Tri Talk Tuesday- Open Water Swimming

Once again it's Tri Talk Tuesday! This week we are discussing the open water swim. Head on over to: Cynthia, Miranda and Courtney's blog posts about open water swimming and feel free to link up yours. And while you are over at Courtney's page (Tri Girl Chronicles) leave her some cheer. She just rocked her first Half Ironman!

The open water swim. These words often send chills up and down many triathletes spines. It certainly used to put me on the edge of a panic attack as soon as I put my face in the water. Why? Maybe it's because of certain images I couldn't get out of my mind. 

Like this:

or perhaps spotting this guy:

or it's this fear of being the slow person in the middle of this chaos:

All of which are very good reasons to fear the open water swim. However over the years I have learned a few things that have helped me with my open water anxiety.

1. Don't panic and control your breathing. It's easy to say however panicking will only raise your heart-rate and hinder your breathing. Close your eyes for a minute and block out all negative things. Tell yourself over and over that you CAN do this and "it's just another pool swim." Take few deep breaths and blow bubbles in the water. This will help calm you down.
2. Practice in open water as often as you can. Get comfortable with what it feels like to swim in open water, what it looks like through your goggles and what it feels like to swim in a current. These are not the kind of things you want to experience for the first time on race day. Grab a buddy and  practice together. Strength in numbers, right?
3. Start in the back and off to the side. If you know you are not a strong swimmer and fear the starting line chaos, move over and to the side. Take your time start with the slower swimmers. You are less likely to get trampled and swam over or even kicked in the head (it happens). There is nothing wrong with taking a little extra time to slow down if you are a beginner. A calm and relaxed swim will only make your remaining segments (bike/run) that much more enjoyable. 
4. Watch where you are going.  Before you jump in the water to race take a look at what side of your body you need to keep the buoys on. Make a mental note and remind yourself often. There is no black line on the bottom guiding you where to go. Practice sighting ahead of time and sight often. Keep the buoys on the correct side and don't rely on swimmers in front of you. Those swimmers could steer you off course and that will just frustrate and cause you to panic.
5. Get in the water and warm up before the gun goes off. Allow your body to get used to the water before you start swimming, Splash some water on your face and fill your wet suit up with a little water. If you can, do a few strokes or wade around in the deep water to get your blood flowing in your arms.

Do you have a fear of open water swimming? What tips do you have to help calm yourself down?

Nuunbassador Hood to Coast Check-in

Today is exactly two months out from my Hood to Coast running relay on the Nuun team. I thought I would post a little update on how the training is going. This post will be a series leading up to the run in August. It will also be a link-up with the other Nuun Hood to Coast Runners. Be sure and read about some of the other Nuunbassadors I have the honor of running with. While I have not met any of them in person I have been getting to know each of them on a team webpage. Come August we should all be comfortable with one another and...well...if not we get to spend 48 hours together trapped in a van so we better be!

My running has been very minimal thus far. As I mentioned in previous posts, I am still in physical therapy for my knee. I was told to refrain from running for a few months. I'm not sure exactly what I did to hurt it but all I know is that at 3 miles knee pain starts to set it. The last several months I have been working with a PT who had me change my running form (I'm a heel striker and over pronator) so I am learning to run gently. I working on lots of hip stretching, toe strengthening and IT band stretching along with foam rolling. Technically my two months was up the other day so I decided to see where I was at with the pain.  I set off for a light jog to test my knee out. It's always hard coming back after an injury because it's almost like you are waiting for something to happen and it makes you even more nervous. As I ran I got to the 3 mile mark and to my surprise I felt great! No knee pain so I went another 1/2 a mile. I stopped there so I didn't over do it. I was so incredibly relieved.

While I may not be out of the woods just yet with the knee pain at least there is hope. I'm in the process of trying out some new shoes that are supposed to help you run better. They should help me transition to more of a natural style run vs. a clunky heel slammer. If all goes well I hope to share with my readers more information on these new, unique shoes (yes it's a teaser for a review coming soon).

I have 60 days until the race. While I should be worried at that little amount of time, I'm not. I was told I could do any kind of cardio except running. So you better believe I have been swimming until I have grown gills, cycling until they started confusing me with Lance and elliptical(ing) at the Y until I get yelled at for the 40 minute time limit. My cardio level has stayed strong and now I just need to get in the actual miles.

You can read about my team members here: Nuun Team. You can also learn more about each of them as they post their training updates in the links below. I encourage you to check out each blog. We have some really great members on the team. I'm incredibly grateful for being selected to run on the Nuun team, I still pinch myself everyday wondering if it's for real. More than anything I can't wait to tour Nuun headquaters, spend a few days getting to know my teammates, Nuun staff and most of all guzzling endless amounts of Cherry Limeade Energy!

