Speedwork Report

In case you don't have a lot of time to read, I can summarize my speedwork for you pretty handily:

I am not fast.

The "S" on my pajamas doesn't stand for Super; it stands for Slow. It used to stand for Slothful. Maybe someday it will stand for "Speedy." I posted earlier this year that my running time was largely responsible for my long triathlon times; it hovers somewhere between 11 and 13 minutes per mile (or more, depending on whether the run is at the beginning or the end, or if it's a 5k or a 10k) That, and my lackadaisical transitions. I say this not to be self-depracating, but to be honest and forthright.

So anyway. Here's what I did:

• I jogged about a mile and a half down to the high school track. This is a nice warmup jog: it goes up a steady, about 1% or slightly less for about a 3/4 mile, and then steeply downhill for 1/4 mile, then uphill again, with the last 400 meters or so through sand. I did it slowly, as it was a "warmup".
• I used this time to work on getting rid of the last of my "bad form" problems by using "soft ankles," an idea I picked up in spinning class. I tend to hold my feet pretty rigidly, which I uses up a lot of my energy and makes my feet hurt.
• I started out by running the 400 meters full out to see if I could do it. I made it about 2/3 of the way around in a little over a minute before my heart threatened to blow up.
• I rested about 3 minutes, and then ran the 400 meters again, at a slightly slower pace. I made it in a little over 2:20.
• I rested for 2-1/2 minutes, and then repeated it three more times. Times 3 and 4 were slightly faster, around 2:10 or so, but the fifth time was decidedly slower: around 2-1/2 minutes. I was running out of power. During each rest, I sucked down some Ultima Lemon-lime, to which I'd added a dash of lemon juice (see my previous post on Sugar).
• I jogged home, back the way I came.

The last part of that run was a slight downhill 1% grade, as I mentioned, which in my opinion, is the best way to finish any run. You feel powerful and ultra sleek and athletic running on a slight downhill grade. The music is pounding ("Lose Yourself" by Eminem and "Loser" by Beck) and you're running and, for some reason, people in pickups poke their heads out the window because they've apprently never, ever seen anyone jogging before.

Time will tell if I get "speedy" doing this workout.

New Muscle of the Week

About ten years ago when I tried running in a fairly unorganized fashion. I just went out my front door and sprinted up the nearest hill until I couldn't run any more. At the time, it was to burn off anger over a bad break-up. I did it for about a month and then I quit, because I wasn't angry any more.

At one point during that time, I was alarmed to find a rather large swelling behind my knee. Oh, my God, I thought. What is that--some kind of tumor? I reached behind the other knee to get a comparative frame of reference, and was alarmed to feel an identical swelling behind that knee.

Finally, it dawned on me that this was, indeed a muscle, to be precise my hamstring; whose function before this point in time was to sit meakly behind me and provide ancillary cushioning for sitting.

As I said, that was ten years ago, but I've started having that same experience again since I started running, swimming, and cycling last year. Of course, Husband, ever practical, likes to point out, "they aren't new muscles; they've always been there. It's just that now you can feel them." This, however, does not dimish my happy excitement when I accidentally see or feel a "new muscle."

Which brings me to my new muscle of the month. This morning as I was shaking my moisurizer down to the end of the tube, I glanced in the mirror and saw a muscle heretofore unnoticed on my forearm. Science geek that I am, I had to look it up, and found that it is the Flexor carpi ulnaris. Apparenly, gripping aerobars and brake levers and whatnot have developed it.

It's primary function, along with the flexor carpi radialis, is to stabilize the elbow against valgus torque (An abnormal position where the elbow is twisted away from the midline of the body) The flexor carpi ulnaris is the primary stabilizer, with the flexor digitorum superficialis is a secondary stabilizer.

Thus I share with you, this science moment. Just because I'm off for the summer doesn't mean I can't teach, and it doesn't say "GEEKGRL" on my license plate for nothin'.

Do I need ALL that sugar?

I went for my cleaning today and my dental hygenist is not happy. She wanted to know what I've been doing differently. More sugared sodas? No, absolutely not. More candy? Nope, no more than usual. I chew sugarless gum, and have an occasional treat, but I'm not a candy eater.
She was perplexed. She acknowledged that as a Vegan, my diet should be pretty healthy and low sugar. (This is a common misconception. After all, potato chips are vegan. So are Sauders Chocolate creme cookies. I've checked.)
Then it occured to her. "What about sports drinks? do you drink a lot of sports drinks?"
Uhhh.... ummmm....

