Monday, August 31, 2009

Ironman!

IM Loo Run

IM Loo Bike

IM Loo Swim

Finished (and freezing right here)!

Running strong and happy

Ready to swim (staying warm before the send off)

Rocking the LifeSport visor

Preparing the gear

Ironman Wisconsin 2007:
PLACE TOT TIME DIV PL SWIM TIME T1 BIKE TIME T2 RUN TIME
1043/2209 12:51:29 4/21 1:22:42 7:39 6:11:22 5:05 5:04:43


Ironman Louisville 2008:
PLACE TOT TIME DIV PL SWIM TIME T1 BIKE TIME T2 RUN TIME
918/1975 13:46:49 26/64 1:26:07 2:51 6:31:45 5:07 5:40:59


Ironman Louisville 2009:
PLACE TOT TIME DIV PL SWIM TIME T1 BIKE TIME T2 RUN TIME
949/2345 12:21:22 30/91 1:24:53 3:14 6:01:35 4:26 4:47:14
1 43 MPRO Viktor Zyemtsev DONETSK UKR 36 M
52:59 1:23 2:11 4 4:43:59 23.7 2:31 1:21:23 1 2:43:49 6:16 8:25:27

25 WPRO Nina Kraft BRAUNSCHWEIG GRD 41 F
52:56 1:23 2:42 74 5:14:30 21.4 2:42 1:30:05 17 3:07:33 7:10 9:20:21

951 340 W25-29 Kailin Acheson BRENTWOOD TN USA 26 F
1:24:53 2:12 1207 56 6:01:35 18.6 820 18 2:10:19 4:47:14 10:58 1226 46 12:21:22
From the GPS:
  • Although I forgot to start my watch for the swim, I checked it when I got out of the water and it was 8:32. That's what I had to go on toward my 12-hour goal
  • Bike Totals: 6:00:51; 110.8 miles; 18.2 average; 6,894 calories; 148 HR (175 max)
  • Run Totals: 4:35:38; 25.87 miles; 10:39 pace; 2,932 calories; 137 HR (173 max)
Peanut butter Powerbar (normal size)
Nutrition Facts
Serving size 1 bar

Calories 240

Calories from fat 40
* Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Amount/Serving
Total Fat 4g
Sat Fat 1g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 200mg
Amount/Serving
Potassium 105mg
Total Carb 44g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 25g
Protein 9g


Chocolate Powerbar (normal size)
Nutrition Facts
Serving size 1 bar

Calories 240

Calories from fat 30
* Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Amount/Serving
Total Fat 3g
Sat Fat 1g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 200mg
Amount/Serving
Potassium 260mg
Total Carb 45g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Sugars 24g
Protein 8g

Mike was my volunteer helper at the finish line.

This is basically just a recap of what went on yesterday. There's slightly more detail in this post, but I never really wrote a race report.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Ironman Countdown

Today's Friday. That means 1 more full day and then the big race! Woohoo! I drove up to L'ville this morning, checked in to the race, checked in to the hotel, and went for a run.
  • Total time: 45 minutes; 5.44 miles; 8:17 pace; 655 cal; 170 HR (185 max)
  • Warm up: 10 minutes; 1.22 miles; 8:11 pace; 15 HR
  • Lap 1: 1 min; 0.14 miles; 7:01 pace; 6:42 best pace; 171 HR; 1 min rest; 0.13 miles; 7:59 pace; 175 HR
  • Lap 2: 1 min; 0.14 miles; 7:10 pace; 6:58 best pace; 175 HR; 1 min rest; 0.12 miles; 7:15 pace; 174 HR
  • Lap 3: 1 min; 0.13 miles; 7:41 pace; 7:12 best pace; 172 HR; 1 min rest; 0.12 miles; 8:10 pace; 175 HR
  • Lap 4: 1 min; 0.13 miles; 7:29 pace; 7:02 best pace; 177 HR; 1 min rest; 0.12 miles; 8:04 pace; 177 HR
  • Lap 2: 1 min; 0.14 miles; 7:23 pace; 6:27 best pace; 175 HR; 1 min rest; 0.12 miles; 8:30 pace; 178 HR
  • Cool down (only, not really): 25 minutes; 2.93 miles; 8:33 pace; 7:04 best pace; 175 HR
After my run, I sat at the pool for a little while and read. Then I headed to the KICC for some dinner. We pay a hefty price to compete, so it’s nice that they feed us. I enjoyed turkey and some pasta, salad, a roll, and green beans. I think that’s what they had last year. I set my food down on a table and went to get something to drink when I saw Larkin. I ended up sitting with her, Kat, Paul, and Jamie, and also Wayne, Patrick, Vicki, and a bunch of others from Nashville. We stood around for a little afterward and ran into LuzMaria, her niece Jessica, and Henry. Came back home, talked to Dad, couldn’t get on the internet, watched Monk, and went to sleep. I should probably get up to swim tomorrow sometime between 8 and 10, but it’s likely that I’ll not set an alarm and get up whenever I wake up.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Quick

My quick 45-minute bike ride looked like this:
  • Warm up: 10:19; 2.92 miles; 17.0 mph; 191 cal; 144 HR (170 max)
  • 34:03; 10.24 miles; 18.0 mph; 716 cal; 159 HR (185 max)
  • Lap 1: 1 min; 0.33 miles; 19.9 mph; 173 HR; rest 1 min; 0.34 miles; 20.2 mph; 165 HR
  • Lap 2: 1 min; 0.31 miles; 18.8 mph; 166 HR; rest 1 min; 0.29 miles; 17.2 mph; 170 HR
  • Lap 3: 1 min; 0.33 miles; 19.7 mph; 168 HR; rest 1 min; 0.22 miles; 13.0 mph; 167 HR
  • Lap 4: 1 min; 0.34 miles; 20.2 mph; 168 HR; rest 1 min; 0.29 miles; 17.5 mph; 148 HR
  • Lap 5: 1 min; 0.30 miles; 18.2 mph; 168 HR; rest 1 min; 0.19 miles; 11.2 mph; 174 HR
  • Everything else: 24 minutes; 7.30 miles; 18.2 mph; 156 HR
My quick trip into the Y looked like this. 10×10 seconds at 10 seconds rest:
  • Lunge R, L
  • Glute ham
  • Push up on feet

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Crit Race #9; Conclusion

Marsha (2), me (1), and Beth (3)


The NashvilleCyclist.com criterium series has come and gone. Tonight's race was a fun one, mostly. I strung us out early, and it lasted a few laps. Then someone else led, and the girls we'd dropped caught up and stayed with us the rest of the time. My teammate Laura had a great race, staying right with us the entire time. With about 3 laps to go, I told her to move up. Just before we started the last lap, I told her to attack. Attack she did! I jumped on her wheel and said, "Go as fast and as hard as you can for as long as you can." She did, and with about half a lap to go, I went around her and won the race. She created enough of a gap that no one could catch me. And, she ended up in third after that fantastic effort! The third place came on account of Parri's crashing, but it was great for our team. Fortunately, Parri was OK.

Here are the stats from the last races:

From Race #1: Race + cool down: 21:57; 7.77 miles; 21.5 mph; 169 HR (197 max); 2nd place.

From Race #2: Race + cool down: 21:29, 7.89 mi, 22.3 mph; 176 HR; 4th place in a field sprint.

From Race #3: 20:40; 7.50 mi; 21.8 mph; 165 HR (196 max); 3rd by a hair.

From Race #4: 20:14; 7.34 mi; 21.8 mph; 175 HR (196 max); 6th place behind a group of 5.

From Race #5: 33:43; 12.46 mi; 22.2 mph; 168 HR (196 max); 4th place behind a group of 3.

From Race #6: 19:38; 7.27 mi; 22.2 average; 164 MR (200 max!!!!!); 1st place.

From Race #7: 19:40; 7.29 mi; 22.2 average; 166 HR (198 max); 2nd place.

From Race #8: 20:15; 7.33 miles; 21.7 average; 175 HR (201 max); 1st place.

Today's Race #9:
  • Ride totals (I was supposed to ride 45 min and run 15 min):
  • Warm up: I didn't run because I had a fan club of Anna & Josh, ARenee, UJohn, Lauren & Emma, Luke, and more.
  • Race: 19:; 7. miles; 22.8 average; HR ( max--new high!!!)
  • Cool down: 2:; 0. miles ; HR
  • First place.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Still Tapering

I'm not sure what I think about this morning's workout. I almost feel like I need to do it again. But I was working really hard while I was doing it, and my mind was right, so I'm not sure what my problem is. Today was 5 minutes of work. Well, sort of. Go no longer than 5 minutes; when you start relaxing or get out position or anything like that, stop. So I went out thinking, "No pacing. Just work as hard as you can for as long as you can and then you'll be done."
  • Lunge: L, R. At 2:15 in on my left (first) leg, my knee touched the ground. I couldn't hold myself up without it touching, so I stopped. At 2:05 in on my right (second) leg, my knee touched the ground. I was thinking during this time about running at a pro pace (6 min/mile for a marathon). Thinking about running a 6-minute mile in general. Thinking about my 6-minute intervals.
  • Standing extreme ham: I did the entire thing. This 5 minutes felt faster than the 2:15 on the lunge! Definitely worked as hard as I could the whole time, not pacing or anything.
  • Push up on knees: At 2:50 in, I couldn't feel my arms any more so I stopped. I was thinking here about swimming. I read that it's about 1,000 meters around the island on Sunday, so it will take me about 10 minutes to get to the buoy. So I decided this would be about halfway, and I would visualize that I was getting into the water with another person, finding a few people I could draft off of and swim with, and just moving fast.
Lunch with Kelly from work means a run after work. Then I want to make Bree's Coco Caribbean Cookies (aka recovery cookies), so that will mean stopping at the grocery store for dates, a lime, and walnuts. (I already have coconut.) I like 4-ingredient recipes!

