The Halloween Hangover

If only I hadn't taken a sip . . . I might have made it to practice today. But how could I resist such a cute can of Buzzed Light? Actually, I think it was the Goldschlager . . . never again.

Today was our first "Spinnerval", meaning that we all set our bikes up on "trainers" and spin outside while Coach Wayne barks orders at us . . . "right leg only", "left leg only", "heads up", "relax your feet". . . it's a lot harder than it sounds! The drills will hopefully help our form so that we will be able to maintain a fast cadence for many hours straight, even up steep hills (versus pushing harder in a lower gear). This will help to "save" our legs for the marathon.
Due to the effects of a few spontaneous beers the night before, Derek and I ditched the 20 minute run following the Spinnerval. I look like I am laughing in the picture above, but I was not laughing on the inside. I think the momentary humor resulted from to my failed effort to unclip my right foot while spinning at 50 RPMs, which is definitely as hard as it sounds.

Ready Set Go

Sunday went by so fast! I'm not sure if it is due to the lack of newbies (beginning triathletes), or if Ironteamers are just more hard core (probably both), but we accomplished so much in so little time compared to workouts I've done with past TNT teams. And this was just our first weekend! We started with a swim marker set, followed by drills. I have a tendancy to "sandbag" in the pool, ie. I like to draft off of people who are slower than I am so I don't have to work as hard, so I started in the middle lane. Coach Wayne quickly spotted my devious strategy and moved me up to the second fastest lane. Rats. I guess it was good learn that I should focus more of my time on biking and running as I am already faster than many of my teammates in the pool. It will definitely be a different story on the track and on the bike. I did buy a brand new bike on Saturday - all carbon, with a carbon crank and seat post, and very fast wheels. It is a Specialized Tarmac Expert named "The Blue Wave" (see the black/white version here. . . mine is appropriately blue): http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=13003). Carbon is much lighter than the aluminum that my old bike (The Blue Bomber) was made of, so I should be able to go faster. That is the idea, anyway.

The First Workout

Butterflies plagued my stomach this afternoon as I struggled to focus on work, anxious about my first IronTeam workout at "The Track". We were scheduled to run a marker set - a timed effort used to record our progress later in the season, and to determine which group we will train with. I debated with myself: "Would I be in the slow group? Would it be better to be the fastest of the slow group, or the slowest of the middle group (the fast group wasn't even a thought in my mind)? How many laps must I do in 30' to get me into the middle group (14 was the magic number)? ". All of my fears subsided as I approached the IronTeam group gathering on the bleachers beneath the waving red and white Ironman flag. I suddenly felt like part of the team and remembered that it is not about being fast or good, just strong. Before I knew it, people I've only just met were cheering me around the boring brown oval, and I them. I realized then that The Track is not something to love or hate (I've always hated it), and that it is only as fun as the people who are on it. It is just a "thing" that moved steadily beneath me for 14 easy laps. All of the butterflies flew away, and I was lighter, faster. IronTeam seems to rely more on self-motivation, which I like a lot better than having a coach standing on the side of the track barking out lap times. I think it will be a good fit for me.

Kick Off

The race is on . . . we kicked off the season today at Clif Bar in Berkeley. It began with an overwhelming dose of enthusiasm and information, and ended with a video giving us a glimpse of the life-changing journey ahead. I am excited to get to know the people who will become my "secret weapons" on race day . . . my teammates, coaches and mentor. Go Team.