Train Like A Pro! :)

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inspire me (9)

Saturday - March 10

Bike

2h 36m 41s
47.13 miles
18.05 Mi/hr

On my ride up the coast, I caught up to a group of riders called 'Swami's' and I tried to keep up with them for a bit. They headed inland and practiced sprinting up hills, so they dropped me after about 8mi. Oh well, gave me some good incentive to get faster and try harder. They were FAST! Really gorgeous ride overall. I'm very happy with my average pace because I felt like I was pushing myself the whole time.

Run

37m 34s
4.81 miles
07m 49s /Mi

BRICK
I didn't eat enough while biking so my energy was completely lacking for this brick, but it turned out OK. My RPE was through the roof- I kept trying to slow down, but it wasn't happening.

We had a fun evening last night hanging out with friends, and the best part was, I got to be before 1am so I could actually get some sleep!

Health data: Sleep: 3 Stress: 2 Soreness: 5 Fatigue: 5 Hours slept: 7 Overall Workout: 5

inspire me (13)

Friday - March 9

Run

1h 51m 10s
14.02 miles
07m 56s /Mi

Nice long run. Felt a bit fatigued for the first half, but after about 6mi, I felt normal again.

I finally have a second to sit down and write for a bit. My interview was a whirlwind of activity. Everything went extremely well. Here are some of the great things: -The people in the lab are awesome, well-balanced grad students -There is a ton of equipment to use and a ton of money available to pursue different projects -They are a very high producing lab, with 7-8 papers already published this year -Both PI's are awesome people (the first thing I talked about with the one guy was what type of pedals he had on his bike :) ) -The research they do is outstanding and most people come out of the lab getting any post-doc position they want -They are extremely flexible with their schedules so I could train during the day if I wanted to -There are 2 triathletes already in the lab -Last but not least: Boulder ROCKS! I love the hippies, the 'buy local' vibes, the outdoor attitude, and the green of it all (both politically and environmentally) of everyhing. I love to ski, hike, climb, bike, ski more, run, camp and be in the mountains and forests. The only thing that makes this decision difficult is the fact that the actual program at Michigan (ie the classes you have to take and requirements needed) are a bit more rigorous. That might not be a good thing in the long run, because I could focus on my research right away, but that is the only thing that makes me nervous. The biggest problem with Michigan is that it's not in Boulder. Ryan really, really, really wants me to pick Boulder, and he's even said he'd buy me a new tri bike if it meant I picked Boulder! I shouldn't get my hopes up yet, though, because I don't know if I'm even in yet. I am a bit stressed, though, because this is a huge life decision, and I just don't know what the right path is. Arrrggghh!!! Any advice for this youngin'?

Health data: Sleep: 2 Stress: 2 Soreness: 4 Fatigue: 3 Hours slept: 5

inspire me (9)

Thursday - March 8

inspire me (11)

Wednesday - March 7

Run

54m 37s
6.87 miles
07m 57s /Mi

Awesome run with 2 of the grad students along the boulder creek path. It's weird that my pace and HR weren't too out of wack because my RPE was through the roof. Gotta love thin air and dehydration! I was supposed to go 9 miles, but we only had time for this.

The interview process is going really well so far. The people here are amazing and Boulder is just the coolest place, obviously. In Boulder- off to meet the lab! I'll get my high altitude run in later!

inspire me (18)

Tuesday - March 6

Bike

28m 53s
8.31 miles
17.26 Mi/hr

Great morning ride, watching the sun come up over the mountains. Legs felt really strong. I had to consciously push my pace and I kept my cadence up- avg for the ride was 89 (which includes all the stops). I even practiced taking my shoes off on the bike.

Run

1h 00m 28s
8.02 miles
07m 32s /Mi

BRICK

I love bricks. I should really do these more often, especially since I had no knee clicks or twinges at all (bricks made the bike knee pain worse). Must've been the pedals/shoes all along. There was a little bit of pain in my upper quads when I was going downhills from all the downhill running I did on saturday, but overall, it was great!