I swam first, 1,500 meters: 10:04, 10:37, and 10:33. It's looking like the swim will take around 1:20 on Sunday.

My transition was 3:50; I totally changed before I headed out onto my 45-minute run.
  • 7 minutes—no satellite, so no distances
  • Run totals: 40:30; 4.69 miles; 8:38 pace; 6:21 best pace; 553 calories; 171 HR; 182 max
  • Warm up: 7 minutes + 3 minutes; 0.36 miles; 8:19 pace; 157 HR
  • Lap 1: 1 minute: 0.14 miles; 7:04 pace; 6:47 best pace; 169 HR; 1-minute jog: 0.12 miles; 8:36 pace; 169 HR
  • Lap 2: 1 minute: 0.14 miles; 7:00 pace; 6:34 best pace; 169 HR; 1-minute jog: 0.11 miles; 8:45 pace; 172 HR
  • Lap 3: 1 minute: 0.14 miles; 7:07 pace; 6:45 best pace; 171 HR; 1-minute jog: 0.11 miles; 8:57 pace; 171 HR
  • Lap 4: 1 minute: 0.14 miles; 7:14 pace; 6:28 best pace; 177 HR; 1-minute jog: 0.12 miles; 8:42 pace; 174 HR
  • Lap 5: 1 minute: 0.15 miles; 6:45 pace; 6:21 best pace; 175 HR; 1-minute jog: 0.12 miles; 8:15 pace; 179 HR
  • Cool down: 25 minutes; 2.91 miles; 8:35 pace; 7:11 best pace; 174 HR
I came home to a present!

My new front bike wheel

So, I had a project to work on since I have a race tomorrow. It wasn't too bad: Take off the current front wheel and return it to Luke. Take the tire and tube from my old wheel. Put them and the skewer on my new wheel. Put the wheel back on the bike. Viola!

Wheel-changing in progress

I then made some treats, but my food processor and blender weren't doing their jobs. I'm hoping they turn out OK as bars.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Ironman Week!


It is Ironman week. And that means that I will be wearing a different Ironman shirt each day. Is it sad that I've done two and have enough T-shirts to last me a week?

During my lunchtime trip to the post office, I used the automated box to send a package. They asked a series of questions about the package, including the following:
Is the package square or rectangle?
I looked at the box and decided it was rectangle. Then I looked back at the screen and my choices were Yes and No. Wait! I thought. Then I realized they were grouping "square or rectangle" into one thing, as in, "Is the basic shape of your box one of the above options?" I correctly answered the question Yes, but I do think they should reword this question or give you different options for answers.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

1 h Ride and 1 h Run

  • Ride totals: 1:00:00; 18 miles; 18.4 average; 1,024 cal; 147 HR
  • Up to Mack Hatcher and Franklin: 15.27 miles; 18.4 avg; 30.6 max; 147 HR;
  • Franklin Road home: 10 min; 2.79 miles; 16.7 average; 151 HR
  • Cool down: 1:15; 0.20 miles; 136 HR


You'd think I would have learned by now that I need to eat something and/or drink something while running. I had about 2 hours between my ride and my run. During that time I drank a little more of the Gatorade from my water bottle (I still haven't finished it) and had some almonds. I wasn't really hungry. When I started, I considered taking my apricots/raisins with me but wasn't hungry and figured that I shouldn't need it in an hour. Wrong!
  • Run totals: 1:00:17; 7.10 miles; 8:30 pace; 840 calories; 168 HR; 195 max (5:12 best pace)
  • Lap 1: 35:37; 4.23 miles; 8:26 pace; 170 HR
  • Lap 2: Here I got some water, walked a little, and felt much better; 2:23; 0.13 miles; 18:32 pace; 131 HR
  • Lap 3: 22:17; 2.74 miles; 8:07 pace; 169 HR
I drank about 48 oz of water and then headed to the Y for the rest of the workout: 6-6-6 EDI
  • Lunge with Russian lunge: Do all on the first leg, then rest on the wall and visualize recovering, then do all on the second leg. I really tried to make each one the same as the previous and the last the same as the first. I succeeded in making a few people look at me strangely.
  • Glute ham raise: Reps to the top. I really don't feel like my hamstrings have gotten any stronger. Oh, I'm sure they have, because I used to not be able to go all the way to the top. But I still feel like I'm using my arms a lot.
  • Bench press: Use 65 lb. I did this with 65 lb, but I could not move the weight quickly. More on this below.
  • Plate front delt raise: Use 10 lb. No notes...
  • Bench press: Used 45 lb (bar only). I had to repeat this. I wanted to do it fast, and I wasn't able to do so with 65 lb. So I repeated.
It was absolutely beautiful today, so I spent the afternoon sitting at a picnic table in my backyard reading the paper and clipping coupons. It paid off: I spent $15 at Publix and saved $40! Definitely my best trip yet.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Wildlife Day

I saw a lot of wildlife on my riderun today: vultures, lots of birds, dogs, a cat, a turtle, horses, cattle, and more. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me and was thus unable to capture any of it. But I do have stats from the workout!
  • Multisport totals: 2:33:46; 35.77 miles; 136 HR; 2,354 calories
  • Bike: 1:58:23; 31.79 miles; 16.1 average; 135 HR (168 max);
  • Transition: 00:41
  • Run: 30:00; 3.73 miles; 8:03 pace; 6:39 best pace; 152 HR (184 max)
  • Cool down: 5:22; 0.25 miles; 78 HR
Eastern/southern Williamson county

The ride looked something like this. I couldn't find all the roads (the maps aren't up to date), so the mileage in the picture is a little off. This is a good, hilly route. It's good practice for IM Loo:

Ironman bike route


Fortunately, the Ironman run is quite flat.

I decided that I miss softball, so I went to a park in Brentwood and hit and threw around for a while.

The park...there are 4 fields and it's close to the Y


My gear...I've missed having to use it and having everything fit into one bag! My bike and pump definitely don't fit.


Batting in practice (with a poor follow-through)


Batting practice (with a much better follow-through!)


Then, after church, I went to another Brentwood park for the Inversion picnic. I never got out of the car. I don't think I fit in. It probably didn't help that I didn't really know anyone who was there except Jen, Jonathan, and Ray--they are the three leaders and I know they would have been caught up talking with everyone else the entire time; I didn't want to take up their time. As I sat in the car watching, I wondered how I'd ever meet anyone if I never got out of the car. But on the other side of things, I realized that I really don't like people. Well, maybe it's not that I don't like people but rather that people overwhelm me and I don't like being in large groups of people. I'd much rather be with 2 or 3 people and get to know them really well than be with 100 people and not know anyone when I left.

I have met new people lately. For example, I met Joanna and Chris at the pool yesterday. And I spent some time talking with Whitney a few weeks ago. And tonight at church I met Greg and his wife Nicole, saw Brian, and met his girlfriend Lindsey. Maybe that was enough for me for a while? I don't really know what the deal is. This morning during my bike ride, I was thinking about my sisters and me. From what I see, we are all very alike in that we're not very outgoing. I think they rely on their husbands to meet the new people and then they build the relationships. I think that's what I would do were I married—rely on my husband to meet all the new people and then create strong friendships with those people.

But is that the right way to think? I mean, how am I going to meet someone to marry who will introduce me to new people unless I meet someone in the first place? Is it right to not be involved in a community (of believers or of anyone) just because I don't like being around people? There is significant amount of evidence in the Word that we are created for relationships. And I'd be a fool to deny that I need people. Yet I feel at times that the people I know are enough for me. After all, I can't even spend as much time with them as I want, so what good is it to start making other friendships? I don't know. Maybe if I had a group of close friends I could ask them what they think :-/ I did at one time; Allison moved, Melissa moved, Erin moved, Natalie moved, and Jen is still around but I haven't seen her but once in the last year.

There was something in the bulletin today about community groups. It would probably serve me well to join one, but you have to attend 4 consecutive weeks of a class on Sunday mornings, and I haven't been around 4 consecutive Sunday for the last year. Plus I never go to church on Sunday. Oh, all I hear is myself making excuses, and I hate it!

The excitement for the night was watching 7 fire trucks, 2 police cars, and all their people check out an apartment across the parking lot. I heard all the sirens and was praying for the firemen and all other first responders when I noticed the sirens getting closer and closer...so I decided that it was time to take a walk. I didn't have to go far.

