The Bike House

I wanted to give you all a heads up about a bicycle co-op here in DC called The Bike House.They run free (donations encouraged!) weekend clinics where they invite visitors to come fix their own bikes, ask for advice and get help from the volunteer mechanics, and meet other bikers in the DC area. Most necessary tools are available at their clinics, and they encourage visitors to show up with any necessary replacement parts since they don't have parts for sale.

The main clinic is run by volunteers every Saturday from 12-3pm, and will be opening on March 10 for the season at their new location: Annie's Ace Hardware, 1240 Upshur St. NW in Petworth. When the Bloomingdale Farmers' Market opens up for the season (May-Nov) they'll have a smaller clinic there as well, Sundays 11-1pm at 1st & R St NW (right by Big Bear Cafe).

The Bike House also offers beginner mechanics classes that they encourage visitors and potential volunteer mechanics to sign up for. The class is a 4-week month long series meeting Saturday mornings at Annie's Hardware, right before clinic starts up at noon.

Visit the website for more info!

Getting out in the sun...

Considering the fact that during my first year of training we didn't get to do an outdoor bike until late March, and even then we were battling below freezing temperatures, I consider myself extremely lucky to have gotten to not only have an amazing ride this weekend, but a warm one at that! My girlfriend who is doing both the Philly Tri and the Columbia Iron Girl with me, along with another spin savvy friend, joined me Saturday morning for our first outdoor bike of the season. The weather could not have been better: sunny skies and high 40's.

We took off from Mount Pleasant and headed down into Rock Creek to Beach Drive. Following it north into Maryland, crossed over East West Highway, past the Mormon temple until Beach Drive dead ends into Garrett Park. There and back clocked us in at just over 26 miles.

One thing that was made apparent on this ride is that my bike could use a little spring sprucing. This is an area I could definitely use some guidance since, outside of changing my tire, I know little about bike maintenance. Considering how expensive a new bike would cost, it is in my best interest to treat the one I have with all the TLC possible. So we decided we are going to attend one of the zillion free bike maintenance classes held at bike shops across the metro area... soon. Adding to the to-do list...

First Day of School: Spin

Yesterday was the first day of YTri 2012! I started off the season with a 6am Tri Spin class. Since the newbies are assigned to specific classes based on their swim/run times, this class was basically all veterans of the program which meant it was the first time many of us had seen each other in a while... hence "first day of school". Though it was crazy early and we were all still adjusting to our new alarm clock settings, the beginning of class was filled with overly enthusiastic hey's and how are you's. An unexpected perk of joining the tri team is becoming part of this great community!

Our coach Elisa is just perky enough and loves to blast her great play list, which to me is much needed for motivation in a dark spin room pre-dawn. We are currently focused on base building so most of the class was focused on aerobic exercises: keeping up the speed and some slow climbing low hills... building consistency. While we were peddling away, Elisa took the time to come around and readjust our bikes and tweak our positioning. One of the easiest ways to get injured or overwork yourself is to be on a poorly fitted bike. This means you need to know what a good fit feels like. Best tips I can give you:

• When your pedal is all the way down you should have a slight bend at the knee (adjust the height of your seat)
• When your pedal is at 3 o'clock your knee should be directly over your ankle (adjust your seat forward and backward)
• Your arms should be extended but be aware not to lock your elbows and keep your shoulders relaxed (adjust the height of your handle bars)

Another tip that is easy to forget is that in a spin room things heat up much faster then when you are out on the open road. You sweat a good amount and without the wind to whisk it away, it sits right on your pores causing your body to continue to produce a high amount of sweat. My point: don't forget to hydrate! Both before and during the class. Every down second between sets grab a sip of water.

This is a 45 min (turned 50 min cause Elisa is stubborn like that ;) ) spin class that will be my main spin for the week.

50 States Ride Tomorrow!

Just in case you didn't know, the 50 States Ride, it takes place tomorrow.  

The route covers each state named street through all 8 wards and 60 miles at a casual pace with a couple pit stops, lunch at Eastern Market, and drink specials at The Grill from Ipanema.

Check it out! http://www.waba.org/events/50states.php

Packing Up!

I'm getting ready to head down to Virginia Beach for the Sandman Sprint! A girlfriend and I signed up for this as the perfect end of summer beach weekend. It's enough of a goal to keep us moving, but not something so extensive to stress over. Also, where better to end a race then on the beach? (Typical Florida girl!) September is also the perfect time of year for such an excursion: the tourists have all gone home, fall responsibilities haven't gotten too out of hand (Labor Day wasn't THAT long ago), and the weather is cool enough for race day with enough sun for beach time. It's truly the best of both worlds!

