Week 3 brought new challenges. I missed a couple of sessions due to work commitments, which played with my mind a lot. I was excited that I got to try different classes through work but disappointed because my first goal for the Ironman program was to remain consistent. But I'm not beating myself up about it because there's nothing I can do to change it. And at the moment, I am just trying to build my fitness back up. It's certainly not the end of the world.
My training this week consisted of 2 x swim sessions, 4 x hours of cycling, 2 x Body Pump classes, 1 x Body Attack class, 2 x yoga classes, 1.5hr Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga session & a 1hr Kayak Fitness session. Talk about mixing it up!
On Monday, I tried a new yoga studio in Neutral Bay called Yoga Sivana on Ourimbah Rd in Neutral Bay (www.yogasivana.com.au). The class was called Yoga Organics (with Jo) which suited me well, being a beginner yogi. The studio is gorgeous, promotes sustainable & organic eco-living yoga products & I enjoyed the class more than any other yoga class I've done this year. They provide everything (mats, blankets, blocks, and even little lavender-smelling bean bag eye masks for sivasana at the end - trust me, you never want to leave)! I felt like I needed a good stretch after a big week/end of training & afterwards, I already felt more flexible. I still like Power Yoga (hot studio) but that is more of a workout, which at the moment, is too much sometimes, in addition to all the other training I do. Sometimes its nice to be able to go to a class, relax, still work but also focus on lengthening the muscles.
The SUP Yoga class was probably my favourite session of the week (sorry Coach)! It was held on the serene waters of Narrabeen Lake & our instructor was Di Morrison, who works with us in the store. I had heard a lot about it through her & was always hesitant to try it because I am so uncoordinated when it comes to balance & flexibility, let alone trying to do yoga on a board. But my friends at work were keen to organise a group so I thought, what the hell. It was a very early start (6.00am but had to drive from Kirribilli & detour via Manly on the way) but I have to say, its was 100% completely & utterly worth it! The session itself starts on land with a few yoga moves to warm-up our bodies & clear our minds. Then we got in the water to paddle out, getting loads of tips from Di about how to do paddle properly. What a great total body workout, especially for the core & upper body. We then attempted a few yoga poses on the board & I was able to master all but one move - the wheel (you lie on your back, feet flat on the board, then lift your bum up in the air, hands go behind, palms flat & fingertips pointed towards your head & lift everything up off the board except your hands & feet, like a bridge). I can't even do that on dry land! We ended the session with sivasana, by lying on our backs on the board, with our fingertips in the water, with our eyes closed. It was the most relaxing way to end the class, and I wanted to stay there all day, especially because the sun was shining on our faces. I will definitely do it again! The sessions run every Tues & Fri at 6.00am & Sun mornings at 7.30am & they all go for 1.5hrs. For more info, check out www.SUPYoga.com.au & www.facebook.com/pages/SUP-Yoga-Sydney. Bookings essential.
On Wednesday, we tried a Kayak Fitness session through Benefit Active (http://benstephens.com.au) at The Spit. We kayaked from The Spit to another beach & when we got there, we did a circuit of kayak-pulling with a rope, kettle bells, ladder runs on sand, medicine ball tricep push ups & various other pain-inflicting activities (including boxing). I was sweating up a storm by the end! Then we had to kayak back. It was loads of fun but I wish we could've jumped in the water after for a swim - unfortunately we all had to go to work!
On Thursday, my back was in so much pain (mixture of SUP & kayaking & not enough stretching) so I went and had a massage & experienced my first ever 'cupping' session. They basically put suction caps on your back & leave it there for a few mins to draw all the blood to the surface of the skin to improve circulation. It ended up looking like this:
It didn't hurt during the session or afterwards. In fact, my back felt SO much looser. I highly recommend it to anyone who has pain in their back muscles. I had it done at Wang's Massage in Westfield Chatswood (Cupping at Wang's. Ha ha. I should be in PR)!
Saturday was the Balmoral Triathlon Club cycling time trial at Centennial Park. I hadn't been riding consistently for a couple of months so it was going to be an interesting test. The last time I did a TT, I came third last, so I was determined to just beat my time, as I knew a lot of the fast girls would kick my ass anyway. We each went off in 10 second intervals & had to do 5 laps of the park as fast as we could (just under 20kms). I was almost at the end of the 4th lap when all the fast girls rode past. We cheered each other on & then I got excited because I thought I wasn't doing so bad if they were just catching me. Turns out, they pulled over 30 secs later & I still had one lap to go! I knew it was too good to be true! I yelled a few profanities at them for being lucky enough to have already finished (just a bit of friendly banter between chicks), then attempted to cycle for my life for the final lap. Nevertheless, I took 60 seconds off my last time for a 36.03 (35.59 by my watch). Gotta be happy with that. This snail WILL get faster, if its the last thing I do!
