Peaks to Portland: 2.4 Mile Swim to the Mainland

The last few weeks have been crazy...fun...a whirlwind of activity!

After spending a week in Vegas and San Diego for the From Fat to Finish Line documentary launch (more to come on that) I came home exhausted and ready to roll into this event. well, kind of...

I was feeling waaay under-trained for the 2.4 mile open ocean swim, Peaks to Portland, this year...having only done a handful of 2 mile swims in the weeks leading up to Saturday.

I did get to swim about 2 miles in La Jolla CA and whoa, that was cool. I've got an awesome story about THAT swim coming too...But anyway, back to Peaks. I knew if I just took it easy and swam steady, it would be a good day. ---> I also had my favorite guy who would be providing kayak support. From the moment I signed up for this event, I was SO excited to be doing this with him -- this gave me LOTS to look forward to!

The night before, sleep proved to be a challenge. Not due to race nerves or anything but simply being a Mom to Lola. I finally got some sleep around 2am so when my alarm sounded at 4:15 am, I barely heard it. Or wanted to. I shut the alarm off and fell back to sleep for a bit, finally getting up just before 5am. I am supposed to be at the ferry station to Peaks Island at 6am. Better hurry!!! I was tired. I was late. I was not thrilled.

I had prepped the kayak and packed up everything the night before and most of it was good to go. I wasn't feeling very hungry so I packed up some bananas, my go-to oatmeal Coach's Oats and Powerbar Simple Fruit in apple/lemon/orange with 2x caffeine. This flavor is awesome but I knew I would also need the extra boost of energy too!  I also knew there would be lots of down time between the ferry ride over to the Island and GO TIME>

going through the checklist 2 or 3 times...

The JennyB kayak. of course, it's in HOT PINK! 

FM and I hit the road 5 minutes AFTER 6am and got to the ferry terminal about 20 minutes later. When we arrived, the parking garage was full. Ooops!!

Current Mood at that moment:

you can see i am thrilled. good thing I had FM there to keep me grounded

 We unloaded the kayak and all of our gear and I went to find parking. I snagged the LAST spot in a pay lot a half mile down the road. Boom! I literally RAN in flip flops, my swim suit and a sundress from the lot back to the ferry lines. When I got there, I asked FM if he had the ferry tickets. Nope, they were still in the car. Sprinted BACK to the car and then BACK to the ferry. Yes, a 1.5 mile interval run would be a great warm up to the day. 

made it back to the ferry WITH the tickets in time! 

In reality, being late did not matter. Leaving the tickets didn't slow us down. The line to the ferry was still just standing there and they did not start loading until close to 7am. Soon we were on our way...and I was able to finally relax.

finally, time to board the ferry! 

We made our way to the top of the ferry where I found several of my friends, including Yvonne who was happily snacking on some yummy local donuts. I was still not hungry. The ride was quick as we chatted about the course, strategy and what a beautiful day it was going to be. We also chatted about the awesome Otillo style race Yvonne is completing next month...swim & run for MILES and MILES.

We made our way to the shoreline amid a mass of colorful kayaks and swimmers and prepped for the morning ahead. 

I was able to snack a bit and get mentally prepared. I was calm since I was not racing yet I was still a bit nervous about how my body would handle the swim. I had to take a year off of swimming due to an injury so I was curious how that would feel. I knew I would finish out of pure stubbornness alone, but still. I did not feel 100% prepared as I normally would for an event like this.

I put those doubts aside, sprayed myself down in TriSlide and got into my Blueseventy wetsuit. Donned my favorite TYR Special Ops goggles after a generous application of Foggies and it was into the water for a little warm up. 

post swim warm up, I was inspired by one of the athletes who would do this event with 1 leg.
I tried to get her to consider doing a triathlon or relay with rev3 in August! 

or should I say COLD UP. The water felt really, really cold. Reports stated that the temps were 61-63* but it felt REALLY cold...my face was fine in the water but my hands and feet were going numb. Normally I would just duct tape my feet up to prevent cuts on the shells, rocks and barnacles that cover the shore and the first 15 feet of shoreline into the water but this year I opted to try water shoes that I would just take off at some point. It seemed to work well...kind of. 

