In risk of stating the obvious, um, it's NOVEMBER. Time flies when you're having fun! Though I guess it would not be an untruth to say that Oct 1 seems like absolutely forever ago. Like seriously, wasn't it like a year ago that I was packing and getting ready to go to Kona? Had to have been at least a year.
So I'm not really employing 'off-season' in a typical sense of 'off-season' the way some people interpret 'off-season'. Let's face it, since it doesn't get cold and snow here in Hawaii, we don't feel the need to hibernate like some athletes who live in normal winter climates do. We still have some races coming up in the next couple months and while I would not say I'm taking them too seriously, I do like it that they give me a bit of a sense of purpose in training... or maybe I'm just using them as an excuse to train, which is what I really like to do... and I have to say, training for the sake of training because I simply enjoy training is awesome for me. It's been such a relief to go out and just run or swim... and just run or swim and not (over)analyze how every particular workout would/could/should affect a specific race performance. And I feel the freedom to experiment with different types of training too which is rather fun. For example, Nalani and I went out running this morning and at the end as we were finishing up and feeling like we had worthless wet noodles for legs, I commented that we had done this to ourselves with a total of 7 minutes of ridiculously hard work. 7 minutes. Amazing. But cool.
Another thing I'm thinking about employing is a big swim block (Lucho gave me the thumbs up on that today which definitely means we should do it)... thinking about trying to see if we can put together an 8 day block with ~40-50K of swimming... incorporating some double days and some long swim days... now would be the time to do that and benefit from it I think, and shoot, I just think it would be a fun/cool challenge. Especially given that Nalani is game to play too. Of course she is! I think we will start that next Wednesday. Stay tuned and I'll tell you more about it as I figure it out.
So I guess you could say that while my 'off-season' isn't a traditional physical break, it is most certainly a mental break because the way I am viewing my swimming and running right now. It's just fun. Even if it's a lot. And some of it is hard. (Notice I didn't mention my bike at all... that would be because I'm not spending much time on it. That is also the reason I am actually enjoying all this rain we are getting! Running in the rain = awesome. Biking in the rain right now would make me pissy. And I am not doing anything in my 'off-season' that would make me pissy.)
And in other fun news, check this video out. I got my TRX back out (yes it hangs in my living room) and Moana is enjoying it every bit as much as me. It's like an indoor swing set that requires a strong core.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
My 3 Year Old Fairy
Moana's life has been hectic this last week! I know my mom is dying for an update so here you go... :)
Thursday she turned 3. Scott's parents were here so we had a little birthday party for her and she enjoyed her cake. The icing was a bigger hit than the cake, for sure. (On Friday I had to throw the rest of the cake away b/c, well, sorry but I work from home and I have NO will power when there is cake in my house.) Moana got one of those balance bikes for her birthday so now she gets to ride bikes like mommy.
On Friday she got to go on a field trip with her school to the pumpkin patch, which is really just a farm in Waimanalo where they import a bunch of pumpkins and put them in a field... but we do what we have to do here in Hawaii where pumpkins do not grow on their own. Anyway, she came home with a white pumpkin. Interesting, I thought. I asked her if she got to pick out her pumpkin. "Yes! I picked out my pumpkin!" What color pumpkin did your friends pick? "Orange." Were you the only one who picked out a white pumpkin? "Yes." Wow. I thought that was so cool- the fact that at 3 years old she is confident enough to go against the grain and be the only one to pick out a white pumpkin. Good girl.
Saturday we went to the zoo with grandma and grandpa. What do you see?
Good thing grandma is strong!
Then yesterday was Halloween so of course we went out and taught Moana how to ask strangers for candy. (It did not take her long to get the hang of that.) The neighborhood we went to was all in when it came to this holiday... houses all decorated and everyone was gathered outside in their driveways (no need to ring any doorbells b/c everyone just sets up their candy tables in their driveways and blasts scary music and the kids just run up the driveways and collect their candy.) No kidding there were 300+ kids Trick-or-Treating there... plus all their parents as escorts... it was like a block party. Pretty fun. Moana was a bit intimidated by groups of older kids who were much more aggressive than she... but she learned to just sort of stand back and wait... just let them do their thing and then she would approach the driveways when there was adequate space.
In the last bit of Moana news today... Guess who had her first haircut last night? Nalani's mom cuts hair so she did the honors. She cut 4-5" off but it's still really long. (This pic is pre-cut.) Moana was a trooper and didn't mid getting it cut at all. One of her friends at school also just had her hair cut so I think that made it more acceptable. Maddy got her hair cut! Peer pressure can be awesome like that... in the same way last month it was Maddy wears big girl underpants...