Though I'm very happy with my running lately, I have to admit my biking and swimming have fallen short. This is just another testament to workout buddies. With the girls I run with, one of us will always pick a route and time and all I need to do is show up (which is expected). With the swim and bike, I have to either find a partner for each outing, plan a workout, and/or get down to the gym for a class. Not that any of these options are tremendously difficult, just rather that they are up to me to execute. This will be an experiment to see just how much muscle memory can come into play come race day.

One last minute note included in a recent email that gave me pause:
"We know that Hurricane Igor is out in the Atlantic.  The current weather forecast is for sunny skies and a high temperature of 80 degrees.  The storm has the potential to cause rough surf.  No determination concerning altering or canceling the swim will be made until race morning." Yea... we'll have to wait and see how that goes.

Time to review my check list, pack up the car, and get ready for the fun weekend ahead!

Accepting Your Weaknesses

No matter how far I've come in the last 6 months of training, I have to accept the fact that I do not do well training alone. I consider it my Achilles Heel. Yes I can physically do it. I'll get up and go through the motions, but I don't push myself nearly as far as I do when in the group/team atmosphere. That's why, even though training is officially over, I've focused on creating my own workout groups.

For example, two of the girls I ran with all season happen to live quite close, so we try to meet up about twice a week for a run that always ends up at our favorite coffee shop as our little reward. It's a great pairing because A) Location: we can workout in the mornings versus fighting our after work schedules B) Pace: everyone feels included and comfortable with our speed C) Goals: we don't just want to "jog" but also mix things up with hill/strength training, distance runs and speed training (fartleks).

There are also swim groups that have emerged out of the original Y-Tri swim classes. On our Y-Tri website there is a huge amount of swim workouts posted for our use that you can print out and take down to the pool to orchestrate with whoever you choose to join in with. It's nice that so many people are interested so it's not impossible to find someone the same or similar speed.

The most recent development has been morning rides. So far they have been a bit casual (route below), but starting next week it looks like I'll be joining up with a more serious group that actually does drafting which I have absolutely no experience in. I plan on being dropped quite early on, but am excited to learn and gain the experience in a familiar environment of friends, especially when the biking community in DC can get quite aggressive and does not always seem the most welcoming to newbies.

A great benefit of mixing in these new found circles is also the free training advice. For example, one of the girls I run with, I met as my spin coach this season. On top of her spin experience though, she also is a pilates instructor, which is something I've never attempted and am quite curious about. Another friend I've made in the group was one of the favorite swim coaches. After the tri, I felt like the one area I had the most room to improve in was the swim, so I asked if she'd be willing to spend a couple minutes in the pool observing my form and giving me some pointers on what to work on. Instead, she ended up spending almost an hour and half in the pool with me, going over drills and form exercises, and finished up with filming me swim a couple lengths so I could look back and see what she was seeing. Usually the only way to get attention like that is paying through the nose for a personal instructor. (Post with details to come...)

Then there is my Sunday morning yoga and brunch dates with two of my very best girl friends who, refreshingly, have no involvement in Y-Tri at all. This brings up the all important point that not all workout groups need to be serious. You are not always in "peak" mode. Relax and enjoy the social side of this community as much as the physical benefits.

These groups can be as formal or casual as you need them to be. The only thing that matters is what motivates you. Be it just you and your roommate doing online yoga every day after work or 15 of you heading out for a 30 mile bike this weekend. The key is to understand your weakness and set yourself up to enjoy succeeding.

Race Day: The Bike

Once I reached the transition area after the swim I plopped myself down on my towel, wiped my feet with the hand towel, slipped on my socks (not extremely easy when wet) & bike shoes, threw on my helmet, watch & glasses and took off toward the exit. One thing that so many people get penalized for is mounting their bike before the official area. They mark this with a thick yellow line and large signs... I mean it was pretty brain dead.

Once on, I focused on getting my speed up slowly and finding the right gear. This is where it's important to have made sure that you racked your bike in an appropriate starting gear. Then it hit me: I had just finished the longest open water swim I've ever attempted. With all my training both in the pool and Bay, I had yet to attempt a full non-stop open water mile. That small accomplishment just revved me up and, unlike the swim, I felt I started my bike really strong. Also, within my first 1 or 2 miles, my family was waiting for me curb side, camera in hand and cheering.