With AMR before lining up to GO.

It was close go time and I could see FM making his way to the kayak line. Our wave was gathering to line up and go thru the chute and into the water. I felt calm and ready to have a great swim. I was very happy to be there and glad we were able to make the ferry, despite my earlier feelings. I got to give one of my athletes a pre-race pep talk while we were lined up. It was going to be a good day. 



I was in the water and it did not feel as cold. I sighted my starting line and positioned myself at the front right of the wave. I could see FM and knew it would not take me long to reach his side. I stayed calm and was breathing easy as the wave was launched with a GO and a loud buzzer sounded. 

It was about 300 yards out to the kayak and we met up without issues. We were in the middle of the scrum at this point. We communicated our plan to get to clean water and it was executed perfectly. I was still swimming with the water shoes on for a while until FM said he thought they were slowing me down (which they were) so I took them off and handed them to him. Ahhh, much better. He continued to guide me with verbal cues and encouragement. He also said I was moving much faster without the shoes on!! 

It was so great to be out there, doing something I love with this amazing guy right there by my side. Every time I looked up, I was smiling. Literally. We had reached the Fort, which is kind of the half way point of the swim, and I was feeling very relaxed and pain free in my shoulder. The water had warmed up quite a bit, as well as my body! I wasn't feeling any mental or physical fatigue. GOOD GOOD GOOD stuff. I was starting to pass other swimmers and I was having a wonderful time. My heart was very happy. 

Before I knew it, we had reached sight of East End Beach and we maneuvered our way through boats and swimmers. I was struggling to see the course buoys and it was messing with my head. I kept asking where the buoys were and FM assured me that they were there and to just follow his lead. Finally, I could see the big orange buoy and hear the crowds cheering. Let's GO!!

In the final 1000m push my only goal was to pass this guy in an orange sleeved wetsuit, which I did so I considered the day a success right there. FM made his way to the beach in the kayak and I swam my way into shore!  I was out of the water and up the beach. All Smiles. I saw FM and my friend Yvonne on the sidelines cheering. I saw the clock at 1:26:xx and  was happy with that. I figured being undertrained and just getting back to swimming, I would be around 1:30 for this. Previous P2Ps and 2.4 miles swims I have done range from 1:07 to 1:19...but then I looked at my Garmin and saw 1:11 for a time (and a swim distance of 2.49) and I remembered

OHYEAH...wave starts. You did not take into considering the clock started with wave1 silly girl.

So my official time was 1:11:16

Garmin time 1:11:28 and 2.49 miles. I can't wait to load the data and see how far off the line I was with the extra distance. 

I stayed and cheered on friends. My athlete, AMR, who has been swimming her tail off all winter, PR'd this event by over 14 minutes. Her hard work in the pool dropped her times there and now in open water.

I had such a wonderful day filled with smiles. It was an absolute dream come true to race with my guy by my side. Such an incredible happiness. 

And now I am so ready to get back to ME. To training like an animal. To racing and chasing my dreams. To inspire others and help them find their finish lines. 

Thank you to all my friends and family who were able to provide financial support for this event - the YMCA is able to help so many in my community and their mission is so strong. Because of YOUR help, kids right in my town will have access to camp programs at the Y. Thank you!! 

A huge thank you to my incredible sponsors
Rev3 Tri - my second family and the best tri race series out there. 
Blueseventy - I could not ask for a more comfortable or faster wetsuit!
Powerbar - best gels ever. I love the new simple fruit!
SBR Sports Inc - I don't know what I would do without my Foggies and my TriSlide. 

Here is a supercool video FM put together about our day, making our way from Peaks Island to Portland's East End Beach. He did such a fabulous job as my kayak supporter - Thank you!! 

Let's Get Wet

This past week has been pretty awesome because I have jumped back on the training train! OHMAHGAWD...do you know how happy I am to have a consistent schedule for ME once again? If you have been reading my sporadic posts over the last few months, you will see that things have been pretty up and down this past year. Lots of professional and personal things sucking up my time and sadly, training took a back seat. 

BUT IM BACK and ready to tackle new goals for 2015. 

NEW GOALS AND NEW CHALLENGES!!

