I spent the weekend in beautiful Lake San Antonio in Monterey County, about an hour from Paso Robles, CA. It was a 4.5 to 5 hour drive from LA. I drove up Friday morning with my Ironteammate Edmund. Having a carpool buddy makes the drive less monotonous and we talked about work, training, fundraising, and families. We had great weather with daytime temp in 70's and 40's at night. Food was OK as well. A group from our LA Ironteam cooked the meals as a fundraiser. $55 was well worth it. I appreciated not having to deal with the extra stress and headache of meal preparation and clean-up. The weekend was also a chance to talk to the other teammates and mentors. Just hanging out by the campfire in the afternoon and evenings was enjoyable.
We shared our campsite and training activities with a few other Team in Training groups from California. Some groups were training for the Wildflower Olympic distance race, and others for the Wildflower Long Course (Half-Ironman). We had groups from LA, Silicon Valley, Central Cali, Sacramento, and Monterey County. I believe the Silicon Valley group did the entire Long Course on Saturday. They were partying all night Saturday. That's where the ear plugs came in handy. Our LA Ironteam did the swim and 56 mile bike on Saturday. We ran 13.1 miles on Sunday.
Now to the specifics: the swim started early Saturday morning. There was a nice mist hanging over the Lake. It was a beautiful sight and I would have appreciated it more if I was in my hiking outfit. Instead I was stripped down bare-chested with just my tri shorts and trying to climb into my wetsuit. I remembered Body Glide this time and I applied it liberally. Some of my teammates forgot and suffered rubber burns on their neck afterwards. I learned my lesson. ( See my earlier post about rubber burns and other misadventures...)
Jumping into a cold lake was no fun. I was nervous, but not as nervous as I was with my first tri at the Desert Triathlon earlier this month. We had a warmup swim to the first buoy and back. I could feel my heart beating fast and my breathing pattern was rushed. I told myself to relax, but I still didn't feel entirely comfortable. Then after the warmup, it was a quick pep talk from the coaches and we were off. I swam a little bit aways from the other swimmers. I found my own rhythm and just followed the other swim caps ahead of me. It worked great. Before I knew it, I was at the first buoy, passed the second, and then the third. I pictured myself as a fish during the swim and concentrated on pulling water. The return to the pier was much quicker than the swim out. I only swallowed water towards the end as I was trying to avoid another group of swimmers swimming out from the pier. (They were from a different Team in Training group.)
The bike was a relief. Anything out of the water is a relief for me. I just settled into a rhythm. The coaches had scared me with their description of the Wildflower Long Course the evening before. It is a back-end loaded course. The race really begins after mile 41, with "Nasty Grade".
So during the first portion of the ride, I tried to save my legs. I didn't go all out, especially since this is a training weekend. I tried to remember the different sections of the course. Dealing with traffic on the roads was no fun, but at least on race day the roads will be closed. Some of the roads were very rough. My forearms were rattling. From about mile 20 to 30, I spent most of the time on my aero-bars. I finally started to get more comfortable with breathing in this position. I definitely picked up a couple mph in the aero position. I saw wildlife, including 3 vultures over a headless carcass of a boar. I saw some pretty orange wildflowers. We passed by several vineyards. Finally I hit "Nasty Grade". It was steep, very steep. I was going at 4 mph. I kept the legs churning. It kept going and going, but the words of encouragement that some of the coaches and mentors had written on the road with chalk inspired me to keep going. Coach Paul was riding down the hill and giving me words of encouragement as I was going uphill. ( I learned that he rode up and down Nasty Grade numerous times to support the team) At this point in the day it was getting hot. I had sweat pouring down my face. I ride with a Camel-bak and my fluids were getting low. I had 1 water bottle left on my bike. It was a great relief to get to the top and see the aid station. This was the only station I stopped at during the ride. I refilled my Camel-bak with water and that water tasted so good! That short 2 to 3 minute break gave me the energy to power through for another hour to complete the ride. I was happy with my 3 hr 53min time.
