eureka!

i've got it. the IM equation. :)

IM training= wake+train+shower+commute+eat+work+eat+work+eat+work+work
+work+commute+train+maybe-do-something-other-than-train-eat-or-work
+eat+shower+zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
repeat x 7 days a week
note: some of the "work" to be subtracted during days sa & su but with and only with the addition of "train" and "thesis research"

got it? good.

back in the saddle: week four

my "speed demon": the pinny

a slow start due to the back, but ended the week with a bang.

the details:

5.19-5.25
m recumbent bike: 1 hour
t run: 2 miles, recumbent bike: 30 mins
w run: 4 miles
r run: 5 miles
f run: 6 miles
s swim: 1.5 miles
su nyack ride: 50 miles

what i did: week two + three

the details:

5.5-5.11
m swim: 1.2 miles
t run: 6 miles
w swim: 1.2 miles
r rest
f 20 min run
s gulf coast 1/2 ironman: 6:00:56
su rest

5.12-5.18
m swim: recovery
t run: 7 miles
w ride: 20 miles
r run: 6 miles
f swim: easy
s rest
su easy bike: 1 hour recumbent

nothing's gonna slow me down. oh no!

oh yes...
you see, i'm my own best friend and worst enemy.
most often, i don't "stop" until something stops me.
don't get me wrong...I know when to chill, take an easier day, kick back a little (read: a little), but if the world functioned with few hiccups, I'd just keep on training and racing and training and racing...and you get the point.

fortunately, fate steps in right when I need it and wham! whacks me to my sorry ass.

after the MOST crazy spring of my life (yes, I think I can truly say this)- 7.5 credit hours, TNT training captain, FT job, training for Boston, running Boston, getting swim and bike "fit", training for Gulf Coast, completing Gulf Coast- my body finally said mercy...thursday night after moving a very lightweight AC, i stood and nearly yelped aloud...uh oh, i said to my sister and three friends staying with me...i think i strained my back. whatever was my first thought. when i woke up friday morning, however, yeah another story...I was hurting.

anyone who has ever had back pains or strains knows how debilitating they can be. i'm a pretty tough cookie, yet mid-day yesterday i was ready to burst into tears. the good thing?
i'm smart, sensible and boy do i take action, so i hooked up with a chiropractor (thank you random dude i rode in the park with several months ago!), had a couple xrays, a little muscle stim and an adjustment, and then headed home (after a second chiro appt) to endure (in a little less pain).

i was a good sport too...i currently have four girls staying in my apt, but sucked it up and went out to dinner last night. this AM, i awoke to spectate the healthy kidney 10k (bizarre being on the sidelines) and then spent several hours trasping around manhattan. finally, here i lay...ice on my back and random tv on the tele...

i'm not worried and yes, surprisingly lax...i'll be back in the saddle soon...

did it (holy shit)

yep, that's right. first 1/2 iron in the books (and me in a wetsuit above).
the nitty gritty?
you got it:

FEMALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29
--------------------------------------------------
  Over            Swim    Bike     Bike    Run  
Plc  All   Time     Time   Time    Rate   Time
===  ====  ===      ====   ====    =====  ====
25   669   6:00:56  41:28  3:14:57 17.2   1:56:37

the lowdown:
-swim: super choppy...gulched a ton of salt water, managed to stay calm, was pleased with my effort
-bike: loooong...first part, ok. aside from my burning hips (yes, the entire 56 miles)...second 1/3...still ok...hadn't hit the wind yet. last part: suck city. get me off this bike so I can stop being passed every other second (although I did manage to pass quite a few people!)
-run: ah yeah! my sport indeed, although my time sucked (I know...don't rub it in)

overall impression: hmm...not too bad.
best comment of the day: my sister, after the race: "ming, now double that."

yes, now double that. um yeah, give me 6 months (err, I mean a little less).

chainsaw massacre

oh yes, the joys of living in NYC.
2:15am.
whack, whack. clang. clamor.
brrroooom!
whack. clack. hammer.

wait, am i dreaming?
nope.
two stories below me, a team of ConEd guys in full-fledge construction mood...at 2:15am!

normally, just a nuisance.
two days before your first half-ironman? a definite aggravation.
i contemplated shouting out the window. but didn't want to disturb anyone.
(not that they weren't already being disturbed by the racket!).
then i considered going out to chat with them. but figured:
1. they would either laugh at me OR 2. they would hit on me

ultimately, i grabbed my earplugs (thank you Air France!), threw a shirt over my eyes (because somehow, covering my eyes would help quiet the clamor) and prayed (well, not really) that I would fall back asleep quickly.

when i left early this AM for the airport (i'm in FLA now), i got a look at ConEd's amazing mid-night creation: a wooden box-like container hiding a "Caution: LIVE wire!". seriously? nope. I really wasn't dreaming

ah, life in NYC.

what i did: pre-week one + week one

the down and dirty

pre-week
4.21-4.27
m boston marathon! 3:25:14
t rest
w rest
r swim: 50 laps
f run: 25 mins
s brick: 50 mile bike, 50 min run
su swim: 1.2 miles

week one
4.28-5.4
m hmm...run?
t bike: 25 miles
w run: 4 miles
r swim: 1 mile
f run: 8 miles
s rest, eat, relax, hang with most of my extended family for my grandma's 88th b-day
su bike: 30 miles, swim: 1.2 miles

one hundred eighty days.

november first two-thousand eight.
one hundred forty [point] two.
a little thing called ironman florida.

i honestly can't remember when i first started saying i wanted to do an ironman by thirty. it hardly matters now anyway. last fall i checked the box certifying my insanity, thus beginning my wild ride to panama city, florida and ironman florida 2008.

this week marks the "beginning" of my training. forget the last four months of swimming, biking and running. my coach informed me monday that the real work starts now. [have I been slacking?]

i actually kicked off training last saturday with a brick that, on paper, seemed like no big deal: 50 mile ride followed by a 50 min run. the catch? i had run the boston marathon just four days before [yes! four days before!] can you say feel the burn? i should admit here and now that of the three disciplines, cycling is my weakest link. thus, my trip to and from w 112 was um, a bit rough. no, I didn't crash and burn, but I wasn't getting pulled over for speeding. somehow though, i managed to hammer out the brick and then spend the next six hours plowing thru schoolwork [yes, along with a FT job, I'm also in grad school].
welcome to IM week one!

with one final project down and one to go, i sit here thursday night anticipating a trip home tomorrow [columbus] to celebrate my grandma's 88th bday only to return early sunday to fit in one last solid bike/swim before my first half iron next weekend in florida. why in the world am i doing a half iron during my 2nd week of training? give or take five reasons:

one. i'm nuts
two. why not?
three. because i can
four. good practice on the IMFL course
five. panama city's cool?

ok, enough talk about training and what not. highlights of the day? one, my yummy dinner [lunch leftovers...things always taste better reheated] and two...ah, my long-awaited, much-deserved mani-pedi...bliss!