Taking the Bike Outdoors

This weekend we got a nice break from the cold and snow this winter has brought us. Yesterday it hit about 55 degrees so I took advantage of this warmer weather by heading out for my first road ride of the year. I absolutely hate being inside on the trainer so any chance I can get to head outside this winter I'll take. Since I can count the number of trainer rides I've done this year on one hand and still have a finger to spare I decided to keep this ride short and sweet with a favorite 18.5 mile loop of mine.

There had been black ice warnings over night so I waited until later in the afternoon to head out. There was no way I was risking a crash because of ice despite the warm weather. What I didn't expect was the massive puddles that took up almost half the road. Generally speaking the roads were fine though.

I hate to admit it but I was really nervous about this ride. It wasn't long or hard but I was afraid that I would forget how to unclip and fall over and I was afraid that all of my bike speed would be gone just like with running. I practiced clipping in and out a few times in the parking lot to calm my nervous before I set out.

The first few miles were honestly hell. I'd had images in my head of how great and effortless this ride would be and how it would remind me how much I love riding. By mile 3 I was about to call my mom to come pick me up. I thought my legs had all but died. I kept hearing this roaring and thinking a car was coming until I snapped out of my nerve-induced daze and realized it was the wind. The wind was so strong that at times I was worried I was going to fall over. It took some serious willpower not to turn around and call in quits.

Split Time Distance Avg Speed Summary 1:15:35.5 18.72 14.9 1 4:11.6 1.00 14.3 2 4:32.6 1.00 13.2 3 4:12.3 1.00 14.3 4 4:02.6 1.00 14.8 5 4:22.5 1.00 13.7 6 4:40.3 1.00 12.8 7 4:26.9 1.00 13.5 8 5:00.5 1.00 12.0 9 3:56.9 1.00 15.2 10 3:53.2 1.00 15.4 11 3:43.4 1.00 16.1 12 3:46.1 1.00 15.9 13 4:31.4 1.00 13.3 14 3:26.7 1.00 17.4 15 3:51.3 1.00 15.6 16 3:49.3 1.00 15.7 17 3:39.6 1.00 16.4 18 3:05.6 1.00 19.4 19 2:22.6 0.72 18.1

Luckily by about mile 9 the wind has calmed down some. The second half of the ride wasn't entirely ideal but it surely reminded me why I love riding. You can tell how bad the wind was by looking at my splits from the first half of the ride compared to the second. That first half was rough. It didn't hurt that my speed started to make a nice little return. I still have a lot to work on but it's nice to know I'm not starting back at square one. Running, on the other hand...

Post bike ride puppy walk

What surprised me the most during this ride was how sore/tired my legs felt. I chose a mostly flat route but even on those little hills my legs were burning. I could feel myself getting tired much more quickly than normal. I've been slacking on sleep recently and I'm hoping that's the culprit. Overall this ride left me really excited for warmer weather rides [I may have froze yesterday] and some real triathlon training. I love being in the nitty gritty of training and can't wait to be back to pushing myself and racing strong.

Hill Repeats

Yesterday I did my first run workout of the year. During the first half of training for the Nike Women's Half Marathon my coach Mike had me doing weekly hill repeats. This workout never fails to humble and ground me. I remember the first time I did this workout I thought I was going to throw up during it. I wanted to quit after the first repeat and had to fight to finish all five repeats. This was one of the few workouts that left me sore the next day.

It dawned on me that my first race of the season is coming up quicker than I realized. My running isn't where I want it to be and I'm was getting sick of feeling out of shape. The only way to get my running fitness back is to start running more and faster. Enter hill repeats.

The workout: 
20 min warm-up
5 x 2.5 min hill repeats, jog recovery back down hill
20 min cool down

Turns out when you are out of shape and do a hard workout it's just as hard as the first time you did it. The first repeat felt hard but doable. The second one I felt invincible. The last three I had a terrible side stitch, was on the verge of puking, and felt like my legs were going to fall off. I couldn't will them to turnover faster no matter what.

It was even more of a wake up call of how out of shape I am. I probably shouldn't have but I looked up what paces I held the first time I did this workout and the results were crushing. I'm trying to look at it as even more motivation to not give up and keep at it but honestly it's frustrating.

2/21/2013- 5.7 miles, 9:05 avg pace // 8:11, 8:01, 8:15, 8:10, 7:57
2/19/2014- 6.7 miles, 9:37 avg // 8:44, 8:32, 8:48, 8:39, 8:41

Seeing those numbers side by side is really humbling. As easy as it is to feel like all hope is lost and I will never regain my speed, I'm trying to pay attention to things that I can do a better job at. I'm also trying to take a long-term approach and realize that both speed and endurance will eventually make their return.

