Let's just be honest about it.

I am not a fast triathlete. I swim like a spastic puppy, I bike something akin to what other people can do backwards, and I run a little faster than slow. It is a reality that if I really, really focused I'm sure I could improve, but I have athletic ADD and that would be no fun...right? Maybe one of these days here I will reign in all my focus and focus on being faster, but i'm having way to much fun exploring all sorts of other fun things, so i'm happy just goofing around in the meantime. I know not very triathlete, type A+ personality, but my thought: meeeh. I try to adhere to the motto:"Do what you love, love what you do". I know people try to use that with respect to work, but I think that should be the same with training and exercise. And if that means doing a billion different things that I enjoy even though I may not go very fast, then so be it. I'm out and being active and that is way more important to me.

Tonight I sucked it up and went to masters swim again. Ok...i'll admit it, even after my first endeavor the thought of going back sorta made me cringe. So I found all kinds of excuses to not go. It's not that the first time was that bad, it just wasn't great, but I also am finding in my training i don't swim much either. Hmmm...maybe the lack of swimming is a big contributor to my spastic puppy swimming? Maybe?? So I sucked it up and went, and here is my observation that I have had a bunch of times: Me being slow doesn't bother me as much unless someone makes me feel bad about being slow. I realized the first coach just sorta dismissed my spastic puppy swimming and almost ignored those of us who were slower (me being the slowest). But the guy tonight gave everyone (fast or slow) the appropriate attention and equally...KICKED OUR BUTTS. While again the slowest, at least he didn't make me feel like a moron.

Main set, repeated 3 times:

4x50 kicks and swim
4 x 50 AS FAST AS YOU CAN SWIM (with little to no rest...3-4 seconds between 50s)
200 pull

There was other stuff in the warm up and cool down, but that was the bulk of the evening.

I then got a big yummy burrito and headed to the Velodrome to watch my new found friends from my Saturday ride, do their final bike track course/workout. There are bike track sessions at the Velodrome and my new found friends are trying to talk me into doing the next 6 week session that starts in 2 weeks. They told me to at least check it out today...so I did...um...yea...i'm leaning in a direction on this, more will be posted when I actually make a decision. (can you guess which way? Who has athletic ADD here?) I wouldn't even need to buy a fixie or a track bike, or whatever you want to call them. I could just borrow one there at the Velodrome. No gear required.

Another observation. I LOVE THIS. Bike culture is so fascinating to me. Rodies have STRONG opinions on riding bikes and types of bikes and road riding and even triathletes on road bikes for that matter. But mountain bikers also have strong opinions about other types of riding. And then people that ride 'fixies' (as they call a fixed gear bikes. Although I think a fixed gear bike can have breaks whereas a track bike has no breaks. Still trying to completely figure that one out at the moment.) are equally as passionate about their bike and how they think that type of riding is the only way. I love that people are so passionate about their bike and biking and such. OK i admit if they are being snobby about it, I don't really care for a person's attitude, but if they are just passionate about it, i'm all for it. I did notice this weekend that part of town I was in everyone was riding fixies. (I saw at least 10 people in a span of an hour on them) What is interesting is here in SD it does depend on the part of town what types of bikes people are riding and what is the 'norm'. It is an interesting subculture.

Questionable company

Saturday I decided to try a new group to ride with and it did suit me very well. I had a great time and was reminded how sucky my hill work has been as well as how little my my overall mileage has been, but alas...I had a great time. I think I just made friends with those people that a person's mom would say would be "questionable company". You know, growing up when parent's worry about who you are hanging out with, the 'questionable company' that puts silly ideas in your head or influence you in various (typically negative) ways. Well...I have to say two of the women on this bike ride might fit into this category(but I would argue, not a negative influence, just a bike variety influence). I mean I haven't been on a mountain bike since I was 15 and ended up on a spine board after wrecking, but the ride leader, more a mountain biker than a roadie, is convinced I should try it again (the jury is still out on that one). And then between the two of these women they have convinced me to come check out the Velodrome this week as they are taking some track bike riding lessons and I should have a gander. "You know in just two weeks they are starting track bike lessons again for beginners." Or even instilling some creative ways I might be able to bike commute at least part of my ride to work? I like more biking mileage, I just hadn't thought about their version. What in the world did I just get myself into? I think it is all a good thing, even though it does continue to support my Sports ADD mentality.