Sunday morning run: Again a beautiful mist hung over the lake. It was a bit chilly at the start, but once I started running my body started to heat up. The run course was mostly off road on dirt trails through rolling terrain. There was a steep grade early in the run. Many people walked it, but I just kept chugging along. I live in a hilly area, so I've trained for hills. I enjoyed the run the most. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery. On the bike it's difficult to do that, since you're looking at the road ahead and watching out for traffic. There were no mile markers, so it was hard to pace myself. I just treated this as a training run and went by feel. I wanted to run faster than easy long run pace, but not at race pace. I tried to run a negative split, but I didn't know where the halfway mark was. I think I did pick up the pace towards the end. I finished in 1 hr 45 min for 12 miles; this included one restroom break and 1 waterstop to refill my water bottle at an aid station. ( I started my stopwatch after the first mile, which was a warmup mile with the entire team.)
I skipped the optional swim session after the run. I had to pack my camping gear, load the car, take a quick shower, and head back to LA. All in all, an action-packed weekend.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Mulholland Hwy 60 mile ride
We had an intense 60 miler from Calabasas, over the Santa Monica Mountains National Rec Area, down to PCH in Malibu, and back over the mountains to Calabasas. I was told by my mentor that we climbed over 6000 feet. I covered this mountain terrain in a respectable 4.5 hours. The ride was challenging, but fun. The sense of accomplishment at the end of the ride made all the pain worth while.
The only downside was nearly getting clipped by a crazy motorcyclist early in the ride. Our Ironteam was riding in a pack. Early in the ride we were still bunched up. As we started going up a slight incline, I tried to pass a small group ( about 3 across). Our group was taking up the entire lane, and I passed to their left, but still on our side of the double yellow line separating from oncoming traffic. I can usually hear cars from behind, but this motorcyclist zoomed past from behind on the other side of the double yellow, but close enough to me so that I could feel the breeze go by. That sure woke me up. Needless to say my coaches were constantly reminding me to stay on the side of the road the rest of the ride.
Today I'm working a 24 hr shift at the hospital, so I'll get my 1hr 45 min run and swim session in tomorrow.
The only downside was nearly getting clipped by a crazy motorcyclist early in the ride. Our Ironteam was riding in a pack. Early in the ride we were still bunched up. As we started going up a slight incline, I tried to pass a small group ( about 3 across). Our group was taking up the entire lane, and I passed to their left, but still on our side of the double yellow line separating from oncoming traffic. I can usually hear cars from behind, but this motorcyclist zoomed past from behind on the other side of the double yellow, but close enough to me so that I could feel the breeze go by. That sure woke me up. Needless to say my coaches were constantly reminding me to stay on the side of the road the rest of the ride.
Today I'm working a 24 hr shift at the hospital, so I'll get my 1hr 45 min run and swim session in tomorrow.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Latigo Canyon Ride, Malibu, CA
Yesterday was a fun workout. We had our biggest climb to date: Latigo Canyon in Malibu. This is a 2000 ft climb over 9 miles of switchbacks. Never too steep, but steady uphill. It makes for a nice hour to hour and 15 min climb. The reward is panoramic vistas, the feeling of accomplishment at the peak, and then the thrill of riding downhill at high speed. Going downhill was fun, mixed with a hint of danger. Tackling these curves at high speeds required hands on the brakes, and good balance between rider and bicycle. At one point, I approached a turn too fast and had to hit the brakes hard or else risk going over the edge of the road. That would not have been pretty. I made it safely back to the car and it was time for the run.
We ran up to the beautiful campus of Pepperdine University. Wow what a place to go to school. I would have had a hard time concentrating on my studies if I went there. How can you lock yourself away all day in a library when the beautiful ocean and grand trails and roads await? Well for a Saturday, the campus was remarkably quiet. Either the students were still sleeping in, or else they were out and about in the great outdoors. I did run into some students, probably Greek frats and sororities, running some kind of obstacle course set up in a field.