I am super excited for what's on the race schedule for this coming season and my heart is filled with joy and excitement to return to what I LOVE to do!!

I really enjoy swimming in open water and I am kind of a pool pansy. I will swim as many yards...heck MILES as needed in the lakes, ponds, oceans but give me a big swim workout in the pool and I get all "meh" about swimming. I don't know why but...do you know how awesome it is to actually FEEL EXCITED to be swimming again?? IN THE POOL? 

Ever the optimist, I am looking at this break as just what I needed to recharge the old batteries! 

I got in the pool very willingly 3x this past week and it was rather slow and my endurance definitely took a hit in the months off but by the end of the week, I was already seeing some progress and banged out a 500 warm up like it was nothing. A very slow nothing but...and Im planning on another 3 swim sessions this week. I even have a pool date with my local swim Coach, Andy on Sunday.

So today is a 4 mile run with a few short intervals followed by this swim set:

2800 yards total

WARM UP

400 swim

300 pull

200 as 25 drill/25 swim x4

100 kick

MS: 4x100 Free (pick your interval and stick with it. Allow :10-:15 seconds rest between each 100)

50 easy

300 steady 

3x100 Free (on the same interval as 4x100)

50 easy

200 steady

100 easy

100 hard effort

COOLDOWN 300 mix of stroke

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So Im back to having my "regular" bag of gym/training essentials and now my "swimbag" is back...and that makes me smile. 

So what's in that very cool bag? Oh, just some pool essentials in my swim bag-

The Waves Microtowel 

I cannot say enough about these towels. Small, portable and they are like little water vacuums. LOVE Perfect for the pool and the beach. Amazing...

A regular towel vs 3 stacked Waves towels

Foggies

Ummm, yeah...I don't swim without these EVER. I also use them on my cycling glasses. THEY WORK simple as that...keep my goggles clear and clean. BOOM!

and speaking of goggles, THESE

TYR Special Ops 2.0 Polarized Goggles

Scott, always in Beaver gear

My friend, Scott, sent me a pair of these for my birthday 2 years ago and I have been in love with them since (even though he sent me UWisconsin Badgers red white and black ones), I have not looked back. I have small set eyes and these never dig, hurt, leak...and they are perfect for pool and open water. They last a long time too!!

I usually find the best prices on these at SwimOutlet.com, which is the link I provided. I have used my swim team affiliate link to support the YMCA Manta Ray Swim Team. 

and of course...MY TEAM REV3 SHIMMER SUIT FROM SPLISH!!!

Peaks to Portland 2.4 mile Swim rocking the SHIMMER

So cheers to a return to what I love...and I am forever grateful that I get to do this and help others find their health and joy. 

Perspective & TRI-Mania Boston

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend the TRI-Mania Expo in Boston with my Rev3 teammates, old (ling time Rev3/Trakkers team veteran and "big bro" Jamie, and second year vets Jordan and Ryan) and new (Laura)! Last year was pretty cool and I had a blast working the Rev3 booth and talking with everyone and meeting new friends IRL (in real life) that I had been socializing with in social media for quite some time...so as a second year Team Rev3 "veteran" myself, I knew this year would be even more fun! Plus, Rev3 Race Director extraordinaire, Eric Opdyke, would be joining us.

The team was registered for the "Team Challenge" which were a series of events through out the day; a run in the morning, a relay swim at lunch time and a time trail CompuTrainer bike session in the afternoon. When I first found out about the team challenge, I was stoked! I could not wait to compete in the time trial and was really looking forward to that event.

Laura, Ryan, Jordan and me

As the Expo approached however, I started to get really nervous and anxious about the whole Team Challenge thing. I am just not "fast" right now and that is not what my training is about at the moment. I also found out that due to a family commitment, I would have to leave the expo early afternoon, thus unable to compete in the bike time trial (my strength). So I would be running and swimming with the team...ugh.

I don't care so much about my own personal times right now, as witnessed by my 5k run time at Kerrymen Pub 5k last weekend--my focus is on my training and not these fun little races right now. But when my times are a reflection on the TEAM...especially when your teammates are super-freaking-fast even NOW, in March.

