April 27, 2006
I'm not sure what is going on with me. I probably overdid it. I was very sore after the S2S race on Saturday, but something wasn't quite right. My soreness wasn't going away at a normal rate. The last two days I left work early, then went home and slept all afternoon. I have no energy.
I suspect an iron deficiency, but I could be entirely wrong. I'm going to the doctor today to request some blood tests.
Update 4/30: Blood test results will be back on Monday. I am feeling better, but still tired. Sleeping a lot.
Posted by megabeth at 01:07 PM | Comments (6)
April 25, 2006During the winter, I used my training sessions to focus on correcting bad habits.
In cycling, I concentrated on developing a round, full pedal stroke, which includes not only a push at the front, but a pull at the back. A member of my race team complimented my pedal stroke at a training race about a month ago, so I knew I had made some progress.
While running, I focused on where my foot falls and on keeping good posture. You should try to minimally contact the ground and put more emphasis on landing on the forefoot; this reduces probability of overuse injury. I also had the bad habit of slouching when I'm very tired, which reduces off my ability to breathe deeply. I still do that sometimes, but looking at recent race photos, I can tell that I have greatly improved.
At the race on Saturday, I noticed that several runners were slapping their feet down on the pavement, making a lot of noise. It's not efficient, and it causes injury. Efficient running entails looking (and sounding) effortless. The best runners look as if they are gliding through the air.
One thing I like about running is that I can tell if someone is being taxed at their maximum capacity by the sound of their breathing. I passed a few runners during the race who sounded like they were about to hack up a lung. In that state, my competitors would not be able to catch up with me. It sounds like torture, in my opinion, to be at max HR, suffocating, for distances over five kilometers. It's better to start out at a comfortable pace, then increase pace until the end of the race. Once I started running negative splits, it became second nature to me. However, I still have some room for improvement in longer distance races.
Posted by megabeth at 01:30 PM | Comments (3)
April 24, 2006Dear Megabeth 2007,
I hope you're having a good start to your racing season. You've probably done the Powerman assuming you haven't gotten yourself injured. This is a reminder from Megabeth 2006: Do NOT run the Statue to Statue 15K! Megabeth 2006 could barely walk yesterday and today; even the slightest movement is very painful and slowly executed. People at work are laughing at her for walking funny. Megabeth 2006 did all the right things; she took Endurox after her race, then stretched. She did not drink alcoholic beverages and had a good night's sleep. Nevertheless, she woke up the next day with a level of soreness she has not experienced before; we can conclude that the activity of running up and down steep hills is too damaging to the muscular system.
Fortunately for Megabeth 2006, this week is her recovery week after three weeks of hard effort.
Let me reiterate, Megabeth 2007, that you should stay away from quad-busting hill races like Statue to Statue. Thanks for your consideration of my advice in this matter. I have a feeling you aren't going to be any less crazy than I am, but I can always hope that you'll heed my warning.
Love,
Megabeth 2006
Posted by megabeth at 11:27 AM | Comments (3)
April 22, 2006Here are the complete race results. I ran a good race, finishing in 1:16:47 at a pace of 8:15 per mile. I placed second in my age group, but I like that I was the ninth woman across the finish line. Not too shabby for someone who hasn't been participating in distance races that long.
This race is not good for those who are inclined to injury, like me. The first four or five miles were tolerable rolling hills, but then we climbed an infamous hill (even for cyclists) called Stone River. The track club coach advised me to walk up the hill. That's what I did, and other people who ran the hill did not go any faster, and they were at their max HR to boot. Once I reached the top, my HR was low and I was ready to take off again.
Next there was a gradual incline for about a mile, and right before the end, another steep hill. Track club coach advised me to run, and that was painful. But the most painful part was running a half mile down a steep hill. Ah, my quads! I was happy to see the finish line.
First place AG still evades me. My AG is a tough one. My time was enough to get me first place in other AGs, even younger ones.
I wonder if I will be able to walk tomorrow.
Posted by megabeth at 02:48 PM | Comments (4)
April 21, 2006Tomorrow I am running the Statue to Statue 15K. All this time I have been thinking about how 9.3 miles isn't all that big of a deal since I've done the half marathon and also had a speedy pace for 5.5 miles at the duathlon. Figured I could crank out 9.3 at an 8 to 8:15 pace. I haven't done a long run in a while, though. So I'm probably stupid for attempting this.
I knew this race would be hilly, but I just received an email from a runner who is faster than I am. She advises to WALK up the steep hills during this race. OH, LORD. What have I gotten myself into???