It turns out that every time you take a sip of anything with any kind of sugar in it, it combines with saliva to create acid that remains for the next 20 minutes . Take a 2-hour event, as is my usual glacial time, and all the times that I sip Cytomax during it, well...not to mention, the day before, I try to suck down Gatorade all day to get myself fully hydrated and chock full o' electrolytes.

As well, I've also had some problems at the Olympic even that I did a few weeks ago. Toward the end, I was feeling pretty throw-upy. Not because I had bonked, or because I was dehydrated, but possibly because I'd consumed too much sugar during the four-hours I spent trying to finish it.

Along with this, I've noticed that if I drink Gatorade or Cytomax right before the run portion, I'm almost guarenteed of having side cramps. Which I had at the Milkman this past weekend. Which I forgot to mention. They were fairly crippling for about the first 1/2 of the 5k. I don't get any other kind of cramp but that one.

Finally, my heart beat monitor tells me after certain events that I've burned something akin to 2500 calories. With all the training I've been doing, you'd think I'd be as thin as a rail, but no, I haven't lost a single pound since March of 2005. Like the Whooly mammoth, my body is stubbornly holding on to the idea that there is no food out on the tundra. I'm guessing that all the sugared sports drinks I've been sucking down are partially to blame.

And, let's face it; quite frankly, the Slothful Athena has plenty of fat stores on which to subsist during a sprint triathlon or a workout.

So, do I really need all that extra sugar?

I Googled, and found out that the average American consumed somewhere between 40 (according to the crystal sugar company) and 142 pounds (according to the government) per year. That includes all the uses of sugar, such as processed foods, drinks, alcohol, etc.

So, I'm going to try some experiments (I'll try them in training first before trying them in an event) First, I'm switching to water. It goes down easier and when it gets splashed on me, it's refreshing instead of sticky. Before training or an event (1 hour before) I'm going to take down a Lara Bar. They are simple, wholefood energy bars usually with only 2 or 3 ingredients. I've tried some and they are excellent. Second, for electrolytes, I'm going to try a couple Hammer endurolytes before the swim and maybe halfway through the bike. For the bike and run, water only. If I wind up doing another Olympic event, I'll load up my water bottle with Ultima, which has electrolytes and B vitamins and is sweetened with Stevia, which actually helps regulate blood sugar levels. For longer races, I'm going to check out other Hammer products, like HEED. After the race, it's good old Propel with Calcium. or plain water.

If anyone has any experience with this, I'd appreciate knowing - particularly women, because I do believe that women and men are very different in how they utilize nutrients.

Glacial running times.

Bumper sticker of the day -->

My performance at the Milkman was somewhat perplexing, and I've been trying to figure it out. My swim was better than usual; my bike was good, and then my run was nearly six minutes slower than it usually is. It was about 6 minutes longer than usual. I've decided that there are several possibilities:

1. I drank a glass of wine the night before at Applebees. It did something to me.
2. I didn't have my usual cup of coffee the morning of the race (I generally start the day with a soy coconut 110-degree mocha) I was suffering from withdrawal of coffee, or chocolate, or both.
3. Heat. I hate it. Like a rare flower, I must be maintained at the correct temperature: between 68 and 74 for just sitting around, between 55 and 65 for running. Anything else just makes me wilt. And bitch. A lot. It was around 85 degrees when I was running. Case and point: today, it is 97 degrees. At night, in the desert, it cools to about 60 degrees. What this means is that I get all my business done in the morning and then hide inside like a prairie dog.
4. My swim and bike were TOO good. I blew out all I had, and then didn't have anything left for the run.
5. Humidity. Okay, I'm more like a high desert succulent, which does not tolerate humidity.
6. There was a fire. A terrible flood. Locusts. The sun was in my eyes.
7. Mind-control poison government jet contrails (and me without my foil helmet)
8. Any combination of all or some of the above.

In any case, I'm going to start my first track-speed workouts tomorrow, and I plan to do them once a week. I'll be doing an easy 2-mile jog down to the track. Then, I'll do five 400 meter repeats, with about 2 or 3 minutes' rest in between. Then an easy jog back home.

