Was in my office minding my own business (yes, really) and one of the surgeons popped in - with a TRYathlon registration form in his hand. He wants to sign his wife up for it and one of the nurses told him I knew all about it. I cautioned him - more than once - that she may not appreciate his interest in her overall well being and that in the interest of his overall well being he should reconsider this type of surprise, but he would not be swayed. So, after another caution that my name was not to be divulged as the source of the materials, I provided the swimming only training information, the course route, and some information on the sponsoring organization. Pretty sure this will come back to bite me!
So while waiting for the other angels, I set my mind to conquering the lock for once and for all (it was that or get another lock ...) and in fighting with it discovered the the first digit of the combination was 1 number off - it opens like no one's business with the new numbers! In all the fussing around with it we must have messed it up slightly - at any rate - now we can use it and not have to worry about being stranded at the Y in Vincennes!
Two representatives from Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes opened the session with a presentation on nutrition for 'athletes' (guess they were talking to us!) and some helpful hints about how to eat/drink to prepare for workouts, recover from workouts, and how to be best prepared for the actual race day. Once we figured out that the longer we were at the presentation the less time there would be to work out, we had LOTS of questions! The lead instructor was on to us pretty quickly though (we were so busted) and off we went...
Our first activity was biking (again!) - one of the angels had the foresight to bring a gel / padded seat - and perhaps special biking shorts! Really enjoyed the music and got brave enough to take my hands off the grip to get some water. Was not very comfortable with the standing up part - perhaps because I had my toes pointed down, so was off balance.
Second activity was more core training - different instructor but no less attentive to being sure we were doing the 'planks' correctly for maximum benefit. The reminders to not hold our breath during the various lifts are also very much appreciated! One of the members of our group has been named the Queen of Planks by the instructors - quite a compliment! I only aspire to be able to do them from my toes rather than my knees!
On the way home we went over to the park where the event will be held and, just for grins, drove out to the mostly flat bike route - it's about as flat as my tummy - several fairly short and steep stretches - but looks like the park returning to the park ends on a downhill run!
Just one more training day this week - yippee!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Week 2 Begins ...
Saw one of the angels at Church on Sunday - she asked if I could spell i-bu-pro-fen - what a dummy - I'd been (quietly) moaning every time I moved and never thought about taking something! A few hours later all was well...
So Monday we hot foot it over to the YMCA to get there 'early' - half of the adventure is getting a 'good' parking space - yes, I know we're going to exercise, but who wants to use up energy before the session walking across the parking lot - and we don't have energy left afterwards! Of course I had already experienced increased heart rate because while at work, in the middle of changing from work clothes to 'training' clothes the fire alarms went off! Wouldn't that have been a pretty picture if we'd had to evacuate and I had on sports bra, t-shirt, and hooded sweatshirt along with my skirt, heels, and hose!
Our group 'ran' (around the mile long block again) and I made it 1 1/2 times around before being called in to stretch and be released to the pool! The advanced beginners did some type of roll drill that I don't think I ever really got the hang of - seemed to be swallowing a lot of water on that one! I did eventually to mostly actually 'swim' (breathing correctly, stroking, and kicking - all at the same time!) a 25 meter lap without stopping to flail about in the water due to choking or putting my foot/feet down - 400 meters should be no problem, right?
After our swimming workout, the lock was problematic again but we eventually reigned supreme over it and got to change out of our wet swim suits and head for home!
So Monday we hot foot it over to the YMCA to get there 'early' - half of the adventure is getting a 'good' parking space - yes, I know we're going to exercise, but who wants to use up energy before the session walking across the parking lot - and we don't have energy left afterwards! Of course I had already experienced increased heart rate because while at work, in the middle of changing from work clothes to 'training' clothes the fire alarms went off! Wouldn't that have been a pretty picture if we'd had to evacuate and I had on sports bra, t-shirt, and hooded sweatshirt along with my skirt, heels, and hose!
Our group 'ran' (around the mile long block again) and I made it 1 1/2 times around before being called in to stretch and be released to the pool! The advanced beginners did some type of roll drill that I don't think I ever really got the hang of - seemed to be swallowing a lot of water on that one! I did eventually to mostly actually 'swim' (breathing correctly, stroking, and kicking - all at the same time!) a 25 meter lap without stopping to flail about in the water due to choking or putting my foot/feet down - 400 meters should be no problem, right?
After our swimming workout, the lock was problematic again but we eventually reigned supreme over it and got to change out of our wet swim suits and head for home!
Session #3 - Week 1 is Over!
One of the angels was out of town (work related - we were still envious she got to skip!) and one angel drove on her own in order to do some shopping after the session, but the fifth angel joined the group at the unholy hour of 7:30 a.m. - although we do appreciate that the scheduler put is in the 'late' group - otherwise we would have had to been on the road no later than 6:30 a.m.!
Angel #5 is also a newbie to TRYathlon and the training program - but she had picked up some tips from members of her Monday and Wednesday classes and all we know for sure is that there is a lot more to this than we anticipated! We have figured out to come with our swimsuits already on to save one changing session in the cramped locker room (it is undergoing some remodeling...)!
