Quality exercise is so vital to attain the results we all shoot for from our training. Have you ever noticed that the harder you train and with the greater the intensity, the less ‘happy’ you feel during the hard parts, and yet the more fulfilled you feel at completion? An easy zone 2 run for an hour does NOT give you the feeling of euphoria that a multiple stacked session of putting yourself on the line with your heart rate monitor zinging up there in the high 100’s will certainly leave you with. That is FOR SURE. But, it all serves a purpose, to stick to your heart rate zones with discipline. These days I am finally entering some hard workouts and it is so exhilarating. All those long “easy” runs and rides are slowly drifting away into the past with the snow and ice.
Me and my running buddy!
What a great opportunity this weather provides us with regards to our fitness training! (Stay POSITIVE and you’ll enjoy the results!) On Monday I focused on a 2 hour trainer ride keeping my heart rate at an even keel of 146′ish, the top of aerobic threshold. This is so important for all of us to fit into our weekly workouts, because in the narrow band width of your aerobic threshold you are teaching your body how to efficiently burn FAT for Fuel. This will come in very handy this summer when you want to race, hike, bike, or adventure-seek for an hour+ time frame. This is your absolute optimal intensity for increasing your endurance, your body is recruiting all your slow twitch muscle fibers without accessing the fast twitch muscle fibers, maximizing fat burning and minimizing injury risk and recovery time.
Forgot my bike!
Today I went for an hour run at Fountain Head, up and down the nicely cleared driveway. Apparently the bike trails are OPEN?? If I had known that I would have definitely gone for a ride for sure!!!
Chilly Road Ride in Clifton
I have taken a nice LONG vacation from exercise. This all starting in early November when my entire family and I got the flu, which turned into bronchitis, and lasted weeks and weeks, aka became enforced time off training. Then prolonged time off with beloved Christmas visitors combined with my mom’s whipped everything delicious and decadent meals and desserts… But…I’m BACK ON TRACK! (5 lbs more of me.)
How are you doing? I hope you are healthy and have thought of your goals for this year, health and otherwise. If you don’t have a goal, you have nothing. Training on a treadmill is BLAH…UNLESS you have in your mind a specific goal to meet, such as a level of fitness that you know this run will bring you that much closer to attaining, a big spring time hike you plan on doing with friends or family, or a specific race that will be that much easier to conquer by running in this way. Riding 2 hours on an indoor trainer is fun and makes sense when you have a specific workout with for example 1 leg repeats and 30 second repeat all out spin cycles and so on, because it is a well thought out plan to hit a higher goal. It isn’t half as fun when training to “lose weight”. That philosophy never works. Goal orient to a fun event or challenge, and in the end you will hit all your goals while having fun!
Talking about having fun. I did my VO2 max test last Friday. I used the excuse that my calf started hurting when I wanted to stop, but the truth is, I am just plain out of shape! However, NOW I HAVE A PLAN, and I am so excited! I ran today for a steady hour at my zone 2, which is 147-155 beats per minute (using my new and awesome Polar heart rate monitor!) For the first 15 minutes, I found it a little hard to keep my heart rate at the upper end of that range, and the last 45 minutes I found it tough to keep it below 156. Very interesting. I will post my schedule on this blog as soon as I do my bike VO2 max test on Friday, so you can see my plan as I participate in a great schedule of fitness building. I hope you have a schedule of your own that adheres you to a fantastic, exciting, adventure-filled, FIT 2010!
My parting advice to you is this: Get a VO2 max test so that you can realize 2 things: How to train properly and efficiently so you can hit attainable goals injury free, and how good it feels when you stop. Naturally I refer to Melissa Dalio, she is nothing but patient and awesome.
Good day everyone, and good luck to all your wonderful goals I know you can hit. No more excuse, let’s do this once and for all!!!!
Dr. Anna from PosiChiro taking care of a Backyard Burn Runner
where they were hosting their 3rd fall Back Yard Burn race of the season. My practice sponsors EX2 for all their races that they put on during the year, offering all ranges of sports medicine needs to the athletes. Five members of Posichiro arrived soon after to treat many runners over the next 3 hours for injuries ranging from sprained ankles to hamstring pulls to lower back pain. So I got to play with my daughters and border collie in the woods!
It has been a pleasant 8 days since the HARDEST RACE OF MY LIFE. Shall I begin to share with you my amazing experience at XTERRA World Championship in Maui? Here I go!!!
It was hot morning, a blue sky sitting over calm ocean waters, and the lava gleamed black, deadly and beckoning to me on the trails of the volcano Haleakala, hiding behind a grueling swim.
