We Got This!!

First off, I apologize for the delay on this entry.

Last week was a doosey of a week. When we last left off, we were heading into our swim session. it was awesome. tons of drills, which can be boring and mindless, but it does help in the long run. I was also informed that when I breath, I lift my head to high out of the water, so I need to keep "one goggle eye" in the water when I breath... it is more difficult than i expected and i proceeded to drink A LOT of pool water last week.

On Wednesday I did my first group trainer ride. it was tough, especially with my Piriformis not at 100%... but i managed to do a decent job. i kept up with everyone, but I had to keep my gear a tad easier than everyone else as it was starting to act up. After the ride, we had to do a quick 5min run, to make sure our legs stay used to the transition.

here is a breakdown of what we had to do:

Thursday was a running drill set and let me tell you... it KICKED MY A$$!! Holy Cow! Basically it was 10min warm up and 5min cool down with a super tough 30min set... check it out. it may seem like its a breeze, but give it a shot and let me know how ya feel after. :-)

Short, Speed, Speed!

Find a stretch of road/path that you can run approx 2-3mins un-interrupted by stop lights or intersections. Flat to gentle rollers.

WARM UP:10mins @ easy, conversational pace.

MAIN SET:Mark your starting spot as POINT A. Start your watch and run 2mins @ MODERATE pace. Stop. This is POINT B.

Turn around and run back to POINT A in 1:55

Turn around and run back to POINT B in 1:50

Turn around and run back to POINT A in BEST EFFORT - SPRINT.**No rest between run efforts****

2min rest between sets**Repeat 3x (30mins)

WARM DOWN: 5mins@ easy jog or walk.

Friday was our homework swim. it was a gorgeous and so peaceful on Friday am at the pool. i had a lane to myself and knock it out. The cool thing is we are set to do 2400 yards... but on fridays, the Culver City pool is open with lanes that are 50 meters opposed to the 25 yards we do on Tuesday nights, so every friday i a get a little extra in, which is nice now and will kill me later as i get into the longer distances.

Saturday morning our team conquered the PCH for the first time. It was roughly 36.2 miles along the scenic highway as well as detour up and down the connected canyons and a lovely 30min run after. Don't get me wrong, this was no easy feat. It was a momentous day in our training as we tackled a course that is always full of surprises, soaring emotions, challenges physical capabilities AND it was the longest and most intense ride to date of this season. it was CRAZY AWESOME! - BEAUTIFUL and HARD. My Piriformis acted up only at the last 5miles, so that was good... and my run after was kinda weak. i only did 2.5miles in the 30min. i should have done at least 3mi. but given my calves were so tight from the killer run work out on Thursday and my butt, i was struggling... but i did it!

Here is the awesome view i got to bike and run on Sunday through Zuma / Malibu. Life could be harder. :-)

This was the first Canyon we did. You may think, that's not too bad. YOU ARE WRONG. it is switchback hills

View from the top of the Second Canyon

The Course

Sunday.. YES! Sunday.... remember that Amalfi Hillie bike loop i was telling you about before... well on Sunday we did part of it with other hills looped together with a final trek up San Vicente for a total of 8.1 miles .. and i did it in 1:36! i was pumped! i am getting so much better with my running and i managed to do the first 5 miles, which as the crazy hill part in 57 min! BOOM!! so excited. I think i might actually be able to say soon that i like running!! WHAT!?!?!?

Additionally, on Sunday, i made my way down to San Diego to pick up my new bike!! WAHOOOO!!! now i just have to learn it! :-)

So, Tuesday we had a swim marker test to see where we are at with our swim times and techniques. Given that I missed that last marker, i cannot honestly see what my improvement was, but i can tell you from experience, i have improved. i managed to do 1650 yard in 30:32. WAHOO!! i was hauling it and pushing myself like crazy. at one point i thought i was done, until my coach informed me that i had another 100 yards to go! such a bummer when i put all the effort in the last 100 yards. :-) ... but It was awesome and definitely managed to stay at 2min/100 yards or quicker! YAY!!

Yesterday we were back on a bike day. I was really looking forward to taking my new baby out for a spin, but since it rained on Tuesday night, or ride was canceled. Boo. which meant we were all set for a trainer ride. The good thing is that the trainer rides are crazy intense and fun when you are with a group. the bad things is i already had plans to see a screening of "TAMMY" with Melissa McCarthy (it was awful and do not go when it comes out).. so i had to do the trainer ride by myself. Talk about a motivation killer. :-) but i did it! i turned on Scandal and hopped on my bike for another rendition of Death B4 DNF... and to be honest, my butt didn't hurt, so i was really able to push it and man was i a sweaty mess. thank goodness i put a towel down below my bike. gross! :-) and then i did a mile after in 10min flat!! best time yet off the bike! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I am so excited with my progress. it is such an exciting to feeling to see where i was 11 weeks ago with my 1:1 intervals on the run and gasping for air in the first 4 miles on the bike. Its awesome.

this weekend, I am doing the SoCal Ragnar Relay where we run from Huntington Beach to San Diego. I have the 4th largest leg, roughly 16.6 miles in total. please pray for me.

lots of laughs and love,

Rachel

Travel Griffin Ironwoman - A Journey About One Girl's Dream to Become an Ironman

Thursday, April 3, 2014

We Got This!!

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