*Important Note: I understand that triathlons are not an appropriate spectator sport. I get that. But I cannot tell you the immense motivation you get from seeing friends and family cheering you on.

Even though you are feeling good you need to make sure you pace yourself. I heard stories of some of our best veteran runners having to walk/run the last leg because they hadn't gauged their effort right. Think of it as a 7 out of 10 in effort.

The bike course was relatively flat, but since we were getting on and off the freeway there were some ramps and slight hills. This, ironically, made the ride much more fun for me. You were able to play with your gears to pick up speed up hill and fly down the other side. Though serious hills could be an issue, I imagine a completely flat course would get quite boring. Plus it seemed to work more areas in the leg rather then simply chugging along on the "usual suspects" and seemed to ward off muscle exhaustion.
After the first 12 miles or so I did have to pull myself up out of my saddle now and then to stretch out. On top of the usual kinks you get from working in the same position, during a race, with all that adrenaline, you can unintentionally grip your handle bars which causes extra and unneeded stress to your neck and shoulders. Getting yourself off of your saddle can remind you to reexamine your positioning and focus on what your muscles are doing.

Something else to remember is this is really the only time you have to refuel & hydrate. As mention before, I had 2 bottles of liquid: one water, one Gatorade. I tried to make sure to switch between the two and my goal was to mostly finish both, even if I didn't feel thirsty. I also had a Clif Bar and Jelly Belly Sports Beans taped to my handle bars. Though I didn't finish either I made a significant dent in both and you really do feel it kicking in, especially when the adrenaline starts to peter off.

By the time I came to the end of my bike my adrenaline rush from the morning had disappeared but in it's place had come the most intense endorphin high I have ever experienced. I was flying and my body felt like it reached a place that I've never physically been before. It was by far one of the most amazing feelings I've ever felt in my life. That alone made this entire process worth every penny and ever drop of sweat.

*The pictures in this post are of my actual race and me (#2589)

The BIG one!

This Saturday I experience my first Full Brick. This means that we simulated the first transition (T1: Swim to Bike), biked 25 miles, completed the second transition (T2: Bike to Run), and then ran 6.1 miles. Basically 2/3 of a triathlon. Up to this point in my training I had yet to complete either of those distances on their own, let alone in a package deal. Though I feel like I've really pushed myself to do what is expected of me and more, I was still weary of my performance.

One of the cool things about doing a Full Brick, is you get to practice the little things like packing up your transition bag and laying out your gear in a way to help you have a fast transition. And, as I mentioned before, this is the perfect time to start testing out different supplements to help keep you hydrated and fueled to the finish. I ended up grabbing some Gatorade, water, Jelly Belly Sport Beans, and a Clif Bar. Everything seemed to work great... and I actually never touched my Clif Bar (but that might just be because I didn't swim a mile first). The Gatorade didn't taste gross, and the jelly beans were a great way to get in what I needed without the nasty Gu texture or the stickiness of the other gummy options. It also reminded me to get a second water bottle holder for my bike and look at different bag options to make snacking on your bike easier (this time I just taped everything to the handle bars which actually worked really well).

I ended up biking the 25 miles in about 1:30 hrs and ran the 6.1 miles in almost exactly an hour. So total time (including transitions) was 2:35 minutes. Not to shabby! I had asked Larry (head of the program) a couple weeks ago what time is reasonable for a newbie to aspire to? He said that 3 hours was pretty good for a beginner. Considering a 1500 meter swim takes about 30 minutes, it looks like I'm right on track!

Side note: Throughout this training we've been doing all of this biking, running and obviously swimming sans iPods. This was extremely hard for me to get used to when starting out, but I noticed, after the fact, that on Saturday I was biking and running completely alone for 2 1/2 hours with nothing in my ears. It was remarkably easy and almost peaceful getting lost in ones thoughts.

The Little Before the BIG

Not that I'll ever consider our weekly bricks (spin class followed by several miles of running) anything resembling "little", but this Saturday we will be doing our first Full Brick. A full brick is when you take 2 of the 3 sections of the Tri and complete them in their entirety with a practice transition in between. So Saturday morning at 7am we will be lining up barefoot (simulating just getting out of the swim portion) to complete a 25 mile bike followed by a full 6 mile run. *Gulp* Stay posted to see if I survive! Ok, that wasn't very optimistic... Redo: Stay posted to see how well I do!