Checking out the apt


All the trucks (well, at least all their lights!)


I spent a little time talking with James, saw and chatted with (but didn't get the name of) the girl who lives next door to me whose music I hear a lot, and just watched what thankfully turned out to be nothing. I kept hoping Bill and Nancy would come home during that time so I could go over and say hi, but they didn't. So I talked to Will instead. God is working mightily in his life and it was so exciting to hear that he's skating really well and trusting God and being blessed and seeing God's hand everywhere in his life. And having good dreams. Navy blue gear and bright green lining...pretty specific!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Mail!

Mom sent me a package that I got today. It had some coffee for Beth at work and a few things for me!

New LifeSport visor

The visor is from Bree Wee, my favorite pro triathlete. She saw my dad at the club in Hawaii and he said I might like one...so she gave it to him for me! Then Mom found a matching vest and sent it my way. What a great package!

I actually woke up early and got my run in this morning before work. I learned today that the more I focus on keeping my chest up (or just think about that kid talking about thrusting his chest forward on push ups), the better and faster I run. I actually feel better and more efficient; I'm not leaning over or anything ridiculous like that. I had to run 45 minutes; at 30, 7.5 minutes Z4. I left from MFY and ran the loop clockwise. This meant that I should have been able to watch the sunrise (which was veiled by clouds this morning) and that I was running uphill the entire 7.5-minute Z4 interval.
  • Totals: 46:00; 5.56 miles; 8:16 pace; 670 calories; 167 HR
  • Lap 1: 30 min; 3.55 miles; 8:27 pace; 3:33 best pace (that can't be right!); 164 HR
  • Lap 2: 7:30; 1.00 miles; 7:30 pace; 6:28 best pace; 174 HR
  • Lap 3: 7:30; 0.90 miles; 8:19 pace; 6:20 best pace; 173 HR
  • Lap 4 (quick cool down): 1 min; 0.11 mi; 8:48 pace; 167 HR

I guess it wasn't ALL uphill, but it sure felt like it!

After work, I went back to MFY to swim a little (by a little, I mean 500. In 10 min). That was all I wanted to do. Then I headed to the tire shop to get new tires on my great, reliable car. I thank God for having provided me such a reliable vehicle. And during that time I got to talk to Joel, a great friend and fellow triathlete. Fabulous early afternoon!

Then I sat at the pool at our apartment complex. I was working on some IM stuff and then pulled out my book. I hadn't been reading but 5 minutes when a couple, Joanna and Chris, came up to me and said they liked the book I was reading. Lana sent me Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell, and while I wait for the third book in the novel series I'm reading I am working through this book. I'm not sure yet what I think of it. So far, he's trying to say that our Christian faith, or rather doctrine and theology, is more like a trampoline (springy and flexible) than a brick wall (solid and exclusive and sketchy because if you remove one brick the wall falls). I'm still trying to work through those analogies. Back to the story.... Joanna and Chris are believers, as well. They work at a church around here, and she's a former track athlete. Maybe a new running partner? Definitely new friends who will likely be at the pool most Fridays!

Meeting and talking with them made me wonder this: Why am I so willing to share the gospel (that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, rose again, and if we believe in Him we will live with God forever in heaven; but if we do not believe or reject Him, we will be separated from God forever in hell) with other believers, but when I am around unbelievers I rarely talk about Jesus and what He has done for me? If it's fear, that's not rational. Even if I'm rejected, they're not rejecting me; they're rejecting Christ. If it's shame, that's not rational. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. If it's forgetfulness, that's not right. How can I forget something that is everything to me? Rather than fear or shame, I should feel love and distress, for I know the outcome and consequence of unbelief; I should not want to see anyone separated from God. He is not willing that any should perish; who am I that I should be? Forgive me, Lord, for my disobedience and selfishness!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Backwards

Somehow I left my helmet at home, so instead of riding from the Y and then doing my ISO exercises, I did the ISOs and then drove home and rode from here. The ISOs made me wonder...
  • Bench press: 10 deep breaths, then 1 at 65 lb, then rest as if someone else were going. Repeat 10 times. This was not a challenge. I wasn't sure how to make it so. I really focused on driving my chest up and moving the weight as fast as possible and engaging my legs, but it just wasn't hard.
  • Rebound curl: 10×10 with 24 lb. Will said a light bar, like 25 lb. That was not light! The hardness of this one definitely made up for the easiness of the previous one. Arms moving fast, and driving back up to the top before starting the next one. My forearms were tight after each set, but I took 5 deep breaths between each set and really focused on recovering—I was thinking about the oxygen and blood flowing through my body, getting to the muscles that needed it and then the muscles recovering. Incredibly, I felt stronger as I went on.
  • Squat: with bar only, 10×5 at 10 seconds rest. I did not succeed at doing these super fast, but I was trying to. I at least tried to make each one the same or better than the previous one.
  • Glute ham: 10×10, reps to arm's length. For this one, I was definitely thinking about not sticking my but out. That meant that I really had to use my glutes and hamstrings and by the final 3 or so sets, it was harder than I'd expected.
Heading out for a good, hot, windy ride...
  • Totals: 58:19; 16.67 miles; 17.1 average; 1,028 calories; 144 HR (178 max)
  • Lap 1: 45 minutes Z2; 42 min; 12.88 miles; 18.4 average; 142 HR
  • Lap 2: 10 minutes Z4; 10 min; 2.40 miles; 14.4 average; 167 HR (short and slow, but this was the climb up the back of Lynwood and then the descent)
  • Cool down: 6:19; 1.39 miles; 13.2 average; 122 HR
Asleep at 9; awake at 3:42 (alarm) and 4:30 (reset alarm). I might have slept through the night? I didn’t have any dreams that woke me up.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Crit Race #8--Success!

Each race has been very different this season. Attendance has been sporadic, and although we've had up to 13 racers, tonight we had only 5.

Me, Marsha, Beth, Laura, and Jen

The more you have, the more likely you are to have a lot of action during the race. The fewer you have, the more likely you are to have everyone together and have the entire thing come down to the sprint at the end. Because we only had 5, I wasn't expecting much, even though I desperately wanted to race hard.

Here are the stats from the last races:

From Race #1: Race + cool down: 21:57; 7.77 miles; 21.5 mph; 169 HR (197 max); 2nd place.

From Race #2: Race + cool down: 21:29, 7.89 mi, 22.3 mph; 176 HR; 4th place in a field sprint.

From Race #3: 20:40; 7.50 mi; 21.8 mph; 165 HR (196 max); 3rd by a hair.

From Race #4: 20:14; 7.34 mi; 21.8 mph; 175 HR (196 max); 6th place behind a group of 5.

From Race #5: 33:43; 12.46 mi; 22.2 mph; 168 HR (196 max); 4th place behind a group of 3.

From Race #6: 19:38; 7.27 mi; 22.2 average; 164 MR (200 max!!!!!); 1st place.

From Race #7: 19:40; 7.29 mi; 22.2 average; 166 HR (198 max); 2nd place.

Today's Race #8:
  • Ride totals (I was supposed to ride 45 min and run 15 min): No stats from the warm up
  • Warm up: No stats, but I rode about 20 minutes, which means I was just shy of my prescribed 45 minutes, and I didn't run because I had a fan club :-)
  • Race: 20:15; 7.33 miles; 21.7 average; 175 HR (201 max--new high!!!)
  • Cool down: 2:30; 0.55 miles (just shy of one lap); 148 HR
  • First place.
Marsha seemed to not want to race, which didn't make any sense. She was only a few points behind me, and a win would have put her ahead. But every time she had a chance to lead, she would slow down. That meant that if we'd dropped Beth (which we did a few times), Beth would always catch up. I finally gave up trying to get away and just decided I'd take the last lap. And I did, in good fashion. Marsha gave up trying to catch me with at least half a lap to go. We dropped Laura and Jen about halfway through.

ARenee and UJohn were there with Luke and Lauren, and Abe was racing too, so Emma, his bro-in-law, and his dad were there. And, to top it off, Bill and Nancy came to watch the race! I was so excited when she told me they would be out there to watch!


Results through week 8


144 137 121 105 81 I am up 7 points on Marsha; 5 of those came because I beat her. If she had come in one position ahead of me, she would have earned 2 or 3 points. I still don't know what her strategy was, but I definitely dominated the race! Beth stayed in third place overall (I was hoping Lisa would have been on the podium with me, but that won't happen, unfortunately, unless she can race next week and Beth isn't there at all), but I have 23 points on her, which means the only way she'd have a chance at beating me is if I don't race and she wins. Lisa is down 39 points, but she could surpass Beth.... It really is all coming down to this last week!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Strange.. (ISOs, Intervals, Etc.)