And also the rumor is that this race feels harder than a half-marathon.
I am totally nuts.
It'll be good training, though, if I live through it.
Posted by megabeth at 09:46 AM | Comments (3)
April 20, 2006There have been a few incidents in the North Alabama area lately including one involving a crazed driver with road rage hitting a cyclist intentionally. And then there appears to be a significant amount of danger when running on the roads, because the drivers don't seem to acknowledge my presence.
Additionally, there is a slight risk that one could be injured by a fall or suffer from a sudden medical condition while exercising.
I wear a Road ID ankle bracelet while training with my EPI number printed on it. Blue Cross/Blue Shield offers the EPI service if you are insured by them. Also, it's good to have an ICE contact listed in your cell phone (ICE = in case of emergency).
Beyond that, all I can do is pray that God is watching over me.
Posted by megabeth at 09:56 AM | Comments (3)
April 19, 2006While heading home from class, I gave the homeless man under the I-65 overpass my Powerbar stash. He expressed his gratitude, and I kept thinking about how, to me, Powerbars taste sort of like poop. I wonder what it would taste like to him? This makes me realize how silly it is to eat an expensive candy bar that doesn't even taste good.
Posted by megabeth at 08:15 PM | Comments (3)
April 18, 2006The Brightroom folks were a little overzealous with race photos this year; there are eighteen of me. Not surprisingly, I look like a dork in extreme discomfort when I run.
Posted by megabeth at 09:16 AM | Comments (3)
April 17, 2006I didn't have much time to stop and smell the roses this weekend even though I spent my Easter Sunday afternoon planting flowers. On Saturday, I rode briefly (25 miles) and tried to keep it an easy ride. Afterwards I ran three miles. It's getting hot outside, and I will probably need to start running early a.m. to avoid symptoms of heat exhaustion. Runners World says you lose 7% of your speed when the temperature is above 85 degrees. If above 93, the magazine suggests trying a different activity. Unfortunately for Alabamians, there's no way to avoid 90 degree temps unless you actually like holing yourself up in the gym.
My IT bands are screaming sore. J dug his fists into my legs last night and I screamed in agony (though the pleasureful type — the kind that you know ends in healing). I did a number on my leg muscles this past week and need to recover if I'm going to run up and down hills for 15K this Saturday.
J and I spent the afternoon Saturday at the zoo for his nephew's birthday party, and we were a little surprised by the rate of morbid obesity we observed, particularly in children. The scope of my world skews my viewpoint (the majority of people I see outside of work are insane endurance athletes). Then again, I wouldn't call the increasing rate of morbid obesity in children an acceptable event. "Just because everyone else is doing it" doesn't make it ok.
Growing up, I remember there being one significantly overweight child in my class, and she had some sort of genetic/hormonal problem (thyroid?) causing the obesity instead of excess eating and sedentary habits. When I was a kid, I would whine for a snack, and my mother would give me a box of raisins. Miffed, I'd put the box back in the pantry and run off to play outside some more. When she packed my school lunches, I'd find the cursed box of raisins inside. I always threw them away, and I still don't like raisins.
But I thank her, anyway, for not allowing me to engorge myself with junk food. Young people don't have a chance if they aren't given a good start.
Posted by megabeth at 11:29 AM | Comments (1)
April 14, 2006It is springtime, and I love my bicycle.
That is all.
Posted by megabeth at 04:45 PM | Comments (3)
April 13, 2006My next race is Statue to Statue 15K (9.3 miles), which claims the title to the "hilliest race in the Southeast". The race is on Saturday, April 22. I haven't been running on hills much lately. Thus, my next interval training session, planned for Sunday, will include hill repeats. Fun. Barf.
Posted by megabeth at 03:50 PM | Comments (1)
April 12, 2006If you're a cyclist and you feel that not enough objects and epithets are thrown at you from passing drivers, may I suggest this jersey currently available on eBay:
Last night I tried out some demo wheels: Easton Orion IIs. The wheelset was around 14 ounces lighter than the Shimanos I use. BIG difference. My bike was much more responsive and I marveled fellow riders with my newfound strength.
Conclusion? He with the most dollars has the most competitive advantage. That's one thing I really like about running; it's about physical fitness. Sure, you can drink some fancy sports beverage and wear a $200 pair of shoes. But the extra equipment expense is negligable. In cycling, on the other hand, some guy passes me riding his $8000, 15-lb all-carbon machine. I had no idea how much a single pound of weight mattered until I rode on race wheels last night.
