My Standard Weekly Targets

Tapering frees up time for reflection. Now I'm starting to look back over the last year. Some day after the race I'll post after Ironman Florida about my training plan and comment on what I should have changed and what I would have kept the same.

As the mom of twin 3-year-olds, also a single mom 4 days per week now, the biggest challenge was getting time while the girls were being minded so that I was able to get in the workouts at all. This never seemed to happen on a regular schedule, so sticking to a huge pre-planned workout schedule or coach-assigned plan seemed nearly impossible for me. From time to time I could find work-arounds, but never on a consistent week-after-week basis. So I trained when I could, and didn't train when I couldn't. I could certainly have done more on the bike trainer, but perhaps not without becoming clinically insane. So there you have it. That's my reality.

The very BEST thing that I did this year in preparing for Ironman Florida was to set minimum weekly targets for workout distances and keep track of them every single day in my sidebar.

That gave me consistency and some accountability, which I greatly needed. Because, as we all know, I'm fundamentally a sedentary slacker at heart. I'm much more inclined to blow off workouts and sleep late than get them all done and to do all that I had planned each time, week after week after week.

There were a few weeks where I didn't get in much running, a few weeks where I didn't get in much cycling, a few weeks that I didn't swim at all, a couple weeks when I was sick, and a few weeks when I didn't watch my food intake closely. But they were exceptions. The rule was no-excuses consistency in doing at the very least a minimum amount in each discipline each week.

For the 42 weeks that we have had to train so far in 2006:

• Swim goal of 1500 meters or more met: 39 out of 42 weeks (132,500 meters total, over double my 2005 52-week total)
• Bike goal of 20 miles or more met: 39 out of 42 weeks (2494 miles total, nearly triple my 2005 52-week total)
• Run goal of 10 miles or more met: 36 out of 42 weeks (627 miles total, 86% of my 2005 52-week total)
• Food log goal of 5 days or more met: 32 out of 42 weeks

Not exactly the 42/44 weeks that I had targeted in each discipline, but not too far off.

Average training time per week for the first 40 weeks of 2006 (before I got sick right after Chesapeakeman and had two very, very light weeks):

• Core: 0.7 hours
• Swim: 1.9 hours
• Bike: 4.0 hours
• Run: 3.3 hours
• Total: 10.0 hours

Longer stuff for the final 18 weeks before the taper began 2 weeks pre-race:

• 3/4 Ironman distance swim goal (2900 meters or more) met: 9 out of 18 weeks
• 3/4 Ironman distance bike goal (84 miles or more) met: 7 out of 18 weeks
• 3/4 Ironman distance running goal (19.6 miles or more) met: 7 out of 18 weeks

Is it enough? It definitely isn't by many athlete's standards. Most Ironman triathletes will tell you about far more hours in training. This would be considered minimalist training by most triathletes. That's okay. I'm just posting them for the record - to sum up what I've done this year, definitely not to brag nor to elicit shocked gasps of horror. They're my real numbers for 4/5 of a year of my life, not glossed over or puffed up for public consumption. It is what it is.

Is it ever enough? It will have to be enough, because it's too late for me to do more without messing up my big race day. The proof is in the pudding - the Ironman Florida finish line - and the pudding won't be done for another couple of weeks.

The point is that the tracking method that I used DID help my consistency enormously and kept me focused on getting in SOME distance in each discipline every week. Training for an Ironman is just too big of a monster not to break it down into manageable bite-sized weekly portions. Maybe it's a tool that you can use too.

Buttercup's Final Outing

Today was our last ride together before I drop Buttercup off Tuesday for a tuneup -- and then on Saturday she gets shipped off in the Big Truck to Panama City Beach! 32 miles yesterday and 32 miles today both felt pretty easy-peasy, as it should at this point in time. Also did a 5K run-off on the track today and shuffled around it in 34:19. That will do for my long run pace!

I ordered Buttercup a special race-day present on eBay that I'll have to give to her when we get to Panama City Beach - a decal for her top tube that says Nancinator. Sort of like Ironman Champion Normann Stadler's bike. Thanks for the idea, Flatman!

Yesterday I was mesmerized for several hours watching Normann and all the other athletes in the online coverage of the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

I was sad for Dick and Rick Hoyt not making the swim cutoff, but it was great to see them cheered in to shore by dozens of lifeguards on surfboards as well as all the spectators on shore. Hooray for Coach Debi Bernardes finishing well up in her age group - and tieing 6-time world champion Natascha Badmann on the swim leg! I hope Natascha is okay - she must have had a rough day (for her) not to be able to make up more time on the run leg and finishing 10th pro woman. Also congratulations to local triathlete Melissa Merson for becoming an Ironman! Pro Tara Norton - hope you're okay, there's no time posted for your run! And way to go, Sister Madonna Buder, for making it over the finish line once again, just before midnight.