Jordan, surrounded by awesome

Let's see, there's Jordan who runs like a 12 minute half marathon (ok, so really 1:22 but might as well be 12 minutes to me) and we've got Laura, who is not only awesome in all ways NOT triathlon but has raced her way to Kona, 70.3 Worlds and BQ'd like it was easy, after a broken pelvis. Ryan is no slouch either...that boy can ride a bike and run pretty dang fast. Plus, the boys take this stuff pretty seriously.

What about Jamie? Ahh, the J-man. JBalls. Jamie had an unfortunate accident this winter skiing and he is currently running around with a broken back. Lucky for us, Jamie was well enough to join us for the day at the Expo, but there would be no racing for Jamie this weekend. It is a blessing he is up and walking. PERIOD>

Rev3Love

Thinking about my fast teammates and how I did not want to drag down the team average really bothered me. Stressed me out. Made me feel SOO anxious. I was actually dreading the whole thing. At least if I could participate in the bike time trial, I could save myself a little dignity since I can ride a bike...

I expressed my concerned to Laura and Jamie and as usual, Big Bro Jamie really gave me some perspective:

Hey Jen, you can run. Be happy about that. 

*reality slapped me in the face*

Here I was stressed out about time when my teammate was recovering from a broken back. That really took some of the stress off and put things in perspective.
It's funny, Jamie is quite a few years younger than me, but I always look up to him and have an immense amount of respect for what he has to say. You rock JBalls!!

 Laura said that she wasn't feeling very fast that day either as she had been nursing a cold so we agreed to run together since the day was about TEAM UNITY and not times as far as she was concerned. I really appreciated that she was gonna run with me. We invited to BOYS to run with us but they declined (duh!).

With no warm-up to speak of (does 1 lap count?) Laura and I lined up together to run the nearly-3 mile Team Challenge Run. Since Laura and I would run together, I ditched the music (how rude would THAT be?) and we ran. The weather was strange. It was cold but sunny and if you were protected from the wind, it wasn't that bad...then we rounded this corner and was like *SMACK* with this wall of wind!

We finished holding hands (how romantic??) and averaged a pace of 7:27 for the run. Oh, did I mention I had to stop to tie my shoe? rookie mistake! SO, it was Faster than Kerrymen last weekend but with a lower heart race. It was really cool that Laura ran with me and now I was feeling relaxed.

Here's Jordan running...smart girl, that Rinny drafting off him. Crazy Jordan, running half naked in that cold...but I guess when you run that fast, being out in the elements for just a few minutes isn't so bad.

 &

Ryan Rounding the corner on the last lap around campus

After the run, we got to chat with Rinny. She asked about our missing teammate, Jordan and she was quite disappointed that he took off after the run (he was probably getting dressed). Rinny is as cute as a button and just as nice as she is cute! She was doing well in the Boston cold for all the warm weather she's been in lately.

Then it was time to swim.

My favorite pic of the day!

I found out that the swim was going to be done relay style, each of our four team members swimming 200 yards each. Easy enough. BUT...it was a dive start! eeek. Laura and I kind of laughed and had a mini-freakout since neither one of us does a diving start. So I moved my goggles under my swim cap and thought about the form I'd seen the swim team use. I did two dive starts and did a quick swim warm up. SUCCESS. awesome. NO ISSUES.

doing my best impersonation of a seal upon exit
of the MIT pool during the warm up

When it came time for me to go

arms straight & snug to ears, head tucked...

the goggles flipped right over. I tried to adjust them while swimming but no such luck. They were back on me but filled with water. That's not gonna work so at the wall, I adjusted them. Good enough...finish swimming.

All in all it was a great day and I got to hang out with people I really enjoy being around. Plus, I got to know my cool-awesome new teammate, Laura, a bit better. Now that she has relocated to the Northeast from Hawaii, we are definitely going to get some time in training together! Plus, she rides the same bike as I do--A beautiful Quintana Roo cd0.1--so how can she NOT be awesome?? Looks we will be driving to Rev3 Knoxville together and you know THAT is going to be one heck of a drive~

As I was leaving the expo, someone called my name.

It was Dutch!! And he was with DDAthlete, another friend from cyberspace!