I did get in a great bike ride with this group and had a lot of fun. The Saturday ride did spark a lot more contacts of people to ride with so that was great too.

Today's 7 mile run was sluggish and slow. For San Diego, it decided to be muggy today...which took me by surprise as usually the humidity is quite minimal in this area. Sorta sapped it out of me like humidity does anywhere, especially when I'm not used to it. But I slogged through it and got it done.

I think i've caught up on all the blog posts I've missed over the past few weeks as I've been in and out of town and in the mean time chasing my tail.

Josh is not my friend

Meet 'Josh':
21 Over Head Squats (OHS)
42 pullups
15 OHS
30 pullups
9 OHS
18 pullups

Rx'd weight for women on OHS = 65lbs
My OHS weight 33lbs.
Blue band (middle resistance for pullups)

I really could have done more weight and was all geared up to do more OHS weight, but I had poorly preformed my warm up and was told my form looked bad, so stuck with the wussy bar. Today I added up those pull ups...90...no wonder my arms are having a little bit of a struggle straightening out my elbows.

I have been all over the show lately. Good stuff happening and some nutty stuff so it has made for an interesting week, but pretty good all in all. Been in and out of town and all around.

Twenty minutes

Thank God for time limits these days at crossfit. My gym has started putting time limits on workouts. This one had a time limit of 20 minutes. You were supposed to do 5 rounds or as much as you could in 20 minutes

5 rounds of:
15 Deadlifts
12 hang power cleans
9 front squats
6 push press

Men: 135lbs
Women: 83lbs

At first glance with the weight it doesn't seem so bad, really. I mean 83lbs and deadlifiting...easy peasy. 83 lbs and a hang power clean...err...now we got some issues. I can't even do one hang power clean at 83 lbs much less 12 of them. No, i'm not exagerrating. The guy leading out the class told me to do ONE and then we would scale it down. I did a lot of jumping and tried to get under the bar, but i think the lift sorta makes me nervous with the weight. Getting under a heavy bar sorta freaks me out a little. He told me I had enough momentum, but I wasn't getting under the bar. No matter, we tried to scale me down to 63 lbs. And while I could do 3 of those...we quickly discovered that was it...no more than 3. So I was down to 53lbs.

Out of the previous class of about 8 people (all who are AWESOME crossfitters and who I think were ALL doing at weight) none of them could finish all 5 rounds in 20 minutes. I got through 4 rounds, + DL +5 powercleans. (oh and i have a HUGE bruise on my left collar bone where I tend to rest/slam/hit/pushpress/front squat the bar from. It is UGLY.) One guy in my class who was doing full weight did finish in 18:18. They then speculated how many other people *might* even be able to do the whole workout. Even though I scaled it down, I feel like I had a comparable scaling of difficulty...meaning that I did about as many rounds as people who were doing full weight. Sometimes I've found when I modify my workout it ends up being a little on the lighter side and I fly through it too fast almost so I try to go for a modification that is 'similar' time wise to people who do full weight because the choice is always go heavier and do less or go lighter and do more. I tend to chose the latter. I actually like walking and going heavier can have some really nasty consequences. Going lighter doesn't mean I don't hurt like not other, but at least I am mobile.

I did get in a 4.5 mile run too. I did 4 fast-ish intervals for 1:30 each. First interval at a 7:22 pace, second interval 8:07 (I was going up a hill), 3rd interval 7:25, 4th interval7:32. I rested for roughly 3 minutes in between each interval and allowed myself to walk, slowly jog until my HR came down to 150 range.

Oh, and I think i may do this hairbrained idea. I had to play catch-up today and did 10 burpees. But tomorrow it is 5. I will talk more about this in a future post...i donno 100 days of burpees? 5050 burpees in total?? I kinda hate burpees to begin with...but then I think about the deltoids. Deltoids. I heart deltoids.

Burpee update: leaning towards no...solely because I can't really do them in my apt without waking up the neighbors and while I could do them else where, that is a 100 days of trying to figure out where to make a complete fool out of myself on a daily basis. I may give it a try and see when I fall off the wagon due to logistics.

I know...I know...I know

This was brought up with respect to my last crossfit post by Claire/Speedracer

Here are the answers:
If you answer yes to one or more of the following questions, you may be a crossfit addict:

*Have you sometimes failed to keep promises you made to yourself about controlling or cutting down on your Crossfit?