Angel #5 is also a newbie to TRYathlon and the training program - but she had picked up some tips from members of her Monday and Wednesday classes and all we know for sure is that there is a lot more to this than we anticipated! We have figured out to come with our swimsuits already on to save one changing session in the cramped locker room (it is undergoing some remodeling...)!
Our Saturday sessions are 2 hours of fun and games (4 30 minute sessions) and went pretty much as follows:
- Weight training - this is an open gym with probably 20 different machines and work stations - all operating just a little differently and each doing a specific thing to our bodies (whether we want it to or not!). This room also had an electric scale - so I hoped on it much to the surprise of the group (felt I was being awfully brave) but it seemed most of the rest of the group worked their way over as well!
- Pool - remembered early in the session that I could open my eyes since I have goggles and didn't spend near as much time in the lane ropes! There was a children's swim class going on at the same time and I hope the little ones weren't scarred for life at the antics of a dozen or so 'adults' learning to do the same thing they were!
- Bikes - no woman would have invented a torture device with a weighted wheel - fortunately it took a bit of time to have our bikes 'fitted' to us (my settings are 3 and 5!) and to be inserviced on how to get in and out of the basket pedals - this left less time for cycling! They do have really good music to pedal to, but that doesn't make the 'sprints' any easier - no worries though - we are assured the bike route for the actual race is mostly flat - it says so right on the registration form!
- Core Training - we bounced into the room (still getting our land legs under us after the bikes!) and caught the totally toned instructor with M & M's! I thought we could take her, but since she would be controlling our destiny for the next 30 minutes we let the moment pass. There were 2 really good things about this session - it was the last one and we were on the floor most of the time!
After returning home there was just enough time to get over to the Pacific Cycle company store to see about getting a 'cruiser' - the bike guru and my partner put their heads together and decided what would suit me best is a Schwinn 'Avenue' - I'll sit upright (not bent over double (as if I could) to grip the funky handle bars, some gears (more than 10 would be wasted on me!), and a really big seat. Oh yeah, it's light blue and will match my new biking helmet!
The rest of the day was spent trying on the helmet - and it has a visor - so there are about 8 ways to adjust it! - and trying to get the new MP3 player onto the arm band - I'll figure out how to turn it on another day!
Session #2 - We're In Groups!
I decided to change at work before we hit the road to 'training' - which allowed me to eliminate the oversize bag in favor of 2 small bags and a small cooler! Yes - this is better - trust me!
Bag #1 had workout clothes and my 'old' gym shoes - when I changed my work clothes went into it and then the bag went into the car and didn't need to make the drive to Vincennes. However, since I was driving that night I guess it really didn't matter...
We've been assigned to group 'D' and our adventure for the evening was to 'run' the block around the facility - how convenient that it works out to a mile! I now know I can comfortably do a 15 minute mile! After our cool down stretching, we were released to the locker room to get ready to swim!
Three of us shared a locker, which wouldn't shut (not so much from the multitude of things we had stuffed in it as much as that it seemed to be warped!) at first and we used up some precious strength in manipulating it shut and slapping the lock on!
At the pool we were separated into groups based on skill and I landed in the advanced beginners - in fact at the end of the session the teacher said I was the best in the group - however I am suspicious of this on two counts -
Bag #1 had workout clothes and my 'old' gym shoes - when I changed my work clothes went into it and then the bag went into the car and didn't need to make the drive to Vincennes. However, since I was driving that night I guess it really didn't matter...
We've been assigned to group 'D' and our adventure for the evening was to 'run' the block around the facility - how convenient that it works out to a mile! I now know I can comfortably do a 15 minute mile! After our cool down stretching, we were released to the locker room to get ready to swim!
Three of us shared a locker, which wouldn't shut (not so much from the multitude of things we had stuffed in it as much as that it seemed to be warped!) at first and we used up some precious strength in manipulating it shut and slapping the lock on!
At the pool we were separated into groups based on skill and I landed in the advanced beginners - in fact at the end of the session the teacher said I was the best in the group - however I am suspicious of this on two counts -
- I was the only one in the group who willingly put my face in the water (although I forgot that I had goggles on and could open my eyes - so kept my eyes shut and was constantly getting tangled up in the lane ropes!)
- We are the lowest skill group - so really, how advanced are we!
After we were released from the pool it was interesting to get a dozen or so ladies out of wet swim suits, dried off, and into dry clothes with only 4-5 curtained areas - and I use the term 'curtained' pretty loosely! The two guardian angels who have done this before predicted that by the end of training pretty much all modesty would be long gone! The real interesting part was that the lock on 'our' locker wouldn't unlock - I believe we would have all left our stuff were it not that the car keys were in there!
We managed to get back to our cars without incident - not so much talking on the way home as we are tired, wore out, and having our healthy snacks (trail mix, bananas, jerky, granola bars, water, etc. - not sure what the others ate!).
The Adventure Begins ...
