Time To Get Wet

I know swimming is part of the equation of the tri, but I was terrified of my first swim training lesson. It's not that I'm terrified of swimming, I love to "swim", floating around in a pool, ocean, water parks and lakes with the family. But I haven't done laps in probaly 12 years. So, basically I'm starting at zero. I met Coach Matt at the pool and he had me swim a lap just to see where I was at. He then decided not to even use the swim camera yet. It was humbling and a bit frustrating, wanting to be good at something you start. But I'm not. It's hard to suck it up, but you have to get down to what needs to be done and do it. We slowed everything down and Matt worked with me on getting my balance and breathing down. I found I'm super stiff in my neck and upper back which makes rotating more of a chore. Need to focus on relaxing. By the end of the lesson I had really enjoyed it and looked forward to doing it again.
I also got in a running gait analysis. This time we did use the dreaded camera and I got to see first hand the mess I'm putting out there. Pronating one foot, tightness in my hips and the stiff neck and back issue again. It's amazing when you do run the correct way it's little effort physically and major effort mentally to get it right. It's all about retraining everything to make it easier in the long run, right?
I had my body fat and measurements done as well. This wasn't as great as I hoped. I've lost a little in inches but nothing significant in body fat. All of this combined has been frustrating at first, but now I have a fire in my belly to get busy and put in the hard work that needs to be done. It should be interesting to see how much weight I can lose over the holidays!

1/2 Marathon

I made it through my first 1/2 marathon! The race was in Lake Mills, WI on Sat. The day started out cold and blustrey and ended even colder. It was all of 36 degrees with a light freezing rain and blowing winds, not ideal running conditions. At least we didn't have to worry about overheating.
I felt good going into this race. All my hr numbers were in order and Coach Matt had everything clearly spelled out for me. I knew exactly what I needed to do. When we got to the race it was crazy. By the time I picked up my packet and got through the massive bathroom line it was just about start time. I couldn't find my friend and her husband that were racing too, turns out I wouldn't see them until the end because they're way faster than my slow self. My husband and 3 kids were there as well as my parents, my best friend and her fiance. Quite the cheering section! I was feeling self-induced pressure to do well.
I started off slow but my heart rate was totally jacked up which I think is pretty normal at the start. As people were blowing by me I was struggling to find my groove - the sweet spot, my stride...I felt like I was totally floundering. As soon as I'd get my heart rate back under control there would be some massive, huge hill and it shot right up again. I cycled like this for about 4 miles and relized this was a major mental thing. I had trained well for this event physically, but mentally I was a complete amatuer as well. I started thinking I have only ever ran 5K's. If this had been a 5K I would be done by now and it wouldn't have mattered if I found my stride or not.
By about mile 6 I relized I wasn't going to finish with the time I wanted, but who cares, I'm still going to finish well. I hit my stride and by mile 8 all was good. My hr was still above what I wanted but mentally I was there. I cranked out miles 11 - 13 passing people along the way and all the sudden it was over. My finish time ended up to be 2:14. Averaged a little over 10 min. miles - not great, not bad for a beginner. My cheering section was extremly proud. But I'd compare it to a figure skating routine. When the skater begins and misses the first triple axel combination and falls on her butt, she gets up and finishes the rest of the routine beautifully.

Well, as encouraged as I was last week I have to say this past week was a hard one. The continuation of Ouchtober. I can see how the pattern is shaping up - as soon as you start to feel great, it's time to hit it hard again. It got to the point that I think my body doesn't trust me anymore. When I go to bound up or down the stairs or get out of the car I have to talk my legs into it first. Training has been 6 days a week - running 3x's a week, biking 2x's, yoga and weight training. It's keeping me out of trouble, or I'm knee deep in it.
On Sat. Nov. 8th I'm doing the Tyranena 1/2 marathon in Lake Mills, WI. In preparation for that I ran my longest distance ever - 12 miles! It felt good. I'm incredibly nervous about the race, but I'm confident I can finish. I can't get over the fact that I actually ran that far already. In August I could barely run 3 miles! This is huge for me. I'd hated running starting back in Jr. High. Remember doing the dreaded mile run in gym class, I sucked at it. Ever since then I figured I'm not cut out for running. You never know what you can do until you do it. I can't say enough about the training I've gotten from TFP, and I'm just beginning. I feel like I've been in the dark all these years.

Week three already!
I'm encouraged this week, I'm starting to see results. This is true for all beginners at anything I think. It's keeping up the results that matter.
I've started to see my mile time come down by a whole minute! My clothes are getting a little looser. Only lost a whopping 1 lb. so far, but my body's starting to shift in a good way. I'm still sore after workouts, but not incapacitated. I do look arthritic at times, especially bending down to pick up things.
The DFB running class on Sat. with Coach Terry is still proving to kick my butt! This Sat. we did a tempo run. We all thought a tempo run sounded nice. Not so. It's running just below your anaerobic threshold and it's quite uncomfortable to say the least. There's no way I would ever push myself that fast on my own, so thank you Terry and my fellow running partners!
I am now looking forward to my long, slow run on Monday.
By the way, I also did the Compu-trainer Intro class right after the run, rubber legs and all. There's something to be said for a powerbar, Gatorade and a great instructor because I made it through and had a good time!