IT was really cool to finally meet THESE TWO rockstars IRL and we will be meeting up again at Rev3 Quassy. Looks like DD has some revenge on those hills too!

Let's talk swimming with Lola (vlog)

Lola decided that today was a good day to do another VLOG for y'all! or as she calls it "let's do a TV show!"
So today's discussion topic is swimming!

Seriously, we do not rehearse this stuff-it is all just press play and go! It's more fun that way and it's me (and Lola). I was chatting with my bestie the other day about writing. She is an English teacher/Dept. Head/Smartie PopTartie and I admire the very eloquent way she is able to put her thoughts down on paper (or into text). When she writes, she has a method and a plan. I don't--I just sit down and tap away at the keys.

So when I started vlogging, I had to go with the same method-JUST GO :)

Not sure if you caught that or not but DAMN! I got some 100's in the 1:30's this week. HUGE for me...HUGE> Lovin' it.

I mentioned that SBR SPORTS INC is running an amazing promotion for the month of February in the video and here are the deets on that!
Save 20% off with the code triswimval12



More SBR Fun!! They are having an BAD HAIR photo contest and the winner will get a 6 month supply of TRISWIM Aqua Therapy Chlorine-Out Hair & Skin Care products.
You can enter via Facebook or Twitter @TRISWIMTRISLIDE
Check out their Facebook page for details :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to click on her NOSE and tell a story!
MUAH!!
xo
Jen and Lola

Rev 3 Things Thursday!

Yes, you are reading correctly! Today's edition of Three Things Thursday is all about REV 3!! So...it's 
Rev 3 Things Thursday!




ONE: 


First Up! The Rev 3 swimsuits are in!! woooo hoooo!!
Swimming just got a lot more fun :)
I cannot wait to Rock the R in the pool!!

TWO:





Speaking of swimming, Rev 3 announced this week that blueseventy will be coming on board as a sponsor!!


Check out the LAVA magazine interview with Rev 3 President, Charlie Patten! 

Revolution3 Triathlon is excited to announce that blueseventy, manufacturer of award winning wetsuits, goggles and triathlon clothing, has come on as a sponsor for the 2012 season. Rev3 and blueseventy are believers in quality and innovation, making this sponsorship a perfect fit.

Revolution3 Triathlon creates triathlon events that involve the whole family. Race weekends feature not only the event, but a host of family friendly activities for all ages. Rev3’s unique approach to triathlon has earned them high praise in the world of endurance sports, and has allowed the series to almost double in size over the past few seasons.

From wetsuits to triathlon apparel, blueseventy is a company that obsesses over the details necessary to create the fastest and most comfortable products in the world. Their wetsuits and goggles have been internationally recognized and have won awards on 4 continents. Aptly named to reflect the 70 percent of the earth that is covered in water, blueseventy seeks to revolutionize the way athletes interact with the water.

“Rev3 was created to fill a void in the triathlon world, and to bring new kind of quality to the triathlon experience,” says Charlie Patten, president of Rev3. “A company like blueseventy understands our desire to be the best out there, and to produce a memorable race experience. We’re excited to see their name on our growing list of sponsors who understand the value we bring to this space.”

Revolution 3 Triathlon produces races for Olympic, 70.3 and 140.6 triathlon distances, plus adventure and kids races, and has grown to include events on an international scale. Recently, Rev3 has also started to give back to the community, through a partnership with the Ulman Cancer Fund.

THREE: 

Quassy is only 16 weeks and 2 days away. I think I just threw up a little.

Lucky for me I have Coach Awesome guiding me-I will be just fine. Racing Quassy? Here are some tips from Jamie. 

I have been lusting after this challenging race for almost two years now and it's the first race of the year for me in 2012. The reason I want to do this race is because of the challenge. 

Have a taste of this:

This is the bike

and this is the run.

Four Things Friday

Eeeeek.
Missed Three Things Thursday so you get FTF today.
Four Things Friday!!


THING ONE

The Holiday Booty Buster Challenge starts TOMORROW!!

This is a fun way to keep tabs on your fitness over the holidays and there are great prizes to boot! I did not win anything last year but I had so much fun I just had to do it again.







