bikin’, but not on the road again – yet!

Hit the stationary bike for the first time in a long time today at the gym.  Not happy with the condition of my legs.  My recumbent stationary bike at home died just before the holidays which has really hurt my training and my legs.  I really liked that thing.  Wish I could replace it.  Have not had time to tear it apart, plus it is likely an electronics issue based on troubleshooting so far.  Also, could usually watch a whole episode of a taped show while doing it.  Burn Notice while biking.  It seemed when last BN season ended, so too did the life of my bike. 

However, will start working it back some at the gym.  Just not brave enough to hit the roads yet.  Perhaps when it is warmer at 0400 when I have time to do some outside and less traffic.  It felt great though, once I figured out the darn controls after about 4 minutes! 

I thank God every day just for the ability to swim, bike, run.  Love it.

honored

At end of last year, I was interviewed for an article in Oxygen Magazine about my triathlon experience, especially as a She Does Tri camper.  The article just came out in the March 2011 issue…. on newsstands now!  (sounds like a tv commercial)

The last paragraph of the article…. I am honored:

“When all three activities get woven together into one, the experience is worth it, says Stephanie Sullivan, 42, from North Carolina, who thought camp would be a fun way to shed some baby weight.  Prior to attending camp, she planned to do a triathlon the following year.  But she says, “Camp was so motivating and confidence-building that I thought, ‘Why wait till next year!’”

Krista Schultz, camp co-founder and Ironman triathlete, is beyond amazing.  Now only if I could get amazing abs like Krista and Olympian Dara Torres on the cover! …. and in 2 weeks!  That would be a sight to behold!  I don’t know that I could do enough crunches or say enough prayers!

the journey

In the last week, I’ve done 3 runs.  So thankful!  The first two just under 4 miles and then a 5-miler today.  Just a hair under 10 minute miles right now.  I can’t complain since coming off an injury.  Just happy to run.  I will say my system is hurting right now from the 5-miler…. not used to it.  I hope to by fall get at least 5K time back down to about 8 1/2 minute miles, which is about the best I’m aware this old gal can do.  Perhaps with more mileage, more track workouts and better nutrition I can get faster.  Yet, life gets in the way of this all too much.

Happy to be able to do tri sports, no matter what the speed.  I appreciate being able to take the journey each and every day.

tempurpedic

An article caught my eye that discusses an endurance race that sounds amazing. I would love to do this, but would really want and need to have companionship on this very long race.  I would not want to do this completely alone, but I would do everything I could to finish.  No question, I would be getting/making a tempurpedic bike seat and perhaps even tempurpedic bike shorts.

I love the quote that the blog author uses as inspiration as well:

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

My difficulty would be picking one thing to aim to do!

 

slow but steady

Did a run in the cold today.  Slow, but steady.  Loved it.  Feel great.  Even did a few sprints today too.

The great and tough thing about running is that you do not stop!  As a tennis player growing up and through college, then into adult play, you get breaks in tennis….between points, on changeovers.  In triathlon, in running, you do not stop.  Of course, nothing prevents you from stopping.  You can, but you are not supposed to stop.  That is what makes triathlon and triathletes so amazing is the endurance.  Granted, tennis is not easy either.  I have hit bucket and grocery cart after grocery cart full of tennis balls.  That was and is my favorite part about tennis – the drilling, the workout.  Sure playing and hitting incredible shots feels great, and I have wowed a few crowds (all be them small) in my day, but the drilling is the workout, the exercise, the endorphin-producing high.

I still have that goal of a half marathon in 2011.  Not sure with all that is going on as I aim to defend my dissertation this summer and then may even make a job change, but I will continue to train, run, swim, lift… whatever I can do.  Gotta do it.  Love it.  Need it…. for survival.

That is also what is great about running…. you can travel anywhere and still run.  Tough to bike because not easy to carry around; tough to swim if there is no pool or adequate sized pool.  But running, you just step out and go.