Of course, all this will be completed before 7 am MST, for I, the slothful Athena, am only surpassed in my love of sleep by my love of not being caught running in the heat of New Mexico summer. Plus, I'm still trying to get those hyper-pigment whatevers, the brown patches on my face, to fade.

I've never done speed work or track work as an adult, so it will be interesting to see how it works out. The last time I tried to sprint was at a mother-and-daughter softball game up in South Dakota. My body headed toward first, and my legs stayed put. The result was that I wound up rolling on the ground in the dust and wearing most of the field. But that was back before I started running, so maybe my legs can keep up with the rest of me.

A Few of my Favorite Things (race report)

In manner of Paul Harvey, I will first show you the end of the story.

The "Milkman" is one of the oldest continuously held triathlons in this area, and as a result has been chosen each year as the "best of the US" qualifier. My friend Karen, another Athena, has run it about twenty times, I think she said. (For another race report, click here!)

The event starts with a 500 meter out-and-back swim in Lake Van. Things you need to know about Lake Van: First, if you get in trouble, just stand up. It's that shallow. Where I grew up it would have been "Pond Van" but hey, this is the desert, and they get pretty excited when there's a body of water, so what the heck. Second, the temperature, becuase it is so shallow, is somewhere between cold and not-so-cold. Wetsuits are optional. I was pretty comfortable in mine. But...surprise! like a lot of lakes in southern New Mexico, it's very alkaline. This means bitter. You will, no doubt about it, get some in your mouth when you breath. It's bitter. You've been warned.

I was in the fifth wave - they go in waves based on age groups. I like the idea of waves, because people can be way faster than me and still be behind me. Of course, I also notice people in later waves passing me, but that's okay. It's just that it's so lonely being last. I like having people behind me.

As I was standing in line, I finally asked another Outlaw, Trub, why she had that white stuff all over her lip. I'd been wondering about it for an hour. Is it sunscreen, I thought, if so, why is it only on her upper lip? Does she know its there? She couldn't have been bleaching (or waxing, as Karen ventured) and left it on there, could she? Should I say something? would she be embarassed? Oh, forget it. I have to know.

"Trub, what IS that on your upper lip?"

"Got milk?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"GOT MILK, GET IT? It's the MILK MAN TRIATHLON?"

Oh! I am a little thick this morning, I guess.

Once out of the lake, it's an easy walk to a well-organized transition area. here are your instructions: Strip off the wetsuit. Sit down and bitch about how bitter the lake was. Try to dry your feet. Bitch some more, and spit a little, trying to get the taste out of your mouth. Ick. Get the socks out of the bottom of the bag, where they've been left for some reason. Put on the shoes, grab the helmet, sunglasses, a gel, the inhaler, the bike, and trot toward the start line.

Three things you need to know about the bike: First, it's bumpy. Second, they'll tell you it's flat; they lie. Third, it gets a little windy. This is, I've disovered, one of the benefits of being fast: you can get done before the wind kicks up in parts of west Texas and southern New Mexico. I'm not so fast. It's get windy and hot where I am.

The Bike course is a 12.4 mile course out and back along some rural roads. There was very little traffic, and it was just bumpy, windy, and uphill enough to be challenging. A fun race. I dropped a couple people, and dozens more dropped me. At the turnaround, they gave out FULL, COLD, WATER BOTTLES. How cool is that? Yum. Slurp. CLEAN water.

On the bike, I knew I was already tired. I hadn't had my usual morning cup of coffee, and I'm an addict. I'd gotten to sleep too late the night before, because Husband and I and a couple of other Outlaws had gone to Applebees. Applesbees is a very upscale Denny's, in that they find it next to impossible to make any manner of entree that does not represent at least two members of the animal kingdom. For this vegan, that makes eating difficult. Do you know that they have a "Fried Chicken Salad?" Is this the state of eating that America is in today? In a previous life, I would have been wildly excited about "Fried Chicken Salad," using it to rationalize all manner of disgusting eating, e.g., "it says salad...it must be healthy..."

