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April 26, 2007

Owwwwwwww

The other week, I was poking around online for triathlon training plans. A quick look at the calendar told me I'd need to get down to training for Accenture as soon as I recovered from the Pig if I was going to have any hope of getting through it, so I wanted to see what plans were out there, what they looked like, and have one ready to go before heading to Cincinnati. Anyhow, as I was poking around the internets, I came across a company that specializes in triathlon training for women. Not only did they have plans available, but they also provided coaching services.

Hmmmm. I looked a little deeper. For only slightly more than I was paying for run coaching last year, I could get multi-sport coaching. Hmmmm. Something to think about.

Then I kept looking... they were local! And ran group workouts! That I could go to! This was tempting. I thought about it for a few days, then went ahead and signed up. Having previously experienced the Power of Coaching, I was all over it, and being able to get in to group workouts sealed the deal for me.

Another bonus to using a local company is that I actually get to work with my coach in person every now and then. Shortly after I registered we got together for lunch and went over my race plans for the summer and my goals for the races. We also set up a time for me to come into the gym where she works and do a CompuTrainer session on the bike - she'd set up a time trial and we'd use that to get an idea of how much power (wattage) I could push on the bike and what my HR training zones should be. She wanted to get it in as soon as possible, but she didn't want to disrupt my taper, and she didn't want to do it right after the marathon, either, since I'd be recovering.... aack! What to do?

I offered to come in this week - I had a couple of hard speed-work-like runs scheduled, and I'd just swap out one of those for the CompuTrainer session. No problem! Excellent. Wednesday was the day.

Yesterday when I woke up, my legs felt great. They weren't sore, they weren't tight, I was all, "Woo-hoo! I have bounced back from the 20-miler, and am ready to get medieval on the bike this evening."

Y'all, I look back at myself and LAUGH. The time trial kicked my butt, took names, and then ate my legs for lunch. The course was a challenging one - not at all flat, but incredibly hilly. As soon as I hit the first climb, I felt every inch of the 20 miles I'd run on Sunday. As soon as I hit 40 minutes and could stop, I damn near fell of the bike - I was tired, my legs were shot, and my butt was completely numb.

BUT! It was a good workout, and my coach got all of the information she needed. And, really, considering I was less than 100%, I did pretty well. She also wants to meet up for a ride on the lakefront once I'm done with my marathon to see if we can work on my bike fit a little bit. She also stretched me out after the workout last night - she said, "I think your IT bands might be a little tight - let me see." Which was followed shortly by, "Wowwwww." Yeah. A smidge tight. But having someone else stretch it out? Was awesome.

So far, working with a local coach, even if it's mostly online? Is awesome.

Food log:
6 a.m. - Bagel with lowfat cream cheese
10 a.m. - Avocado tomato mango salad
12:15 p.m. - 1/2 PB&J sandwich on wheat bread
12:45 p.m. - String cheese
2 p.m. - Kiwi
5:30 p.m. - Chocolate Chip Trail Blaze Bar
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. - Water & gatorade during workout 8:15 p.m. - BK Spicy Tendercrisp Sandwich, lemonade - hey, it was late, I was exhausted and hungry, and the drive-through was on the way home. It was the tastiest deep fried chicken sandwich I've had in a long while. At least I passed on the fries?

Workout:
Bike: 40-minute hilly time trial with warm-up and cool down. Avg watts: 120, avg HR: 180

Posted by Dawn at April 26, 2007 07:57 AM