I came, I saw, I conquered.

Today, I met up with 15 other team members for a one and a half hour bike ride. This wasn't a regular bike ride. It was a ride through a world which I am so close to, yet so far. Today, we met at Fraser Bike Shop to ride on the Wildflower bike course in California. This simulator would be so much like the real thing that a human being's muscles have a hard time telling the similated course from the real course.

I have never experienced being on a simulator, and was eager to see how I'd do. Despite the fact that I'm not going to race the Wildflower course now (a decision I made so as to not fry my legs before my half ironman race just a few weeks later), I wanted to see if I could do it. Especially Lynch Hill, the 7 mile incline that is so well known. (Scroll down for video on this hill.)

Out of the 16 triathletes on the course that night, I came in second to last place. I wasn't ashamed by that. I was proud that I made it up the hill without stopping. I never said I was fast, but I can definitely say that when I set my mind to do something,I have every intention of finishing it.

So today, I am proud to say that I conquered the Wildflower bike course and the infamous Lynch Hill. And I didn't even fry my legs.

Chili Cookoff A Great Success Despite the Weather

I'm happy to report that despite the icy start to the day, our Team in Training crew was able to attract a bunch of people to our event today, making it a great success! We ended up having 17 different chili entries, and over 60 people in attendence.

We ended up raising almost $1,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Thanks to everyone who came out, who brought chili, and who helped with the event. A special thanks once again to Kim and Sherri from Dragonmead for being such lovely hostesses. And thanks to Stu and Jack for all of their help behind the bar. We couldn't have pulled off this event without all of you!

Charity Chili Event Today

I've been looking forward to this day for some time. Today is the day of the Charity Chili Cookoff at Dragonmead Brewery! I believe I have everything in order, but there was one thing that I just hadn't thought about...the weather! I woke up to a dreary wet morning. That should be good chili eating weather, right? Well, it gets worse. There is ice on the trees, and THAT could cause a big problem in attendance today.

I just checked the weather forcast (I felt I should after seeing the local news cover a 15-car pile-up that was likely caused by the ice). Even though it's nasty out there now, the good news is that it's going to warm up just enough this afternoon to have the ice melt. Ok, so we'll be expecting a thunderstorm or two. That's nothing. It's the slippery roads I could do without!

So this will be a good test to see how successful this event really is. I hope that the wet weather doesn't scare anyone away!

Check back after today. I'll post all of the winners on my blog, and probably some pictures, too!

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Join me in my mission to raise $5,000 in the fight against cancer!
Donate today at my Leukemia and Lymphoma Society web page:
http://www.active.com/donate/tntmi/andi

Taking a Deep Breath

My schedule finally permitted me to get out and practice today. Though our swim practice was far for me (a good 45+ minutes away from home), I knew I had to do it. I'm glad I did.

We swam at the Livonia Rec Center, and that is one of my favorite facilities. The pool is awesome, the water temperature is perfect. Today's mission was to do two half-mile time trials. I completed the first at 14:35, and the second at 14:20. I just looked back on the first time I ever did a time-trial of that distance (back on July 11, 2007), and the first one was 15 minutes for the first and 16 for the second. The improvement doesn't seem like a lot on paper, but it's pretty huge to me, especially seeing the proof that I can keep up my stamina on long-distance swimming now.

Since I've started training last summer, I've focused on both swim technique and what breathing technique works best for me. Some people swim fastest when they hold their breath and do a forceful blow out at once. I, on the other hand, have taken to the school of thought that a slow, relaxed deep breathing technique, similar to what people learn when they scuba dive, works best for me. I breath every third stroke, and begin my exhale as soon as I see my hand pass me on my second stroke. By the time I hit the third stroke, my exhale is almost complete, and I can take a nice deep breath without it feeling forced. This method is almost like meditation for me, and it makes all the difference in the world. I couldn't imagine ever changing.

Perhaps that is one of life's lessons...When you are under pressure to complete the task that is set upon you, don't stress...just relax, focus, and take a deep breath.

I'm looking forward to getting back in the pool now to see what my time is for a 1.2 mile swim (the distance I have to swim for my half ironman). Another goal of mine is to simply see how long I can swim without stopping. I'm thinking that I could last about 2 miles (138 laps) or so...maybe I should start a betting pool.

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Join me in my mission to raise $5,000 in the fight against cancer!
Donate today at my Leukemia and Lymphoma Society web page:
http://www.active.com/donate/tntmi/andi

A whole lot of nothing.

Bear with this incredibly boring entry, there is really no substance to it other than it being purely theraputic for me to just get things in writing.

Ok, this cold weather is getting to me! It's a balmy 16 degrees today, which means I should be getting my tail outside and go running. But alas, I'm just not able to get out of that warm bed at 5:30am (when the temperature is only around 10 at best).

I've been able to get to the pool once since my last entry, but that's it. All intentions are there, but one thing or another (cold weather, cold (cough), kids, functions responsibilities, excuses) get in the way. Again! No no, my motivation is still high, and I AM still focused. It's just an ebb and flow thing, which isn't too solid of a gameplan when training for a half Ironman...No comments from the peanut gallery, please.

I'd better get cracking if I am to live up to my goal of running 10 miles straight before March 1st. That day is approaching quickly...Time to get a move-on.

Best workout ever.

This has been a good week for working out. I was able to motivate myself to get out and run on Tuesday. That run was awesome. It was somewhat short at four miles (can you believe I think that's short nowadays?!). But it was FAST. I felt like a gazelle right out of the gate, and ended up running at a 9.37 minute/mile pace. The weather Tuesday morning was awesome, being a balmy 50 degrees at 6:30am.

Good thing I ran on Tuesday, because Wednesday's weather took a major dive. It was only 13 degrees that day. Of course, Wednesday night was swim practice. Swim practice was pretty good. I swam well in my time trials, and felt strong throughout. We knocked out 3350 yards that night. The one thing about winter training is that it's no fun going to swim practice only to have to head back outside in freezing weather with long, wet hair.

So today was my next opportunity to get some exercise in. It was group spin, and we all met at Fraser Bike Shop. I felt really good today (lack of beer last night?), so I did double duty and biked with both the Olympic training session and the Half Ironman training session. In the end, I was on my bike for just shy of two hours, riding well over 30 miles.

But the day didn't stop there. I decided to join the half Ironman team to run outside afterwards. It was a bit windy, but the temperature was a comfortable 30 degrees (what I consider my favorite running temperature). It was still very icy from the snow that had melted and refroze. I wore some traction spikes on my running shoes, which allowed me to effortlessly run over the slipperiest of conditions without worry. I love those things!!! In the end, I got in four miles of running through the ice and snow. I felt FANTASTIC and would have gone further, but my stomach just wouldn't allow it. At that point, it was 12:15pm and I had only had 1 energy bar and 2 power gels since awaking. I was flat out hungry.

So after 2 hours and 40 minutes of constant exercise, I treated myself to a 6" chicken teriaki sub from Subway, and it may have been the best Subway sandwich I have ever had.

It was a GREAT workout day, and I'm really happy that I'm out of my rut.

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Join me in my mission to raise $5,000 in the fight against cancer!
Donate today at my Leukemia and Lymphoma Society web page:
http://www.active.com/donate/tntmi/andi