Well... I didn't drown

And my arms didn't fall off either - even if, after 30 minutes, they felt like they might.

I learned a lot during my swim session last night.  First, I'm glad I signed up for "group lessons" as opposed to "private lessons."  I guess several people didn't show, so I basically got a private lesson.  Very cool - and not cool at the same time.  Good thing was all the individual attention - bad thing was... all the individual attention!  No rest for the weary.

Here's how it went...

I met the instructor - a junior in college - and after a bit of small talk she asked "what do you want to get out of these lessons?"  I told her my goals were to learn how to breathe correctly, good stroke and eventually swim laps.  I didn't mention the triathlon training just yet - didn't want to overwhelm her with my craziness before we even get started!

So she had me swim a length to see where I was as far as technique and such.

She said it wasn't too bad.  (That's good news)

After that first length, she had me use this barbell type floaty thing and just kick one length.  She said my kicking looks fine. (Sweeet)

"Barbell Floaty Thing"

Another pic of a Barbell Floaty Thing

Then she says, "Ok now I want you kick AND hold this (the floaty thing) out in front of you with one arm, and with the other, drop it down and push the water back along your side, bring your elbow up high out of the water and grab the bar again.  Switch arms and do the same thing on the other side.  Then when you need to breathe, just put your ear on your shoulder (which ever side you want), roll your head to the side, take a breath and put your head back in the water.  Oh and breathe out through your nose, it really helps."

I'm like, "Uhhh... say that again...?"

I got the kick part ok, and the part with the floaty thing, but I guess I figured the rest would be added one at a time instead of BAM!!  But hey, if this is the way it's done, ok.  I will do it.

All I can say is that I'm very sure it was not pretty.  I kicked.  I did the requested strokes.  But when I tried breathing, it was... awkward at best.  By the time I decided I needed to take a breath, I struggled to remember just how she said to do it.

"Ok," I think to myself, "I want to breathe on my right side, so I'll put my left ear on my left shoulder and turn my head to the right and... CRAP!!!  I'm already done with that stroke.  Ok the other side then, put right ear on right shoulder and... need.... air.... now...." And I turn my head, out of sync with the correct stroke, and as I go to inhale, I realize, I never breathed out!!  So now, I'm automatically rolling with the next stroke and I haven't even inhaled yet.  Fail.  I just faced forward and caught my breath, then stuck my face in the water.  Better luck next breath, right?

Nope, pretty much the same thing.  How the heck am I supposed to focus on all that at once?

By the time we get to the other side, I'm more winded than when I kept my head out of the water.  Felt like I'd just ran around the block instead of swimming a few feet.  I was able to rest a minute before she said "Ok, do it again and this time really focus on your breathing."

Uh, ok.  On this length, I didn't really pay a lot of attention to what my arms and legs were doing and I didn't wait until it was too late before deciding to breathe.  I did much better, but I still forgot to breathe out through my nose.

It makes total sense in hindsight, but I guess I just felt the need to hold my breath - which caused me to be out of breath faster and actually take longer to get a breath because I had to exhale first.  Definitely gotta work on that one.

Well, I won't bore you with anymore details other than to say that I improved quite a bit over the half hour and I certainly know what I need to practice.

The instructor complimented me a lot on how fast I picked it up and how great I was doing, but I'm thinking they're told to say stuff like that.  I personally felt like those first few lengths were a mess!

Anyway, after a month of these sessions, I should be good.  I know I have a ways to go, but this was an excellent first step.  I'm glad I signed up.

W2D2 Done!

Today's workout looked like this:

W2D2 - Month 1 Week 2 Day 2 - 1 hr 15 min

Lift: Chest, Triceps & Abs. 2 sets of 10-12 exercises for each body part. 

Bike:  30-35 minutes indoors. Stick with upright bike.  Check your heart rate often on this workout.  Try to stay within 70-75% of your max heart rate (220-age as rough estimate) and add 15-30 second sprints (fast pedaling no more than 5-10 times). 5-minute cool down.

Stretch:  15-20 minutes FULL BODY stretching.

Hmmmm, 220 minus my age?  No way.  That's my MAX heart rate!  I'm thinking it's supposed to be 220 minus my age times 70-75%.  In that case, my target HR is 123-132.  Way more like it.  With a resting HR of around 60, I can't imagine 176.  I'd be fallin' out on the floor yelling "call me an ambulance!!"

Any-who...

Here's what I did today:

Bike Workout Summary:

Stationary upright bike on a random hill setting @ LEVEL 8 (moved up a level) for 35 minutes including a 5-minute cool down.  I sprinted a few times at around 80-90 RPM.

238 calories, 7.4 miles, climbed 2972 ft, averaged 4:43 min/mile and avg HR 113.

Screen shot...

Strength Training (Lift):

Chest

1) Bench press machine 12 @ setting 3 x2 

2) Seated press machine 12 @ 30 x2

Triceps

1) Extension machine 12 @ 30 x2

2) Push down machine 12 @ setting 5 x2

Abs

1) Ab crunch machine 12 @ 40 x2

2) Total ab machine 12 @ 30 x1 and 12 @ 40 x1

Stretching:

Full body 30 seconds per muscle group.