I said I was going to cut back on crossfit...I have. One day a week. I just miss it terribly. So NO I've kept my promises...even though I secretly want the off season so I can do crossfit 5 days a week.

*Have you ever had a traffic violation, or any other legal problem related to crossfit/the endorphins brought on by a crossfit binge?

um...no (see i'm doing great no problems here)

*Do you try to avoid family or close friends while you are doing crossfit?

They don't go to the crossfit gym...and I made friends at the crossfit gym...not a fair question.

*Are you having more financial, work, school and/or family problems as a result of crossfit?

Does constantly thinking about crossfit while at work count?

*Has your PT ever advised you to cut down on your crossfit?

I've been dismissed from my PT and I think that crossfit keeps me out of his office therefore...this question is really N/A

*Do you eat very little or irregularly during the periods when you are doing crossfit?

You can't crossfit and eat...that equals puking.

*Do you sometimes have the "shakes" after a CF workout and find that it helps to do a "little" deadlifting, pullups or functional mobility work of some kind?

Who doesn't have the 'shakes' after a CF workout?? Deadlifting can sometimes work out that nasty back spasm too.

*Have you recently noticed that you can't crossfit as much as you used to?

That's the point, less crossfit during the season so I can do more LT work.

*Do you sometimes stay at crossfit for several days at a time?

I do go to work. I promise.

*After periods of heavy lifting do you sometimes see or hear things that aren't there?

No...I generally can find the floor just fine, that is there, under my feet and that is me just lying on the floor, hoping that I will regain the strength to walk out the door. No hallucinating.

*Do you ever feel depressed or anxious before, during or after periods of heavy lifting?

Only depressed when I can't lift what is the prescribed workout of the day...which is most days.

*Have any of your blood relatives ever had a problem with crossfit?

They have no idea what i'm talking about.

Any "yes" answer indicates you may be at greater risk for crossfit abuse. More than one "yes" answer may indicate the presence of an crossfit-related problem or crossfit abuse, and the need for consultation with a professional.

Awwww...come on.

Claire/Speed Racer has brought into question of if I am addicted to crossfit. My answer...yes I already knew that...and your point is...??

If someone told me I would love crossfit, as insane as it is...and as much DOMS I have suffered I would have said...NOT ME!! But here are some of my responses to my addiction too:

Did you ever think that after 6 months of crossfit that you would actually start to see those muscles on your stomach that people call 'abs'?

Did you ever know how cool deltoids really are?

Did you ever think that one day you might actually be able to do an unassisted pullup? Or climb a rope?(Ok not yet, but soon)

Did you know that there are more muscles in your quads than just your quads and VMO and you actually might see them with bouts of crossfit?

Did you ever expect that you might think that lifting could be fun ?? Or that you might buy weight lifting shoes?

My answers were a resounding no to these questions up until the last 6 months of crossfit. Am I addicted...sure...is it keeping my injuries at bay...ABSOLUTELY...do my knees hurt any more from ITBS...no...hipflexor issues? Improving with strengthening my glutes. The goal of crossfit was to improve my injury situation and in the middle of it, I have become addicted. I readily admit it.

I'll be upfront and honest...Don't try it unless you are prepared for a possible addiction. I give that as a warning. It is addictive.

How to wreck havoc on yourself in 12 mins or less

How to wreck havoc on yourself in 12 mins or less:

5 rounds of:

5 DeadLifts
10 burpees(up-downs...thighs must be on the ground as well as chest and hands must be straight overhead on jump with arms by the ears.)

Men: 275lbs for DL

Women: 185lbs for DL

My thought for the prescribed weight: You have to be kidding me. OK there were a few more um...colorful words thrown in there.

Oh yea, you have to finish in under 12 minutes.

Me...while I know my deadlift max is 205lbs, i didn't know how I would fare with 185lbs 5x5 rounds. In the end I was 40lbs short at 145lbs, but i'm a bit of a crossfit weakling.

11:28 was my time.

I'm already starting to feel the soreness.

And I miss crossfit more than I thought I would. I may have to re-think my unusually low Lactate Threshold and whether I care as much as I thought I did about changing it.

Yoga Guilt

I was supposed to go ride this afternoon, but as I was running late for work I did not have enough time to throw my bike in the car for a ride after work. I decided to switch some yoga on Thursday with my bike ride and showed up to my local yoga studio and got to go to my favorite instructors class. This guy seriously rocks, he pushes, but within one's edge, he's an awesome teacher...he's great all around. But since I have a gym membership that has some yoga and I do this and I do that...my yoga going at this studio has been lackluster. But here's the thing...gym yoga generally = sucks. And the yoga at my gym ranges from sucky to ok.