In the past I always watched the Kona Ironman triathlon and thought, that's incredible, that's a nearly impossible feat!!!! How could anyone ever manage to finish that!???

This was the first time watching when I occasionally thought, "Yeah, I could maybe do that."

12 DAYS TO GO and I'll get my chance to try!

---

Update: Ack! I failed to give Bolder appropriate credit for the Nancinator name. Sorry! I'll give you a private decal viewing in Panama City Beach.

Those IMFL time predictions

I don't know what the weather will be like.
I don't know what the surf will be like.
I don't know how I'll be feeling.
I don't know how my stomach will react after over 9 hours on course.
I do know that unexpected things will happen on the course, and I will deal with them as they occur.

But that said, I can make some educated time estimates of my various performance scenarios.

Swim 2.4 miles:
A dream day: less than 1:38 (less than double my Steelhead swim time)
A happy day: 1:38 - 1:52 (faster than my Chesapeakeman swim time)
An okay day: 1:53 - 2:19 (staying just ahead of the 2:20 swim cutoff, possibly with swim problems)

T1 - Swim to bike transition:
A dream day: less than 0:08:00 (faster than Chesapeakeman)
A happy day: 0:0800 - 0:12:00 (Typical T1 for me)
An okay day: 0:12:00 - 0:15:00 (slower than even the Chesapeakeman chatfest)

Bike 112 miles:
A dream day: less than 6:45 = 16.6 mph (14 minutes faster than Chesapeakeman)
A happy day: 6:45 - 7:10 = 15.6 mph (right around the time of Chesapeakeman)
An okay day: 7:10 - 8:00 = 14.0 mph (staying ahead of the 10:15 elapsed time cutoff, perhaps with flats or other problems?)

T2 - Bike to run transition:
A dream day: less than 0:03:00 (faster than Eagleman)
A happy day: 0:03:00 - 0:05:00 (typical T2 for me)
An okay day: 0:05:00 - 0:10:00 (slower if I'm getting really, really tired; or doing very well and taking my time accessorizing for the run)

Run 26.2 miles:
A dream day: less than 5:52 = 13:26 min/mile (a marathon PR)
A happy day: 5:52 to 6:37 = 15:09 min/mile (faster than my tired Goofy marathon last January)
An okay day: 6:37 to 7:16 = 16:38 min/mile (faster than my slowest, hottest standalone marathon in Maui, 2001)

What would those times yield?

Total time:
A dream day: 14:26
A happy day: 15:56 (pretty close to my best bet)
A not-so-okay day: 18:00 - which would put me over the finish line an hour after the cutoffs. Therefore I can't have problems in every discipline - I'd have to pull it out on the run and go fast (for me)!!! Which I could do, maybe, if I weren't exhausted! But this is a good reminder that nothing is certain in Ironman, and a big fat DNF is still a distinct possibility!

Your best bet!

Shelley is making a pool for betting on your IMFL finisher's time on her blog. $5 per bet, closest finisher to their predicted time wins!

I'm going to say 15:59:59 as my best guess. I'd be very happy with that. Plus it gives me an hour cushion before the cutoff, in case things go badly wrong out there on the course.

I think on a perfect day I can go faster than that, but I'm not sure that I will push myself that hard. Hey, why hurry through my first IM, right??

If I'm faster, I'll be quite happy to lose the bet. :-)

How red should I go?

That's my question for Ironman Florida race week. How red should I go? As we all know, red is fast.

I'm debating about the shade, though. Somewhere redder than chestnut, but staying somewhere on this side of day-glo red like in the photo. (My boobs won't look like that either, but that's another post.)

Then again, I don't want to be mistaken for Lucille Ball out there on the Ironman course. Because she's dead.

What's your vote for race day? I'd make a poll but that's a pain. Post your recommendations in the comments.

The really important IMFL prep

I've nearly finished buying all my race supplies for Ironman Florida!! This is what I scored yesterday at the local dollar store:


First, reflective tape, which is required front and back on the shirts of runners that are out there on the marathon course after dark (as I will be).

Second, blinking necklaces!! In RED! Which means FAST! Yes, they hand out glow necklaces on the course, but those don't blink, and they're probably in dumb colors that won't go with my race gear, and they don't blink. So these will be IMPORTANT to my race performance!!