Thursday she turned 3. Scott's parents were here so we had a little birthday party for her and she enjoyed her cake. The icing was a bigger hit than the cake, for sure. (On Friday I had to throw the rest of the cake away b/c, well, sorry but I work from home and I have NO will power when there is cake in my house.) Moana got one of those balance bikes for her birthday so now she gets to ride bikes like mommy.
On Friday she got to go on a field trip with her school to the pumpkin patch, which is really just a farm in Waimanalo where they import a bunch of pumpkins and put them in a field... but we do what we have to do here in Hawaii where pumpkins do not grow on their own. Anyway, she came home with a white pumpkin. Interesting, I thought. I asked her if she got to pick out her pumpkin. "Yes! I picked out my pumpkin!" What color pumpkin did your friends pick? "Orange." Were you the only one who picked out a white pumpkin? "Yes." Wow. I thought that was so cool- the fact that at 3 years old she is confident enough to go against the grain and be the only one to pick out a white pumpkin. Good girl.
Saturday we went to the zoo with grandma and grandpa. What do you see?
Good thing grandma is strong!
Then yesterday was Halloween so of course we went out and taught Moana how to ask strangers for candy. (It did not take her long to get the hang of that.) The neighborhood we went to was all in when it came to this holiday... houses all decorated and everyone was gathered outside in their driveways (no need to ring any doorbells b/c everyone just sets up their candy tables in their driveways and blasts scary music and the kids just run up the driveways and collect their candy.) No kidding there were 300+ kids Trick-or-Treating there... plus all their parents as escorts... it was like a block party. Pretty fun. Moana was a bit intimidated by groups of older kids who were much more aggressive than she... but she learned to just sort of stand back and wait... just let them do their thing and then she would approach the driveways when there was adequate space.
In the last bit of Moana news today... Guess who had her first haircut last night? Nalani's mom cuts hair so she did the honors. She cut 4-5" off but it's still really long. (This pic is pre-cut.) Moana was a trooper and didn't mid getting it cut at all. One of her friends at school also just had her hair cut so I think that made it more acceptable. Maddy got her hair cut! Peer pressure can be awesome like that... in the same way last month it was Maddy wears big girl underpants...
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Botanical Gardens and Old Pali Pictures
It only rained on us a little this week so these pictures are missing the torrential downpour feel and the waterfalls and rainbows, but even without all that, it was still a pretty good run this morning.
Through the botanical gardens.
Most of the pics I took today look a lot like this. I should figure out my camera settings.
What does that sign say?
Whatever. Breakin' the law... breakin' the law...
The fun part... Old Pali.
All counted there are 6 gates to pass through on this run. Each way. They can try but they cannot keep us out.
Mountain running with an ocean view.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
A Freebie Swim Workout
Some days we just swim really easy. Today was not one of those days.
I know some people think swimming is boring or whatever but I promise you, if you're paying really close attention to splits and changing up your effort to try to hit different paces, swimming can be every bit as fun as a track workout. :)
Given that we're training for a 7K swim, our key days are at least 4K right now. Here's what we did today. Can modify/shorten it if you're looking to do a good quality swim workout but are training for something shorter... (And if you're one of my athletes maybe you saw a version of this on your calendar this week!)
1500 straight swim with paddles/bands/buoy. First 500 easy then descend the 500's from there. Take ~15" off each 500 (~3"/100) so you're finishing at a solid effort last 500. (And yes, I was checking my watch during flip turns so I knew my pace each 100.)
5 x 300's where the first 200 is steady effort (t-pace +3-4") and the final 100 is @t-pace (which feels hard at the end of a 300). Pick a send-off interval that gives you ~20" rest and repeat! If there's not 3-4" difference in pace between your first 100's and you last 100, you're going too fast on the 200. Slow it down so there's a difference in PACE, not just effort. Check your split at the 200 to make sure you're hitting the right paces.
2 x (100 fast, 2 x 150's moderate effort, 100 fast!) rest 1' between sets. Think of these as broken 500's. Interval for the first 100 is t-pace, so you have to swim faster than t-pace to even make the send-off (it's really touch-n-go), then the 150's settle into moderate effort but again, keep the interval tight so not much rest at the wall- like 10". We went on t-pace +10" for those. The 'rest' is more like active recovery during the 150's. Then you don't get much rest going into that final 100 so it's time to dig and get under t-pace again.
100 c/d easy. Finally. You get to go easy. And you get to stop thinking. :)
I know some people think swimming is boring or whatever but I promise you, if you're paying really close attention to splits and changing up your effort to try to hit different paces, swimming can be every bit as fun as a track workout. :)
Given that we're training for a 7K swim, our key days are at least 4K right now. Here's what we did today. Can modify/shorten it if you're looking to do a good quality swim workout but are training for something shorter... (And if you're one of my athletes maybe you saw a version of this on your calendar this week!)