Some days, I wish people wouldn't ask me what I was doing. Today was one of those days. I didn't really know why I was doing what I was. John (who spotted me last week) asked if I needed a spot, but I had only 1 bench press to do for each set, so I said thanks, but I'm OK. Then another guy, on my 9th set, asked what the ISO extreme preacher curl was. I wanted to explain but wanted to finish and really didn't explain well. Then I had to go, so I didn't get a chance to ask him if he'd gotten the answer he needed. Maybe I'll see him again and he can ask again if he wants. This first part (arms only) took me 55 minutes:
  • 3-minute ISO extreme push up on knees: I was looking at the pool and thinking about swimming fast (i.e. drafting off the faster swimmers). I noticed that my body was moving from side to side when I was really focused on swimming; I wonder what Will would have said had he been there!
  • 10 sets: 50 scap pull up (I have no idea whether I did these correctly--he said foot on crate, I used 80-100 lb assistance; then I just pulled up slightly from the bottom of the hold because I was thinking more along the lines of shudders, turning my muscles on and off quickly), 25 towel front delt raises (I was really trying to go fast for each one), 1 bench press (75 lb), 1-minute ISO extreme preacher curl (35 lb--I started out with what I think was a 35-lb bar but after 4 I switched to one that might have about 25; I'm not sure of the exact weight).
I did not finish and still have legs to do this afternoon. I was hoping to get them done this morning and then see how fast I run at lunch. Oh, well. Another day.

My noon run was hot. It was only 80*, but at 76% humidity and with a little sun after the rain this morning, it wasn't the most pleasant of runs. The good news is that I made it closer (although not there) to 1 mile in 6 minutes than I have in the past!

The last 5 weeks' run intervals:

7-14-09:
  • Totals: 43:03, 593 cals, 5.00 miles, 8:37 pace, 165 HR
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.10 mi, 9:06 pace, 145 HR
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.82 mi, 7:20 pace, 172 HR, 6:06 best pace; Rest 0.18 mi, 160 HR
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:28 pace, 176 HR, 6:18 best pace; Rest 0.16 mi, 160 HR
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:30 pace, 179 HR, 5:57 best pace; Rest 0.17 mi, 163 HR
  • Cool down: 9:03, 0.97 mi, 9:21 pace, 173 HR
7-21-09:
  • Totals: 1:00:00, 887 cals, 7.44 miles, 8:04 pace, 178 HR
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.18 mi, 8:31 pace, 156 HR
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.90 mi, 6:42 pace, 183 HR, 6:00 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 180 HR
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:28 pace, 183 HR, 6:19 best pace; Rest 0.22 mi, 180 HR
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.83 mi, 7:12 pace, 186 HR, 6:21 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 180 HR
  • Lap 4: 6 min, 0.83 mi, 7:15 pace, 187 HR, 6:22 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 184 HR
  • Cool down: 18 min, 2.06 mi, 8:45 pace, 180 HR
7-28-09:
  • Totals: 1:00:00, 867 cals, 7.40 miles, 8:20 pace, 168 HR. Nope, didn't succeed. But it was close!
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.19 mi, 8:25 pace, 138 HR.
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.84 miles, 7:08 pace, 174 HR, 5:26 best pace; Rest 0.22 mi, 157 HR
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.81 miles, 7:23 pace, 177 HR, 6:20 best pace; Rest 0.20 mi, 166 HR
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.80 miles, 7:32 pace, 177 HR, 6:31 best pace; Rest 0.17 mi, 165 HR
  • Lap 4: 6 min, 0.81 miles, 7:23 pace, 181 HR, 5:42 best pace; Rest 0.14 mi, 165 HR
  • Lap 5: 6 min, 0.80 miles, 7:28 pace, 179 HR, 6:31 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 160 HR
  • Cool down: 10 min, 1.19 mi, 8:21 pace, 175 HR
8-4-09
  • Totals: 58:16, 634 cals, 5.69 miles, 10:14 pace, 164 HR.
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.19 mi, 8:26 pace, 166 HR (over 20 bpm higher than last week but the same time, distance, and pace)
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.88 miles, 6:50 pace, 185 HR (11 bpm higher), 6:13 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 168 HR (11 bpm higher)
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.42 miles, 14:26 pace, 145 HR, 7:26 best pace; Rest 0.24 mi, 177 HR (11 bpm higher)
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.59 miles, 10:14 pace, 169 HR (8 bpm lower), 7:36 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 160 HR (5 bpm lower)
  • Lap 4: 6 min, 0.66 miles, 9:07 pace, 169 HR (13 bpm slower), 7:39 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 157 HR (8 bpm higher)
  • Lap 5: 6 min, 0.70 miles, 8:38 pace, 176 HR (3 bpm lower), 5:53 best pace; Rest 0.23 mi, 176 HR (16 bpm higher)
  • Cool down: 8:15, 0.44 mi, 18:42 pace, 140 HR (35 bpm lower)
8-11-09
  • Totals: 44:31, 625 cals, 5.30 miles, 8:24 pace, 162 HR.
  • Warm up: 9:33 min, 1.11 mi, 8:35 pace, 155 HR (11 bpm lower than last week)
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.89 miles (.01 longer), 6:46 pace, 174 HR (11 bpm lower), 5:48 best pace; Rest 0.17 mi, 151 HR (17 bpm lower)
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.85 miles, 7:01 pace, 177 HR, 5:57 best pace; Rest 0.16 mi, 156 HR (21 bpm lower)
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.81 miles, 7:27 pace, 169 HR (same HR), 7:27 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 134 HR (26 bpm lower)
  • Cool down: 10:57, 1.19 mi, 9:15 pace, 159 HR (19 bpm higher)
8-18-09
Today I was aiming for 1 mile in 6 minutes. I am getting closer!
  • Totals: 41:24, 616 cals, 5.10 miles, 8:20-ish pace, 176 HR (198 max)
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.17 mi, 8:32 pace, 163 HR (8 bpm higher than last week)
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.91 miles (.02 longer; best so far!), 6:38 pace, 181 HR (7 bpm higher), 5:43 best pace; Rest 0.17 mi, 172 HR (21 bpm higher)
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.84 miles, 7:08 pace, 185 HR (8 bpm higher), 5:54 best pace; Rest 0.18 mi, 181 HR (25 bpm higher)
  • Cool down: 15:30, 1.82 mi, 8:31 pace, 188 HR (29 bpm higher)
I used Jarod to pace me back in, and then I caught him up a hill and stayed with him the rest of the time. It was nice to have someone to run the last few hills with!

After work, I finished my ISO workout. It took another 30 minutes, so this workout was almost 1:30 total!
  • Glute ham: 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, repeat six times. I was working as hard as I could the entire time because I knew I had only a few times. No pacing!
  • Lunge: 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, repeat six times, then switch legs. Again, working as hard as I could the entire time; no pacing!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Chain Bites

My ride started out well this morning. Here's the evidence:


Yep. I definitely fell while still in the parking lot. In fact, I was just standing. My left foot was clipped in, my front wheel turned to the right, my bike leaned left, and down I went. Somehow it got me twice (well, at two different angles), and I have some nice marks on my leg thanks to my incompetence. It hurts to not pay attention!

It looked slightly better after I washed the chain grease off, but it still stung!
  1. Sometime during the night, I dreamed that I called work to talk to Lisa because I'd checked my bank account. I had been paid, but sometime during that day the money had been removed from my account. I never talked to her and got a message similar to the message they have at the Landings.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

RideRun Brick (Another Fun Saturday)

My ride was slightly shorter than prescribed. My legs were so dead. I don't know why. Perhaps still from the long ride last weekend? Anyway, I still got some good miles in and a great run.
  • Multisport totals: 3:06:25; 46.89 miles; 143 HR; 3,018 calories
  • Bike totals: 2:36:13 (not quite the 4 I needed); 43.15 miles; 140 HR (hooray for Z2! 171 max); 16.7 average (the first hour was over 18; the second was slower and the third was slowest...I slowly declined in ability and motivation); 34.8 max speed (my attempt at using someone to motorpace me--only it was in a 40 mph zone and I didn't start close enough to him; plus he was totally speeding!)
  • I did a 1:21 transition, split, forgot about my shirt, turned around to take it off, then headed back out to my run.
  • Run totals: 30:11 (I HAD to make it up the hill to the stoplight); 3.75 miles; 8:04 pace (7:01 best); 160 HR (181 max). It was 16:50 and 2.10 when I turned around. I really tried to focus on running the same and the same speed up and down the hills (there really isn't anything flat on this route). And I tried to not let the wind hurt me but then tried to use it when it was with me. I felt strong. Whether I could have kept that pace up for another 6+ repetitions of that is going to be the question of the day in 2 weeks!
  • Cool down: 7:23 (with butt kicks and high knees and hamstring things--gotta do the drills!); 0.46 miles; 41 calories; 16:13 pace (8:30 best); 102 HR (139 max)
Here are the run results from the last two times I did this run (both after an 18-or-so-mile bike):
  • 6-10-09: Total time: 49:38. Mileage: 16.1. Average speed: 19.5. Average HR: 161. Burned 996 calories. After the ride, I did a quick 0:47 transition to switch shoes and put up my bike, and then I hit the road for the run—30 minutes. I went Moores to Franklin to Mallory Station to GG Patton and made it to the corner of GG Patton and Moores (3.85 mi) in 30:34. I hit the corner of Franklin and Mallory Sta in 15:54. Average pace: 7:56. Average HR: 184. Burned 462 calories. Total distance for the brick: 20.08 mi. Total time: 1:22:21. Average HR: 169. Total calories: 1,472.
  • 5-20-09: I did the 18-mile route (today's was 16 miles) in 54:30 for an average of 19.7 mph. The previous two times I did the route it was 17.71 and it was in 55:48 (5-13) and the week before was 56:56. I made it 40 seconds farther this week than the previous week since I hit that week's finish line at 29:20.
Then I got to hang out at the pool reading for a while, went shopping for bananas, protein, and chocolate almond milk (for my recovery smoothies, which also include almonds, flax seeds, and a little ice), and now I have a consistent drip of water coming down from the upstairs apartment; someone is up there and down here trying to fix it.