And finally, glow bracelets. Lots of them. It's important for a girl to be properly accessorized.

My hair is going to be a little redder than usual, too. But not blinking. I'm considering bright red nail polish, too. I can't figure out a way to make my fingernails blink, either, however.

It's also important not to take this Ironman thing WAY TOO SERIOUSLY, like SOME folks I know. Who will not be linked to from this post, but they know who they are. Well, on second thought, they probably don't know who they are, sadly.

Let's have some FUN out there, people!!! It's way too long a day to do otherwise!!

Love your body!

Today, October 18th, is Love Your Body Day!

"Hollywood and the fashion, cosmetics and diet industries work hard to make each of us believe that our bodies are unacceptable and need constant improvement. Print ads and television commercials reduce us to body parts — lips, legs, breasts — airbrushed and touched up to meet impossible standards. TV shows tell women and teenage girls that cosmetic surgery is good for self-esteem. Is it any wonder that 80% of U.S. women are dissatisfied with their appearance?"

Some thought-provoking advertisements are posted on the site.

Remember the Runaway Bride?

Here's a catty article about how Jennifer Wilbanks, the famous Runaway Bride, has bulked up a little since she stopped running. Yeah, stress will do that to a person.

IronBlog

There's a new triblog from Kona put out by the folks at active.com: IronBlog. Check it out!

I liked the piece on Normann Stadler's sweet bike, especially the top tube graphic:

Ooh, Buttercup really wants "Nancinator" along her top tube.

PSA: Bike Maintenance Class

After my last post, I realized we needed another Public Service Announcement here. I'm always seeing people who are under tight budgets paying their local bike shop Big Bucks to provide very simple service to their bikes. Or taking their bike back repeatedly to the shop because something wasn't done correctly. Or getting mad and whining at their husband/wife/S.O. because they haven't done the bike maintenance chores, while choosing to stay blissfully ignorant of what their own bike needs. And then having to phone someone in a panic from the road to pick them up with a flat tire.

Why not just learn to fix and maintain it yourself?

The off season is a perfect time to take a Bike Maintenance class! Ideally, you need to find one in your area that's 8 or more hours in length, allowing you enough time to take apart just about every system of your bike (under expert supervision) and put it back together again. I'd like to take a more advanced one now myself, actually.

My report on the 8-hour one I took at R.E.I. right after I bought Buttercup is here (part 1) and here (part 2). Lots of local bike shops or community colleges offer similar classes, though.

It was definitely worth every penny, and has paid for itself many times over now! Plus there's great satisfaction and peace of mind in knowing that you have done the job, and done it right.

And no, most jobs do not require a big investment in expensive tools. Got a $2 set of Allen wrenches? That and maybe $20 total of other tools will do 90% of what your bike needs.

And no, you can't use the excuse that you don't have time, because it's definitely going to take you MORE time to mess around with transporting your bike into the shop and picking it up every time you need some maintenance on it. Or sitting on the side of the road with a flat that you don't know how to fix. Or you end up leaving it sit and rot in the garage because it needs something minor, right?

Getting dressed for the Big Dance

First, the good news: I finally (after over two weeks!) slept through the night without waking up EVEN ONCE to hack and cough and all that nasty stuff. Hooray!! I guess the half marathon blew the carbon out of my lungs, or something.

Next: Today was the day I started getting Buttercup ready for her Date With Destiny on November 4th. Partly due to the good advice of multiple-IRONM4N Shelley, partly to get myself psyched, and partly to get Buttercup psyched, she got a new set of inner tubes, a new set of bright yellow Continental 4000 tires, AND a new Dura-Ace chain. Along with a good cleaning. She is feeling SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOOOOD now!!

And YES, I did it all myself. You shouldn't have to ask!!

Common Woman Syndrome

That's me, all over, today. Despite the beautiful weather I couldn't make myself get on the bike. My legs are too freakin' sore from those hills in Baltimore. I made myself run up and down all of them (though I did do some walking on the flats once I started getting tired) and they're paying the price today. Ouch! I've been training on the flatlands and my legs are reminding me of that! Plus the father-in-law is visiting, so we spent time with him instead.

Besides, isn't it time I stopped waking up 3 or 4 times in the night to cough my brains out? That's getting really old. I'm ready to start my 3-week holiday in preparation for Ironman Florida.