So I show up and he's all "hey nice to see you? Busy with work? I hope all is well." And then I realize that i'm feeling guilty for not going to this class. I feel like I've been cheating on the yoga studio with my gym. GASP!! I know this is slightly irrational and I told myself to just 'do what you want'...but I found my emotions humorous for some reason.

The class...awesome as usual. I did get to ponder as we hung out in downward dog...how is it that that little spot below my knee can sweat so much. Odd. But I find it sorta weird to look down and see my shins sweating too. I was a bit of a goof in the middle of class though...we were getting ready to vinysa down to the floor and we were getting our bricks ready so that if you wanted to use them to help you swing through as you tried to get your legs to go from downdog into a seated position you could.(in the video she's going from seated to downdog back to seated...I'm so NOT close to doing anything like this) )Me...i was sorta out of it and a little tired at this point...so I grab my bricks and just plop my butt on my mat oblivious to the rest of the class standing getting ready to do the vinyasa. My teacher sorta laughed at me at my almost childlike glee of plunking myself down on the floor much to my embarrassment, instead of vinyasy-ing my way onto the floor...or should I say 'flopping' myself onto the floor. I am still a long way away from being able to shoot my legs from downdog into a seated position or reverse. I just sorta flop around on the floor and make a pathetic attempt at it. That generally seems to be the theme of my 'athletic' endeavors...i sort just flop around trying to make it 'look' like whatever i'm attempting to do desperately trying not to look too silly in the middle of it. Granted I still feel silly.

But after class I realized how much I really, REALLY love that class and as I am in the middle of trying to plan out the rest of my race season, I think i'm going to see if there is any way I can do that class on a weekly basis. I was also pleasantly surprised to see I'm still pretty 'yoga strong' for me considering I haven't done a ton of yoga lately. Want to hang out in chaturangafor awhile...go ahead...that's fun. Go crossfit!

I sorta can't believe that I'm mid-July and still don't have a training plan mapped out. That does seem to be the theme this season. I did start mapping some preliminary stuff for the OC triathlon at the end of Sept with Silverstrand stuck behind it 5 weeks later. I think i've come up with a plan on how to veeeeeerrrrrrrry slowly inch my running millage up so that hopefully I don't piss off my hip too much in the process.

Weekend Adventures

This nice three day weekend has had its share of adventures that have been pretty fun. The weekend, while packed has been also equally low key. I'm not sure how I achieved such a great balance, but it did work out that way.

Friday: Swim Fishy Swim

Friday morning I headed down for some open water swimming to yet reconfirm my LOVE of my new wetsuit. People were already all camped out all over the beach for the 4th festivities...at SEVEN IN THE MORNING. People seriously...come on. But I guess that is how it goes around here...you want to be on the beach for the fourth you must fully commit. I on the other hand had decided to STAY AWAY from such insanity for that day. I got a nice mile swim in, but can I just say KELP SUCKS!! It freaks me out a little and it is gross and it just sucks and for a good part of the swim you have to go through basically a kelp farm. BLECH. But aside from the freaky kelp the swim was really good. The rest of my 4th was pretty good too.

Saturday: Riding urban style

I live in a fairly 'urban' part of SD. It's not littered with bike lanes and I'm not too far from true 'down town' and there are lot-o-stop lights. Some days I'm not a huge fan of where I live because I am not as close to great places to bike to be perfectly honest, but I do also like where I live so I am always debating whether to move or not. On Thursday after my little lack of clipping out debacle that gave me a pretty massive bruise on my knee with a nasty scrape I had pretty much HAD it with living where I do. I don't know what the connection between the bike crash and my dislike for living in such an urban area really is since I was NO WHERE down town and riding near my apt when I fell...but somehow in my little head there was a connection. Can't think of what it is at the moment. Anyway, I digress...so recently I found another person in my neighborhood who wanted to bike around in my part of town. So i thought 'sure why not' might be fun not to have to drive somewhere to go for a bike ride. So on Sat I roll out my door and met up with my new riding partner.

Now we had discussed a little biking and running and stuff...mainly just looking for other people in our part of town to train with. I didn't really think that I would end up riding with this person as he is a much stronger cyclist that I am...so I didn't really want to hold him back, but he seemed to want to meet up anyway and go for a ride in my part of town. So i'm game to meet new people to train with and head out.