Off to church then to the Y for 5 on, 5 off thru 40 plus some more squats. I think Will wants to make me suffer. Truthfully, I really do like squats. They are hard, they make me sweat, and even though I always get sore after them, I feel stronger. How could 300 body squats in one day NOT make you stronger?
  • 5 on 5 off thru 40 glute ham: One guy was working out on a machine behind me and a worker was folding towels. Although I couldn't see them, I could sense them looking at each other, wondering what I was doing. I heard one of them say, "I don't know!" while they tried to figure out what I was doing. If only they knew how hard I was working!
  • 5 on 5 off thru 40 wall squat: Since this was relatively short (compared to 5 minutes, that is), I definitely made the most of each interval. And had fun. I just kept thinking "FASTER THAN EVER" and "BETTER EVERY DAY"; these were Will's notes to me on this month's workouts.
  • 5 on 5 off thru 40 front plate delt raise: This was better explained than the first time this was on the list, but I'd remembered Will's explanation, also. Seated by the wall, 10-lb plate held 1 inch off the ground, chest up. It was way harder than it sounds.
  • 5 on 5 off thru 40 preacher curl: Light bar (the one that's curly; I don't know how much it weighs).
  • Russian twist (3 each side) then bent-over barbell row (65 lb) (6 reps): repeat 4 times. I definitely got the weight right. Now I just don't know whether I'm doing bent-over row correctly. Oh, if only we could be working out together!
  • Squats: quick squats, 3x30 @ 20 seconds rest. Yes, I love squats. I especially like doing them in front of the mirror so I can make sure I'm doing them correctly and holding a bar on my back so I know what to do with my hands.
  • Bench press: quick, light bar (I think I used a 35-lb bar; it wasn't the one that's curly and it was definitely heavier than than but lighter than the 45-lb one); 3x20 @ 15 seconds rest. I had a mirror for this one, too, and was making sure that I was going straight up and down. And keeping my chest up. And keeping my legs engaged. And going fast. Oh, so many things to remember. I like when Will does my thinking for me and I don't have to remember to focus on all this!
It's a good thing I don't need to be around or with or in constant contact/communication with people. If I did, I'd hate my weekends. They usually consist of a lot of solo hours. Thankfully, that gives me some good time to think things through and think about other things and pray and read and spend time with God. I know why silence and quietness and stillness are so important when it comes to living a life in obedience to God.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Back in the Pool (short!)

I finally got back in the pool. It was about time! I swam only 400, 300 with flippers, and it took less than 8 minutes. But it did feel good to get back in the water!

Had a little lunch at McAlisters in Brentwood with Anna (that was fabulous; I hadn't seen her in about a month!), did some laundry and cleaned, went over and spent most of the afternoon at Bill and Nancy's (I hadn't seen her in forever, either, and really enjoy my time with them), watched some Monk and made some supper, sat in the hot tub (yes, the hot tub, even when it was 90* pus humid) for 30 minutes and the pool for 30 minutes while reading, finally took care of the paper and all my coupons, and was asleep before 9. Fabulous Friday!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Ride on the Triple!

Lisa, me, and Tom on the triple


This workout started early (4:30am), continued at lunch, and was finally over around 7:10. Long day!
  • Lateral delt raise, extreme slow, 3 minutes with 3–5 lb (I used a 5-lb plate), quick rest (I took 10 seconds because that's how long my timer beeps for), 3 minutes with 1–3 lb (I used a 2.5-lb plate). Seated by the wall, arm out to the side, starting high and going down; do one arm all 6 minutes then switch. Even though I wasn't going very slow the last few minutes, I was forcing myself to raise my arm up as high as I could before starting to lower. Once on my left arm I had to use my right had to lift my arm up, but I did it.
  • Bench press, extreme slow, 3 minutes with 70 lb (I think Will's crazy; I started with 65 lb [bar + 10 lb per side] and lasted about halfway through, then I took the plates off and did bar only for the remaining time; fortunately I had a spotter, John, who helped me there), quick rest (I took just over 10 seconds because we had to switch bars), 3 minutes with about 35 lb (I did about half of what I ended up with, or 20–25 lb; I'm not sure how heavy the bar really was).
I want to know how much weight Will would use for bench press if he were doing this. 70 would have been excessive; 65 was even too much! I asked, and he said it's about half body weight, then half of that. He thought I should have been able to do 65 lb; maybe I didn't know that it was supposed to be extremely hard. I said I knew; I couldn't do it. He'll show me how to do it right (and he'll see I'm not that strong) next time we can work out together.

I tried to finish this workout at lunch:
  • Lunge right leg, 3 minutes extreme slow, holding bar between legs, then 3 minutes extreme slow without bar. Then repeat legs. My legs were screaming at me the entire time. My quads, that is, likely from the squats I did Tuesday. Ouch. I did it and it hurt. Oh, yes, I think I know what this is supposed to be like. It hurts!
  • Glute ham from 60–70* (or starting up higher if necessary) (now I know why my hip flexors have been slightly sore—I obviously am not doing this one with only hamstrings and glutes; for some reason, I always try to compensate and not make my big muscles do everything; I don't know why!) 3 minutes extreme slow (I wouldn't even have had to move from the top; it was enough of an exercise from there!), then standing extreme ham 3 minutes. The standing ham is probably the only one of these that I know I did exactly correct.
I was also supposed to do 20 regular squats, 30 rebound squats, 20 regular squats (and by regular I mean with violent stops at the top and bottom), but I don't know what rebound squats are supposed to look like. I did the first 20, took 5 seconds rest, and then quit. I'll try to do it all tomorrow. Maybe I'll ask. Or maybe I'll skip it.

Then, Lisa and I got to ride with Tom on the triple. Not a tandem bike; rather, it's made for three people. How fun!

Almost ready to go (just missing one rider :-)

Quick stats:
  • Totals: 1:10:42; 24.35 miles; 20.7 average; 1,512 calories; 151 HR (186 max)
  • 30:20 + 34:28 = 1:04:48; 11.29 + 12.41 = 23.70 miles; 22.3 mph + 21.6 = 21.9 average; 148 HR + 161 = 156 HR; 46.5 max speed!
  • Cool down: 5:53; 0.65 mi; 116 HR
So much fun!

Lisa's view (of the back of my head) during the ride; and I thought she was working back there!

I wish I'd had my camera out with me on the ride. We rode past Jim Warren park at the beginning of the route and I looked over at the people walking along the path. The looks on people's faces were priceless—I don't think they'd seen a bike that seated 3 people before. One little girl just stood there, moth open, pointing. Loved it! Jay and Roxanne were there, and Kelly, and I met Jim and Angela, Emily and Brian, and a few others. They all went out to La Hacienda after and here I am at home blogging. Hmm. Tomorrow is my social day.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Crit Race #7--Into First Place

Getting ready to race. Front row: Parri, Roxanne, Laura, me, Beth, Rachel. Back row: Lisa, Stephanie


The start of the women's race


The end of the women's race—the sprint to the finish!

Although I didn't win tonight, I moved into first place by 2 points. We'll see if I can hold that. Here are the stats from the last races:

From Race #1: Race + cool down: 21:57; 7.77 miles; 21.5 mph; 169 HR (197 max); 2nd place.

From Race #2: Race + cool down: 21:29, 7.89 mi, 22.3 mph; 176 HR; 4th place in a field sprint.

From Race #3: 20:40; 7.50 mi; 21.8 mph; 165 HR (196 max); 3rd by a hair.

From Race #4: 20:14; 7.34 mi; 21.8 mph; 175 HR (196 max); 6th place behind a group of 5.

From Race #5: 33:43; 12.46 mi; 22.2 mph; 168 HR (196 max); 4th place behind a group of 3.

From Race #6: 19:38; 7.27 mi; 22.2 average; 164 MR (200 max!!!!!); 1st place.

Today's Race #7:
  • Ride totals (I was supposed to ride 45 min and run 30 min): 50:10; 14.5 miles; 818 calories; 146 HR; 17.3 + average
  • Warm up: 21:04; 5.57 miles; 15.8 mph; 139 HR
  • Race: 19:40; 7.29 miles; 22.2 average; 166 HR (198 max)
  • Cool down: 9:25 (included walking around a little); 1.64 miles; 120 HR
  • Second place behind Beth.
I led a little during the first few laps and then sat in behind Lisa and Marsha for the remainder. I couldn't react to anyone's going off, and Parri and Stephanie and Rachel all did. I had to stay with Marsha and beat her, and I did. Then I tried to catch Beth but couldn't, so she won. I took second, Lisa third, and Marsha first. That put me into first by 2 points. Woohoo!