Here is a little preview of what legs I get to run. I am Van 2, Runner 10. (read the chart across)

Hood to Coast Nuun Ambassador Link-up:

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Countdown to Silverman 70.3

My 17 week countdown to Silverman 70.3 began last week. I admit it has me stressed out. I looked over the schedule and I am not sure what I was thinking when I picked a Fall race. My peak training time is when the kids are out of school and home all day. It also has me nervous about training in the heat. And of course there is still my knee problem that I am having.

Here we go.

Last week (my first week) I wish I could say that I stuck to my training plan but I wasn't even close. I got some good long outdoor rides in but I was nowhere near where I should be for the run. That has me concerned because I am still not supposed to run per my physical therapist. As I look over the schedule and see all these runs that I am missing, it has me worried. The only thing I can hope for is that I make up the cardio with extra swimming and biking.

However today I found a handy little machine that I used to think was so lame and wondered why people even use them. This machine is the elliptical. Since my knee injury is due to poor form, overpronating and heel slamming, I decided to give this thing a whirl. Of course my first thought was that I would look like this:

Did I look like this? Probably...but guess what? I did 45 minutes on that bad boy with NO KNEE PAIN! Lately the knee pain (while running) starts to set in around 25 minutes so this was a huge relief to me. I was careful not to overdo it and was pleased that I kept my heart rate high almost to where I am at while running. I was also sweating really sweating and that made me happy. I then followed up the rest of the workout with some weights and a long swim.

All in all my training is going to be a little sporadic this summer but I think the key is to just keep up my cardio. I don't necessarily have to run but as long as I am huffing and puffing and keeping my heart rate up where it should be, I can get by. I must let go of the negative thoughts and remember that it's all in my head.

Let's do this!

The Tour Divide

Taking a little time out to recognize something very important that is happening on Friday. It's a ride called The Tour Divide. No, I'm not riding The Tour Divide. Do you all think I'm that crazy?

The Tour Divide is a 2745 mile bike, yes as in bi-CYCLE ride from the Canadian Border to the Mexican border. And the crazy one I'm talking about is my brother-in-law Brian. 



The Tour Divide can be done either riding from North to South or from South to North. Regardless it's the same amount of miles and it's completely self supported. That means he will take everything he needs with him or purchase it along the route. One major rule is that he cannot have any outside help that isn't available to every rider. So he can't sleep in his own bed when he rides through his town of Jackson, Wyoming. He can't receive cookies along the way from his wife or kids unless they provide them to every rider. Hey Maddy maybe you should start baking now! He will sleep outside with creatures in a small sleeping bag or he can opt to stay in motels along the route. 

This year Brian has elected to start at the Mexican border due to heavy snow pack in the higher peaks. He's hoping some of that will have melted by the time he makes his way up North. If not he will end up hiking and carrying his bike in the snow for very long sections at a time. Brian will ride for approximately 3-4 weeks, everyday, all day long. He'll average at least a 100 miles a day. He will climb and descend the equivalent of 6 Mt. Everests about 200,000 feet. He will carry a GPS tracker on him, which friends and family (or anyone) can follow him along his route. If you'd like to check it out he will be blue dot (BR) Tour Tracker. He will also have a way to send a signal if god-forbid he gets in trouble even when he is out of cell phone range. There are 138 riders signed up this year. Approximately 60% will finish the race.

I know this is something Brian has wanted to do for a long time and it's neat to see that he'll finally get to ride it. It's a grueling ride and we know that if anything should happen we are proud of him no matter what. So go ride and enjoy every moment Brian. You have worked hard for this. We look forward to hearing all about it upon your return. But most importantly, don't forget the chamois cream!

You can follow and like Brian on his Facebook page here: Brian Remlinger Tour Divide Page

You can also read more about the Tour here: Tour Divide

Lastly I highly recommend watching the movie Ride The Divide. Ride The Divide  is available on Netflix Instant Stream. It will give you an idea of what the ride is all about and what these men and women endure during their travels along the way.

Here are some photos of Brian prepping for his journey.

What do you think; is he crazy? Would you do it?

Yep, I'm out at "bear whistle" and "pepper spray."

Tri Talk Tuesday- Balance

Hey it's Tuesday...which means it's Tri Talk Tuesday! Today we are discussing balance. The question I get all the time is "How do I balance my training and family life?" The number one reason most people don't or can't workout is due to time. It's a valid reason, I get it. Here are a few things that I have learned over the years that have helped me with balancing it all.