I'm going to refer to him from now on as Mr. Hills...as that was his constant suggestions "do you know this hill? We should go do it...or that hill??" Now granted living in the city, since you have to stop all the time for tons of freaking stop lights hill training is really good because you end up getting a killer workout in even if it appears you didn't go very fast since you had to stop for every stop light. But as we are flying through downtown heading down to the Pt. Loma and the coast I am starting to feel I'm in that Kevin Bacon movie Quicksilver. Except as we ride down the hills and through the urban environment I am internally screaming like a little girl. Not flying through intersections and track standing at stop lights (although that would be a REALLY useful trick to know in the city) like they do in the movie. In fact my riding didn't resemble anything as graceful as some of that bike handling in that movie, but flying through an urban environment gave me at least the feeling that might have been.

I'm not opposed to urban riding and oddly I can do it when I am with other people quite comfortably, but sometimes by myself I'm not too keen. Weird. I know. But in the end the ride was really good. Lots of hills. I thought I was going to have to cold water bath my legs by the end, but didn't and feel fine today even after then proceeding to take up a new sport that evening.

Saturday night: New 'Sport'???

Is salsa dancing considered a sport? I donno, but by the end of Sat night it felt like it should be. And actually this morning I was starting to ponder why my right arm is sorta stiff and sore and I realized that too much swinging around in circles can do that to ones' arm. It was a seriously fun evening. Unfortunately my planned long run has suffered due to this new endeavor. But no matter, I'm in a spot with training that that isn't too big of a deal.

I think I have finally decided on some races this fall. I am really thinking of OC tri Oly at the end of Sept and I guess I'm going to default to the Silverstrand 1/2 mary mainly because I don't want to travel at the moment for the races. Training will start to take some actual shape on that soon as I attempt to plan that out at the moment. I will throw down some sprints in between...possibly one this up and coming weekend and some other fun mixed in here and there. It will come together and it is bit by bit.

It was bound to happen

This is my fifth triathlon season and my fourth with clipless peddles. Everyone tells you "you will fall over trying to clip out at some point". But most made reference to when you have first gotten your peddles...not after riding with them for 3+ years. Granted I'm not sure if I really get to say that I fell over because I forgot to clip out. I did clip out. I clipped out, just like I normally do. It went something like this:

Left foot out. Left foot on the ground. Realizing that I need to push stop light button with right hand. Lean to the right to push the button. Left foot on ground. Reaching to my right. Right foot clipped in. Losing balance. Losing traction with left foot because I'm in stupid bike shoes. Still losing balance. Gaining balance. Losing balance. Need to clip out right foot. Can't clip right foot out. Half way still up. Am I falling? Can't clip out right foot. Slipping with left foot. Gaining balance. Losing balance. I'm ok. No I am falling. Falling. Not even sure how I hit the ground, but now right knee is bleeding. Nice. Feel like a total tool for falling over on my bike while technically clipped out. Really, I shouldn't be let out of my house. Granted I ran into my ottoman yesterday and gave myself a good bruise. I am safe nowhere.

The funny thing about it was...i was in a PISSY mood prior to the crash. But the rest of my bike ride I just had to laugh at myself because I was so lame.

I'm stuck in limbo for the next two weeks from all the crap that happened last week...so while things are better this week, i'm am realizing it is all making me really stressed and I'm 'dealing with it' in weird ways. Basically being a little overly dramatic over minor things. Its been kinda funny actually.

Last week I was so excited about my HUGE accomplishment for me at crossfit. I did SEVEN out of the eight hollow rock tabatas. I typically have pathetic core strength so these kill me every time. Hollow-rock tabata is you basically are lying on the ground, put your legs 6" in the air, put your hands either at your side or over your head, and 'rock' back and forth, but you can't rock too much so that you get to use momentum. Now do that for 20 seconds. Take a 10 second break and repeat for a total of 8 times. You can only count the 20 second session if you don't poop out in the middle of it. Previously I had only made 4 sessions...but last week i made SEVEN. There are a few tips and tricks to it...like don't rock too fast and i found that putting my hands to my sides didn't make my back hurt which also helped. Then I tried to do L-sits and made it literally about a second. OK... so my abs had had enough at that point. My L-sits are rather pathetic any way.