The Blessing
Hours before the start of this adventure each year, the racers are all blessed on the beach by Reverend Alalani, a traditionally dressed Maui religious leader. She blesses us with a palm frond dipped over and over again in holy water. This is taken very seriously by most of the racers, as it is a huge day with many potential dangerous spots, so we take all the blessings we can get.
This year unlike previous ones, 600 racers were sort of corralled into a small section of the beach and we had to stay on the sand before the gun went off. I, being the “shy” swimmer that I am, fear being slugged in the jaw or kicked in the goggles or worse, being swum over, more than losing. SOOO, when the gun went off, I ran diabolically opposite to everyone else, down the beach to get a way from fists and feet. I jumped into the ocean and started my swim grateful of being on the edge, when I gradually began to notice this most amazing colorful school of fish, hundreds of these tropical red, blue, green, orange, and yellow sea life, swimming all around my goggles and my body! I thought to myself “Self, why are all these fish swimming so close to all these swimmers?”……and looked up to notice they weren’t, the fish were swimming with one lost swimmer who was swimming AWAY from the buoy with a very strong current I hadn’t noticed.
The Swim
Um, long long swim story short, I kind of lost some time and more energy trying to swim back to the buoy and back into the race. But despite rumors, I wasn’t being herded away by a group of dolphins or escaping from a shark. No excuse, I just got a little (a lot) lost!
The Bike
The fun part came when I got onto my bike. Woohooo! Unfortunately, I had to pass awesome swimmers/crappy mtn. bikers on the climb, which just adds to my time as they always mess up “the line”. All part of the challenge though, I wouldn’t have to worry if I could just swim a little faster than a very large rock. Now after a grueling 1600 foot climb (up and down equaling to @34oo feet of total mtn. bike climb) in only 6 miles, on loose lava and hot dusty terrain, I should really say the fun part was finally descending this great volcano. It feels like people are not moving when I pass them on the bike down technical descents. Truly, I marvel at how fast I can go down a mountain sometimes. That is my forte and the real reason I earn the spot at XTERRA Worlds. I love to bike and just love the challenge of going as fast as I possibly can down a rocky, lava rock covered, tire-piercing long thorn Kiawe lined, dangerous and steep race trail. That brought me from the back of the pack to 5th place in my age group as I left the bike and began… THE RUN.
Running Through Spooky Forest
Running after that ride was pretty rough, for pros and amateurs alike! I felt pretty pooped out for the first 2 miles, which was all a climb up that darn volcano. But after the 3rd mile I sort of got it together mentally and started up a good rhythm. I passed a lady in my age group at a water station at mile 4, and it was pretty funny what I was thinking at that moment. Her back was to me and I thought I could tip toe by her, sneaking by while she drank her water so that she wouldn’t know she had to hunt me down again. I actually tried to be “quiet” in “the pass”, imagining her not noticing my sneaky move. You see, my mind was mush by then so you can’t blame me for thinking this was a worthy strategy. Anyhow, that put me in 4th for my age group as she never caught up to me. I passed only one more woman and that was again demonstrating one of my fortes; running quickly over a mass of loose and dangerous lava rocks. I am blessed with mountain goat abilities when running on technical turf, and I passed this great athlete (who by the way was one of my goals to beat; she was the only amateur woman who beat me at Richmond XTERRA-by 4 minutes- in June, and has since turned pro!), and as I passed her I could see she was really trying to speed up. But not all of us have this uncanny ability to sprint on broken sharp edged lava like a billy goat on a teeny trail! There was only a quarter of a mile left and I crossed the finish line saying to myself “Self, don’t cry yet, no one will know it is because you are so HAPPY to be done this one-hell-of-a-race!”.
Finally!
So, here are my race results from last weekend with my previous race results from 2006.
Note I was in the same age group both races, 35-39.
2009: Swim-37 Bike-2:09 Run-1:07 Total-3:53:25
Place-4th
2006: Swim-33:50 Bike-2:17 Run-1:10 Total-4:04:57
Place-2nd
Thus, I improved my overall time in 3 years (and had my 2nd beautiful daughter in the middle of them), but everyone else got even faster than me!
I have to say this. I am so inspired by all these ladies out there, who are working professionals with consuming jobs and beautiful children and family responsibilities, who carve out a training program within a demanding schedule and then succeed in attaining such fitness and skill. I am inspired by these amazing female athletes to never give up myself, to keep trying to improve on my weaknesses, to shoot for personal best despite the challenges and time constraints. Thank you to all you women out there who kick butt in this crazy world while racing in this crazy sport. You inspire me to be the best that I can be in our shared passion of XTERRA while balancing an amazingly full life around it.