Because I had missed a cycle session, I decided to make up for it (with the permission of my coach) by going on a 2.5hr ride from Centennial Park to La Perouse & back with fellow BTC chick, The Fischernator (aka Kelli). I had never been on this route before & it was awesome. Our legs were trashed from the TT the day before but it was so great to explore new places to ride. We had originally planned to park the car at Brighton Le Sands & cycle out to Kurnell but the clouds looked too suspicious and we didn't fancy having to cycle 25kms in the rain. So we drove back to Centennial & cycled to La Perouse from there. After battling with semi trailers on the road (those things still scare the crap out of me when they drive past), spending about 10kms trying to find a bush/toilet for Kelli to pee in, we managed 50kms of undulating roads with some fairly decent climbs, which kept our tired legs honest. The great thing about riding with Kelli is that she pushes you. Its like having a coach, cycling next to you the whole time, but encouraging you to be the best you can be. She's one of the strongest cyclists in our club & always knows how to motivate me. I was a total snail but she kept pushing me & we even did a few efforts together, riding side by side. At that point, I felt like there was a tiny glimmer of hope that I was going to become a better cyclist. I love training with other people, especially on the bike. And although I was completely shattered afterwards (I had a 2hr nanna nap when I got home), I felt like I had broken down a few mental barriers. It is my weakest leg after all & its something I will be focusing on over the next few months. Having training partners like Kelli really motivate me to keep pushing the boundaries. I feel like I am Lance Armstrong when I ride with her (even just for a few seconds). And I am definitely going to need people like that in the lead up to Ironman. I am slowly learning to focus on my recovery, to do my own training, to try & find opportunities in my weaknesses, to capitalise on my strengths and admitting that comparing yourself to other people does nothing but destroy any sense of confidence you may have. And I may need you to keep reminding me of that :) After all, I am doing this race for me, and nobody else.
Today, I am nursing a sore left knee (from compensating for my bung right ankle) & I seem to have slightly pulled my hamstring on the ride yesterday. But nothing a bit of stretching & ice won't fix. I have a short training week at home this week, then on Thursday I am driving to Port Macquarie for the 'Her Coach' Ironman training camp which will run from Thurs-Sun (Australia Day weekend). My ankle is feeling better & this weekend, I will be attempting my first jog since ankle surgery. Nothing too crazy. But I am looking forward to getting back out there & moving my feet faster than just a walk. I am conscious of hurting it again so I will be taking it easy for all you worry warts out there. But I am warning you now, when I finally make my comeback to running (after I am healed), the Fonginator has some serious vengeance to take care of.
I have also decided to save up for a Go Pro camera to document my Ironman journey. For those of you who have never heard of it, check this video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swa8sVoDr7E. Surely someone knows someone who is a retailer/supplier of these babies & wants me to product test one for them?! Anyone?! Because by the time I have enough money saved to buy one (about $500 with accessories), the race will already be over!!
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. See you next week (if I make it out of training camp alive)!
Signing off,
The Fonginator
HTFU!
My training this week consisted of 2 x swim sessions, 4 x hours of cycling, 2 x Body Pump classes, 1 x Body Attack class, 2 x yoga classes, 1.5hr Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga session & a 1hr Kayak Fitness session. Talk about mixing it up!
On Monday, I tried a new yoga studio in Neutral Bay called Yoga Sivana on Ourimbah Rd in Neutral Bay (www.yogasivana.com.au). The class was called Yoga Organics (with Jo) which suited me well, being a beginner yogi. The studio is gorgeous, promotes sustainable & organic eco-living yoga products & I enjoyed the class more than any other yoga class I've done this year. They provide everything (mats, blankets, blocks, and even little lavender-smelling bean bag eye masks for sivasana at the end - trust me, you never want to leave)! I felt like I needed a good stretch after a big week/end of training & afterwards, I already felt more flexible. I still like Power Yoga (hot studio) but that is more of a workout, which at the moment, is too much sometimes, in addition to all the other training I do. Sometimes its nice to be able to go to a class, relax, still work but also focus on lengthening the muscles.
The SUP Yoga class was probably my favourite session of the week (sorry Coach)! It was held on the serene waters of Narrabeen Lake & our instructor was Di Morrison, who works with us in the store. I had heard a lot about it through her & was always hesitant to try it because I am so uncoordinated when it comes to balance & flexibility, let alone trying to do yoga on a board. But my friends at work were keen to organise a group so I thought, what the hell. It was a very early start (6.00am but had to drive from Kirribilli & detour via Manly on the way) but I have to say, its was 100% completely & utterly worth it! The session itself starts on land with a few yoga moves to warm-up our bodies & clear our minds. Then we got in the water to paddle out, getting loads of tips from Di about how to do paddle properly. What a great total body workout, especially for the core & upper body. We then attempted a few yoga poses on the board & I was able to master all but one move - the wheel (you lie on your back, feet flat on the board, then lift your bum up in the air, hands go behind, palms flat & fingertips pointed towards your head & lift everything up off the board except your hands & feet, like a bridge). I can't even do that on dry land! We ended the session with sivasana, by lying on our backs on the board, with our fingertips in the water, with our eyes closed. It was the most relaxing way to end the class, and I wanted to stay there all day, especially because the sun was shining on our faces. I will definitely do it again! The sessions run every Tues & Fri at 6.00am & Sun mornings at 7.30am & they all go for 1.5hrs. For more info, check out www.SUPYoga.com.au & www.facebook.com/pages/SUP-Yoga-Sydney. Bookings essential.