Anyway, this week (for the first time in a while) we didn't run any significant hills in our weekly brick session! It was wonderful! After a cadence (pedal rotations/speed) focused 45 min spin class, we took off down to the mall, over to the Capital and back up to the Y. All in all, about a 5.5 mile run.

RAW!

So as I mentioned in my last post, due to travel plans, I needed to rev it up last week to make sure I was fitting in as much as possible. I found out that there is a small group (4-5 vets) who get together every Friday and do the 6am Tri Spin Class and then do this arm/ab program that has been loving named RAW (I believe it stands for: Ron's Ab/Arm Workout). So I figured "Perfect! I get an extra 2 workouts for the price of one, and might make some new friends in the process."

I was a bit intimidated doing a hard core spin class the day after a brick but what was worst that could happen? I was pleasantly surprised that after 5 minutes of warming up my muscles, that were creaking minutes earlier, they seemed to perk up to the challenge. After losing about 5 lbs in pure sweat, we headed out and the RAW group got me started. Below is what we did:

10 Regular Push Ups
Ab Set (look below)
10 Regular Push Ups
Ab Set
20 Off Set Push Ups (One hand is higher than the other. 10 for each side.)
Ab Set
20 Off Set Push Ups
Ab Set
10 Diamond Push Ups (Make a diamond with your two index fingers & thumbs)
Ab Set
10 Diamond Push Ups
Ab Set
10 Wide Push Ups (Place arms much wider than a normal push up)
Ab Set
10 Wide Push Ups
Ab Set

AB SET
10 Leg Ups (Lay on your back, legs up at 90 deg. Lift butt & legs straight up)
10 Arm Reaches (Stay in same position and reach arms as if to touch your toes)
10 Leg Lowers (Stay in same position and lower legs to the floor, don't rest on floor, and back up)
30 Bicycles (In crunch position reach right elbow to left knee and alternate back & forth)
45 Normal Crunches (Feel free to improvise here and do what you feel like)

On the Pull Up Machine find a comfortable weight setting to start and plan on cutting 5-1o lbs a week.

10 Pull Ups
10 Chin Ups
10 Dips

Do this 3 times.

Follow this up with 2 sets of 30 push ups

*I am no hero and know that I have 10 times better form and will get much more out of doing "girl push ups" (knees on ground), so I do. But if you choose to do this, make sure you body is straight and not bent at the hips.

Do not be intimidated with the numbers. Take you're time and do it at any pace you'd like. It really isn't as bad as it looks... trust me!

Dealing with Real Life

The one reality I constantly am dealing with when it comes to the tri training is my schedule. Because of work or family obligations, I cannot necessarily make it to every clinic, ride or get-together. For example, this weekend I'll be up in Hartford, CT with my family to support my sister's newest theatre debut (her first time as a director!). This alone would mean a solid 5 weekdays of training to compensate for the weekend of sitting in airplanes, theatres and restaurants (not to mention the diet change). But on top of that, this Saturday the YMCA set up a Mock Tri for us to see how far we've come. How cool is that! Let's just say I'm not thrilled to be missing out, but at the same time I can't beat myself up for every time I can't attend. Training has practically become my second job. Of course there will be conflicts. The best I can do is prepare and not miss too much.

So this week I was on point:
Monday - Swim Training
Tuesday - Run Group
Wednesday - Yoga
Thursday - Brick (Spin Class & 5 mi run)
Friday - Extra Spin Class & RAW (arms/abs)

So technically I've done my two runs, and two spins, but I could only get to one swim (Each week the goal is 2 of each). But I also added yoga and weights to help balance out the cardio. Is it perfect? No, but it's darn good! Ideally I'd like another run & swim, but since I know it will be impossible for me to find a pool in Hartford, I'll have to settle for sneaking out early one morning and getting in a quick jog before the fam is ready for breakfast. (Side note: one of the only things I like about Hartford, other than my sister, is Bushnell Park, home of the State Capital building... it's GORGEOUS!)

Either way, I wanted to share what I WOULD be doing if I wasn't going out of town.

MOCK TRI -
Swim: 1500m swim in the pool (30 laps or 60 lengths). You will split a lane with one other swimmer. Volunteers will be there to time you and count your laps.

T1: Change into biking gear in pool lobby, take everything with you to the spin gym, leave your gear outside the spin gym (remember to leave your running stuff handy) and start the bike leg.

Bike: One hour of spin. Volunteers will track your start time and send you out as your hour is up. It would be a good idea to try to keep track of the hour on your own as well.