Here's what the omnium results currently look like:


I am up 2 points on Marsha, 14 points on Lisa and Beth, and 38 on Olga.

Props to Tim Hall for the videos and the picture; he's also the race director and does an excellent job!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Run Intervals, ISOs

Lovely sunrise again this morning!

Although I had intended to swim today, there was no swimming since the MFY pool was closed due to lightening. I'll be honest; I didn't mind. I ran my intervals at lunch and did a fun, super hard workout at the Y after work.

The last 4 weeks' run intervals:

7-14-09:
  • Totals: 43:03, 593 cals, 5.00 miles, 8:37 pace, 165 HR
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.10 mi, 9:06 pace, 145 HR
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.82 mi, 7:20 pace, 172 HR, 6:06 best pace; Rest 0.18 mi, 160 HR
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:28 pace, 176 HR, 6:18 best pace; Rest 0.16 mi, 160 HR
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:30 pace, 179 HR, 5:57 best pace; Rest 0.17 mi, 163 HR
  • Cool down: 9:03, 0.97 mi, 9:21 pace, 173 HR
7-21-09:
  • Totals: 1:00:00, 887 cals, 7.44 miles, 8:04 pace, 178 HR
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.18 mi, 8:31 pace, 156 HR
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.90 mi, 6:42 pace, 183 HR, 6:00 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 180 HR
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:28 pace, 183 HR, 6:19 best pace; Rest 0.22 mi, 180 HR
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.83 mi, 7:12 pace, 186 HR, 6:21 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 180 HR
  • Lap 4: 6 min, 0.83 mi, 7:15 pace, 187 HR, 6:22 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 184 HR
  • Cool down: 18 min, 2.06 mi, 8:45 pace, 180 HR
7-28-09:
  • Totals: 1:00:00, 867 cals, 7.40 miles, 8:20 pace, 168 HR. Nope, didn't succeed. But it was close!
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.19 mi, 8:25 pace, 138 HR.
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.84 miles, 7:08 pace, 174 HR, 5:26 best pace; Rest 0.22 mi, 157 HR
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.81 miles, 7:23 pace, 177 HR, 6:20 best pace; Rest 0.20 mi, 166 HR
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.80 miles, 7:32 pace, 177 HR, 6:31 best pace; Rest 0.17 mi, 165 HR
  • Lap 4: 6 min, 0.81 miles, 7:23 pace, 181 HR, 5:42 best pace; Rest 0.14 mi, 165 HR
  • Lap 5: 6 min, 0.80 miles, 7:28 pace, 179 HR, 6:31 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 160 HR
  • Cool down: 10 min, 1.19 mi, 8:21 pace, 175 HR
8-4-09
  • Totals: 58:16, 634 cals, 5.69 miles, 10:14 pace, 164 HR.
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.19 mi, 8:26 pace, 166 HR (over 20 bpm higher than last week but the same time, distance, and pace)
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.88 miles, 6:50 pace, 185 HR (11 bpm higher), 6:13 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 168 HR (11 bpm higher)
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.42 miles, 14:26 pace, 145 HR, 7:26 best pace; Rest 0.24 mi, 177 HR (11 bpm higher)
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.59 miles, 10:14 pace, 169 HR (8 bpm lower), 7:36 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 160 HR (5 bpm lower)
  • Lap 4: 6 min, 0.66 miles, 9:07 pace, 169 HR (13 bpm slower), 7:39 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 157 HR (8 bpm higher)
  • Lap 5: 6 min, 0.70 miles, 8:38 pace, 176 HR (3 bpm lower), 5:53 best pace; Rest 0.23 mi, 176 HR (16 bpm higher)
  • Cool down: 8:15, 0.44 mi, 18:42 pace, 140 HR (35 bpm lower)
Today I desperately wanted to get closer to 1 mile than I had in the past, but the hill during my first interval slowed me down. I still did well and am very happy and had only 3 intervals to run (which made for a faster but shorter run).
  • Totals: 44:31, 625 cals, 5.30 miles, 8:24 pace, 162 HR.
  • Warm up: 9:33 min, 1.11 mi, 8:35 pace, 155 HR (11 bpm lower than last week)
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.89 miles (.01 longer), 6:46 pace, 174 HR (11 bpm lower), 5:48 best pace; Rest 0.17 mi, 151 HR (17 bpm lower)
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.85 miles, 7:01 pace, 177 HR, 5:57 best pace; Rest 0.16 mi, 156 HR (21 bpm lower)
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.81 miles, 7:27 pace, 169 HR (same HR), 7:27 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 134 HR (26 bpm lower)
  • Cool down: 10:57, 1.19 mi, 9:15 pace, 159 HR (19 bpm higher)
The heart rate wasn't necessarily under control, but that's OK. Some woman made me happy by saying as I walked past her, "That's what I want to look like." I should have blessed her in the Name of Jesus for her kind words. Next time I have to be quicker on my feet!

After work, here's what I had to do: Extreme slow (all extreme slow starts at the top) 30 seconds then 8 reps from wherever you ended the extreme slow, extreme slow 30 seconds then 6 reps from wherever you ended the extreme slow, extreme slow 30 seconds then 4 reps from wherever you ended the extreme slow, extreme slow 30 seconds then 2 reps from wherever you ended the extreme slow. Will said to make sure you work hard because of the limited number of reps. Not that I thought it would be easy, but his saying that make me think that it might be easier than it really was. Wow, it was hard!
  • Squat with bar only: I did the first extreme slow with the bar and the 8 reps; then I did the remaining extreme slow sections with basically body weight (but a bar for reference) and did the reps with the weighted (45 lb!) bar.
  • Glute ham from 60–70*; I started at 70*, but I could not hold myself up there for very long. Then I put my hands down and continued the 30-second intervals. This frustrated me to NO END. I thought I should have been able to hold myself up and move downward slowly, but I absolutely could not. Ugh.
  • Bench press with bar only: Brandon was just finishing up his workout, so I asked him to spot me. Not that I thought I'd need it (and I didn't), but I wanted someone there just in case. He was encouraging, so he served his purpose well. Thanks!
  • Standing curl with light bar: I used the 20-lb bar (again, I never know what he means by light), and that was a good amount of weight.
Once that was over, there was one more thing: 50 sets of 3 body weight squats. I used a light bar on my shoulders "for reference." I was to focus on making violent stops at the top and the bottom, and I was thinking about pulling down hard with my glutes. I think I succeeded, and I tried to make each one as fast or faster than the one before.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Monday Off (Again!)

I think I'm going to learn patience. And mental strength. I get antsy and like to be doing something. Even on my day off, even when my legs need a rest. Will is patient, and I've asked him to teach me patience. I have been praying for patience, too, and God is definitely teaching me to wait and rely on Him for everything. Sometimes I hate waiting, but I always love being in communion with God and His teaching me to rely on Him helps me stay in communion with Him—as long as I let it, that is.

Today Will said to do this breathing exercise where I inhale for 1 count, exhale for 1 count, inhale for 2, exhale for 2, and continue through 20 inhale, 20 exhale. I did it and tried to be patient. I even turned off the radio so I could concentrate. And I visualized the course. I don't think I'll learn to be patient in one night, but I can definitely make strides toward it. Oh, and he counseled me to start visualizing and praying. As if I haven't been for the last 6 months!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Last Long Run'Til Race Day!

Oh, it feels so good to be done with the last long weekend until race day. Today was hard after yesterday, and I didn't succeed in completing the entire long run. I hope I don't suffer during the marathon!
  • Ride totals: 1:20; 22.31 miles; 16.6 mph (this was supposed to be a high-cadence ride, and I wasn't looking at my speed or HR really at all); 1,275 calories; 142 HR.
Today didn't have to be a brick day, so after my ride I came home and did my dishes and got ready to run. I drove to my run spot because I didn't want to run too many hills. I wanted to do two loops, but I ended up doing only one because it was HOT (only about 90+ degrees and super humid).
  • Run totals: 1:17; 7.71 miles; 891 cal; 9:59 pace; 162 HR
  • Lap 1: 43:13; 5 miles; 8:38 pace; 169 HR; this I ran from Fieldstone Farms down to Cotton Lane to Del Rio; water every mile after mile 3 and hammer gel during this water stop
  • The remaining laps were water stops, running 1.75 mi (8:54 pace and 165 HR), and walking around the park.
Then I went to the Y to sit and read. I did and did not want to do my 100 altitude drops and had forgotten the exercises. I didn't get them before I left, so I decided not to do it. Then I got home, had some supper, and changed my mind. I wanted the mental exercise of working hard while tired. I did well. I was thinking about doing each one as if it were the only one and even though the radio was on, I was focused.
  • Push up: This time, it took only 9 minutes (last time was 10) and I was really trying to stop myself hard.
  • Curl: light bar. I actually got the altitude drop, not rebound, this time. The difference, I decided, is not bringing the bar back up immediately; it's catching the bar and holding for a second, then returning to the top to start the next rep.
  • Glute ham: I couldn't remember what to do here to make it different than the push up, so I did 5 minutes ISO extreme. And I worked as hard as I could the entire time—no pacing!
  • Wall squat: By far the hardest, even though I can do this continuously for 5 minutes. But I did it. Well.
Finally I'm done. And exhausted. I wish it were time for bed.