All those f*ckers. Pisses me off, how hard I've been working at getting stronger, when a lot of what has been slowing me down appears to be my nineteen and a half pound bike.
Posted by megabeth at 10:49 AM | Comments (2)
April 11, 2006This site called virturace.com offers a way to keep up with your race results online and compare with others who have participated in the same races. You don't have to enter your race results because the site has already collected the data for you. However, the drawback is that some races have not sent their information to the virturace site. Also, I'm not sure how to remove duplicate race results from my list. Here's my page (for example, the Mercedes Half 2006 is currently not on the site, and it takes a while for a recent race's results to show up.)
Posted by megabeth at 10:34 AM | Comments (1)
April 10, 2006I did not ask the pro duathlete who stayed at my home over the weekend for permission to mention her name, so I won't do that. She was really nice and we had a good time getting ready for the race yesterday. I'm sure she helped me get in the right mindset for the race by helping me to start the day well-prepared.
On Friday, the local new stations concocted a story of doomsday and death because the radar showed some approaching storms. Schools and offices closed early across the area despite that the weather on Friday was gorgeous, with clear skies and full sun. I'm not going to accuse the Doppler storm tracking system of being inaccurate, but I do think that the local news anchors are a bunch of fear-mongering idiots. One of these days we may have a REAL emergency, and most of us will be seasoned to ignore their ridiculous blather because they cried wolf a thousand times before something truly important actually happened. Perhaps the FCC should impose financial sanctions on those who create a news story out of nothing, since it should be a crime to spread false paranoia throughout a population.
So, guess who was at the grocery store on Friday evening after work? Yep, the ENTIRE WORLD. I fought my way through the crowded aisles, and you know that since there is THE STORM TO END ALL STORMS on its way, we are given license to leave our manners at the door. Yeah, right.
Sorry about the additional rant. Anyhow, I bought a lot of food to feed some hungry athletes. The pro was scheduled to fly in around 9 pm Friday night, but due to the storm activity in the midwest, her flight was delayed nearly 2.5 hours. She had trouble getting a rental car at that late hour and arrived at my house around 1 am, immediately retiring to bed.
We woke up in the morning and she put her bike together, as pros must fly with their bikes disassembled and packed into a hard plastic case. I cooked a large breakfast of eggs, bacon and biscuits with fruit. She had some doubts about her reassembled bike, so we took it to a local shop to have it checked out. Then we headed over to the race expo and drove through the course with J. Back to the shop to pick up her bike, then the two of us rode together for about half an hour to make sure our legs were working well. She retired for a nap and I cooked up a huge pot of family recipe spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. J joined us for a huge pre-race meal, and DAMN the spaghetti was good. My Italian ancestors could cook!
We went to bed early to get some good rest for race morning. Woke up at 5:45 am and threw on race clothes and drank a pre-race meal of banana, soy milk and honey. (Side note: I wore my BBC jersey to REPRESENT!!) Arrived at the race site, parked car, had body marked, set up in transition area, then fiddled with my clothing and gear until time for my wave to begin. Apparently I can avoid becoming nervous if I keep playing with my transition set up and my clothing. Although I know I was nervous since I had to go to the bathroom a zillion times that hour.
And I forgot to mention that I said a little prayer in the transition area. Something like "Dear God, I haven't gone to church for three weeks. I am SO SO SO SO BAD for prioritizing this activity. Please forgive me. Please protect me from harm during the race. Amen."
Time to line up for my wave to begin. I checked out my competitors and looked on the back of their calves to see who my AG competitors were. The race director gave us the GO and everyone set off at a VERY fast pace. I allowed maybe 10-15 women to pass me, thinking they were nuts for blowing out the pace at the beginning. As we started to climb a hill, I began to pass one here, one there. For a while, I drafted behind a woman trying to save up some energy while running that fast. (Drafting during the run is legal.) She eventually took off and I let her go, thinking it wasn't human for me to go that pace. At the end of the 2.7 miles, I check my watch and it says 20 minutes. That's a little above a 7 minute pace, but I'm gasping for air like I just started running yesterday. Dashed into the transition area and changed shoes, grabbed my helmet and ran my bike out to the mount line.
Hopped on my bike feeling out of breath still, but recovering. The bike doesn't require breathless panting like the run does. I felt strong and confident. Started catching women who had beat me on the run. My time was speedy, but lots of women can break 7 min miles easily. I passed back and forth with a few women here and there, and one tried to block me from passing. This is a violation, but the USAT officials have to catch it for their time to be docked. I suppose that if you are a cheater and can't rely on your training effort to win races, then you would stoop that low. This is an amateur race, which means that cheating earns you nothing.