It was a good reminder how far 26.2 miles really is. WAY. TOO. FAR. Especially after swimming 2.4 and cycling 112! But I also feel confident that I can finish it once I start, if I have enough time before the cutoffs. And that 12:50 min/mile that I averaged yesterday, if I could maintain that on the flat course in Florida, would still give me a 5:36 marathon. That would work for me - that would be a marathon PR! But I have a sneaking suspicion by that time at night I won't be wanting to push myself quite that fast.

But for today, I'm indulging in a little rest and recovery. And trying not to think too hard about attempting 140.6 miles all in one day.

Back from Baltimore!

I'm back! My last long run before Ironman Florida is done. LET THE TAPER BEGIN!

I had a great dinner on Friday night after the expo with my pals *jeanne*

and WrayJean

and Shawn.

Here they are on race morning with their game faces and garbage bags in place:

I ran about 5-6 miles before the start with the marathon (carrying my own water, and being careful not to cross their chip mats). This was the marathon start, in front of Camden Yards.

Then I went to the half marathon staging area (below) and it started 1:45 after the marathon, so I was able to do the whole thing.

I finished the half marathon in 2:48 (for a total of 20.5 running and walking miles). A little slower than I had hoped, but still okay. I'm still coughing quite a bit, and it is a fairly challenging hilly course. I got the miles done, nevertheless, and that's what today was all about. Here are my official results:

NANCY TOBY
bib number: 8352
age: 49
gender: F
overall place: 3405 out of 3869 (88%)
division place: 132 out of 186 (70%)
gender place: 1823 out of 2218 (82%)
time: 2:48:02
pace: 12:49
guntime: 2:53:43

My splits, FWIW (just for my records; it seems my speedometer was stuck about 12:50):
1: 12:21
2: 12:45
3: 12:37
4: 13:16
5: 12:43
6: 13:19
7: 12:44
8: 12:45
9: 14:02
10: 12:14
11: 12:30
12: 13:04
13: 12:27
0.1: 1:16

I saw Shawn once about mile 7 of the marathon, not looking very happy. I checked her results, though, and she hit her goal of 6 hours exactly on the nose! WAY TO GO!! And WJ and *jeanne* did great too!!


The weather was perfect! I've got to get up early for a ride tomorrow - this is going to be interesting with sore legs!

The secret signal

Here it is, our own secret hand signal that I just invented, only known to the readers of my blog and anyone else I show it to. You saw it here first.

It combines the A.S.L. finger-spelling signs for the letters "I" and "M". Show it high and proud!

What's that spell?

IRONMAN!

What's that spell?

IRONMAN!

What's that spell?

IRONMAN!

I swam.

Twenty-four days from now I'm scheduled to attempt a 2.4-mile swim in the Gulf of Mexico. One year ago that thought would have filled me with abject terror.

Today I'm looking forward to it! It's still going to be a long, long, long swim for me, and I have a tremendous respect for the power of the ocean, but I'm fairly confident that I can get the job done.

What changed?

For me, it wasn't taking lessons, or attending master's swim class, or any of those avenues that probably would have been a good idea to start out with. I haven't swum huge workouts or enormous distances. I've had a total of about four hours of swim instruction in my entire life.

Then what changed?

I swam.

I swam over 80 miles this year, even though it wasn't a standard training program or anything terribly methodical. But I did try to make every lap count.

I swam in a dirty three-lane-wide pool at 5AM in the winter in Virginia with the aqua aerobics class going on in the next two lanes.

I swam in the brackish water of the Choptank River in Maryland.

I swam from a backyard dock into Long Haul Creek in Maryland.

I swam lap after lap in the clean, chlorinated waters of the Cool Pool at the Easton, Maryland YMCA.

I swam 1500m in freshwater Centennial Lake in Maryland.

I swam in the Choptank River some more, 1.2 miles in the roughest water that they had seen for Eagleman in twenty years.

I swam in the early mornings at the town pool in St. Michaels while the babysitter watched my girls.

I swam in Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland with Ellie.

I swam in the (overly) Warm Pool at the YMCA.

I swam in Lake James in Indiana.

I swam 1.2 miles in Lake Michigan for Steelhead at Benton Harbon, Michigan.

I swam in Harrison Lake in Ohio.

I swam in Delaware Bay with Ellie near Cape Henlopen on the Delaware coast.

I swam at the Miles River Yacht Club pool, and played with my girls in the baby pool.

I swam in the Atlantic Ocean without a wetsuit - and was so cold I turned around and got out again.

I swam laps in a 20-yard hotel pool near Denver, Colorado in the rain.

I swam in the Choptank River again amongst the sea nettles. Against a current. For 2.4 miles.

