Week of 9/24-9/30 Workouts!

9/25/07: 6 Miles SMART-5x 180/180s
20:00 wu
30:00 of 5x 180/180 (tough, but doable!)
10:00 cd
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: Ran with the lovely Ms. Hillary. I took a Carbboom before my workout and it kicked in right before the 4th repeat. I felt great on the cool down too.

9/26/07: 20 minute AM Pool Swim!
Heartrate: n/a
400m swim: 13:13
Weather: nice
Notes: This was a short workout but worth it. I swam like a champ wearing my new Speedo tri suit. Not sure if I want to race in it yet because it doesn't have a zipper. However, it's pretty comfty and I only paid $15 for it:). My last swim before the tri!

9/27/07: SMART Hills...all 8.5 Miles of them:)
18:51 wu
4 hill repeats:
9:05, 8:58, 9:11, 8:51
(1 long, 3 short, 1 long and recovery)
23:22 cd
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: humid!
Notes: Wow, a tough workout and I pushed through the entire thing, especially since I didn't think I would be able to do the whole workout to begin with! Yeah to pushing through a hard workout!

9/30/07: Cinco Ranch Tri!
Please read more about this race in a seperate race report entry.

9/30/07: Cinco Ranch Tri Report!

The quick low-down and my thoughts immediately afterwards:

*This was the first tri (out of 4 that I have done) that I really truly had fun doing!!! I actually smiled on the bike and was grinning ear-to-ear as I finished the run! What a great feeling!

*Adjusting my aerobars perpendicular to the ground was the right thing to do, albeit not the smart thing to do the day before the race. Very comfortable and made me feel fast, even in that sucky headwind.

*Speaking of bike whoas, my pedal fell off while I was putting my bike in the transitition area. Thanks to the kind folks at Bicycle World for fixing it for me! Also, my aerobar tape slipped off while I was riding (very slippery and dangerous, may I add!) and, the biggest thing of all--this race made me realize--

IT'S TIME FOR A NEW BIKE!

I defineitly plan on buying a NEW bike in the next 6 months or so. I can't WAIT! I just need to see how much I can spend... and hopefully I will know this in the next 3 months...

*It was great having so many friends cheering for me during the race. Thanks to all that came out and supported me...and a very special thanks to my Strider babe Hillary who cheered me through the entire race!

*The swim wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, even as muddy as it was. I was painfully slow though. As in, wayyyyy last in my weight class. And close to last in my age group too. I've gotta continue to swim in the off season if I want to become stronger for next season, which I want to, may I add.

*I absolutely KILLED the run, even though my right leg had tightened up in my hamstring and I was in some severe (but short-lived) pain. Although Kelly and I agree the run was short, I finished the 3 miles in 24:22, or 8:07/mile!!!! No one passed me at all...and it was the greatest feeling ever finishing sooo strong!

Can't wait for the next season...with the improvements I had in this race (overall in ALL aspects of the race), I am totally excited about next yr!

NOW BRING ON THE MARATHON :)

-
Yes, overall I had a great race and I am happy with the results. Was I the the fastest in the swim and in the bike? No. Was I fastest on the run? No, but I was fast enough to be happy with my performance! :)

I did really enjoy this race though, although i had to wait around forever for my wave (I was in the last wave-with GUYS!!!). Yes, the swim was muddy but not as bad as as the old Cinco swim from what i heard. The bike was 'long' but i really enjoyed the niceness of the course. I felt like I picked up a really good rythmn on the last half of the 19 mile bike. I think I averaged about 18 or so on the last 8-9 miles. The run...well the run overall was good for me other then my damn leg...arghh. mas stretching to do...

plenty of food, friends and fellowship at the finish. As long as they don't change this race around too much next year, I def. plan to do it again. This was a great race for me to end the tri season on. Now go check out the pictures for proof:) http://www.karenthibodeaux.com/Thumbs.asp?BibNbr=856&event=1442

THE STATS:
14th out of 18 women, in the Annie Oakleys
400m swim: 13:24.3
T1-2:33
19m bike: 1:08:01 (ave 16.8/mph)
T2-1:30
3m run-24:22 (ave 8:07/mile)

TOTAL DAMAGE-1:49:51 total

Week of 9/17-9/23 Workouts!

9/18/07: 3.5 Mile SMART Run + Boot Camp C!
19:04 wu
6:10 for 1200m
4:10 for 800m
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm and breezy
Notes: I had to cut the workout short but I was still able to run with Strider Babe Hillary and enjoy the shortened workout I did. Good times!

9/19/07: 25 minute AM Pool Swim!
Heartrate: n/a
400m swim: 13:50
Weather: cool
Notes: I didn't have enough time this morning to swim my whole 30 minutes which I wasn't too happy about. However, the stroke feels better and I swam faster today then normal.

9/21/07: 30 minute AM Pool swim
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
400m swim: 13:30
Notes: I felt awsome today and it's a done deal: I just need to continue to improve and streamline my stroke!

9/22/07: 2 Mile HARRA X-Country Relay!
Please read more about this race in a seperate race report entry.

9/22/07: 6 Mile "Long Run"
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm!
Notes: In order to get my mileage in for the day, I tacked another 6 miles at Memorial Park after the X-Country relay. Nothing overally exciting about the run but I actually felt great and my feet were just a 'little sore.'