I knew I would miss my bike while travelling in CO, so I decided to turn this workout into a brick. My flight leaves at 5 today, and I can't wait!! This trip should be fun and informative, and hopefully it will become clear as to where I belong :) Now I just have to impress Boulder enough to let me in! Oh yeah, on my bike ride to work this morning, this guy was riding near me without a helmet. There are a ton of bike commuters who do not wear one, and I just don't get it. We ride in a very congested area with parked cars taking up the shoulder, no bike lanes, and constantly turning traffic. I couldn't help myself, so I asked this guy- what's the advantage of not wearing a helmet? HIS reply- my hair dries faster.... Well, I guess natural selection will just have to do it's job at some point!

Health data: Sleep: 2 Stress: 3 Soreness: 3 Fatigue: 3 Hours slept: 6

inspire me (18)

Monday - March 5

Swim

33m 24s
1800.00 yards
01m 52s /100 yards

Sluggish swim. Arms were dragging and my legs were sinking; it was hard to keep my form right. Cut the swim short and relaxed in the hot tub to get the soreness out of my legs.

Happy Monday! My legs are pretty fatigued today, but not too bad. This week is exciting because I get to visit Boulder, CO Tuesday through Thursday! It's also a nerve-wracking week not only because I care more about this interview, but also, after this visit, I have to make a difficult life-changing decision about what to do and where to go for the next 5 years :-/ But have no fear- I will not let my mental state alter my training schedule! To keep myself sane, maybe I'll run a few miles sometime this week ;)

Health data: Sleep: 4 Soreness: 2 Fatigue: 2 Hours slept: 8

inspire me (13)

Sunday - March 4

Bike

3h 59m 22s
64.34 miles
16.13 Mi/hr

What an awesome ride!! I think if I try to write a description like I did yesterday, I would make everyone else vomit with jealousy... It's not that I'm trying to brag or anything, it's just I have an awesome appreciation for living here, and I'm cherishing every last moment of it.

I decided to join Tom (madcow) for part of his ridiculously long ride. He called me when he left his place about 1.3hrs before he would get to me. I had just gone to bed about 5 hours beforehand, but I didn't care- I had dreams about riding my bike all night and couldn't wait to get out there. Tom and I met up and rode through mission valley, and he teased me for writing him a PM about our ride while I was drunk last night at like 2am. Hehe. He didn't think I'd make it!
Highlights from the ride:
-Amazingly perfect weather- 72 and sunny the entire time, with breezes going in every direction to cool you off whenever you started to get too hot.
-Very challenging ride with a lot of climbing and descents to make sure we were never bored.
-All the beautiful people in San Diego decided to run outside with their shirts off today (guys and girls) and I swear, at least half those chics looked like pro triathletes.
-Tons of puppies playing on the beaches.
-Stopping at Torrey Pines to fill up our water bottles, and gazing out to the ocean, a pod of about 20 dolphins starts playing in the surf. They were about 15 feet from shore, just where the waves were breaking- it was breathtaking!
-I LOVE my new shoes and pedals!! My knees never ached!
-The fact that I could ride 60mi after my run yesterday- I must've run too slowly yesterday 'cause I'm not too sore!
-AWESOME company- I thoroughly enjoy riding with Tom, we are really good riding partners (or at least I think so!)
-Did I mention that it was 72, sunny, breezy and we saw 20 dolphins?

....will someone please give me a better job here in San Diego so I don't have to go to grad school?!? Pretty, pretty please- I work as hard as I train, I swear!!

Yesterday was awesome. After my run, we went to the beach to play some beach volleyball with our friends. We haven't played volleyball since october, but we weren't too bad! We actually won a few games, so that was cool. After the beach, a friend of mine came down from LA to hang out for the night. We went out for some yummy Thai food, came back to our place to drink for a bit, then went to our favorite bar to play foosball and darts. When we got back, we watched Spinal Tap till all hours of the morning- it was terrific! Now I think I'm going to go pass out....