The first of our 36 fun-filled training sessions was on Monday, March 22nd! I didn't have a big enough duffle bag for all the treasures I thought I might need to have with me, so I borrowed a bag small enough to hold a team's worth of soccer balls and took with me:
- lock (for the locker room)
- 3 bottles water and 3 granola bars
- extra shoes (2 pairs) and extra socks
- swim suit - darn that Land's End, I was really hoping to find the swim suit purchased in 2003 that hadn't seen the light of day since oh, 2007, had succumbed to dry rot but no such luck!
- oversize towel
- flip flops
- shower cap x 2
- goggles x 2
- long sleeve t-shirt
- short sleeve t-shirt
- hooded sweatshirt
- shorts
The bag almost weighed more than me but I grunted it out to the car and then, when we met at 3:30 p.m. in the designated parking lot, oomphed it into the vehicle we were taking that day - I was seriously counting that as part of the exercise, little did I know!
There are about 50-60 ladies in our training session - various ages, shapes, sizes, and levels of fitness. We met the instructors (way too energetic for end of the day!), filled out some papers, and had a brief introduction to the 12 week program.
For the first session we were in a gym where about 25-30 'stations' had been set up - the idea was we would do each 'station' for 2 minutes and at the signal, move on to the next station. I remembered how to jump rope, and eventually figured out how to get my feet into the 'baskets' on the stationery bikes, had fun with 'boxing kicks' (and did not hurt myself or anyone else - a big plus!), but was seriously looking at my water bottle across the room by about half-way around!
To be fair, I must say staff members were plentiful to make sure we were doing things correctly - loved the one where you sat on the exercise ball, 'walked' forward until your shoulder blades were the only thing on the ball, and then lifted small hand weights - took me several tries to get into the proper position and by then it was time to move on!
When we were released from the circuit from you-know-where and sprawled (not very ladylike either) with our water and sweat towels, we received additional information from the staff - helpful and uplifting things like:
- This is not the time to start a diet as we'll need the extra calories since we're going to burn off so many calories with our workouts - I was real good with that until she went on to say this isn't the time to supersize our meals on the way home either - the middle ground seemed to be eating healthier rather than just eating more!
- This is also not the time to count on losing weight either - apparently they have good scientific evidence that muscle weighs more than fat - now in what parallel universe is that ok! The 'good' news is that we will lose inches as we become 'toned' - although the consensus from the ladies who have done this before is that the inches are going to come of our ear lobes and other areas above the waist!
So on that cheerful note we were released for the night with the promise of a 'more thorough' workout on Wednesday!
Monday, March 29, 2010
It All Started Last Fall ....
Last fall, while we were working hard to bring the RMH Foundation's $3.0 million capital campaign to a successful conclusion, I was approached on several occasions by different local ladies asking what the next 'project' for the RMH Foundation was going to be. In each instance, the woman suggested that RMH Foundation host a women's triathlon as both a friend-raiser and a fund-raiser, given the women's health awareness activities that could go along with the actual 'race' event itself. About all I know about a triathlon is that three activities are involved - usually swimming of some type, biking of some type and running/jogging of some type. One of the ladies has participated in several triathlons and another who lives on the lake offered her home as staging area for the swim portion.
At the time, I thanked the ladies for their suggestions and then put them on the back burner until after the capital campaign was closed. A couple of weeks ago, I started looking into how other (larger) communities organize these types of events and somehow, still not quite sure, while I wasn't looking, I managed to get enrolled as a participant! Given that I don't actually bike, run, or swim, I'm still not sure how this has transpired!
I also have mystically become enrolled in a 12 week training class to prepare for the big event in midJune in Vincennes, Indiana with 3 other local ladies (and a 4th who goes with us on Saturday) and we've promised to be each others guardian angels for the duration! We'll travel together the 30 miles or so to the YMCA in Vincennes 3 times a week - 90 minute sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays and 2 full hours of fun on Saturday mornings!
At the time, I thanked the ladies for their suggestions and then put them on the back burner until after the capital campaign was closed. A couple of weeks ago, I started looking into how other (larger) communities organize these types of events and somehow, still not quite sure, while I wasn't looking, I managed to get enrolled as a participant! Given that I don't actually bike, run, or swim, I'm still not sure how this has transpired!
I also have mystically become enrolled in a 12 week training class to prepare for the big event in midJune in Vincennes, Indiana with 3 other local ladies (and a 4th who goes with us on Saturday) and we've promised to be each others guardian angels for the duration! We'll travel together the 30 miles or so to the YMCA in Vincennes 3 times a week - 90 minute sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays and 2 full hours of fun on Saturday mornings!
TRYathlon is a Sisters in Service event from the Knox County Community Foundation in partnership with Vincennes Parks & Recreation Department and the Vincennes YMCA. For more information, check out their website at www.knoxcountyfoundation.org/TRYathlon.
Helpful hints from folks who know what they are doing are welcome, prayers are welcome, and please do ask me how I'm doing - the more people that ask me about it the better the chances I'll stick with it since I don't want to have to look you all in the eye and tell you I dropped out!
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