Base Training Week 2

Monday

I had a crazy day on Monday, starting with an 8:00 AM dentist appointment and ending with class at 8:00 PM. I managed to squeeze in a strength workout between classes but bailed on my swim. I was planning on going after class but just didn't have the energy after being on the go all day. I implemented some of the exercises from Anatomy for Runners and am excited to see some improvements in my running form.

45 min strength

Tuesday

Nothing beats starting the day with morning yoga. I almost skipped class because of the early wake up time but knew I would feel better after going. After class I went over to the pool to get in some technique work. I have to say, doing an entire workout of just technique is so relaxing. No intervals, no pressure.

I was practically falling asleep during my media & communication studies class from the early wake up so I wasn't sure whether I wanted to run or not. I decided to go out for thirty minutes since the weather channel was calling for up to 16 inches of snow Wednesday and Thursday. I ended up feeling really good so I kept going. Although it wasn't what it used to be, my pace finally started to drop during this run. Feels good to be making progress.

60 min yoga
1400 yd swim
4.5 mile run, 9:35 avg

Wednesday

Not all runs can be good and this was certainly wasn't. I felt great after getting a solid nine hours of sleep but after a few minutes of running I knew this was going to be a slogfest. I was planning on doing 4-5 miles but I changed it to 3 once I started feeling dizzy. I was running super slow and thought my body could use some recovery miles but by the time I made it to the turn around point I knew continuing wasn't a good idea. I jogged until I made it two miles since the last little bit was downhill and then walked the last mile back to my apartment. Had I been training for a goal race I probably would have pushed myself to finish the whole run and I know a lot of runners are similar. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your training is to rest.

2 miles, 10:10 avg
45 min strength

Thursday

We got 22 inches of snow.

rest

Friday

Despite getting so much snow the previous day, the roads weren't too bad. I ran 2 miles with Gracie and finished up with another two miles on my own. I was pleasantly surprised that my faster pace from Tuesday was here to stay. This is still slow for me but at least we're heading in the right direction here. Plus my neighborhood at home is crazy hilly so holding the same pace means progress!

4.01 miles, 9:35 avg
15 min core/abs

Saturday

I thought this was going to be a nice relaxing run in the snow but in reality it was a hard as balls run in sleet. My neighborhood is crazy hilly and those hills kicked my ass. My calves were super tight from running in my trail shoes on the road and it was sleeting so badly I could barely open my eyes. How I didn't trip and fall on my face is a miracle.

3.36 miles, 10:19 avg

Sunday

I closed out the week with some more strength work since I got back to campus early. Not much to say here but I'm still making progress

45 min strength

1400 yards
13.87 miles run
6 hours 3 minutes

Snow Day Magic

If you live on the East coast I'm sure you experienced some snow or ice this week. As I'm writing this there are 20 inches of snow in my yard with the white stuff still coming down strong. I've seen post after post of complaints about the snow and running in the winter but to be honest, I love it. I'm at this weird age or stage in my life where 50% of me wants to be a child again and the other half of me wants to grow up and be out in the real world already. The kid in me is why I still get so excited when snow shows up in the 10 day forecast.

For me snow means getting out of class early or not having class at all. It means drinking hot chocolate and eating pancakes for breakfast. It means going sledding and building a snowman. It means walking a mile to get a pizza because the roads are too bad to drive. It means the only time swim practice would be cancelled.

I don't think I realized it growing up, but snow days mean putting life on hold and enjoying being with your family. After losing my dad I've really started appreciating the smaller things more. I used to always be doing three things at once but now I can only do one at a time and sometimes barely. I think the most beautiful thing in the world is a fresh snow covering everything, the trees, buildings, the streets. Before the snow plows come and make a mess of everything the world is covered in a beautiful white blanket that is so pristine and innocent.

Sometimes I want the world to stop spinning and slow down. I'm only 21 but sometimes I feel so darn old already. Wasn't I just turning 10, walking into a house full of my closest friends for my surprise birthday party? Having a snow day lets me be a kid again. Yes that 8 page paper I had due yesterday is now due next week but for 24 hours I can pretend like I don't have to do it.

Sometimes I like to think that my dad is sending me this snow so I can get that break I've been needing. I know my life isn't that hard compared to most but losing a parent sucks no matter how you frame it. It sucks waking up every morning and having that reality hit you smack in the face over and over again. It sucks when you hear a joke that only they would get.