T2: Outside the spin gym, change into your running stuff and head out of the Y.

Run: Five+ miles down Connecticut Ave to the Washington Monument, around the back, down and around the Mall then back up 15th to the Y: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1843143

Brick - Surprise Yourself

After feeling so sluggish on Tuesday's group run, I was not necessarily feeling uber optimistic about Thursday's brick. To add insult to injury, on Wednesday I decided to pull myself together with a yoga session. This usually helps my body come back into alignment, stretches out all the kinks, and makes me feel stronger in my core. Instead, I accidentally ended up in a higher level class then I'm used to, and before I knew it, we were attempting random poses (lots of back bends!) I've never heard of and the always feared head stands. So instead of being placed back into a calm, cool and collected state, I left banged, bruised and bewildered.

So needless to say, I was surprised how much my body bounced back and how successful this weeks brick turned out to be. After the usual 45 min. spin we did a 5 mile run, and I have to say I finished strong! Grant it a long and slow stretching session was mandatory after the last couple days, but I really felt proud of what I accomplished.

Outdoor Bike: Hill Clinic

Here's a quick summary of the tips we went over Saturday, which I hope to continue to practice--as with most things in life, you only get better with practice, and there's always room for improvement:

1. PEDAL SMOOTH--IN CIRCLES (if you don't have clipless pedals, this won't apply so much). This means using your leg muscles all the way round the pedal stroke. The best way to get a feel for this is to find a flat area with no traffic and practice pedaling with one foot off the pedal, so that you have to move the other foot the full circumference of the stroke to keep yourself moving. Practice making this smooth with no jerks. Smooth pedaling will help you build speed & proper form in all aspects of riding, but is especially important in climbing. NOTE: Clip one foot out only after building some speed, do not try this from a standstill.
2. KEEP THE PROPER CADENCE BY SELECTING THE RIGHT GEAR. When riding hills, you should be in a gear that is neither too easy (which will have you spinning too fast) nor too slow, which wastes energy and slows you down. Instead, let the proper gear keep your pedal speed (cadence) approximately the same as it would be on the flats. Of course on steeper hills you may be in the lowest gear and still not able to pedal in anything but a very slow cadence, but when at all possible keep up your momentum.
3. KEEP MOMENTUM: SHIFT BEFORE YOU SLOW DOWN. Don't wait until you feel yourself barely able to spin to shift gears; it will be too late, you will put too much stress on your chain & chainring, and run the risk of slowing to a standstill, breaking the chain or the chain slipping on the ring, all of which can easily cause a crash. Instead, downshift just as you feel yourself slowing, or even just before a hill appears or gets steeper, so that you keep your momentum going.
4. CLIMBING IN THE SADDLE IS MORE EFFICIENT. When you stand to climb, you are only pushing down on the pedals, so you don't have the opportunity to use other muscles to pull up on the upstroke. This will fatigue your muscles faster, resulting in you slowing down and losing momentum.
5. YES, THERE ARE PROPER TIMES TO STAND UP. And they are:
   
• when you are on a very steep hill, you are in your lowest gear, and the only way to keep from coming to a standstill is to get out of the saddle and really pump your pedals.
• when you feel yourself slowing too much and need/want to gain extra speed, get out of the saddle for a short burst, and when you get back down keep up with the momentum you gained while standing.
• every once in a while on a ride (on the flats or climbing) to release numbness and pressure and to regain proper seating position.
6. RIDE STRAIGHT. Everyone has a tendency to rock back and forth on the bike when pedaling hard (dropping shoulders, weaving the bike), especially when standing. Avoid this. When you shift your body weight to one side and the other, it takes extra energy to move the body back to center--energy that could/should be used in moving you forward. This rocking motion can be hard to avoid when you are on the very steeps (see first bullet point of #5 above), otherwise proper pedal strokes should eliminate this (#1 above).
7. PREPARE FOR THE BIG HILL AHEAD. Most hills are directly preceded by a downhill or a long, flat section of road. Especially when you are approaching an uphill directly after a downhill, you will likely be in your middle or large front chainring. But to get up that big hill, you will likely need to be in a smaller front chainring, and switching between front rings during an ascent can be dangerous and puts a lot of stress on your bike. Instead, anticipate the hill by switching into a smaller front chainring BEFORE the hill. To keep approximately the same cadence when you make this transition, shift your front ring DOWN (easier) one gear, and your back ring UP (harder) 3-4 gears. Bike have different gear set-ups, but this rule of thumb will generally get you into the same ratio of gears, and hence same cadence as you were before. Now you'll be ready to start shifting down into successfully easier gears as the hill gets more difficult.