Today for fun I bought 4 newspapers. The Publix penny item was Publix pizza and costs $5 if I were to just buy one. Instead, I bought 4 newspapers at $0.99, had to buy my regular groceries and then got a few other things to equal $10 (before coupons) for each trip, and went to the store multiple times. I now have 3 pizzas in my freezer (back for another one tomorrow) that cost me a penny each, and one of them would have cost more than all the papers combined! What a good deal!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Last Long Ride 'Til Race Day!

Lovely tan lines...outside ones are from my tri shirt (ride) and inside ones (perpetual racer-back tan lines) are from my sports bra (run)


More perpetual tan lines, these from the bike shorts and spandex

Sunrise on the way to Louisville!


The first milestone I've captured on my PT Cruiser's odometer

Today was a very long day. In fact, I'm not sure why I'm still awake, but I'm headed to bed soon! I woke up super early today to head to L'ville to ride and run part of the race course. It's the last long weekend of training, and I had to take advantage of it. I didn't get the full 6-hour ride in, but 80 miles solo was hard enough!
  • Multisport Totals: 5:43:33; 84.51 miles; 139 HR; 5,028 cal
  • Ride: 5:01:00; 81.08 miles; 16.1 average; 140 HR (168 max)
  • Run: 42 min; 3.43 miles; 12:17 pace; 155 HR. I ran a bit but forgot my hammer gel. I had some water, but that wasn't enough after my ride and it was getting hot. After the first lap (12:22; 1.48 mi; 8:23 pace), I ran a block, walked a block, repeated for a while, and then walked around the great lawn/park area.
  • Nutrition:
    • Liquid:
      • Four 24-oz and five 16-oz bottles of water (2 16-oz bottles were on the run) = 166 oz
      • 12 of those were G2 Gatorade mixed in the second water bottle)
      • I drank something every 15 minutes until 3:45 when I ran out of water.
      • I stopped at 4:15 to fill up my water bottles and then continued drinking as I had been during the last 45 minutes.
      • When I stopped for water, I used the bathroom but didn't really need to.
    • Substance:
      • 1 serving apricots/almonds/raisins (~400 cal) split between 30 minutes and 60 minutes in.
      • 2 oats and honey Nutrigrain bars (180 cal) 2 hours in.
      • 1 peanut butter PowerBar 3:45 in (~180 cal)
      • 4 electrolyte tabs; 2 at 1:30 and 2 at 4:15.
    • Post Workout:
      • 10–12 oz banana/protein smoothie, 32 oz water, 12 oz Diet Coke, carrots, celery, chicken, and a peach.
      • Then I ate some cheese, drank more water, and had a couple cookies before church.
My HR was in my aerobic zone nearly all of my ride (that's good!) but I felt super slow and very inefficient. In fact, I tired much sooner (like 20 miles in) and really had to mentally work to complete the entire thing.

I was hoping to walk around the downtown area but decided to shower at the downtown Y and then head back so that I could get to church. But I got a good talk in with Lana on the drive back, so the timing was great.

I'm glad I went to church tonight; it's a much smaller crowd, and Dr. Easley's teaching on Psalm 38 was excellent. Gigi wrote a beautiful paraphrase of the psalm, from her perspective as a mother, and read that for us all. I felt like I was at home at church. Then I met Joe (who's wife is Dawn, but she wasn't there tonight). Came home, had some supper, got my mail (boring!), watched some Monk and baked some cookies, and now am heading to bed!

M-dot pepperoni pizza

I didn't feel like making supper, so I stopped at Publix on my way home from church. I had pepperoni at home, so I got the cheese pizza and had fun with the fixings.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Good and Bad of Working Out Alone

Today's workout was this:
  • 5 barbell squats (65 lb) with 50 glute shudders; repeat 5 times
  • 3 bench press (75 lb) with 3 bent over row (65 lb) with scap pull up (1 min) with preacher curl (20-lb bar); repeat 5 times.
I did the following:
  • 5 barbell squats (45 lb) with 50 glute shudders; repeat 5 times
  • 3 bench press (55 lb) with 3 bent over row (45 lb) with scap pull up (1 min) with preacher curl (light bar; I used 20 lb); repeat 5 times.
I found out afterward that what I thought was a 65-lb bar was really only 45 lb, so I was 20 lb short. Should I do it all again? I asked Will; I'd debated asking and letting him know that I really don't know what I'm doing or making sure I do it right. He laughed for a minute, but then said that as long as I moved the weight as fast as possible, just do it right next time.

But to make that better, some guy (I didn't get his name; maybe I'll chat with him again) came up to me and said something to the effect of, "You must have been a great track star." I said I do triathlons, and he replied with something like, "You look like you belong in the gym. Yeah, you look like you own the gym." That make me feel good!

I rode my bike after work, 1:30, with at 50 minutes, 30 minutes Z4. Here's what it looked like:
  • Totals: 1:30:22; 25.51 miles; 16.9 mph; 1,484 cal; 147 HR
  • Lap 1: 50 minutes; 14.05 miles; 16.9 mph; 138 HR
  • Lap 2: 30 minutes; 8.76 miles; 17.5 mph (35.9 max); 164 HR (180 max)
  • Lap 3: 10:22; 2.69 miles; 15.6 mph; 148 HR
I really felt like I was moving slowly the entire time. I did the 50 minutes in HR Z2 (hooray!) but then I had trouble getting my HR up to where I thought it should have been to ride fast in Z4. It felt like a good ride, though.

Then I came home for some supper (talked to M and Will and that was great; I don't think I've talked to my sister in about a month!) and headed to Inversion, where I gave Jesi a little information on IMLoo (she said she's going to come down to support me!), talked to Joshua (who said we'd met before but I didn't remember), and then met Susanna, who's a runner, too. Nice.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Crit Race #6--Finally a Win! Brick

Finally, finally, finally I won a race! There were 12 of us again, and we were mostly all together. I don't like that! I wanted to make something happen, so a few minutes in, I attacked. Alli came with me, but she's the littlest one there and couldn't help much (there was a nasty headwind on the back stretch) so we got caught after 1.5 laps. Lisa took off once, but she wasn't staying away either. Then I took off again and couldn't stay away. Then Laura (my teammate) took off. She stayed away for about a lap. There were a few other attacks, but we really didn't spread out the field at all. During the last lap, I was determined to win.

Lisa led the entire last 3 laps, and I used her to lead me out. With about half a lap to go, I took off and expected her to follow me. She ended up in 4th because she was trying to help her teammate (Marsha, who got second) win. Beth was third.

I now think I have a chance of winning the series; I didn't at the beginning because I wasn't winning and Lisa was, and if she wants to win she will. Now she will be trying to help Marsha, who I am behind by 4 or 6 points. In two weeks, if I win and she gets second, I'll be ahead. It should be a good series, especially since Laura is definitely willing to work with/for me, and we've picked up Roxanne on our team, who should also be willing to help!

From Race #1: Race + cool down: 21:57; 7.77 miles; 21.5 mph; 169 HR (197 max!); 2nd place.

From Race #2: Race + cool down: 21:29, 7.89 mi, 22.3 mph; 176 HR; 4th place in a field sprint.

From Race #3: 20:40; 7.50 mi; 21.8 mph; 165 HR (196 max); 3rd by a hair.

From Race #4: 20:14; 7.34 mi; 21.8 mph; 175 HR (196 max); 6th place behind a group of 5.

From Race #5: 33:43; 12.46 mi; 22.2 mph; 168 HR (196 max); 4th place behind a group of 3.

Today's Race #6:
  • Multisport totals (I was supposed to ride 1 h and run 30 min: 1:38:23; 23.72 miles; 1,576 calories; 159 HR; 16.7 + average
  • Warm up: 43:24; 12.08 miles; 16.7 mph; 140 HR
  • Race: 19:38; 7.27 miles; 22.2 average; 164 HR (200 max!!!!)
  • Cool down lap + Transition: 2:21; 0.58 miles; 178 HR
  • Run: 30:00; 3.63 miles; 8:16 average; 6:23 best pace; 183 HR
  • First place! I finally felt good during the bike, and the run after was fairly decent.
  • Cool down lap: 2:50; 0.53 mi; 11.3 mph; 142 HR
Run Stats:

Today: 30:00; 3.63 miles; 8:16 pace; 6:23 best pace; 183 HR

7-8-09: 22:38, 2.27 mi, 9:57 pace, 168 HR

7-1-09: 29:52; 3.51 miles; 8:30 pace; 416 cal; 177 HR

I did way better with posture because I'd thought about it during my cool down bike lap. Plus I wanted to make it farther this time than last time, and I succeeded; I ran into the park across the little bridge. I turned around at exactly 15 minutes and 1.8 miles and had to run slightly past where I'd started from, which means I ran faster AND farther on the way in. Hooray for negative splits!