In any case, we had a good time with other team members...fellow Outlaw Miguel, aka "Shark bait" was saying (in his thick, Columian accent) "Hey, Meesty, ju should haf a beeer. Eetz carbs, ju know. Ju need the carbs." Then he would start pouring salt on his food, "No crrramps! No crrrramps!" (Miguel is famous among Outlaw lore for apparently running off the course in an Ironman and running through a picnic, yelling for salt because he was cramping. They were trying to give him burgers and such)

But I digress.

The run was hot, but it was fun. It went all over, through the some grasslands and back, along a hard-packed dirt trail and around the pond-lake Van. At about the half-way mark, there was a guy that Karen referred to as the "oorah guy". He sounded like a Military Drill sargeant, and like the rest of the Milkman volunteers, was awesome and full of zeal. I could hear him yelling about half a mile away.

"YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT! YOU'VE JUST GOT A LITTLE MORE WAY AND IT'S MOSTLY DOWNHILL!

PUSHIT! PUSHIT! GO! GO! GO!"

(By the way, "downhill" was, at best, an extreme exaggeration).

Once again I surrendered to the feeling of being completely alone on the course. Some people were way ahead. Some were way behind. I ran along, pretty well into the "flow" until I got up to the "oorah" guy. After that, it was just work. And it was hot. But, I finished. Alone and hot. I headed to the lake to cool off, to be confronted with a large sign, "NO SWIMMING IN THIS LAKE."

So, I put on some makeup, of course, and hung around to see how I'd done. Karen got first in the Master's division and first Athena overall. I also got to meet Dread Pirate, who is cute and very fit - one of those tiny, swift, sleek people that I will NEVER be.

SYou know, some triathlons give you medals or plaques when you place. Cool ones, like the "Buffman and Squeaky give you very cool lucite dog bones with pictures of Buffman and Squeaky, two boston terriers, etched into it. The "Cotton Country Sprint" gives you a little bail of cotton, and the AtomicMan gives you a little Native American woven mug rugs. I have one of each. They are a few of my favorite things. when I feel like I'm not a good teacher, or could have been a better mother...I like to look at my little trophies. They remind that, although I'm not perfect, I give it my best until the end.

The Milkman Sprint Triathlon gives ceramic milk pitchers and milk bottles.

and now you know the rest of the story.

Well the car is packed, and I'm ready to go to the Milkman Sprint Tri in Dexter, which is tomorrow morning. I haven't done this one yet, but I've heard the lake is a little funky.

Here's some pictures from the Ransom Canyon Triathlon I did last month. This was the scene of my very first open water swim (link). Husband took these, because he wasn't able to do this triathlon due to pain that prevented him from running.

We just found out that Husband may have a stress fracture of the hip. Yikees. On a positive note, we may finally have a diagnosis after 2 months of pain (link).

And, of course, the requisite picture of the triathlete hoisting the cycle, as an offering to Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle.

Post-interview Jitters

This isn't particularly about triathlons. I went running this morning and it felt good. I ran 4 miles, in about 52 minutes, at a fairly easy pace, and tested out some of the songs that I've "repaced" using the Repacer application I bought. It speeds them up or down digitally so that you can match your best tempo.

After the run I had 2nd breakfast of a peach smoothie (1 can peaches + 1/4 package of silken tofu) and a toasted soy cheeze sandwitch. Then a nice, long shower and positive affirmations ensued. It was important to feel good today, because I had the first job interview I've had since 2000. I was applying for either of two different positions as a school counselor in the district where I work. Before the interview, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "You're well prepared, educated, and trained for this position. You kick ass!"

I should have started that earlier, though, because I was pretty nervous. For the interview I sat at the end of a long table and was interviewed by nine other people. Most of them I knew, but I don't take that for granted. I was handed the thirteen interview questions when I sat down, and asked all of them, in turn, by the interview committee. I asked a couple questions. I thanked them. They thanked me. I shook hands, and then left.

And now I get to breathe. Whew.

I think it went well. I'm up against some very good, very competent applicants (many of whom I know!) who would be good choices. I doubt that anyone else wants or deserves the job more. I can just hope that I have the right combination of qualifications, background, and presense to be chosen.

So, if you're so inclined, I'd appreciate it if you could do whatever your religious or philosophical leanings encourage you to do: cross your fingers, mumble incantations, that I get this job. Thanks.

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