1500 straight swim with paddles/bands/buoy. First 500 easy then descend the 500's from there. Take ~15" off each 500 (~3"/100) so you're finishing at a solid effort last 500. (And yes, I was checking my watch during flip turns so I knew my pace each 100.)
5 x 300's where the first 200 is steady effort (t-pace +3-4") and the final 100 is @t-pace (which feels hard at the end of a 300). Pick a send-off interval that gives you ~20" rest and repeat! If there's not 3-4" difference in pace between your first 100's and you last 100, you're going too fast on the 200. Slow it down so there's a difference in PACE, not just effort. Check your split at the 200 to make sure you're hitting the right paces.
2 x (100 fast, 2 x 150's moderate effort, 100 fast!) rest 1' between sets. Think of these as broken 500's. Interval for the first 100 is t-pace, so you have to swim faster than t-pace to even make the send-off (it's really touch-n-go), then the 150's settle into moderate effort but again, keep the interval tight so not much rest at the wall- like 10". We went on t-pace +10" for those. The 'rest' is more like active recovery during the 150's. Then you don't get much rest going into that final 100 so it's time to dig and get under t-pace again.
100 c/d easy. Finally. You get to go easy. And you get to stop thinking. :)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Blah blah blah...
I spent a bunch of time thoroughly cleaning Moana's room (it's been a while). Since she is turning THREE on Thursday, all her 2T clothes got put in a box that I'm giving to a girlfriend who has an 18 month old daughter... I also got rid of a bunch of 'baby' stuff that we will not be needing. It felt ridiculously good to purge.
I went through my drawers as well... I have an insane amount of race t-shirts. While I don't mind giving many of them away, some I just feel a need to keep, even if I know I am never going to wear them. The oldest one I found was a Wildflower shirt from 1999. And why is it that I never wear my Ironman finisher shirts? I have a whole drawer full of them now and they are just taking up space. I cannot bring myself to throw them away but I cannot think of an occasion to wear any of them. So there you go. They just take up space as I find myself unable to purge them. (In the same vein I am unable to stop training for and racing them. Hmmm.) Maybe I should learn how to quilt.
In the midst of all the organizing I collected all of Moana's hair ties and headbands and barrettes and bracelets (they were scattered all over everywhere) and put them each in their own little bowl on her dresser. She got home and found the little bowls and exclaimed, "Look Mama! Accessories!" She then proceeded to pull down all the bowls and dump them out and play with all her accessories. Perfect. Her room was clean for like at least a couple of hours anyway.
You wanna know the trick to getting your 3 yo to eat broccoli? Steam it a bit and then pour a little good balsamic vinegar over it. Tonight Moana said, "More broccoli please!"
Moana insists every night that even if she does not finish her dinner, daddy is NOT allowed to eat it. Interestingly, it seems ok if I do.
Between bouts of cleaning and organizing, I am running. A lot. Lucho turned me into quite a durable athlete this year and I have found that the more I run, the more I thrive. I have not found my ceiling there yet, though I may try looking for it in the coming months.
I went through my drawers as well... I have an insane amount of race t-shirts. While I don't mind giving many of them away, some I just feel a need to keep, even if I know I am never going to wear them. The oldest one I found was a Wildflower shirt from 1999. And why is it that I never wear my Ironman finisher shirts? I have a whole drawer full of them now and they are just taking up space. I cannot bring myself to throw them away but I cannot think of an occasion to wear any of them. So there you go. They just take up space as I find myself unable to purge them. (In the same vein I am unable to stop training for and racing them. Hmmm.) Maybe I should learn how to quilt.
In the midst of all the organizing I collected all of Moana's hair ties and headbands and barrettes and bracelets (they were scattered all over everywhere) and put them each in their own little bowl on her dresser. She got home and found the little bowls and exclaimed, "Look Mama! Accessories!" She then proceeded to pull down all the bowls and dump them out and play with all her accessories. Perfect. Her room was clean for like at least a couple of hours anyway.
You wanna know the trick to getting your 3 yo to eat broccoli? Steam it a bit and then pour a little good balsamic vinegar over it. Tonight Moana said, "More broccoli please!"
Moana insists every night that even if she does not finish her dinner, daddy is NOT allowed to eat it. Interestingly, it seems ok if I do.
Between bouts of cleaning and organizing, I am running. A lot. Lucho turned me into quite a durable athlete this year and I have found that the more I run, the more I thrive. I have not found my ceiling there yet, though I may try looking for it in the coming months.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Having Fun With Running!
So I woke up early this morning... drank good coffee and listened to the rain pounding our roof and worked a bit until the sun was almost up... Put a long sleeve shirt on (first time all year I think?!?) and headed out the door to meet Nalani for a run. Running when the rain is coming down in buckets is our 'winter' running at its best.