9/23/07: 1 Hour Bike Ride at MP Picnic Loop
Heart-rate: n/a
15.6 Miles total riding
Weather: hot!
Notes: Wow, I was pretty slow on this ride, I think mainly due to my running the day before.

9/22/07: HARRA X-Country Relay Race Report!

I went into this race feeling 'so-so.' Okay, so I fully admit it was my fault for feeling that way (and that's NOT okay when I am running a team event!) Anyhow, I ran my leg (leg D-or the last leg) in exactly 17:00. Maybe not my best time on this course, but I felt strong and put forth a great effort. Plus, it wasn't as warm (or should I say HOT) as it was last year or the last time I did this race.

I almost had to run twice since my dear bloggin' Cassie didn't show up (but we are all glad that she is okay!!!) and honestly, i don't think I had it in me to run twice as worn-down as I felt. But, I still put in a great effort overall. And I won a door prize again, thanks to the wonderful Tornadoes...but the scale doesn't work though! :(

THE STATS:

2 miles cross-country
17:00 minutes total
average 8:30/mile

Week of 9/9-9/16 Workouts!

9/11/07: 4 Mile SMART workout-Kenyan Relays!
11:55 wu
20:00 minutes KR
8:22 cd
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm and breezy
Notes: Because of a cool front brought on by a storm serge in the area, tonight's workout was actually pretty pleasent. However, the workout was cut short during the cooldown due to the lightning flashing overhead. The only thing that bugged me about this workout was that this was my only run this week. ARGH!

9/12/07: 5 minute Am Pool Swim!
Heartrate: n/a
Weather: rainy
Notes: i was so excited to get into the pool after Bass Ackwards day but after only being the pool for 5 minutes, I had to get out because it was raining too hard. Oh well, at least I got in the water and was actually on time to work today:)

9/14/07: 2 Hour Lake Sharks Workout!
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: I teamed up with Houston Racing today and did a 2 hour lake swim. Kenny, our swim coach, worked with me a little to help streamline my technique, and WOW! I ended up swimming much more efficiently very shortly afterwards. However, I still feel 'a little' anxious in the water. Hopefully all of these lake swims will pay off for my tri though. I have one more lake swim left before the big race on September 30th!

9/16/07: 1 Hour Bike Ride!
total riding: about 16 miles
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: really hot!
Notes: Unfortunetly, this was my only bike ride this week. I felt pretty slow and sluggish. And it really didn't help that I rode at 4pm too, when it was 92 degrees! I think it was a great thing for me to get out and do, though. I am really starting to stress over this 19 mile bike ride we will be doing in a few weeks...

Week of 9/2-9/8 Workouts!

9/4/07: 6 Mike SMART workout-Hill Repeats!
19:44 warmup
27:51 total (3 reps)
18:12 cooldown
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: VERY humid!
Notes: I didn't really feel up to this workout tonight. It was super humid. However, I manned through it. 3 short hills followed by one long hill and then a recovery. I did three of these. Woof.

9/5/07: 30 minute Am Pool Swim!
Heartrate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: My technique still feels horrible. I swam about 400m in 14:30. Not too bad though.

9/6/07: 9 Mile Long Run at the Park!
1:27.35 total running
ave 9:40/mile
10:16, 9:50, 10:03, 9:37, 9:40, 9:18, 9:22, 9:14, 9:27
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: humid!
Notes: 9 lonely and HUMID miles on a Friday night by myself...but I did it!

9/7/07: Houston Racing Bass Akwards Tri Day!
3 mile run: 28:28
16 mile bike: 1 hour
525 meter swim: 20:23
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: humid!
Notes: So my first Houston Racing event, and I had a GREAT time! Basically, the event was a reverse tri, with a small amount of rest in between each event. My run was slow since I had ran 9 miles the day before (ah well, I still felt good on it!) The bike was rough since I put a new saddle on my bike and I didn't like it. Yes, I will be taking it back:). The swim was good but LOOOOONNG and I was pretty tired by then so I didn't push myself more. The BBQ and commoderie was fantastic and I even won a 30-scoop Mountain Blast Accelerade, my new best training partner:) Overall, a great training day and I am glad I was able to partake in the good times!

Week of 8/26-9/1 Workouts!

8/28/07: 6 Mile SMART workout-30/30 Repeats (x15!)!
16:56 wu
15:02, 14:30 repeats ( stopped to get water)
14:36 cd
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: VERY humid!
Notes: My Favorite Strider Hillary and I tackled this one together. The workout only called for 12 30/30's (run hard for 30 seconds, recover for 30 seconds) but I ended up doing 15 for extra measure. It was a great workout overall.

8/29/07: 30 minute Am Pool Swim!
Heartrate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: I'm still struggling in the pool...but this is a 'recovery' week for me so I am not going to push myself too much in the pool this week.

8/30/07: 6 Mile SMART workout-Smartie Hop!
19:03 wu
35:29 cd
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: humid!
Notes: This was a tough workout as there were a lot of 'non-running' related exserices we do but then we still did quite a bit of running. Coach Steeeeeeeeve and I ran about 3 miles back together, and needless to say we were cooking it 'a little' for a cool down. :)