Molikini In the Distance
I want to thank my husband and daddy of my daughters, Pierre, for being my best friend, my own rock I can lean on when I am burned out, and for sharing with me the immense joy of fitness and fast mountain bike rides down really steep mountains.
My Rock
Now, what crazy awesome fitness goals will you set for yourself in 2010? Let me help you in whatever it may be, for that is the purpose of my blog. It is meant to inspire you to get out and MOVE, be ACTIVE, and ENJOY and SHARE the fitness challenge of getting to your own personal best.
What do I plan for 2010? HMMMM, I’ll have to sleep on that one.
Aloha my friends!
Token Maui Sunset Pic!
ALOHA from paradise, the beautiful island of Maui! Despite the relaxing sound of ocean waves crashing on the beach outside our condo window as the sun burns a red smudge across the ocean skyline as it sets, I am a nervous wreck. XTERRA Worlds is in 2 sleeps, though right now you guys are all deep in sleep as it is 6 hours earlier here. Pierre and I went to the Maui Prince hotel to register for our race today, and I have to tell you something. All the women walking around registration in their little bike shorts and tri-tops flexing their tanned muscles look MUCH FASTER AND STRONGER BY FAR than weak little me. I am now thinking I am so not so prepared for this, and my guts are in a knot.
Pierre, Eric Sorensen (our dear friend and Pierre’s coach) and I went for a small pre-run and ride of the practice course they allow us go on before race day. You see, the race course traverses 22 miles of privately owned land and we are allowed to be on this course only 1 day a year, on race day. So you can not pre-ride the mtn. bike course (unless you have connections… we don’t have connections here!).
Posing with my fellow Cannuck Danelle Kabush (far right)
Me, Eric & Pierre on the trail on Haleakala with the Pacific as a back drop
Pierre on the run course with Molikini Island in the distance
Me & my girl enjoying a sunset swim!
Threading the needle at the Frederick Watershed
Carving glass... it's not all about mountain bking. I like to take time for my other passion: waterskiing!
This one is from my first race of the season back in April at Off-road Duathlon Nationals in Richmond
ALRIGHT, I’m trying not to fret about our big race next weekend. If you race, you know what I mean… worrying about stupid things like “I just can’t get sick before next weekend” and “I hope I make the swim cut-off time!”. My workout for Thursday was a FABULOUS run with my dear friend Scott Scudamore. We were at the Wakefield trails doing a 40 minute run with 3 sets of 3 minutes hard. It is so motivating to run with a pal, and so much more enjoyable sometimes to share the beautiful outdoors this way with a friend. I think I kicked his butt more than he kicked mine 
but we both had a super workout. The entire purpose was to “REV THE ENGINES, BURN OUT THE EXISTING CARBON, AND PREP THE OVEN” for race day WITHOUT depleting our systems much at all. I felt fresh and light afterwards, I think Scott did too. (He is racing XTERRA Worlds as well next week! Go Scott Go!)
Yesterday I was scheduled for my most favorite thing to do on a cold and rainy day. Ooohhh I just love to jump into the cold water at the swimming pool when my skin is already frost bitten. Feels so refreshing. Anyways, enough complaining Coutinho. Pierre and I did DRILLS for 25 minutes followed by a few hard 50’s. Honestly, it was fabulous learning and I even warmed up to turn a shade of light blue. Coach Melissa told me to focus on my body-balance in the water, so my feet aren’t down at a 45 degree angle below my head making me have to pull them like big huge weights through the water. The drills are working, so remember this, if you want to swim like a swimmer and not like a rock, get a swim coach, it works!
Have a super weekend and get your exercise in despite this rainy day. Burke Lake is a great place to walk/run even when it is wet out, there is much tree cover to protect you from the wind too. SEE YOU!
13 days until lift off…. Maui XTERRA World Championships!!! There are 22 women in my age group who I will be competing against, and truly I feel like I will be lucky to place 21st at this point. Time to start the taper while not getting sick. Today was a great swim with Pierre, 25 minutes of drills and then the fun part: 4 sets of 50 meters descending (going harder), then 2 sets of 200, 150 hard and 50 easy. Because I am racing Pierre, I actually pulled out a 1 min 25 sec. 100 on both sets, and my last 50 was REALLY SLOW, so this is not something I could endure. I was breathing so hard in my hard sets that I was making a whistling noise in my chest, totally hilarious! This workout I fit into my lunch break nicely, and I even had time for a tea and honey at Starbucks with my hubby before going back to treating my patients.
Regular application of exercise is what will give you results…A fitter body, a FASTER body, a healthier mind, a more energetic experience of your day, a more POSITIVE outlook on life, a better appreciation for food, a great night’s sleep, and so on and so on!!!!! Please make a fitness goal and fit exercise into your daily routine. You will LOVE the results! 