If I could train full time for triathlon, hire David Glover as my coach, and race and train – that would be awesome.  I do not have the means to do this as I support my family with my work, but that would be such fun, and great hard work.  If you can do it, do it!  I never had aspirations of being a professional tennis player…. not really.  However, after doing triathlon, if I could have done this instead, I would have.  That would be a great, but tough, full time job and then some!

2011 Tri update

After finishing up my 2010 tri season with an Athena win at the Trek Women’s Series in Columbus, Ohio and fun time at the tri in Myrtle Beach, although the competition south was WAY tougher than north, I plodded through the Medoc 10 miler with a fibular stress fracture (word to the wise from the not so wise:  don’t run barefoot on a treadmill)… determined not to finish last.  Beautiful trail.

Since then, was in a boot on land, swimming and lifting weights, then pool running… and yesterday… finally a great land run.  Not sure what race schedule will hold, as MUST finish and defend dissertation this year, but will continue the best part of all – TRAINING!

The journey is the reward.

First Ever 10K

Leesburg, VA….over 600 participants.  9:17 pace.  Happy considering next to no track workouts.  Next stop, trail runs! 

Trek Women’s Series Triathlon went well.  Fastest swim ever at 14:35 for 750 m.  Won Athena.  78 overall and 10th in age group out of 27.  Great setting at Buckeye Lake in Ohio.

tennis any won?

NC 4.5 women’s state championships at Pinehurst….on hard courts….ouch.  Hurting all over.  Joan and I won all our matches, but it was ugly.  Down every match 3-0, 4-1, even 5-0 in first set.  Came back and won all of them, but not without a struggle.  Slow to start, with occasional shots demonstrating what I used to be able to do, and endured.  Endurance sports.  Love ‘em.  Now to get leg back right and prep as best I can for 25-JULY tri race in Ohio.  Cannot wait to start running again.  Miss it.

2010 race schedule

June – Pinehurst NC USTA State Championships prep (tennis)

July 25 - Trek Women’s Series Sprint Triathlon (Ohio)
July 31 – Brooke/Bree Greenville Swim Championships

August – one loop (8.7 miles) of Medoc Fat A$$

September – East Coast VW Tri at North Myrtle Beach (ocean swim! – hopefully no hurricanes!)

October – Medoc 10 – miler

December – ThunderRoad Half Marathon

Ongoing research & training

Research & training has continued.  I am occasionally documenting training activities on the Athlinks site.  Research into product development has been slow, but have narrowed product scope.  Looking forward to additional progress in 2010.  Planned races are 09-MAY at White Lake and 15-MAY at Lake Kristi.  Bike training has been limited.    Have missed it due to weather, but this morning back on it.

Thank you to all for continued support. All we can do is keep moving, and moving forward.

Size matters

Check out this article on why size matters in athletes and bigger is better per Dr. Adrian Bejan, engineering professor at the Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, and his constructal theory.   

http://www.pratt.duke.edu/news/?id=1781

“Larger athletes also run and swim faster than smaller athletes,” Bejan said.  Bejan’s research is supported by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation.

for Her

Interesting how things transpire.  I decided to go with my neighbor to a holiday luncheon held at the Emerge Gallery in December 2009.  Neither of us typically do those kinds of things, but we thought we’d try something new for a change.  We got there plenty early and started our meal, which was very nice by the way.  We were the only two people at our table.  About mid-way through our meal, a lady asked to join us.  As we talked, we learned that she was the editor of the local paper The Daily Reflector’s Her magazine publication that is circulated for free in local businesses.  My neighbor later offered to prepare monthly nutrition spots for the magazine and then proceeded to tell her about my accomplishments in triathlon since my 3rd baby girl was born.  I then agreed to share my story. ….which is now published in print March issue and on the web at:  http://www.reflector.com/her/local-mother-three-takes-triathlons-24031.