On Wednesday, we tried a Kayak Fitness session through Benefit Active (http://benstephens.com.au) at The Spit. We kayaked from The Spit to another beach & when we got there, we did a circuit of kayak-pulling with a rope, kettle bells, ladder runs on sand, medicine ball tricep push ups & various other pain-inflicting activities (including boxing). I was sweating up a storm by the end! Then we had to kayak back. It was loads of fun but I wish we could've jumped in the water after for a swim - unfortunately we all had to go to work!
On Thursday, my back was in so much pain (mixture of SUP & kayaking & not enough stretching) so I went and had a massage & experienced my first ever 'cupping' session. They basically put suction caps on your back & leave it there for a few mins to draw all the blood to the surface of the skin to improve circulation. It ended up looking like this:
It didn't hurt during the session or afterwards. In fact, my back felt SO much looser. I highly recommend it to anyone who has pain in their back muscles. I had it done at Wang's Massage in Westfield Chatswood (Cupping at Wang's. Ha ha. I should be in PR)!
Saturday was the Balmoral Triathlon Club cycling time trial at Centennial Park. I hadn't been riding consistently for a couple of months so it was going to be an interesting test. The last time I did a TT, I came third last, so I was determined to just beat my time, as I knew a lot of the fast girls would kick my ass anyway. We each went off in 10 second intervals & had to do 5 laps of the park as fast as we could (just under 20kms). I was almost at the end of the 4th lap when all the fast girls rode past. We cheered each other on & then I got excited because I thought I wasn't doing so bad if they were just catching me. Turns out, they pulled over 30 secs later & I still had one lap to go! I knew it was too good to be true! I yelled a few profanities at them for being lucky enough to have already finished (just a bit of friendly banter between chicks), then attempted to cycle for my life for the final lap. Nevertheless, I took 60 seconds off my last time for a 36.03 (35.59 by my watch). Gotta be happy with that. This snail WILL get faster, if its the last thing I do!
Because I had missed a cycle session, I decided to make up for it (with the permission of my coach) by going on a 2.5hr ride from Centennial Park to La Perouse & back with fellow BTC chick, The Fischernator (aka Kelli). I had never been on this route before & it was awesome. Our legs were trashed from the TT the day before but it was so great to explore new places to ride. We had originally planned to park the car at Brighton Le Sands & cycle out to Kurnell but the clouds looked too suspicious and we didn't fancy having to cycle 25kms in the rain. So we drove back to Centennial & cycled to La Perouse from there. After battling with semi trailers on the road (those things still scare the crap out of me when they drive past), spending about 10kms trying to find a bush/toilet for Kelli to pee in, we managed 50kms of undulating roads with some fairly decent climbs, which kept our tired legs honest. The great thing about riding with Kelli is that she pushes you. Its like having a coach, cycling next to you the whole time, but encouraging you to be the best you can be. She's one of the strongest cyclists in our club & always knows how to motivate me. I was a total snail but she kept pushing me & we even did a few efforts together, riding side by side. At that point, I felt like there was a tiny glimmer of hope that I was going to become a better cyclist. I love training with other people, especially on the bike. And although I was completely shattered afterwards (I had a 2hr nanna nap when I got home), I felt like I had broken down a few mental barriers. It is my weakest leg after all & its something I will be focusing on over the next few months. Having training partners like Kelli really motivate me to keep pushing the boundaries. I feel like I am Lance Armstrong when I ride with her (even just for a few seconds). And I am definitely going to need people like that in the lead up to Ironman. I am slowly learning to focus on my recovery, to do my own training, to try & find opportunities in my weaknesses, to capitalise on my strengths and admitting that comparing yourself to other people does nothing but destroy any sense of confidence you may have. And I may need you to keep reminding me of that :) After all, I am doing this race for me, and nobody else.
Today, I am nursing a sore left knee (from compensating for my bung right ankle) & I seem to have slightly pulled my hamstring on the ride yesterday. But nothing a bit of stretching & ice won't fix. I have a short training week at home this week, then on Thursday I am driving to Port Macquarie for the 'Her Coach' Ironman training camp which will run from Thurs-Sun (Australia Day weekend). My ankle is feeling better & this weekend, I will be attempting my first jog since ankle surgery. Nothing too crazy. But I am looking forward to getting back out there & moving my feet faster than just a walk. I am conscious of hurting it again so I will be taking it easy for all you worry warts out there. But I am warning you now, when I finally make my comeback to running (after I am healed), the Fonginator has some serious vengeance to take care of.
I have also decided to save up for a Go Pro camera to document my Ironman journey. For those of you who have never heard of it, check this video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swa8sVoDr7E. Surely someone knows someone who is a retailer/supplier of these babies & wants me to product test one for them?! Anyone?! Because by the time I have enough money saved to buy one (about $500 with accessories), the race will already be over!!
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. See you next week (if I make it out of training camp alive)!
Signing off,
The Fonginator
HTFU!
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