The highlight of my run was running with a couple of my Iron teammates on the Pepperdine track. We had a beautiful view of ocean and hills. We ran a mile and it turns out it was a 7 min mile. Not bad considering I wasn't running for time and was just enjoying the view.
Afterwards we got free 15 min massages from LA Sports Massage. They promote sports massage as therapy to-- Enhanced athletic performance - Fewer injuries - Restored flexibility and range of motion - Faster recovery from injury - Removal of lactic acid buildup. I felt good, but could have used a longer, perhaps 60 to 90 min, massage.
I can't wait to see what comes next in our training. Our Wildflower Training Weekend is coming up in just 2 weeks.
We ran up to the beautiful campus of Pepperdine University. Wow what a place to go to school. I would have had a hard time concentrating on my studies if I went there. How can you lock yourself away all day in a library when the beautiful ocean and grand trails and roads await? Well for a Saturday, the campus was remarkably quiet. Either the students were still sleeping in, or else they were out and about in the great outdoors. I did run into some students, probably Greek frats and sororities, running some kind of obstacle course set up in a field.
The highlight of my run was running with a couple of my Iron teammates on the Pepperdine track. We had a beautiful view of ocean and hills. We ran a mile and it turns out it was a 7 min mile. Not bad considering I wasn't running for time and was just enjoying the view.
Afterwards we got free 15 min massages from LA Sports Massage. They promote sports massage as therapy to-- Enhanced athletic performance - Fewer injuries - Restored flexibility and range of motion - Faster recovery from injury - Removal of lactic acid buildup. I felt good, but could have used a longer, perhaps 60 to 90 min, massage.
I can't wait to see what comes next in our training. Our Wildflower Training Weekend is coming up in just 2 weeks.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Desert Tri Race Report
After a few days to digest what happened over the weekend, I'm finally ready to post my race report.
Saturday: Ironteam 4 hour bike ride from Malibu ( Pepperdine) to Camarillo and back. 64 miles. 1:45 to Camarillo and 2:15 back to Pepperdine. ( Strong headwind)
Off to La Quinta to pick up race packet, followed by Ironteam swim at the lake ( site of Desert Tri).
A team dinner followed by return to motel to set up and prepare for next day's race.
Poor sleep.
Sunday: Time change = 1 less hour of sleep. Dress in Tri outfit, warm clothes, load car with bags and bike. Arrive at park shortly after 6am. Head over to transition area to set up. I talked to the triathlete next to me and explained that I was about to compete in my first Tri. He was very helpful and gave me some tips and pointers. After setting up, it was time to line up for the restroom. Afterwards I returned to the beach to watch the start of the Sprint Triathlon which started at 7am. At 7:30, I returned to transition zone and got into my wetsuit. In the excitement, I got my R leg in correctly, but I stuck my L leg into the L arm slot. My new acquaintance helped me pull my leg out of the arm slot. It wasn't easy! After getting the wetsuit on, I headed over to the beach to meet coach Paul and my teammates.
At 8am the first wave started for the International Distance Tri. I waited for the last wave. Finally the time came: the start of the swim.
Swim- 40:57
I started off fine and tried to draft off the swimmers in front. Initially it worked, but I made the mistake of going out too fast. A few hundred yards into the swim, I started to feel short of breath and my heart was beating like a jack-rabbit. I looked around and saw some swimmers heading for the shore. Oh Oh. Negative thoughts crept in. Perhaps I'm not ready. I still have a long way to go. I don't want to drown ( probably impossible with a wetsuit). In hindsight, I was probably having a panic attack. I waved down a lifeguard on a surfboard and grabbed hold of the board. I explained that I needed to catch my breath. After a minute, I felt good enough to continue. I told myself if I quit now, I'll spend the rest of the morning ( the next several hours) regretting it and getting bored while waiting for my teammates.
