

What is your mantra?

Drop It On Me

[Ricky Martin]

Looking down at the bottom of the pool as I swam laps Thursday night, I thought, "Still don't know how I am going to swim 1500m consecutively."

But then entered Kathleen and her husband. Two trainers at the gym who have done and are doing Spudman. [Also part of the Triology Triathlon Club, which I totally need to join.]

Saving grace.

Seriously, they gave us the full run down on the race and what we need to know. Like how hard it is to get a wetsuit off...

...And...whhhaahahat? They said that you have to camp? There aren't hotels? Idaho... Bleh...

But most important information I got from them:

"You can float the 1500m in 20 minutes. The swim is the easiest part."

Phew.

Doesn't mean I am going to give up on my focused swim training. I. Love. Master's. Swim.

In fact, I think I like it more than cycling. [But, not more than running...let's make that clear.]

Coach A is awesome. [So is Coach O, but he wasn't there Thursday night.]

I thought it was interesting that Coach A had only one tip she stressed with me during this last class. Rather than a new tip every time I got back from a lap, like the first two sessions. Her tip:

• Rest your head on your extended arm as you come up for air. This will help you not sink as you take a breath...which is something I told her I am having a hard time with.

Other than that, I only got word that my form was improving nicely. [ Insert T.J. Detweiler cheer]

Here was our workout:

1x	4x50 - Swim 3x50 - Drills 2x50 - Kicks 1x50 - Build 2x50 - Fast 3x50 - Swim 1x50 - All Out
4x's	150 - Slow 50 - Fast

We only ended up swimming 1200m, rather than the past 2 weeks when we swam 1300m. However, I felt that I focused more on my form and improving rather than distance. Which is what I need right now.

PS - No leg cramps this week. So that was a success. [Although, I could feel my calves getting tired and I definitely got close a couple times. Still I didn't go there and that was good.]

Gives You Hell

[All American Rejects]

Picture me driving a Penske truck across the United States from Springfield, MA to Sandy, UT. Swimming is about the same oddity.

I use this analogy because when I drove that truck I had a new found respect for truck drivers.

And with this new venture in triathlon-ing I have a new found respect for swimmers. Wowzers, this is hard!

Masters swim was tonight. 

I remembered at 6:20 that my goggles suck. Last week they kept filling with water. So I sped over to Sports Authority and picked up the pretties at the top of this post. [Why are goggles so uncomfortable?]

I was about 5 minutes late to class. There was no one in the Master's lanes. Hmm...

So it was just Randy and I in the class. Which. I. Liked. So much more chill and easier to focus.

This week's workout:

1x	10x50's - Odd: Easy; Even: Drills
3x's	100 3 stroke breathes 100 5 stroke breathes Set 1=30 second break Set 2=15 second break Set 3=5 Second brak
2x's	100 Fast 100 Easy

It was a good workout. I felt much stronger this week and was noticing the tips they were giving me already starting to get engrained and put to use.

Couple things I learned this week:

-Hold your breath for strokes 1 and 2, then let out the breath right before you come up for air on stroke 3. It helps you not get water in your mouth and you get a deeper breath in as you come up for air.

-You should always have an arm extended out in front of you. You should always be chasing that arm. This helps keep you up on top of the water and build momentum.

-5 stroke breaths are awesome! You would think it would be harder, but it really helped me not worry about breathing and I found that I stop kicking when I take a breath, so with 3 stroke breaths I am constantly having to push myself back up and forward...it's exhausting. With 5 stroke breaths I didn't have to do this as often, plus the coach said it will build my lungs to do 5 stroke breaths. Sweet!

Lastly, this:

See that ice pack. Holy...freakin...cow. Worst cramp of my life right in the middle of the 2nd set of the workout. Randy and I were totally laughing. But, seriously, it was so painful. It was a charley horse times 20. The lifeguard looked at me like, "Should I do something? Is she okay?" I seriously didn't know what had happened. It still hurts. I hope I can run my 8 on Saturday.

But, according to coach,  I guess it's another fault from running...I use my calves too much to kick...kick from the hip, Vieve, kick from the hip.


Well, let's add this up...got to get my reward for this painfully hard swim. [I hope it gets easier]

What's the hardest thing you've had to learn/train for?