I was told there is nothing more satisfying in a race than to pass by someone on a hill that is in too high a gear and/or otherwise wasting their energy with poor form. If you can build up good momentum at the bottom of the hill, it will be that much easier to keep up a good pace going up the hill as you shift through the gears and keep your cadence up.

For those interested in practicing more hills, here's the route we did today:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2828608

And here's the other tough hill on Grant Road, with directions up Broad Branch from where we started out today:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2828614

The Perfect Morning

Well, it didn't start out that perfect. Because my apartment complex rocks (dripping with sarcasm) they have yet to turn on the AC. This means, last night when I was dutifully going to bed at 10pm (Thurs are my earliest trainings) it was a balmy 82 deg in my bedroom. Long story short, with the heat, my windows open, blinds rustling, sounds of the city plus a ceiling fan that squeaks like a scared piggy... I did not get much sleep. Come 5am when the alarm went off, I was firmly set on not going to training. It was going to be a long day and I needed to grab as much shut-eye as possible. So I stubbornly lay there willing myself to fall back to sleep. But the guilt! Oh the guilt would not let me lie. So after a full 10 minute argument with myself about how much I was going to regret this, I finally sprinted out of bed, through on clothes and off to the bus stop.

Needless to say, I'm SO happy I did. I wasn't going to get much more sleep anyway, and the endorphin high will have a MUCH higher probability of getting me through the day.

Brick #2
Today's brick was very similar to last weeks. We did a 45 minute spin session, very heavily focused on strength training which means lots of hills and peddling through peanut butter (For a moment I actually thought I pulled a butt muscle!). Followed by a run. But instead of the 30 minutes (3 miles) we did last week, we did 4 miles.... a hilly 4 miles. But again, it surprised me how much easier it was to get to my faster pace due to the fact that there was no first mile struggle to warm up your body after just getting out of bed.

AND we were running right to my house! AWESOME! I was able to run four miles and end up at home. I forgotten how much easier/enjoyable it is to shower and get ready for my day at home rather than a locker room during the 8am rush. Not only did I just jump in the shower and go... no no... I had time to do a nice yoga/stretch session on my patio AND cook myself a pretty impressive looking omelet to enjoy while reading my new book and sipping tea. It rocked!

So this morning was pretty perfect morning... and I think it actually makes it that much more awesome that it all started with me pushing myself up and out when I really really really just wanted to skip. *Pat on the back*

Beginning Bricks

For several weeks now, the coaches and vets have been preparing (read: warning) newbies about the start of bricks. Bricks being when you pair up two of the sports training sessions back to back, to start practicing the transitions. Up until now, with the exception of the very first run, I've been generally excited about Y-Tri training and all it encompasses... until now. All the tales of wobbly knees and pure exhaustion gave me no confidence in my first brick being a positive experience.

That said... I actually had a great time! I know, I sound sick. 6am I was in the spin room ready for the usual grilling course. Today we focused on strength training, which meant lots of hills, jumps and peddling through peanut butter. After 45 minutes, we jumped (read: crawled) off our bikes and headed out for a 30 minute run. Putting my Pollyanna hat on: usually on runs the first mile is always the hardest to push through, working to get your body warmed up, but since our bodies were good and warm, I found it nice starting out at a faster and much looser pace.

The coach said "We'll just run up 16th for 15 minutes and turn around". To someone who doesn't know 16th St, this sounds like a fair idea. For those of us familiar with 16th, just north of Dupont, we know that that is a sneaky sneaky request. Let me fill the rest of you in. Heading north on 16th from Dupont will lead you straight into Merridian Hill... the steep hill that we lapped around on our 3rd week. This is no "slight incline"... this is a full on steep hill. *sigh*... Surprisingly enough, I didn't find this run particularly more difficult than if I had not had a seriously grueling spin class before hand. I seemed to find my pace ("beat" if you will) that much more efficiently because my body was already in full cardio mode.

We ended up going all the way to Columbia Rd and then back down. 3 miles. Not half bad for a morning where I thought my existence might come to an end.