Where is the buoy? The rising sun was in the same direction as the first buoy. This meant I couldn't see it. Being a novice to open water swimming, this really bothered me. I had no other swimmers to follow since I was in the back of the last wave. I saw a few swimmers around, but they seemed to be disoriented, too. I swam to another surfboard and paused to get my bearings. I asked the lifeguard, where is the buoy? After getting re-oriented, I continued on. I rounded the buoy and then saw the second buoy off in the distance. It seemed a long ways away. I was thinking, "Wow this 0.75 mile swim is long. How am I ever going to swim 2.4 miles during the Ironman Tri?" ) That was a little discouraging, but at this point I could not give up even though the thought crept in "I hope I'm not the last one out of the water".
Zig-Zag Swimming. I would swim a little, sight, and realize I was now looking at the buoy from a different angle. I tried to correct, but was having difficulty. I paused at another surfboard to regroup then continued. A little while later, I went to another guard to assess what was happening. He mentioned that I'm left arm dominant and I pull more with the left arm, causing me to drift left. Great! Now I tried to aim right, in order to hopefully go straight for the buoy. Eventually I reached the second buoy. By this time I'm tired! I must have already swam a mile with my zig-zagging. I rest at another surfboard, then made the final push to shore.
I was thinking, "Get me out of the water, please! I can't wait for the bike and the run." (After the race, I asked coach if I was the last one out of the water. He reassured me that there were a couple people behind me. Whew!)
T1- 4:39
Trouble getting my legs out after I got the wetsuit down to my knees. It seemed like it took forever. Maybe it was hypoxia. I was still feeling light-headed from the swim. At least I remembered the helmet and sunglasses. I took a drink from my water bottle.
Bike- 1:18:52
The first lap I was so far behind, I didn't see any riders at first. I thought I was lost. Then came the lead riders lapping me as they came by for their second lap. They were on their fancy aerodynamic Tri bikes with the special Aero wheels! They went by so fast! I want those wheels! I was riding upright during most of the first lap and my legs and butt felt tired from the 4 hour ride the day before. Since most of my riding had been in hilly areas and in areas with lots of traffic, I have not used my aero bars very much. I decided to give it a try during the race and I started to bike faster. I also took in some nutrition in the form of Powerbar Gel Blasts. I also noticed there were no port-a-potties on the bike course. My bladder was getting full.
The second lap I went much faster in the aero position. As I passed other riders one by one, I started to get my confidence back. Before long the ride was over.
T2- perhaps about 2 min
I changed quickly into my running shoes and put on my cap. I had finished my 1 water bottle on the bike, so I took a drink from my 2nd bottle at my transition zone. I also grabbed another packet of gel blasts.
Run- perhaps about 50 min
The first steps felt a little awkward, but eventually I got my running legs back. I was glad to see alot of runners on the course although some of them were on their 2nd lap while I was on my 1st lap of the run course. I jumped into a Port-a-pottie and relieved my bladder. Now I was ready to run. I tried to make up for lost time. I passed quite a few of my teammates. As I finished the first lap and saw the people crossing the finish line, I was envious. They were finishing sub 2 hr 30 min. I kept running and ran past my friend Louis. He was surprised to see me coming from behind. He thought I would be far ahead. I told him I really struggled through the swim. He motivated me by saying that another teammate Carlos was up ahead. If I beat him, Louis said he will buy me lunch. Soon I saw Carlos up in the distance. I slowly gained on him, and managed to pass him at the water station. I cranked up my pace and started running at my 10K pace. I passed quite a few more people including my new acquaintance, the one who set up next to me and helped me get my leg out of the wetsuit armhole. I was really surprised to see him. I thought he would have finished much earlier. I saw the finish line ahead and sprinted across the finish. I was filled with a feeling of relief and accomplishment. I DID IT !!! I celebrated with my Iron-Teammates and coaches. Thanks to them, I've managed to come this far in 4 months.