THING TWO
After a long hiatus (like 3 weeks) I finally got my backside in the pool.
I just don't like swimming in the pool.
Put me in the ocean, I'll swim with a smile. I'll splish splash all over the lakes. I paddle like a princess all around the pond.
I just cannot get into a pool swim. So not an epic swim today but once I found my groove after a long warm up, I did manage to eek out a quick 1500m. I definitely need to get in the pool 3x a week.


THING THREE

Speaking of the pool, what the heck is up with goggles lately. I hate them all!! They don't fit well. Lucky for me I have some Foggle (swear by this stuff-it works! I also use it on my sunglasses. Keeps 'em from fogging up too)
A tri friend suggested a new brand (Vision?? I think) to me today and I am definitely going to check it out this weekend. Especially considering THING TWO.
Seriously, this is my little SWIM BAG OF TRICKS.

All my goggles and swim caps.
Not.one.pair.I.like.
I'm open to suggestions.

What goggles do YOU love??

THING FOUR

I have an awesome review and giveaway coming up this weekend!
*hint hint* It has to do with my new love of CrossFit!!!
Want to early an early bird entry??
I'll make this one easy.
Tell me about the hardest strength training workout you have done. 
Hands down it was Filthy Fifty for me.

Swim Swam Swum & January is done

The last several days I (water)logged a lot of time in the pool. 

I struggle with my swim-mentally, mostly. I don't feel confidant with my swimming technique and I feel terribly inadequate in the water at times. I will have 2 or 3 consecutive swim sessions where I feel great, strong or zen-like in the water and then Bang! I feel like any sort of progress I make is for naught and I have a terrible session.

This knee injury has also forced my hand and made me focus on my weakest triathlon discipline. So I will research swimming until my brain is bordering on explosion. I watch all kinds of videos, read, re-read and then try to do everything at once that I think I need to fix. I get too much conflicting information and I end up with paralysis by analysis.

Saturday, Dawn and I hit the pool together. Not a lot of yardage but she helped me with some drills and gave me some good feedback on my stroke and elbow position. I love to watch her swim. She is so smooth and graceful in the water. I feel like a water buffalo splishing and splashing around. I moan and groan about this or that but Dawn tells me I am actually a good swimmer and I just need to refine a few things. I just chalk her talk up to her being my friend and not wanting to hurt my feelings -- or since she is super competitive MAYBE she is telling me I'm doing well just to sabotage my swim ??? (just kidding....maybe). So Saturday we brought the camera to the pool on Saturday to review and analyze what we were doing in the water.




Sunday was a Total Immersion clinic and I finally got to go! I have been wanting to attend one of these monthly lessons but it just has not worked out for me until this weekend. There were several of my tri club peeps there and of course, Dawn too. I was really nervous about going to this clinic for many reasons. One being I don't know a WHOLE lot of the TI techniques. Two, I did not want to hold anyone in the class back. Three, I just felt very insecure about it.

Celeste, the instructor was quite clear with her instructions and the agenda for the day. She had the class start with simple drills, things I could easily understand. As we proceed with the drills and then incorporating said drills into actual swimming, she walked around the pool giving feedback. I am not getting very much feedback or critique from her - I am expecting a lot of corrections. I figure it is because I am doing a drop-in class 1/2 way through the 5 or 6 month session. Dawn and I are sharing a lane so I tell her about my concerns and Dawn tells me to relax since Celeste would tell me if I was doing something wrong. So I would watch the instructor watching me and as she circled the pool...Still nothing. I guess I was half expecting her to tell me to get out of the pool, come back when I mastered some basic TI techniques and to stop wasting her time.

We worked on supermans, hip rotation, head position, breathing and it was a really enjoyable class. I felt like I got a good base of info to work with and certainly feeling more comfortable with my swim. Then came time for Celeste to tape each swimmer and provide feedback based on the lessons of the day and what our focus or concerns were.

My turn came and I actually did not think it was ME on the screen. The person swimming looked too smooth to be me. Interestingly enough, my feedback was NOT what I expected either. I was told that I had great head position and balance, my hips looked good and I just need to tweak my stroke timing and work on my pull a bit.
HUH?
What?
You mean I am not some giant water buffalo? A big old mess in the water??
I was dumbfounded.