Snow days are my days. Normally they are happy days but lately they have been sad days. They are peaceful and beautiful and therapeutic for me. As much as I love summer and being outside on a warm day, I don't think anything beats curling up in front of the fireplace with someone special, reading a book as the snow is falling.

Swimming for Triathletes

As a former competitive swimmer from age 5 to 17, my strongest leg in the triathlon is by far the swim. I knew that most triathletes struggle with the swim the most but after doing a few triathlons I realized just how much. Swimming is something that comes natural to me but even after all these years I still have to work on my swim to keep it my strength. After a few questions about my swim workouts and advice I thought I would write a post about any and everything swimming. I am not a coach but between 12 years of competing, teaching swim lessons and volunteer coaching I think I know a few helpful swim tips.

One of my favorite pools & the site of Far Westerns

My first piece of advice is that if at all possible try to work with a swim coach or swimmer. The best way to get better at swimming is for someone to look at your stroke and assess your weaknesses. There are a lot of good drills you can do but, just like running, everyone has their own flaws. A coach will be able to address yours and make sure you are doing the right drills, and correctly. If you can't work with someone more experienced don't be too worried. There is still a lot you can do on your own.

The Swimming Hall of Fame pool

Swimming is the part of a triathlon where technique matters the most. You will only get so fast with poor technique. The biggest benefit of having good technique, you will be able to swim easier at the same speed because you will be significantly more efficient. Water is a lot harder to move your body through than air and pulling unnecessary water will only slow you down. No matter how hard you are working or how strong you are you are being inefficient.

Some of my favorite drills include

• Tarzan, which is good for speed and getting comfortable with your head out of the water. [If I start to panic during an OW swim I do tarzan so that I can still keep moving forward]
• Sculling, good for developing arm strength and a feel for the water. I do it with my head out of the water and with a pull buoy
• Finger drag, good for maintaining a straight stroke and not entering your hand into the water too soon

Although I don't do many of these drills anymore, this video includes some really good drills for beginner swimmers or those who need more technique help.

If you're thinking "but Shannon, you've been swimming for 15 years. I'm never going to make enough progress" you're wrong. My swim team got a new coach during my freshman year of high school and he spent the first few months working on correcting our strokes. Twice a week for 75 minutes all I did was technique work, and once a week we would spend 30-60 minutes watching Olympic swimmers to learn what a good stroke looks like.

I know this post has been technique heavy so far but that just shows you how important technique is in the swim. Right now I'm just getting back into the pool after a two month hiatus so I'm spending more time on technique than I would during peak training. I always do technique work and drills during my warm up no matter where I am in my training, and right now I am dedicating an entire swim each week to only technique work.

What I recommend is setting aside a one to three week period where you can go heavy on the swimming. Get yourself in the pool as much as possible and really work on your stroke. It will do wonders, I promise. Don't worry about your yardage or your pace. Doing 50's or 25's is a really good place to start since your stroke starts to fall apart after longer reps. The point of working on technique is to learn what you should be doing and building muscle memory. 

That time I met Gary Hall Jr

For me personally, I can tell when I need to spend some time working on my technique. Sometimes I neglect it and it shows. Once my stroke feels strong then I start moving onto faster and/or longer sets. A lot of my technique work is also done with a pull buoy, as it allows me to focus on feeling every aspect of my stroke and it keeps my body in better alignment.

I find that using the pull buoy in the traditional way actually doesn't help very much. Instead I use the pull buoy between my ankles. This can be a tricky thing to master at first [my first few times trying this the buoy kept popping out] but it will be much more beneficial. This video shows the difference between the two.

As for paddles, I personally NEVER use them but it's up to you and your coach. Using paddles, especially with poor technique can put a lot of stress on your shoulders. Take it from someone who had rotator cuff surgery junior year of high school. Still to this day using paddles aggravates my shoulders. BUT, some of my former teammates and friends use them all the time with no issue whatsoever. Just be careful and use your judgement. If you advanced and know what you are doing paddles can be a great training asset.

Since this is getting long I'm going to end it here but I think there may need to be a part two so keep those questions coming! Please let me know if you need anything clarified :)

Base Training Week 1

Week 1 of base training is complete! I'm calling this Cherry Blossom training since that is my first race of the year but really this is more the early stages of triathlon training. I'm working on nailing down which half ironman I want to do [currently between Rev3 Poconos and Half Full]. My two goal races for 2014 are USAT Age Group Nationals and whichever 70.3 I end up choosing. I'm taking a longer term approach and  putting in some quality training during the first half of the year. Training for the next 8 weeks will be a little more run heavy to get ready for Cherry Blossom.