Full Course- 2:56:46
Saturday: Ironteam 4 hour bike ride from Malibu ( Pepperdine) to Camarillo and back. 64 miles. 1:45 to Camarillo and 2:15 back to Pepperdine. ( Strong headwind)
Off to La Quinta to pick up race packet, followed by Ironteam swim at the lake ( site of Desert Tri).
A team dinner followed by return to motel to set up and prepare for next day's race.
Poor sleep.
Sunday: Time change = 1 less hour of sleep. Dress in Tri outfit, warm clothes, load car with bags and bike. Arrive at park shortly after 6am. Head over to transition area to set up. I talked to the triathlete next to me and explained that I was about to compete in my first Tri. He was very helpful and gave me some tips and pointers. After setting up, it was time to line up for the restroom. Afterwards I returned to the beach to watch the start of the Sprint Triathlon which started at 7am. At 7:30, I returned to transition zone and got into my wetsuit. In the excitement, I got my R leg in correctly, but I stuck my L leg into the L arm slot. My new acquaintance helped me pull my leg out of the arm slot. It wasn't easy! After getting the wetsuit on, I headed over to the beach to meet coach Paul and my teammates.
At 8am the first wave started for the International Distance Tri. I waited for the last wave. Finally the time came: the start of the swim.
Swim- 40:57
I started off fine and tried to draft off the swimmers in front. Initially it worked, but I made the mistake of going out too fast. A few hundred yards into the swim, I started to feel short of breath and my heart was beating like a jack-rabbit. I looked around and saw some swimmers heading for the shore. Oh Oh. Negative thoughts crept in. Perhaps I'm not ready. I still have a long way to go. I don't want to drown ( probably impossible with a wetsuit). In hindsight, I was probably having a panic attack. I waved down a lifeguard on a surfboard and grabbed hold of the board. I explained that I needed to catch my breath. After a minute, I felt good enough to continue. I told myself if I quit now, I'll spend the rest of the morning ( the next several hours) regretting it and getting bored while waiting for my teammates.
Where is the buoy? The rising sun was in the same direction as the first buoy. This meant I couldn't see it. Being a novice to open water swimming, this really bothered me. I had no other swimmers to follow since I was in the back of the last wave. I saw a few swimmers around, but they seemed to be disoriented, too. I swam to another surfboard and paused to get my bearings. I asked the lifeguard, where is the buoy? After getting re-oriented, I continued on. I rounded the buoy and then saw the second buoy off in the distance. It seemed a long ways away. I was thinking, "Wow this 0.75 mile swim is long. How am I ever going to swim 2.4 miles during the Ironman Tri?" ) That was a little discouraging, but at this point I could not give up even though the thought crept in "I hope I'm not the last one out of the water".
Zig-Zag Swimming. I would swim a little, sight, and realize I was now looking at the buoy from a different angle. I tried to correct, but was having difficulty. I paused at another surfboard to regroup then continued. A little while later, I went to another guard to assess what was happening. He mentioned that I'm left arm dominant and I pull more with the left arm, causing me to drift left. Great! Now I tried to aim right, in order to hopefully go straight for the buoy. Eventually I reached the second buoy. By this time I'm tired! I must have already swam a mile with my zig-zagging. I rest at another surfboard, then made the final push to shore.
I was thinking, "Get me out of the water, please! I can't wait for the bike and the run." (After the race, I asked coach if I was the last one out of the water. He reassured me that there were a couple people behind me. Whew!)
T1- 4:39
Trouble getting my legs out after I got the wetsuit down to my knees. It seemed like it took forever. Maybe it was hypoxia. I was still feeling light-headed from the swim. At least I remembered the helmet and sunglasses. I took a drink from my water bottle.