Her did edit it and I gave them location of this blog to use as needed as well.  I hope it inspires other women to make time for themselves so they can be around for a long time and earn and have the quality of life they want and need.

14-Feb 2010

The week in review:

Sun – recumbent bike

Mon – run 2.4 miles, swim, lower body, abs

Tues -  swim, abs, upper body weights

Wed – swim, abs, lower body weights

Thurs – swim, abs, upper body weights

Fri – swim, abs, lower weights

Sat – recovery

Week of 07-Feb 2010

The week in review:

Sun – recumbent bike

Mon – run 2.4 miles, swim, lower body

Tues – work

Wed – swim, abs, upper body weights

Thurs – swim, abs, lower body weights

Fri – swim, abs, upper/lower weights

Sat – recovery

Sun – recumbent bike

Week 31-Jan

The week in review:

Sun – extra recovery day due to some type of cold/virus funky stuff – yuk!

Mon – recumbent bike, delay due to snow….rec not open until 1000 when I have to teach!

Tues -  swim, abs, lower body weights

Wed – swim, abs, upper body weights

Thurs – swim, abs, lower body weights

Fri – swim with Brandon’s help 1 hour….then had to cut it short to teach lab for a colleague.

Sat – recovery

Looking forward to spring! even more!  Need to run!  Plan for tomorrow.

Overall, this week was SLACK!  Got to pick it back up!  I became a fan of this:  http://www.htfu.com/ cool stuff!

Cardio before weights?

Due to some research, which is summarized nicely in lay terms in this article….

http://weighttraining.about.com/od/techniquesandstrategies/a/cardio_weights.htm

….I have rearranged the order of my workouts over the last several weeks.  It has worked out very well I think, as when I have done weights before cardio, I have often been tired and not pushing it in any cardio I do.  Therefore, changing it up has been beneficial.  I am so fortunate to have access to facilities right where I work in which I can do everything I need to do to train – especially swim and weight training.  The track is really short with sharp turns and is a struggle with the scenery extremely limited to plain walls and a clock telling you how slow you are going.  Treadmills are not my fave.  The exercise bike seats are very uncomfortable (To date, I have not found a bike seat that IS comfortable).  Yet, I am thrilled to have access to this and to shower and head right into work.

No matter where you are, get some type of activity in…check out the Physical Activity Pyramid and follow it as best you can.  It is all about improving your quality of life and your health….being a good role model and being healthy for your family.

Get going!  Let’s do it!

Week 24-Jan

The week in review:

Sun – 5 mile run!

Mon – swim, abs, lower body weights – POURING DOWN RAIN OUTSIDE!

Tues – RUN 2.4 miles, swim, abs, upper body weights

Wed – swim, abs, lower body weights

Thurs – swim, abs, upper body weights

Fri – swim, abs, lower body weights….had to cut it short to head to Raleigh darn it!

Sat – recovery….cold….snow….ice…not enough running this week and NO biking – EEESH!   Looking forward to spring!  The snow is pretty though and fuels my desire to do cross country skiing one day.

think outside the box?

Which box?  How do I do this?

Free your mind….easier said than done:

http://skilledintheart.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/free-your-mind-and-the-rest-will-follow-thank-you-en-vogue/

Week 17 Jan

The week in review:

Sun – 5 mile run!  first time in a while!  YAY!  slow, but got-r-done.

Mon – 2.4 mile run, abs, lower body weights, swim

Tues – swim, abs, upper body weights

Wed – 2.4 mile run, abs, lower body weights, swim

Thurs – swim, abs, upper body weights

Fri – 2.4 mile run, swim, abs, lower body weights

Sat – recovery

Physical Activity Pyramid

Physical Activity Pyramid

I recently saw a version of this posted in the ECU rec center.  I had not seen it before.

Similar to the food pyramid, I believe that most Americans are not getting enough servings of the physical activity pyramid each day.  Not enough time exists in the day for this – for people that work at least one job, are in school, have families and other commitments.