This week started off great and ended...not so great. I had to go home over the weekend to take care of the pets while my mom was out of town and it really through me out of whack. It's a poor excuse, I know, but it's the truth. I ate things I shouldn't have and my stomach paid for it, and my go-to running route was closed due to snow and ice. I have to come home next weekend as well so I'm planning ahead to make sure the same thing doesn't happen.

Monday

First day back in the pool in over two months.

My shoulders and arms were decently tired after swimming so I did a more whole body focused strength workout instead of upper body focused. I'm happy to report that not only am I getting stronger but I am seeing all my hard work pay off in other ways. My knees are tracking a million times better too.

2200 yd swim
45 min strength

Tuesday

SO happy to be back on my mat. I've dabbled in and out of yoga and always feel so much better when I'm practicing somewhat regularly. Luckily UMBC offers four classes a week free for students. I'm planning on making the Tuesday morning class a part of my weekly routine to help keep things heading in the right direction. Starting my day with some mat time also chills me out for the rest of the day too. Because let's be honest, college can be pretty stressful sometimes.

For weeks every run was a struggle. Even short 2 milers left me huffing and puffing. Not that this run was even close to the pace I normally hold on easy runs, but it felt really good. My legs felt strong, and I just felt good. So happy to be back out there running.

60 min yoga
5.3 miles, 9:58 avg

Wednesday

Even though Monday's swim felt relatively good I was still surprised by how good I felt again on Wednesday. I guess I had thought Monday was somewhat of a fluke. I spent some more time working on my technique and progressively felt stronger throughout the swim.

I closed out the day with my longest run post marathon and more importantly my longest run since being injured. This run included a nice mix of hills and I had no knee pain. As frustrating as it can be to be running slower, running pain free and healthy is more important. This is the base building period for a reason.

2200 yd swim
6.17 miles, 9:59 avg

Thursday

After doing more or less of the same strength workout for the past three months I really need to switch up my routine. I've been reading Anatomy for Runners for some ideas but feel free to toss out some ideas :)

45 min strength

Friday

Was planning on running but felt like crap the entire day.

rest

Saturday

rest

Sunday

rest

4400 yards
11.47 miles
5 hrs 49 min

I've been asked to share some of my swimming tips for triathletes so I wanted to open it open to everyone. Let me know if you have any questions, tips or advice you want me to address or include :)

Finding Hope in the Pool

Yesterday was my first day back in the pool in over two months. I was dreading finding how out of shape I was but ended up being pleasantly surprised. While I did feel pretty out of shape, I felt considerably worse when I started swimming back up last year. My pull felt weak but nothing that some technique work can't fix. After some drills and kicking I did 5 x 100 at a moderate pace and was happy to see times that I was holding over the summer when I was in peak training. At the end of the workout I did a 100 for time just to see where I'm at and was shocked when I put up a 1:09. I don't know if I ever went faster than a 1:08 over the summer.

Those are not my Crocs

I've been running a few times a week but have hardly seen any progress. The paces I'm holding are more than a minute per mile slower than normal. After a few weeks it's pretty defeating. I've been trying to remain optimistic that my speed and endurance will both come back before Cherry Blossom 10 Miler but to be honest it's getting difficult.

I can't begin to explain how happy I was with my swim yesterday. After two solid weeks of doubting everything, seeing that I haven't lost everything restored my faith that my running fitness will come back. It was also a reminder to focus on the big picture. Cherry Blossom is not a goal race for me and while I don't like doing races just for run, I think I will be okay with not PRing. Seeing those paces in the water got me really excited for what I will be able to do in the summer, when it really matters.

This was also proof that all the strength training I've been doing has been working. It's easy to do the strength work and assume it will work because everyone and their dog says it's beneficial. It's a complete other thing to experience first hand those benefits. Although I had no intentions of stopping lifting any time soon, I am going to be even more religious about not missing a trip to the gym.

Here's the workout I did. I've been asked to share what workouts I do in the pool so here ya go!
200 warm up
6 x 50, 25 swim/25 kick @ 10 seconds rest
6 x 50, count strokes @ 10sr
200 drill
5 x 100 moderate @ 10sr
200 drill
6 x 50 kick @ 20sr
1 x 100 for time
100 cool down