Bike- 1:18:52
The first lap I was so far behind, I didn't see any riders at first. I thought I was lost. Then came the lead riders lapping me as they came by for their second lap. They were on their fancy aerodynamic Tri bikes with the special Aero wheels! They went by so fast! I want those wheels! I was riding upright during most of the first lap and my legs and butt felt tired from the 4 hour ride the day before. Since most of my riding had been in hilly areas and in areas with lots of traffic, I have not used my aero bars very much. I decided to give it a try during the race and I started to bike faster. I also took in some nutrition in the form of Powerbar Gel Blasts. I also noticed there were no port-a-potties on the bike course. My bladder was getting full.
The second lap I went much faster in the aero position. As I passed other riders one by one, I started to get my confidence back. Before long the ride was over.
T2- perhaps about 2 min
I changed quickly into my running shoes and put on my cap. I had finished my 1 water bottle on the bike, so I took a drink from my 2nd bottle at my transition zone. I also grabbed another packet of gel blasts.
Run- perhaps about 50 min
The first steps felt a little awkward, but eventually I got my running legs back. I was glad to see alot of runners on the course although some of them were on their 2nd lap while I was on my 1st lap of the run course. I jumped into a Port-a-pottie and relieved my bladder. Now I was ready to run. I tried to make up for lost time. I passed quite a few of my teammates. As I finished the first lap and saw the people crossing the finish line, I was envious. They were finishing sub 2 hr 30 min. I kept running and ran past my friend Louis. He was surprised to see me coming from behind. He thought I would be far ahead. I told him I really struggled through the swim. He motivated me by saying that another teammate Carlos was up ahead. If I beat him, Louis said he will buy me lunch. Soon I saw Carlos up in the distance. I slowly gained on him, and managed to pass him at the water station. I cranked up my pace and started running at my 10K pace. I passed quite a few more people including my new acquaintance, the one who set up next to me and helped me get my leg out of the wetsuit armhole. I was really surprised to see him. I thought he would have finished much earlier. I saw the finish line ahead and sprinted across the finish. I was filled with a feeling of relief and accomplishment. I DID IT !!! I celebrated with my Iron-Teammates and coaches. Thanks to them, I've managed to come this far in 4 months.
Full Course- 2:56:46
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
My First Triathlon: Desert International Distance Tri 3.8.09
Go Ironteam
You can do this!
We did it.
We did it.
The joy of victory.
Get me out of the water, please. I'm not a fish.
International Triathlon - 3/4 mile swim, 24 mile bike, 6 mile run.Full Course
Time:
2:56:46.010
Overall Rank:
461
Male Rank:
336
Male 40-44 Rank: 45
Checkpoint Time
Swim Finish
0:40:57.070
Bike Start
0:45:36.310
Bike Finish
2:04:29.150
Finish
2:56:46.010
Swim
Time:
0:40:57.070
Pace (Min/Mi):
54:36
Overall Rank:
555
Male Rank:
381
Male 40-44 Rank:
53
T1
Time:
0:04:39.240
Overall Rank:
463
Male Rank:
325
Male 40-44 Rank:
42
Bike
Time:
1:18:52.840
Pace (MPH):
18.26
Overall Rank:
418
Male Rank:
311
Male 40-44 Rank: 44
Stay tuned for the complete race report, coming soon.
