Thursday, July 23, 2009
Pool Problems Persist
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Where will they all fit?!?
Last year I was able to flee to the pool near work where there are 16 lap lanes in the morning. However, that is not an option this year since that pool is closed through October for renovations.
I just don't know how it will work this year!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Caving to my Demons
Friday, May 1, 2009
Swimming by Numbers
I've always been good at learning things by reading and I've gotten a long way in triathlon by figuring out things by myself. Swimming is a big exception to this; I knew I was overmatched and needed help. I started doing private lessons with a coach at my pool and pretty much had to start from scratch. I definitely did not take to it like a fish to water. Gains came only through expert help and a lot of hard work at lap swimming. It took me from January through May to be able to swim 300 meters straight, the length of the swim in my first tri in July, and that took a mix of crawl and side stroke. I was able to do that first tri (a pool swim) all crawl, but the 1000m open water swim (OWS) for my August Iron Girl tri was a fairly ugly mix of crawl, side, and back stroke.
I made huge gains during the fall of 2007 and winter of 2008 because I was having knee issues and swim was just about all I was allowed to do. By then, I was swimming without a coach and figuring it all out on my own. My speed was decent (for a 48yo triathlete, sucky for a SWIMMER) but my body position in the water was not great and I was working at it harder than I should have been. In the game of "swim golf" (strokes needed to swim a 25m length) I was needing 28 strokes. Basically, if I wasn't stroking my heart out I was sinking.
This last January I joined the Mid Maryland Triathlon Club. Through them I took a one day swim clinic in March that included an underwater videotaping and stroke analysis. Before the videotaping we were put through various drills designed to teach us about balance in the water and help give us an awareness of our body position. I learned a lot just from this, but the swim analysis was eye opening. I learned that my body position and roll wasn't bad but that my stroke basically lacked any glide (as I said above it was stroke or sink), my hand entry was poor, and my catch was too far out to the side. I was taught how to do the catch up drill and other balance drills and then sent on my way.
The next few weeks were frustrating as I broke down my swim and tried to build it back up, always keeping in mind what I had seen in my stroke and what I was taught to correct it. I was slower than ever and felt uncoordinated and out of synch in the pool. I was sucking water.
I'm not sure when it happened but somewhere in mid to late April it all started coming together. It started to feel comfortable. I had glide. My stroke count was dropping (on Tuesday I had it down to 20!). I wasn't working as hard but my speed was increasing!
I'm now at a point where swimming feels really good and my swim confidence is at an all time high. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself, but if I have a poor swim at Sunday's tri I'll be very disappointed.
I am a shark among minnows!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Is religion based on intolerance?
Yesterday I posted this to my Facebook wall:
- saw this in a Washington Post Article "DC protesters denounce gay marriage": by the organizing pastor to the protesters "I am appointing you to take the word far and wide and speak up for Jesus." So, he's got a pipeline to Jesus' opinions on same-sex marriage? Didn't Jesus espouse love and tolerance?
I came to the conclusion years ago that most of the world's ills were perpetrated in the name of religion and concluded that I didn't want any part of that. A religious person says that there is a god; an atheist says there is no god; an agnostic says he just doesn't know. I consider myself an apathist; I just don't care. A person doesn't need religion to have morals. When I'm forced to label myself I actually consider myself a secular humanist, holding the idea that reason, ethics, and justice can serve as the basis of moral reflection and decision-making.
A friend of mine liked to say that religion was invented by the devil as a way of dividing mankind. I believe that religion was a human invention, but it has achieved the same result.
Monday, April 27, 2009
The Yellow Days
A year or two ago I accidentally left my car windows cracked when it started to rain and the dust got dripped into the car causing yellow stains on the seats and carpets. Even a stain remover didn't get rid of it all. Amazing, just amazing!
They're messing with our minds!
- " "Highly palatable" foods -- those containing fat, sugar and salt -- stimulate the brain to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure center, he found. In time, the brain gets wired so that dopamine pathways light up at the mere suggestion of the food, such as driving past a fast-food restaurant, and the urge to eat the food grows insistent. Once the food is eaten, the brain releases opioids, which bring emotional relief. Together, dopamine and opioids create a pathway that can activate every time a person is reminded about the particular food. This happens regardless of whether the person is hungry."
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Two weeks to go til Tri
I used this weekend for a hard bike ride yesterday and a long but lower intensity run today. It was unseasonably hot here so it was all a bit harder than usual. I think I was a bit dehydrated when I started the ride so that didn't help at all.
Last year this race took place in a cool, pouring rain. I certainly didn't need to worry about overheating but I'm definitely hoping for better, dryer weather this year.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Go Confidently
I'm not a gifted athlete but I trust in myself and I trust that my training will have me ready for the race. I set goals, ones that will push me hard but that are realistic, and then go for it. Sometimes I make it and sometimes I don't but if I've given it my best then I was successful. At Saturday's 5K I felt that I could do a 9 min/mile pace and figured this would give me a good shot at a top 3 place in my age group. I managed to run an 8:38 pace but ended up more than :30 off the podium. The effort was a personal best and was a huge success for me, even without placing where I thought I might.
I have my first tri of the season coming up in two weeks. Biking has always been my strongest event so I always figure that it will go well. In the past the swim was about nothing more than survival and the run was about using up whatever I have left to give. This year I am feeling so much more confident with my swimming that my focus will be on going at it with a great effort; no more mere survival. The main variable with this first race will be the water temperature. Last year the water temperature was in the low 60's for this race and it took my breathe away as soon as my face hit the water; my swim fell apart and I ended up doing a lot of side stroke and other survival swimming. This year my goal is to hold it together, free style the whole thing, and do a 2min/100m pace. Sure, I may miss these goals but if the effort is there it will be a success regardless. I am a shark among minnows!
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Nose Knows
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Race day: 5K
Friday, April 17, 2009
New Yankee Stadium
I have mixed feelings about a New Yankees Stadium. I understand that Yankee Stadium was old and lacking amenities, but it was historic. You can move the name to the new stadium, you can keep the facade, and you can keep the same field dimensions but it will never be the same. Now, it's just another new stadium, but one with a famous name. I think something special has died.
Bike commuting
Thursday, April 16, 2009
What's a Hill Slug?
If you are here then no doubt you've read the blog title "HillSlug Musings" but you may be wondering what the heck a "hillslug" is. I'm a hill slug, someone who is slow (like a slug) at climbing hills on their bike. In all honesty I'm a better hill climber than many riders out there but back in 2006 when I needed to choose a username for a forum or two I was pitiful. I was new to cycling (after 20+ years off the bike), riding a 35 pound hybrid bike, and frequently found myself pushing it up the steeper hills. "HillSlug" just seemed to fit. Now that I'm no longer so sluggish on hills I've kept the name as a reminder of where I started and how far I've come since.
A place to start
Mediocre: adjective: of no exceptional quality or ability
My name is Nicole and triathlon dominates my life <Hi Nicole>. OK, that’s out in the open! Whew!
As an athlete and a triathlete I have some ability, but nothing that I’d call exceptional. I get through on hard work, determination, and the modest athletic talent that nature has provided to me. For the most part I’m what’s called “Middle of the Pack” (MOP). Given the right day and the right circumstance (i.e., the race of my life and a small turnout) I have an outside chance of placing third in my age group; it’s something I aspire to.
I plan to use this blog to report and muse on whatever seems significant to me at a given moment. I expect that it will largely center on triathlon and my triathlon training but I also expect that there will be many other things that I’ll want to rant write about. I hope you enjoy the trip.
Nicole