1st Outdoor Group Bike

As I mentioned last week, this last Saturday was Y-Tri's first outdoor group bike. I've been looking forward to this for a while now, and all I asked was for no rain. Well it didn't rain, so that was definitely a plus. What I didn't expect was the below freezing temperature. After the previous weekend, who would?! It was 32 deg when I left my house at 8:30am to meet my coach (who I've recently discovered lives literally across the street from me). Dressing for that temp is hard enough without taking into account the wind chill you'll be creating racing through Rock Creek (which is also known to usually be around 10 deg cooler then the rest of the city). Awesome!

On Thursday when Larry (head of Y-Tri program) subbed in as our spin coach, we happened to discover we were neighbors. So he offered to bike down to Pierce Mill in Rock Creek Park (meet up location for group ride) together Saturday morning. I have to say it was a good thing he did, because if I didn't know he was waiting outside for me, there is a very slim chance I would have left my very warm comforter. (Look forward to me writing about the benefits of the buddy system!)

Anyway, after getting over the fact that most of my appendages where numb, the ride was pretty great. Just being able to bike outside, within itself was rewarding. Lets be serious here, the spin room is just not that motivating. Since we did a bit of an intro before hand and were just getting used to the process we ended up only doing 16 miles (which was enough in that weather) instead of the 25 we'll be doing from now on. We started at Pierce Mill and went up Beach Dr till we hit the East/West Hwy and back.

Another great thing about taking your bike out for an actual ride rather then just errands around the city, is you can analyze what's going on with you machine. For example, I now know that both of my derailleurs need to be adjusted. Since I never tend to use my 3rd (most resistance/outer) gear in the city, zipping around from store to store, I hadn't realized that my derailleur actually fails to be able to move into that gear at all. This is a quick fix, and since I need to go back to The Bike Rack later this week to get new cranks (metal distance between gears and pedal - supposedly mine are the length appropriate for a 6 ft+ person, placed on my Women's Small bike... weird!) it should be no biggy.

This ride also helped me finalize my decision on getting bike shoes. It became obvious just how much energy and momentum I was losing using my "cage" pedals with runners.

Gear Mandatory for a Outdoor Ride -
Flat Kit: spare tube, CO2 cartridges with a dispenser head, and tire levers in a seat pack
Helmet
Water/Sports Drink

A Good Idea to Have-
Some form of eye wear to protect from both sun and wind.
Power Bar

Base Building - Complete!

This week (week 6) represents the end of our base building period!! Now that I know what that means, I figured I'd give you a snapshot of what that has looked like for me, training wise.

Below is an average swim segment from the last couple weeks:300 yd Warm up

150 x 2 swim (don’t stop the entire 150 yds, no touching the bottom at all! Take a 25 second break in between the two sets.)

50 x 4 streamline kick (work on long arms, kicking from the hips, flexible ankles and alternate side breathing. 10 Seconds in between sets)

50 x 2 torso rolls (kicking on your side for 6 beats, then 3 strokes and 6 beats on your other side. Working on long body; hips, torso and head all facing the same direction; alternate side breathing. 10 second in between sets)

150 x 2 kick with board (face in the water, taking a stroke when you need to breath. Long arms, kicking from the hips, alternate side breathing. 40 seconds in between sets)

50 x 2 sprints (25 spring at 100%, 25 swim back at 75%. 25 seconds in between sets)

50 x 2 underwater (25 swim as far as you can underwater, then until you run out of breath then sprint remaining distance to the wall. Swim 25 back at 75%. 25 seconds in between sets)

250 cool down

Yardage = 1650 = 1 mile!

Biking is much harder to report on since distance and resistance isn't measured on our stationary bikes, but here it goes:

Warm-up on flat road

Jumps (3/4 turn resistance, getting up and down out of your saddle for the entirety of an average song at different intervals from 2-8 seconds)

1 Leg (pedal with only one leg, focusing on the full circle... pull up with your hamstrings as much as you are pushing down to complete a full and smooth rotation)

Hill (For the entirety of an average song, slowly add resistance till at the end you feel like you're peddling through peanut butter. For the next song, just as slowly, remove resistance and pick up cadence)

Fingertips (Peddling with heavy resistance, up out of your saddle, with only your fingertips lightly touching your handlebars to keep balance. The point of this drill is to hold yourself up with only your legs, prevent bouncing, and force yourself to focus on the entire peddle rotation. VERY HARD!)

Rolling Hill (This is similar to the previous Hill drill, but, as in the description, you are not only going up and then down, but rather continually adding and subtracting resistance for a longer period of time)

Jumps (refer to above)

Sprints (Every coach does these differently. My favorite are when you do 10 seconds of "hard", 10 seconds of "very hard", 10 seconds all out "sprint", and then 10 seconds recovery. You repeat this over and over for the entirety of an average song.)