Again, my HR was way too high (so far out of my aerobic zone it's not even funny; and I even checked it a few times with my fingers on my neck just to make sure the HRM was reliable), but I just kept telling myself that Will has said it will eventually even out and a normal rate so I just kept going. I was trying to focus on running correctly (more front-foot striking than flat-foot striking or heel striking and keeping good posture and think I succeeded.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Shudders; Run Intervals

Mmmmm...baked cookies!

I decided that, rather than trying to get up and out of the house so that I could be at the Y ready to swim by 4:30 am and still not get my entire swim in before I had to go to work, I'd do my ISO exercises in the morning and then swim later. So that started today, and today's workout was a good one.
  • 3-min ISO extreme lunge
  • 100 glute shudders, seated on bench
    • I did the first lunge, doing the entire thing and even when my knee left was touching the ground I was continually trying to lift up (that was only about the last 25 seconds). I had known this was coming, so I just started telling myself yesterday that I could do it, but it would be hard.
    • Unfortunately, after I finished the first leg, I desperately had to go to the bathroom. This was supposed to have been a visualization day, and I was thinking about running fast, and when I run fast I have to go! So I paused my lunge/shudders.
    • I picked back up on the left leg, and this was significantly harder than the right leg. Still, I had told myself that I could do it, so I did. I was thinking about running fast and was trying to keep my back knee off the ground. I didn't succeed, but I sure tried!
    • Then I did the shudders. Some lady looked at my funny, but I didn't care.
  • 3-min glute ham (lying on the ground)
  • 100 glute shudders, seated on bench
    • I really struggled on the glute ham. Will has said to not pace yourself; don't do just what you think you can do for 3 minutes. Rather, you should be working as hard as you can the entire time. This time, I was doing only what I thought I could for 3 minutes, and that definitely wasn't as hard as I could work.
    • Will's note for the last thing today said PRO PACE. Since it was visualization, that's what he wanted me to think about. I must have remembered that while I was doing this one, because I was thinking about pacing. But not pacing as in running a certain pace; instead, it was pacing as in do what you think you can sustain for the entire time. These ISOs aren't supposed to be paced; they're supposed to be as hard as you can go for the entire time. I knew that, and I was thinking that at the same time I was thinking about pacing.

      I know part of it was the pace thing, and part of it was that I was using a different bar that I think is going to cut into my legs (even though I know it's not and it never has and I use towels between my legs and the bar). I was at the Brentwood Y instead of the MFY, and the resources at MFY are way better.

      The entire 3 minutes, tho, I was telling myself that I should be working as hard as I could be and yet wasn't.

      I wanted to try again but didn't want to fail again, so I did 3 minutes of standing extreme ham followed by 100 glute shudders.
  • 3-min ISO extreme preacher curl
  • 100 quick towel curls
    • I used a light bar; I'm not sure what the weight was because it didn't have a mark on it.
  • 3-min scapular pull up
  • 100 quick towel curls
    • I hate how Will always says I can put my foot on a crate if I need it.
  • Lunge position visualization: 5×10 seconds, then switch sides
    • Pull down as hard as possible
    • Think about PRO PACE
    • After having done the 3 minutes earlier, this seemed so easy, so I was really trying to make it hard.
I didn't want to do the scapular pull up, but I really want to be faster swimming, so I decided to do it and think about working as hard as I could to draft off Bree and Heather. The thing is that when I get to visualizing, I don't think I work as hard. I really wish Will were here to push me!

Today was a rough day for bathroom breaks. I had a false start on my run; I went about 1 minute and had to turn around to use the facilities in the Y. Then I ran my warm up and half of my first interval when I had to go again. I knew there was a port-a-potty that would be after the end of the first one, so I went all out to get there. That was about all I had.

The last 3 weeks' run intervals:

7-14-09:
  • Totals: 43:03, 593 cals, 5.00 miles, 8:37 pace, 165 HR
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.10 mi, 9:06 pace, 145 HR
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.82 mi, 7:20 pace, 172 HR, 6:06 best pace; Rest 0.18 mi, 160 HR
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:28 pace, 176 HR, 6:18 best pace; Rest 0.16 mi, 160 HR
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:30 pace, 179 HR, 5:57 best pace; Rest 0.17 mi, 163 HR
  • Cool down: 9:03, 0.97 mi, 9:21 pace, 173 HR
7-21-09:
  • Totals: 1:00:00, 887 cals, 7.44 miles, 8:04 pace, 178 HR
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.18 mi, 8:31 pace, 156 HR
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.90 mi, 6:42 pace, 183 HR, 6:00 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 180 HR
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:28 pace, 183 HR, 6:19 best pace; Rest 0.22 mi, 180 HR
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.83 mi, 7:12 pace, 186 HR, 6:21 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 180 HR
  • Lap 4: 6 min, 0.83 mi, 7:15 pace, 187 HR, 6:22 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 184 HR
  • Cool down: 18 min, 2.06 mi, 8:45 pace, 180 HR
7-28-09:
  • Totals: 1:00:00, 867 cals, 7.40 miles, 8:20 pace, 168 HR. Nope, didn't succeed. But it was close!
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.19 mi, 8:25 pace, 138 HR.
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.84 miles, 7:08 pace, 174 HR, 5:26 best pace; Rest 0.22 mi, 157 HR
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.81 miles, 7:23 pace, 177 HR, 6:20 best pace; Rest 0.20 mi, 166 HR
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.80 miles, 7:32 pace, 177 HR, 6:31 best pace; Rest 0.17 mi, 165 HR
  • Lap 4: 6 min, 0.81 miles, 7:23 pace, 181 HR, 5:42 best pace; Rest 0.14 mi, 165 HR
  • Lap 5: 6 min, 0.80 miles, 7:28 pace, 179 HR, 6:31 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 160 HR
  • Cool down: 10 min, 1.19 mi, 8:21 pace, 175 HR
Today I desperately wanted to get closer to 1 mile in the 6 minutes. So I was going to do all of them all out, like each one was the only one. It's a good thing I went all out on the first, because I had nothing left after that one. My HR was too high; I'm sure that played into it, because I couldn't get it down for anything!
  • Totals: 58:16, 634 cals, 5.69 miles, 10:14 pace, 164 HR.
  • Warm up: 10 min, 1.19 mi, 8:26 pace, 166 HR (over 20 bpm higher than last week but the same time, distance, and pace)
  • Lap 1: 6 min, 0.88 miles, 6:50 pace, 185 HR (11 bpm higher), 6:13 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 168 HR (11 bpm higher)
  • Lap 2: 6 min, 0.42 miles, 14:26 pace (hello, bathroom break), 145 HR, 7:26 best pace; Rest 0.24 mi, 177 HR (11 bpm higher)
  • Lap 3: 6 min, 0.59 miles, 10:14 pace, 169 HR (8 bpm lower), 7:36 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 160 HR (5 bpm lower)
  • Lap 4: 6 min, 0.66 miles, 9:07 pace, 169 HR (13 bpm slower), 7:39 best pace; Rest 0.12 mi, 157 HR (8 bpm higher)
  • Lap 5: 6 min, 0.70 miles, 8:38 pace, 176 HR (3 bpm lower), 5:53 best pace (hello, downhill toward the Y); Rest 0.23 mi, 176 HR (16 bpm higher)
  • Cool down: 8:15, 0.44 mi, 18:42 pace (hello, walking through the parking lot), 140 HR (35 bpm lower)
After this rough run, I did a little stretching and then headed home to bake cookies for Lauren and me to eat this weekend and to take to work and to send to Will and anyone else I can think of. This batch made at least a dozen more than previous ones and I even made almost 3 dozen larger than normal!

Cookie dough and cookie dough balls...chocolate chip and peanut butter M&M

All 10 dozen—from one batch!

Currently all but 1 dozen (the ones I baked for La and me) are sitting in my freezer waiting to be baked and consumed.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Monday Off!

Today I took completely off. It was fabulous. I worked in the morning, went grocery shopping, and then did a little baking. I wanted pizza so I made some. Unfortunately I forgot a critical ingredient.

Who forgets cheese on pizza?

I watched a little Monk and made some banana bread (Bree's recipe). I must have done something differently for this batch because it tasted and baked way better than the last one. I made sure that the coconut oil was melted/not chunky, and I covered the bread for the first 45 minutes before I uncovered it for 5 and then recovered it for the last 10 (60 minutes at 350*). I also put the flexible pan into the glass pan, and that helped the loaf keep its shape. It's super heavy, though!

Bree's Banana Bread

5 soft mashed bananas
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1–2 pinches sea salt
5–6 good shakes of cinnamon (I didn't put enough in; I can't taste it in the bread at all)
2 cups flour (I used wheat, but any is fine; Bree uses spelt)

Mix bananas and oil. Add in vanilla, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir. Mix in flour. Bake at 350* for 45–60 minutes.