Now, it's off to the pool.  Hopefully, my arms will hold up!

Swim lessons - CHECK!

I start tomorrow!  I'm looking forward to the learning part, just not the wearing of a swimsuit in public part.  Ah well, some sacrifices are to be made, right?

So, I want to swim like this...

or this...

but I'm afraid I'll look like this
(no offense to Shamu!)

I'm also working out tomorrow because I didn't know I'd be swimming until it was too late to go to the gym today.  I'm hoping I won't be too sore on Thursday, but we'll see.

Here's what I hope to learn by taking these swimming lessons:  how to breathe correctly, stroke technique, and being more efficient.

I can stay afloat and move forward in the water and such, but I'm out of breath after swimming one length in the pool.  That's crazy!

So another goal is to be able to swim continuously for 10, 20 and eventually 30 minutes straight.  That'll be a great workout.

I'm calling it a night early so I can hopefully get some good sleep!

Hope you had a great 11/12/13!!

Triathlon Trials

Is it crazy to hope for support from friends and family?  Maybe.

I posted on FB a couple days ago asking if anyone was up for a triathlon in Summer 2014.  Know what kind a response I got?  Zilch.  Nada.  Nothing.  Not even a comment of encouragement or even a wee little "like".  Bummer.  Guess I'm going it alone.

I'll post on FB again in a few days and see if maybe 3 people will do it with me - one for each event.  But I'm not going to get my hopes up.

Any suggestions on how to get people to believe they can do it?  I'm not even doing an Olympic or Ironman - it's a Sprint.  I don't get it.

So yeah, welcome to the pity party =.(..

Whatever.  I'm over it.  Moving on.

On the food front, I went a tad overboard today.  It is Veteran's Day and just about every restaurant in town is offering free and yummy food for vets - too good to pass up.  Back to the plan tomorrow.

I did workout today, though not at the gym.  I had a whopper of a headache and took some meds and a nap during what should have been gym time, then when I woke up, I just knew the gym would be packed.  So I stayed home and worked out.

Here's the Month 1 Week 2 Day 1 Workout plan: from BeginnerTriathlete.com

Lift: Back, Biceps and Legs. 2 sets of 10-12 reps for 2 exercises each body part.
Bike:  25-30 minutes indoors.  Work on keeping feet flexed and upper body relaxed.  Keep resistance moderate to heavy.  Try to stay in the saddle.  Do an interval program.  5-minute cool down.
Stretch: 10-15 minutes of FULL BODY stretching.

So, as I just typed that I realized I repeated last week's day one workout because I thought they were the same.  They are close, but not the same.  DOH!!

Here's what I did:

Bike Workout Summary:
Recumbent bike:  25 minutes at Level 7 plus a 5-minute cool down.
Calories, distance, etc. weren't calculated - batteries died in the display.

Strength Training:  (Should've been Back, Biceps & Legs)
Legs
1) Leg Press 12 @ 160 x2
2) Leg Extensions 12 @ 50 x2
3) Front Leg Swings 12 x2
4) Ball Curls 12 x2
5) Adductor/Abductor Bowflex 12 @ 50 x2
6) Calf Raises 12 x2
7) Angled Calf Raises 12 x2

Back
1) Lawn Mower Pulls 12 @ 5 x2
2) Back Raises 12 x2

Abs
1) Crunches 12 x 2
2) Leg Raises 12 x2

I'll throw Biceps into the mix tomorrow.

Stretches:  Full body 10-15 seconds per muscle. Repeat.

Sorry for the downer post folks, just keepin' it real.  Hope everyone had a safe and happy weekend as well as a happy Veterans Day!

Menu Favorites all in One Week/Tri-Training Day 3

By dedicating so much time to exercise this week, I decided to plan all my favorites for dinner .  You know those meals that taste great and are actually not half bad for you?  Yeah, those are the ones I picked...

M:  Chicken Cordon Bleu w/ broccoli & rice (this one was new)
Tu: Skillet Tostadas
W:  Shredded Pork Soft Tacos w/ fresh pineapple
Th: Tex Mex Turkey
F:  Pita Pizza
S:  Subway

Breakfasts and Lunches are basically the same:

B:  Cereal (GrapeNuts or Bran Flakes) w/fruit OR Yogurt & Granola w/fruit
L:  Leftovers OR a Sandwich (usually ham or turkey) on wheat w/ carrots or celery'

Snacks range from fresh fruit and veggies to protein shakes and beef jerky.

We'll probably use this menu for another week or so.  Or until me or my daughter says we're sick of it!