This race course is hilly, so I'm able to drop the women who passed/blocked me once and for all. I'm thinking that my pace is pretty good, but at times my speed doesn't seem to be faster than what I've done in training (though I could draft in training!). I look at my watch as I head back to the transition area. I've gained three or four additional minutes ahead of my target time.
Back to transition, change shoes quickly and take off for the third leg/second run. This is when I begin to have a sense of dread. I'm not sure how far behind the women I passed are. I feel as if I don't have much energy left and the lactic acid has built up in my legs; the muscles are burning. The first two miles of the run sucked. I thought for sure that I was running 8 to 8:15 pace and started worrying that I would be overtaken by my female competitors. As the run progressed, my legs felt better and I began to speed up. When the homestretch appeared, which is downhill about half a mile, I took off and finished strong. I felt elated about my finish time.
After the race I ate and ate and ate. Food is a many-splendored thing after a hard effort. The pro who stayed with me urged me to do the full powerman next year. I was able to do that this year, but I wanted to test my limits at a sprint distance pace. Next year, I'll train with a focus on the longer distance.
Posted by megabeth at 01:29 PM | Comments (1)
April 09, 2006I had a very good race today and was pleased with my results. My target time was way too conservative because I finished in 1:40:15, eight minutes ahead of my target.
Here's the breakdown:
19:59 - 2.7 mile run (7:24 pace)
1:36 - Transition 1
56:09 - 27.5 km ride (18.45 mph pace)
1:30 - Transition 2
22:30 - 2.7 mile run (7:47 pace)
-------------------
Total: 1:40:15
My bike leg was very strong despite the wind. The course was hilly. Climbing is tiring, but I love pedaling downhill in a fat gear. When I started out on the second run, I wasn't sure I had anything left for it. After about a mile and a half, my pace picked up and my legs felt better. I finished strong.
I learned from this race that I need to continue doing speedwork and increase the number of intervals I run, so that I can keep up a faster pace during the end of the race. I placed second in my age group and lost to the first place finisher primarily because she is a faster runner. I calculated her average run pace to be 28 sec/mile faster than mine.
Next year, maybe I'll do the full Powerman distance. Until then (at least for the rest of the day), I am going to eat a lot of food! Yum.
Posted by megabeth at 02:28 PM | Comments (4)
April 07, 2006One of the things I like about race weekend is that I get a day off. I realize I could choose NOT to race and then I could have as many days off as I want. But race weekend provides me with one guilt-free day off, and that's nice. Since my race is on Sunday, I am taking Saturday off. And also today, since I still need to clean up a bit around the house before my guest arrives later tonight.
My legs are still a bit sore from the strength training on Tuesday. Yesterday I rode aerobically with a high cadence and didn't push it too hard. I also practiced riding at 30 mph in my aero position.
I'm trying out an old Terry Butterfly saddle loaned to me by a bike shop manager. It's a great seat and I could tell almost immediately that it is the right seat for my booty.
I'm excited about hosting a pro triathlete and I hope I can pick her brain about nutrition and race strategy.
I feel very confident that I am going to race well on Sunday. I feel very strong for early season. My only concern at this point is my pre-race jitters. When I get nervous, my digestive system gets rather overexcited. I've never been able to eat much before a race because of that. I usually eat half a banana and some soy milk and maybe some Hammer Gel. I haven't actually puked at the finish line (yet), but I have doubled over and gagged. I recently read an article about that. People kept telling me I was getting sick to my stomach because of dehydration, but I knew I had been taking in enough fluids during the race. What happens is that when the body is at an oxygen deficit, it diverts oxygen flow to the less important parts of the body, such as the digestive system. The reduction in oxygen inflow causes the stomach to want to expel its contents. Thus, I think the solution to the nausea problem is to increase VO2Max level through interval training. However, it may just be a symptom of biology, and thus unavoidable if I'm pushing my body to the limit.
My target times for this race:
22:30 - 2.8 mile run (8:00 pace)
1:30 - Transition 1
60:00 - 27.5 km ride (17 mph pace)
1:30 - Transition 2
22:30 - 2.8 mile run (8:00 pace)
Total: 1 hr 48 min
This time will put me in good standing for a top 3 AG placement.
I'm being a bit conservative with my times. I can run a 7:45 pace and probably 18-19 mph on the bike. My fastest race pace last summer was 20.3 mph. It just depends on how I'm feeling and if I use my energy reserve judiciously. Ideally I hope to run the second portion faster than the first, but it's more difficult to run after the bike.