I didn't bring my camera along this morning but in searching through my photo albums I found some shots from years past... given that this is my all time favorite run of course I have taken pictures before. What these shots are missing though are the raging waterfalls that were covering nearly every crevice in the sheer mountains and the double rainbows we saw as the sun was rising this morning. I made a comment to Nalani that even when it's raining this run is awesome. Her reply? Especially when it's raining.
It hasn't stopped raining here all day. I am completely tempted to go do this run again right now.
I didn't bring my camera along this morning but in searching through my photo albums I found some shots from years past... given that this is my all time favorite run of course I have taken pictures before. What these shots are missing though are the raging waterfalls that were covering nearly every crevice in the sheer mountains and the double rainbows we saw as the sun was rising this morning. I made a comment to Nalani that even when it's raining this run is awesome. Her reply? Especially when it's raining.
It hasn't stopped raining here all day. I am completely tempted to go do this run again right now.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Having Fun With Swimming!
This morning Nalani and I went to the beach to ocean swim with a new gal who may come on as an athlete of mine next year. Super cool gal- after we met her Nalani and I agreed that she would be hard not to like. :) She's also going to be hard to beat next year because without much ocean swimming experience she swam stroke for stroke with us for an hour... and she can run rather well. I can't wait to teach her how to ride a bike efficiently. Yikes! The gal has talent. Better yet, she's genuinely nice.
Anyway, there was a box jellyfish warning this morning but we ignored it and swam anyway and I'm so glad we did! It would have been a shame to miss today because the water was warm and clear and awesome. I'm fairly certain we had a tail current both ways which has never happened to me in 7 years of ocean swimming. But we swam out 30' and got way further than normal so we figured it would be a long ass haul back... yet interestingly, the return trip took right ~30'. Amazing. I will say though, as awesome as the water was, the best part about the swim today wasn't really the swim- it was the cool girls I did it with. :)
So here's a fun BatShitCrazy story for you... Driving home today Nalani and I started talking about epic swim workouts we could do leading up to the Double RoughWater Swim (coming up Dec 4). I threw it out there that we should do 50 or 60 x 100's... She said "Well if we're gonna do 50 we might as well do 60." Good point. I said then that maybe we should do 70 b/c that's about how long the Double Rough is. Nalani immediately nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, let's do 70," she said. How far would Nalani go? I pushed it to find out... Clearly I've been reading Hilary Biscay's blog too much so I threw it out there that we could try to tackle 100. The car was silent for ~3 seconds before Nalani got this giddy grin on her face and said "YES! Let's do THAT!" There's a reason why I love that girl. So the remainder of the car ride was spent trying to figure out the logistics of swimming 100 x 100's... it would have to be on a weekend b/c she does not have time to swim for almost 3 hours prior to work... but our pool is only open from 12-1 for lap swim on Saturdays so we would not have time to fit it in there... We settled on the Marine Corp base pool on Sunday, Nov 13... start time TBD. If you're local and you want in on part or all of that let me know. :)
Anyway, there was a box jellyfish warning this morning but we ignored it and swam anyway and I'm so glad we did! It would have been a shame to miss today because the water was warm and clear and awesome. I'm fairly certain we had a tail current both ways which has never happened to me in 7 years of ocean swimming. But we swam out 30' and got way further than normal so we figured it would be a long ass haul back... yet interestingly, the return trip took right ~30'. Amazing. I will say though, as awesome as the water was, the best part about the swim today wasn't really the swim- it was the cool girls I did it with. :)
So here's a fun BatShitCrazy story for you... Driving home today Nalani and I started talking about epic swim workouts we could do leading up to the Double RoughWater Swim (coming up Dec 4). I threw it out there that we should do 50 or 60 x 100's... She said "Well if we're gonna do 50 we might as well do 60." Good point. I said then that maybe we should do 70 b/c that's about how long the Double Rough is. Nalani immediately nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, let's do 70," she said. How far would Nalani go? I pushed it to find out... Clearly I've been reading Hilary Biscay's blog too much so I threw it out there that we could try to tackle 100. The car was silent for ~3 seconds before Nalani got this giddy grin on her face and said "YES! Let's do THAT!" There's a reason why I love that girl. So the remainder of the car ride was spent trying to figure out the logistics of swimming 100 x 100's... it would have to be on a weekend b/c she does not have time to swim for almost 3 hours prior to work... but our pool is only open from 12-1 for lap swim on Saturdays so we would not have time to fit it in there... We settled on the Marine Corp base pool on Sunday, Nov 13... start time TBD. If you're local and you want in on part or all of that let me know. :)
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