The class was definitely a great learning experience for me and I feel a lot better about my swim now. Maybe the positive feedback will help since I will not be filled with self doubt every time I am in the pool. I have some simple drills to work on and I know what I actually AM doing wrong and not just imagined. With just this SMALL amount of information, I will focus on these things over the next couple weeks and look forward to the next class in February.

So how did January shape up for me?

I only ran 41 miles this month. Considering I was dealing with a knee injury and took several weeks off well...better than expected. Hoping February is a much more productive month for running!

As for swimming in January, it was my most productive swim month ever. 9.48 miles = 16,703.76 yards plus an additional 2.5 hours of unmeasured swimming. Considering my biggest month ever was 3 (measly) miles, this is a big jump.

Cycling was my most exciting workout this month! I got a new bike and spent time on the trainer getting to know her. I logged my first indoor cycling session yesterday with a couple triclub peeps. My first class was a doosey too! 10 minute warm-up and then LT intervals: 10 mins at 100-105% of lactate threshold with 2 minutes recovery x3 with a 10 minute cooldown and then stretching. An absolute sweat fest and I loved every minute of it! January's miles on the trainer? 177 miles.

I'm going backwards...

backwards
the OTHER way
about-face
mutatis mutandis
vise versa
REVERSE


and this brings me to announce my first triathlon of 2011

yes, you read that correctly, a reverse triathlon. An outside run of 3.1 miles followed by an outside bike leg of 11 miles finishing up with a quick 150 yard serpentine (indoor) pool swim.

April in Maine. 

It should be a very interesting race! We could have snow--thus, my mountain bike will be making it's first appearance at a triathlon. We could have rain. It could be 7* or it could be 70*. Who knows!?!?

That is one thing about weather in Maine, it changes frequently and the season or month has little to do with it. There is actually an old Maine/New England saying "it you don't like the weather just wait a minute"

from the website:

The Top 10 Reasons to do The Nor'Easter Reverse Triathlon

10. A chance to get in on the ground floor of reverse triathlon in Maine

9. Bragging Rights...a triathlon in April...in Maine.

8. Everyone gets a proper warm-up for the swim.

7. Get that pesky run out of the way first.

6. A guaranteed PR. (it is a new race)

5. A snake swim...with no snakes!

4. Transition is inside the gymnasium.

3. End your cabin fever earlier in 2011.

2. Top Quality USAT Sanctioned Race

1. Cycling in DRY shorts!

I am really excited to be participating in this one and I think it is a good way to kick off the 2011 season. I even have a little challenge going with the race director (but more about THAT another time).  If you know me, really know me, then you know when presented with a challenge I will do WHATEVER it takes to take it on and come out on top!

I have also teamed up with Kennebunk Beach Triathlon Club this year and I am really looking forward to getting to know everyone and having a super summer! I am finding I love training with others.

I am even considering...

wait for it....

JOINING in on the team's Master Swim!!

How's THAT for liking the pool more and more?

I did test out my knee today. After a solid 11 miles on the bike early this morning I was feeling confidant. When I got to the gym mid-morning, I tried "running" on the elliptical. I banged out a pain free mile in about 8 minutes. Feeling good, I hopped on the treaddy and with a hope and a prayer, hit QUICK START and cranked her up to 4.8. That felt so awkwardly slow for me and my gait was off so I slowly increased to 5.5 and felt good...then I hit 6.0 and sustained this comfortably for a few minutes. Then TWING. A bit of pain so I stopped immediately.

Looks like I am going to give this some more time to rest.

I did talk to one of the PT's I know and she says everything does seem to be pointing to PFPS and to keep resting it. She also suggested starting taking some ibuprofen to help with inflammation. So I am going to try that an swim, bike, lift and enjoy myself.

And in the meantime, focus on WINNING my challenge with Mr. Race Director--let's call it my pre-Nor'Easter challenge!!

If you are a local New Englander that reads this blog I am asking YOU to join me for this fun, fun race-and remember, it is a guaranteed PR!!
Please let me know if you want more info about the Nor'Easter.