Swim Finish
0:40:57.070
Bike Start
0:45:36.310
Bike Finish
2:04:29.150
Finish
2:56:46.010
Swim
Time:
0:40:57.070
Pace (Min/Mi):
54:36
Overall Rank:
555
Male Rank:
381
Male 40-44 Rank:
53
T1
Time:
0:04:39.240
Overall Rank:
463
Male Rank:
325
Male 40-44 Rank:
42
Bike
Time:
1:18:52.840
Pace (MPH):
18.26
Overall Rank:
418
Male Rank:
311
Male 40-44 Rank: 44
Stay tuned for the complete race report, coming soon.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Cramps, Rubber burn, and other misadventures
Last Saturday we had our first open water swim in Long Beach ( Alamitos bay). The water was cold, but once I started swimming I actually felt warm in my wetsuit. The water was green and I couldn't really see anything. Perhaps thats a good thing. We practice getting in and out of the water. I could feel my heart beating really fast. Coach said thats a normal reaction to swimming in the cold water. Initially I was hitting peoples feet and bumping into the other swimmers. That threw me off my own rhythm. It was hard to concentrate on my stroke. My form deteriorated. By the end I was just trying to get to shore and finish ASAP.
After the swim we had a nice 3.5 hr bike ride from Long Beach to past Laguna Beach and back. I traveled almost 60 miles. Then we finished off the workout with a 30 min run on the beach.
Tuesday during the coached swim workout at the pool, I got a severe case of muscle cramps. I was fine during the warmup and the speed drills. But when we started to practice drafting by swimming in a line of swimmers, both my calves went into spasm mode. I got out stretched and when I attempted to join the next drill, the cramps came back. The weird thing is that I was getting cramps in my back / shoulder muscles too. I thought I was hydrated, so perhaps its electrolytes?
The next day I checked my lab results at the hospital. Good news: labs were normal. Bad news: my calves were still sore and I still don't know what caused the cramps. Perhaps it was tension combined with too aggressive pushoff from the wall during the drills.
Today I had a nice 2 hr bike ride in PV and San Pedro. Then I went for another open water swim in Alamitos bay. The swim went pretty well but... I forgot to lubricate. I now have a painful rubber burn on my neck from the wetsuit. Ouch!!! I also gulped down some salty ocean water. The salt didn't bother me so much, but today I saw how dirty / slimy the water appeared. I had a slightly upset stomach when I got home. I hope I don't get sick.
This weekend is going to be busy. Saturday is a 4 hr team bike ride. Then I'm heading out to Palm Springs for my first triathlon: Desert Tri on Sunday. I will be competing in the international distance: 0.75 mile swim; 24 mile bike; 6 mile run. I'm nervous about the swim, but I've covered that distance during today's open water swim, and I've covered twice that distance in the pool. Hopefully I'm ready, and no more cramps or rubber burns!
After the swim we had a nice 3.5 hr bike ride from Long Beach to past Laguna Beach and back. I traveled almost 60 miles. Then we finished off the workout with a 30 min run on the beach.
Tuesday during the coached swim workout at the pool, I got a severe case of muscle cramps. I was fine during the warmup and the speed drills. But when we started to practice drafting by swimming in a line of swimmers, both my calves went into spasm mode. I got out stretched and when I attempted to join the next drill, the cramps came back. The weird thing is that I was getting cramps in my back / shoulder muscles too. I thought I was hydrated, so perhaps its electrolytes?
The next day I checked my lab results at the hospital. Good news: labs were normal. Bad news: my calves were still sore and I still don't know what caused the cramps. Perhaps it was tension combined with too aggressive pushoff from the wall during the drills.
Today I had a nice 2 hr bike ride in PV and San Pedro. Then I went for another open water swim in Alamitos bay. The swim went pretty well but... I forgot to lubricate. I now have a painful rubber burn on my neck from the wetsuit. Ouch!!! I also gulped down some salty ocean water. The salt didn't bother me so much, but today I saw how dirty / slimy the water appeared. I had a slightly upset stomach when I got home. I hope I don't get sick.
This weekend is going to be busy. Saturday is a 4 hr team bike ride. Then I'm heading out to Palm Springs for my first triathlon: Desert Tri on Sunday. I will be competing in the international distance: 0.75 mile swim; 24 mile bike; 6 mile run. I'm nervous about the swim, but I've covered that distance during today's open water swim, and I've covered twice that distance in the pool. Hopefully I'm ready, and no more cramps or rubber burns!
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