I swam today, another 2500 yards in the Cool Pool at the YMCA, and 1000 yards of it was at a pace that would yield me a sub-1:37 Ironman swim (though it's doubtful that I'll swim that hard that day).

To teach myself to swim. . . .

I swam.

I swam and learned what the water had to teach me and swam some more. I learned by doing.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the Gulf of Mexico has to teach me.

Twenty-four days from now.

Still Sick IV

I don't have much good to say, *cough* *cough* *hack* so I'll just post some photos.

Here's Catherine sharing her breakfast with Tiger, who is sort of the Crown Prince of the Household. He gets Most Favored Animal status, and full rights and privileges that pertain thereto.

Here is Catherine shielding herself from all the nasty germs in our house. Or cosmic rays. Or those people inside the Beltway reading our thoughts.

Or maybe she was shielding herself from the Wrath of Mom, after her little Ajax and SoftSoap party on the kitchen floor, which took forever to clean up. It may not look like it, but that is a whole entire complete can of Ajax distributed across the floor. Oh, heck, it was time to replace that floor anyway. . . .

Here's Elisabeth trundling off to school again last week with her oversized backpack, before we were all struck down with the Black Plague.

Here she is with her little classmates.

This is how she signs "love". Sure, I'm prejudiced, but could she be any cuter!?

Still Sick III

It's not so much the coughing up jellyfish. It's the broken sleep from waking up to cough. Yuck. Another recovery day for me, while everyone else is cranking up their final big training week before Ironman Florida. I kept Elisabeth home today from school, too. We might as well all be miserable together, right?

Mr. Steve asked a couple questions in the comments:

About Ironman Florida athlete tracking: That should be available on race day (Saturday November 4th) at http://www.ironmanlive.com/ - you can search either by the athlete's surname (mine is above!) or the number. Be sure that you get names or numbers in advance from any other anonymous blogger-triathletes that you want to follow! I don't yet have my bib number, but I hope it's something auspicious like 666 or 1957 or 1559.

My heart rate monitor: Is a cheapie ($65 or so) Polar A3 model, which I think is no longer marketed. It tells me my current heart rate and average heart rate over time, which is really all that I need. That and my Timex Ironman watch and my cheapie Cateye Astrale bike computer are as high-tech as I currently get. I feel so Stone Age, with nothing to make fancy graphs with.

Still Sick II

Awake about 4 or 5 times last night, dealing with jellyfish removal again. WILL THERE BE NO END TO THEM?? Still, my training buddy David emailed me so I got out on the bike for 32 miles. That was enough for today, even though the weather was gorgeous. I'm not going to make fitness progress this week, but maybe that's enough to keep from backsliding too far.

One good thing: my cool-weather cycling jersey and vest that was snug last winter is now pretty loose. They must have stretched out over the summer.

I coughed a lot to try to make David feel sorry for me. But he didn't. At least he didn't yell at me for draggin' my butt.

Still sick

This coughing up jellyfish is getting real old. I spent an hour on a little jellyfish clearance project in the middle of the night last night. So I decided about 4:30AM that I wasn't going to get up at 5:30AM as planned to head to the pool.

Instead I did a little run on the track, just to get my legs limbered up again and remind them of what they need to do. Four mile repeats:

• 11:00
• 11:00
• 10:54
• 10:55

I forgot the heart rate meter, but it subjectively seemed a fairly moderate pace for me. Hmm, I'd have to maintain under a 11:57 min/mile pace to get a PR next Saturday in the hilly half marathon in Baltimore. Wonder if I can on those hills. We'll see! I've got a few more miles to cover that day to get in my last long run before Ironman Florida, so running at a fast pace for me isn't my top priority. I'm considering taping over my watch face and just running on "feel" and seeing what happens, just as an experiment.

Chesapeakeman photos

They're up!! Here are my photos; and here are Ellie's.

I like this closeup on the bike, even though it's not precisely in focus:

I always think my wetsuit photos look absolutely ghastly. But - I'm going to post this bathing beauty shot just for the entertainment value. Hey, it looks much better than it would have at the weight I carried at the beginning of the year! Besides, I always find it funny in an odd sort of way when people remove from public view or destroy photos that they consider slightly unflattering. Nobody looks fabulous slogging it through an entire tough and demanding multisport day. Laugh if you will - I STILL FINISHED a 2.4-mile open water swim against the current! AND immediately went on to complete a 112-mile bike leg well ahead of the cutoffs. I can't wait for Ironman Florida!