Posted by megabeth at 09:29 AM | Comments (1)
April 05, 2006Cycling stores make money because everyone who rides has some degree of bike lust. When I bought my first bike, I spent $2000 and thought I had just made the most insane impulse buy in my entire life. I can say that because I have yet to purchase a car in my 31 years; the one I'm driving now has been with me since 1997 when it was bestowed to me as a college graduation present. It won't be long before my bike is worth more than my car.
Everyone else who rides thinks that $2K is a pittance; I see lots of $3K-$5K machines out there on my group rides. It's a lot to spend on a hobby (and the incidentals add up to something quite significant; consider that a 4.5 lb canister of Endurox runs around $40), but I enjoy it so much and have met so many nice people that the investment has been worthwhile.
My first road bike is a Specialized Dolce Comp, an aluminum frame designed for women with a narrower handlebar width, smaller grips and a compact double crank. It has some upgrades like carbon fork, carbon seat post, Dura-Ace rear derailleur and Ultegra components. I think the bike probably weighs around 19.5 lbs without drink bottles and aerobars. Anyhow, I'd love to get a bike that weighs 17 lbs or less. I'm thinking at this point that I am going to get a new bike this coming winter after I have ridden mine for two seasons.
But also, I want to get Lasik surgery next year. I'm just tired of having to deal with eyeglasses and contact lenses; it's a pain. I can expense that in a medical tax saver account.
New bike, new eyes: big bucks.
I have been eyeing what other people ride, since I have bike lust, and I like the Scott and Orbea frames. This Orbea site excites me to no end. You can build your bike from the frame up and select your own components. As you add components, the display shows you the total weight of your bike.
Very, very cool.
Posted by megabeth at 10:25 AM | Comments (4)
A couple of women I ride with decided not to participate in Opening Day at the Races, which is the first Tuesday after the time change in which there is enough daylight after work to ride; thus the volume of cyclists on the roads at one time is at its peak. Rumor has it that the ride is a bit squirrely due to unregulated testosterone. And lo and behold, a crash occurred at the beginning of the ride.
I can't keep up with the A group anyway, a Cat 5 male gives me a run for my money; and the leaders of this group are Cat 1 and 2. But it's fun to see how long I can hang with them until I blow to pieces. This year I hope for another few miles before my butt gets kicked.
So, I rode with two girls, and we practiced climbing steep hills and other above-lactate-threshold activities such as sprinting and climbing less steep hills in a fatter gear. I believe that the speedwork from running is benefitting my strength in cycling, particularly the climbing of hills.
I had a flat due to a piece of glass; we girls were fumbling around with the tube and the tire, but a really nice guy who works at the bike shop I spin at stopped to finish up the task at lightening speed. I've never had to change a tire on my own since all the guys who ride are so nice, but this will one day come back to haunt me if I flat while riding alone. Rule of thumb for me, though, is that I carry my cell phone with me, and I chose a small 3 oz phone for that very reason.
Posted by megabeth at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2006The guy who heads up the track club here is an incredibly nice and generous person. He's one of those people who significantly improves the quality of life here in the Magic City for many people. Last fall, I hooked up with the 10K to Half running group midway through the training season after deciding to run the Mercedes Half, and he sent the group lots of encouraging and funny emails about our training runs. Each weekend, I ran my weekly long runs with the group. That was always social and fun, even in bitterly cold temperatures.
So, I emailed him this week and asked him to provide suggestions for speedwork. I typed up the list below from his email. He reminded me to take every fourth week off, or cut one workout in half that week in order to cut back and recover.
My goal is to do speedwork once a week this summer, most likely on Monday evenings, and when the weather gets hot, I'll have to get up early on Monday mornings. Ugh.
- Week 1 & 2: Two min fast, two min slow, times 4-6
- Week 3: 1/4 mile pace at 1:45-1:55, times 6 with 1/4 mile recovery
- Week 4: times 7
- Week 5: times 8
- Week 6: times 9
- Week 7: times 10
- Week 8: 1/4 mile pace at 1:45-1:55, times 6 with 1/8 mile recovery
Ow. OW. OUCH OUCH OUCH. I did speedwork last night: four 1:45s with 2 minute recoveries. That hurt. That was the first 2.5 miles of my run (after a warm-up mile). Then I ran the last 2.5 at an increasingly faster pace, getting stronger by the end. Actually, I was wanting to quit, so the faster I finished, the earlier I could stop running.
Posted by megabeth at 03:42 PM | Comments (2)