Ouchtober cont.

Well, my first week is almost done and I'm not walking with any limps and I actually feel pretty human today. Coach Matt knows what he's doing! I was sore as hell all last weekend. Saturday was our 2nd running class with Coach Terry. We did some super fun speed work and I think everyone was just shy of throwing up, or maybe it was just me. Great class though. It's nice to have other runners push through it with you. The rest of the weekend was spent recovering at our friends' place in Madison where we were going to hit all the pumpkin farms, but sweet blessed rainstorms intervened and boy do they have a comfy couch.
Monday I was back at it and hit it hard with a 9 mile run. This is the longest distance I've ever run and I can't believe I did it! I've always hated running long distances but maybe it was because I've never even attempted it. At the beginning of the summer, (after a little burnout from a bike trip) I thought I'd dabble in running. My husband's doing the Chicago marathon, so I thought I'd keep him company on his short runs. But it was frustrating trying to keep up or feeling like I was holding him back. He's been great though and encouraged me to sign up for this 1/2 marathon in November with a friend. After I won the TFP triathlete package I was hoping Matt would agree with me that maybe I should wait, but no - he says it should be no problem. Still a little nervous about it, but knowing how to fuel and using the HRM, I think I can actually do it!
To all of you running the marathon on Sunday - Good Luck!!! I'll be out there cheering you on!

Ouchtober 1st, 2008

Well...this is my official training start day!
Last month Coach Matt did the RMR, running EMR and bike EMR, body fat % etc. basically seeing where I was starting at. I've never known any of the technical aspects of training - mine has always been "this is getting uncomfortable I think I'll stop now". I never knew my heart rate could and should go that high and I feel like a total wimp for never really pushing myself that much. But that's what this is all about, right?
Speaking of technical though, I've got this fancy whiz-bang heart rate monitor that I wish I had an engineering degree to figure out. It's the garmin forerunner and it does everything except clean your house for you. I just need the patience to finish setting it up to download to the right site. It is a fun new toy and now I don't understand how you could possibly train well without one.
Anyway, my training day with Coach Matt started with a 6 -mile run in low Z2 and PT afterwards. I was nervous about a long run. The longest distance I've ever run is 7 miles and it wasn't pretty. I tend to like shorter, faster runs, but this felt good. Of course it helps when you know what zone you should train in and to pace yourself. I usually feel like I should go go go because I'm so slow, but I'm trying to learn the importance of starting slow and that someday I'll get there. The training after the run was great, but I felt incredibly shakey. As great as the workout felt, today I am sore! To be expected though. If I wasn't accountable to anyone there's now way I'd be getting on my bike now to do a 18 mile ride! Ouch!!

Anything that’s worth doing is hard... and doing something hard is always worth doing.

Hi, my name is Andrea Collins and I am so excited to start this transformation! I have a beautiful family, which consists of my husband, one daughter, two sons, and one precocious pug.

I started my career as a social worker in Chicago, but have been a stay-at-home mom since my first child was born. I love to travel and also enjoy camping, biking, golf, volunteering at church and school, and just hanging out with my family and friends.I also like to exercise in my spare time. My current exercise regime is walking, tae kwon do, running and some biking.

I want to do a triathlon because I simply thought I never could. I’ve always been active, but I thought people who do triathlons were nuts. Swim, bike and run? No thanks. That has changed in recent years when I rode RAGBRAI (The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) with my husband... on a tandem bike! 470 miles across Iowa! I found intense exercise relieved stress and it was fun. My kids thought it was great, too.

A couple of years ago, friends invited my husband and me to Madison to watch the mother of all triathlons – the Ironman. Witnessing the swim start that day was truly inspiring. The energy in the air was electric, and I wanted to be a part of it, too. Cheering on the Ironman participants was a blast – what an amazing feat! Inwardly I thought, "OK, I suck. I don’t think I have what it takes to even run a 5K." Well, guess what? I have since completed three 5Ks, and my husband has caught the fever as well. He completed his first triathlon last summer and has done three more since. He’s been encouraging me to try it, but I've been so nervous about the swim. Plus, we only have one racing bike between us….excuses, excuses!

I finally emailed Tom from Golden Legs about a swim coach and he gave me The Fitness Pursuit website. I saw the application for the Triathlete by TFP and filled it out, thinking this would be an absolutely perfect opportunity. I’m so excited and thankful that I actually won!

My ultimate goal is to become a triathlete and do it well with the help of TFP and Coach Matt. Now that my kids are all in school, I’m ready to take this training seriously, get stronger, and lose those stubborn 10 lbs. that my body is still relentlessly holding onto after having kids!

Most moms are guilty of not taking the time to do something just for ourselves. But as a mom, what better example to set for my kids to have a goal for yourself and do it. I’m trying to raise them to put forth their best in everything they do. The saying always plays in my head - anything that’s worth doing is hard and doing something hard is always worth doing. I hope you enjoy this journey with me.