All of this take approx. 45 minutes. This is very difficult to accomplish on your own. I would say to simply take a 45 minute spin class since most cover all of these basics, and will push you much harder then you could push yourself.

As for running, you can review the maps of each week's run in this week's earlier post. The maps include distance and topography.

So all in all, for my first 6 weeks, I did each of these once a week, and added one day of yoga and an extra run as homework. Hopefully this gives you a pretty good idea of what base building looks like. Now I have to get prepared to ramp it up for next week!

Getting Excited!

This Saturday will be the Y-Tri's first outdoor bike! I have no idea why, but I've been so excited for this. I guess I'm always jealous of the bikers I see out in Rock Creek or down by the Potomac on the weekends. They just seem to know what they're doing. I mean, I know how to ride a bike... sure, but if I get a flat, a chain breaks, or any other usual wear and tear, I have NO idea how or what to do. So I guess I'm mostly excited for all this great "insider" knowledge I'll be gaining. There will be a basics and rules of the road review before the ride this Saturday, and then in two weeks the great people at The Bike Rack (a sponsor of Y-Tri, located @ 14th & Q) will be hosting a bike clinic to go over bike maintenance. I've also signed up for a similar clinic (free) at the Fairfax REI. (SIDE NOTE: Check out all the great free clinics your local REI offers... you'll be surprised at what a great resource they can be!). Sure, there might be a bunch of overlap in information, but this is the kind of thing that you need to hear and practice over and over again to be able to do it efficiently on your own on the side of the road... in the middle of a triathlon. I'm laughing to myself, having flashbacks of my dad making me take perfectly good tires on and off my car, over and over again before I left for college. Anyway, keep posted for updates on if I make a fool of myself or not.

Quick Note: Dear Mother Nature,
Please please please let it not be raining, at least for those few hours on Saturday morning... please!

Tri-ing to find the beat...

Had the head of Y-Tri program (pure cyclist at heart) sub in as the spin coach this morning. It was a ridiculously hard class with ridiculously bad music! So hard to push yourself to limit when all you can think is "what the heck am I listening to?" And as nice as it was to mix things up, I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head reminding me that next week we start bricks. So after crawling off the bike next Thursday, we all get to head out for a 30 minute run. Don't get me wrong, I do get the importance of this. One of the horrors I hear most often about tri's is the physical transition from bike to run. Your leg muscles get all confused after pushing certain ones for 40k and them asking them to use a completely different set immediately after... "Jello Legs". I can't help but think "Am I really ready for that?" At the same time, have I been "ready" for any of the hurtles I've tackled thus far? Like everything else I'll just have to go along and see what happens... wish me luck!

Shopping for a Sport You've Never Played (Part 3)

This is the one area I’m following the “wait and see” motto. Cycling is a sport that can be as expensive or economical as you make it. For example, right now I’m just going to be using my running shoes rather then invest in clip-less because I'm still learning their advantages and what I need to look for within my tight budget. Thankfully, I invested in a great Schwinn bike last year when I found my perfect frame size (woman’s small – next to impossible to find!) on sale. If you don’t have a bike yet, my best advice to you is to go to your local shop and ask the professionals what exactly you need (basic-no frills) for what you want to do, and if they know of any used bikes available. Last year a friend of mine was shopping around for a new road bike after his was stolen and after looking around the store for a new one, ended up buying one of the mechanics used ones off him for a great deal. Since he was getting it from a bike mechanic, he knew it was in good shape, and got a free tune up.

When you are purchasing a new bike, make sure they include a "bike fit". This is more then just adjusting the height of your seat. I've been told adjusting anything on your bike by centimeters can completely change the feel, and since you'll be booking some serious mileage in the upcoming months, avoiding chronic injuries is a must! The most important thing is that you train on whatever bike you will be racing with. Bikes have very different feels, and you don’t want to be thrown off your game race day by introducing a new piece of equipment.

Helmet is a must, easy to find, and shouldn’t be too much. As for the clothes, tops can be the basic wicking tank paired with bike shorts. I’m still not sure about the padded bike shorts versus not padded. I already had a pair of all-sport capri tights I’ve been using, and I would be lying if I said my derrière was not a tad soar the next day, but I don’t know how much the padding will actually help, and when in doubt hold onto the money and wait.

I'll be attending a couple free bike clinics this next month, so keep posted for updates (read: what they talk me into buying).