Become an early riser. The same goes at home as I mentioned last week in my Vacation tips blog post. Wake before your kids and husband to fit in a workout. I'm not an early riser but I have learned on busy days that I must do this in order to feel better the rest of the day. I usually wake before the rest of the house and by the time I get back the kids and husband are eating breakfast. I am a much happier mom and wife if I can get my training done early in the day.

Schedule your workouts or training days. Write down or type in your calendar the days you will train or exercise. There is something about seeing it scheduled into your day that makes you that much more aware and needing to check it off your list.

Be realistic about your goals. Don't sign up for an Ironman if you can't find the time to train for at least 15 hours a week. Think about doing a shorter distance instead. There is nothing worse than forking out all that money for a big race only to realize that you don't have the time to train. And who wants to waste $600 bucks!

Call in the support troops. Does your spouse work long hours and you can't find a moment alone? Enlist in the help of others. Reach out to friends and family. Ask if they can help. The worst thing that could happen is they say no. If that's the case, fork out a little bit of cash for a babysitter. I have mentioned this before but hire the young babysitters who are just starting out, they are cheap and need experience. If you are worried about their lack of experience, hire him/her to come over while you exercise on the bike trainer somewhere else in the house. You could also find a gym that offers childcare.

Tag team with your spouse. If exercise is just as important to your spouse as it is to you, tag team. He watches the kids while you get in your workout then you return home and he goes out to train. You can also do this at a pool or beach. Go for a swim while he watches the kids and vice-versa. That way the kids are having fun and are entertained and you can still get some swim conditioning done.

Do you find it hard to balance work, life and training? What are some ways you make it work?

8 tips for fitting in exercise while on vacation with your family.

How many times have you been on vacation and packed almost an entire suitcase full of exercise clothes only to have them sit buried at the bottom the entire time?  Why is it so hard to get motivated to exercise while you are on vacation? Well probably because it's a vacation and you are supposed to relax. I don't necessarily plan to exercise while on vacation but I know when I do I always feel better and can enjoy a cocktail (or two) later on. The past week was spent in Maui and while I didn't schedule any workouts, I found that I actually did way more than I thought and the best part was I got the family involved as well.

Here are 8 tips to help you fit in exercise while on vacation and without having the entire family mad at you because they have to wait around for you to finish your workout.

• Pack a few pieces of workout clothes but don't go overboard. Wear your running shoes on the plane. No need to pack that many items of workout apparel, it will only stress you out more to look at if it doesn't get used. Just pack two workout outfits and promise yourself you'll use at least those two. Chances are, you'll feel better and end up using them more than you anticipated. Wear your running shoes on the plane because they take up a lot of space in your suitcase. And they are also comfortable!
• Fit in a workout before the family wakes up in the morning. It's tempting to sleep in on vacation like the rest of the family, however wake before they do so they don't have to wait around for you all morning. Also do your workout early so you can partake in the Happy Hour festivities later on. Who wants to go run after drinking a Mai Tai? No thanks.

• Pack clothes that dry quickly. Bring gallon sized ziploc bags. If your clothes dry quickly and you don't sweat much you can get away with wearing them maybe one other time. Or do a quick "hotel room" wash (sink and shampoo) and hang to dry. Bring the gallon sized ziploc plastic bags to seal them up later so you don't stink up everything else in the suitcase.
• Make friends with the concierge. Going for a run but don't know the area? Ask the concierge. He/She should be able to direct you to the nice and safest running paths. Did you bring a bike? Call the local bike shop for tips on the best areas to go for a ride.
• Plan activities with the entire family that require physical exertion. Go for a hike, swim, bike, kayak, snorkel or walk to take in sights. But whatever you do don't ever tell them it's exercise. You're likely to wind up with a crap-load of complaining and whining to be carried back to the car.

Sure it's a boat ride kid! But it's also 4 hours of SWIMMING.

• Utilize the pool to swim laps before breakfast. You really don't need to be "that person" swimming laps at Noon in a crowded pool with kids and parents having fun. I found that the pool was empty every day around this time. It was a great time to get lap swimming done and I saw a few people doing this.
• Don't just sit on the beach. Swim in the ocean! Instead of lounging around under the umbrella watching your kids play in the sand, tag team with your spouse and go for an open water swim. Last week I was able to swim freely in the ocean and take in the beauty of the water beneath me. Gone was staring at the black line at the bottom of the pool, I could now swim with the colorful fish, and sea turtles. I spotted several during my swimming in the open water.

• Don't stress if you miss a workout. Remember vacation is vacation. There is no sense in beating yourself up if you miss a workout or two or three. Don't let it upset you. Focus on the amazing memories you are creating with your kids. Do you think they are going to remember if Mommy went for a run? Shoot are you going to remember if you went for a run? Not really but if it is fun; they'll remember. Go, laugh, play.