And for the last tri-training workout of the first week of the first month (from Beginner Triathlete):

Month 1 Week 1 Day 3

Lift: Biceps, Triceps, & Abs.  2 sets of 10-12 reps for 2 exercises each body part.
Bike:  Longer ride 40-50 minutes.  Incorporate hills and endurance with this workout.  There will be one longer ride each week; this is the first for the month.  Try to put resistance higher for a minute here and there (no more than 4 times) and come out of the saddle.  Working on leg power and relaxed upper body.  No bouncing or rocking.  5 minute cool down.
Stretch:  15-20 minutes of FULL BODY stretching. Aids in injury prevention as well.

Bike Workout Summary:
Stationary, upright bike on  a random hill setting @ level 7 for 40 minutes / put resistance @ level 10 four times during the workout for 1-2 minutes.  Tried coming out of the saddle, but I don't think this particular bike is made for that or my resistance was too low, I'm not sure which.  I'll have to wait for the spin bike to try that part again.

276 calories, 8.17 miles, climbed 3398 ft, averaged 5:30 minutes/mile and avg HR 109.

Token screen shot...

Strength Training (Lift):
Biceps:
1) Bicep curl machine 12 @30 x2
2) Free Motion bicep machine 12 @ 15 x2

Triceps
1) Tricep Extensions 12 @ 30 x2
2) Tricep Pushdown machine 12 @ (setting 5) x2

Abs
1) Crunch machine 12 @ 30 x2
2) Medicine ball to the sides 12 @ 4 x2
3) Leg lifts 12 x2

Stretching:
Full body minimum 30 seconds per muscle.  Found an empty classroom to stretch out.  This was way more relaxing than trying it out on the open gym floor area!

Whew! Week one complete though.  I'm looking forward to next week!  My goal this weekend is to set up those swim lessons.  I tried to today, but the office closes at 1 pm on Friday - ughhhh!!

Well, that's all for now, I hope you have an amazing weekend!!

Strength Training - Gotta Write it Down

On my first day of the triathlete training plan, strength training didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped.  I didn't consider that "legs" are more than one exercise, so I was thinking - "legs, back and abs - 2 exercises each times 2 - no problem."  Uhhhh, no.  There are at least 5 worked muscles for the legs x2 exercises equals 10 and x2 sets is 20!!!  Back exercises aren't as bad, but there's still upper and lower back, that's another 8 sets.  Finally, with abs, there are upper, lower and obliques.  All those sets can make for quite the extended strength training session.  Even worse would be not writing it all down!  Unfortunately, I didn't write down anything in advance.

Yesterday's workout was much better planned.  While I wasn't sure which machines would be available, I outlined the workout before I went so at least I knew what to look for in the machine area.  Then, on the rests between sets, I wrote down the actual machine and how much weight I used.  Here's the scoop:

Month 1 Week 1 Day 2 - 65 minutes

Lift: Shoulders, Chest, and Abs. 2 sets of 10-12 reps for 2 exercises each body part.
Bike: 30-35 minutes indoors on upright stationary bike.  Stick with upright bike - you burn more calories on an upright bike as the position forces you to work against gravity.  Use a program and add hills in this routine. 5-minute cool down.
Stretch:  10-15 minutes of of FULL BODY stretching!

Bike Workout Summary:
Stationary, upright bike on a random hill setting @ level 7 for 30 minutes plus a 5-minute cool down.

220 calories, 7.14 miles, climbed 2680 ft, averaged 4:54 min/mile & avg HR 108.

Screenshot:

Strength Training (Lift):
Shoulders
1) Seated Press 12 @25 x2 (in case my shorthand needs translation - that's 12 reps at 25 lbs done two times)
2) Delt Machine 12 @10 x2

Chest
1) Upright Fly machine 12 @ 25 x2
2) Chest Press 12 @ 20 x2

Abs
1) Crunch Machine 12 @ 30 x2
2) Crunches 12 x1
3) Leg lifts 12 x2
4) Cross body crunches 12 x2

Stretching: 
Full body 20-30 seconds per muscle

Gym Membership Renewed - check!

Went ahead and renewed my gym membership - I figure I'll eventually need a pool AND swim lessons.  There isn't any swimming in my training plan until the 3rd month.  The first two months seems to be mostly about building strength and endurance.  I'm ok with that because it means I'll be swimming in January - in Colorado!!  Sweeeeeeet.

I worked out today - Day 2 of Week 1 of Month 1 - LOL!  I'll post specifics tomorrow.  TOM visited today and I still went to the gym - another unprecedented feat.

Learned something today in the realm of triathlete training... a new definition for "brick."  I'd never heard the term before (outside of that rectangular thing used to build houses), so I checked out this article on "Why Bricks are Necessary and How to Use Them in You Training."

I can barely walk after biking for a long time, I can only imagine what it'll be like to run!

Also found an interesting book/blog...


Blog:   www.swimbikemom.com

Book:  "Triathlon for the Every Woman: You Can Be a Triathlete. Yes. You."

I read a preview of the book and the author writes the way I think, and I was very entertained in just a few pages.  Even if I don't learn a thing, I'm sure I'll be happy I read it.  I'll let you know either way!