Sunday, Sunday

I realised how much I love Sunday evenings.
Last night I got home from Masters to find pumpkin roasting and chicken baking, ready for the next couple of days of salads. I chopped fruit, organised snacks, planned my training for the week and set out my running gear for this morning. Then P and I settled down on the couch to watch Click (not the greatest, but an important message for a sometimes workaholic like me).

On Sunday evenings I look forward to the week ahead. I feel like I can be healthy for the week. I look forward to getting the hard workouts in, to nailing the deadlines at work, to striking that balance right. It all turns to pot after Sunday- by Wednesday, getting up after a hurried dinner to wash dishes and chop more pumpkin is unthinkable- but that Sunday evening feeling is great.

I'm home from work today. I fell off the end of my lane for the first time last night. When I looked at the times they weren't so bad (50s in 45/43/41, 100s around 1:50-2:00), but I was struggling. Red faced, laboured breathing. Combined with the ear popping of Saturday's long run, it should have been a sign. But this idiot decided to get up at 5:30 for her tempo run this morning. 2mi easy (more like 1.5, down the hill), 3 tempo, 2 easy. I did the first 2.5k in 13:20, feeling my breath struggling with every step. I realised how big the headwind was when I did the second 2.5k in 12:27, for an acceptable 5k (8:18). But I felt rotten, so I came home, rinsed off in the shower and crawled back to bed. I'm really hoping that a day of rest, fruit, fluid and vitamins will nip this thing in the bud before it fully develops. A bad cold is the absolute last thing I need right now!

With thanks to Lana, "Practice makes improvement..."

Thanks Lana for the post title I'm shamelessly ripping off!

I went along to my second ever Masters (second ever any sort of squad..) swim tonight.

Coach: So you're the one who should be in the fast lane?
Me: Uh.. no. I swam with Barry on Weds, it was about right
Coach: You do 1k in 20 mins?
Me: Well, I can. I mean, 20-21, thereabouts, but...
Coach: That's my race pace, jump in.

Unsurprisingly, I soon proved the coach wrong. I started off second from the back, and got passed at 150m in the 500 w/up. By the time we'd finished, I think the coach had lapped me, and I'm sure everyone else hated my guts. Fortunately, I was demoted after that set!

I don't quite know how "can swim 1k in 20 min" equates to "can swim easy-paced 100m drills on the 1:45"?

Anyway, I didn't mind getting dropped. I was at about the right pace for the lane I was in, and I kept to the back where I belonged! I got some really good pointers on my catch, and am going to work on that. I also have a strokes per length target to aim for (it's embarrassing... 19), and have been promised some paddle work next time. I can see the effects that this will have on my swim already.

One of our last sets was 4 x 25m, at 80%, 100%, 110%, 80%. Now, you may remember that on 6 Jan I was excited to knock another second off my 25m, taking it down to 22s. First 25m? 20s. Second was 21 (yuck- I obviously don't *get* 100%). Third- 19s. And last? an 80% effort and under 19s. Woo!

My run and swim are coming together nicely, and I'm feeling like me again. I am slacking on the bike because of marathon training and I'm good with that. Once April 28 has passed, I am going to start applying the "practice makes improvement" theory to my cycling. My summer 70.3 is looking like an achievable goal. Knock wood.

Rest of the weekend was good- we enjoyed a picnic with C and F on Friday, before watching the kiwi classic "The Dog's Tale" outside in the velodrome. Beautiful night, yummy food, toasty hot chocolate- perfect! Saturday was my long run, in completely average weather, then we had brunch with P's friends, and went shopping. My middle sister J was staying with us, and we went out for dinner with the whole family to celebrate my forthcoming move into the 25-29 AG (yuck! that spoils any hope of me EVER placing). I love turkish food! Today was beautiful, and J and I did some shopping before I trotted off to work and she headed home. Now we're chilling out, P watching the cricket (more wood-knocking..don't let us down boys!), me eating cookies. Tuesday is a public holiday, so although we're working tomorrow, we're planning to drive up to the Wairarapa for the night and then spending the day riding, eating good food and going out for a romantic dinner. Can't wait!

Hope everyone's weekends are going well.

Tagged and an exciting first

First, the exciting first. I hope the title hasn't misled anyone too much- it's not that exciting! But tonight I went to my first Masters swim session (or swim session of any sort) ever! I kept up pretty easily during the free sets, but struggled a lot on the IM sets (and did free instead of fly...) I swallowed a lot of water during the first few sets (IM/free kick w/out board), but didn't have to sit out on any sets or reps. Woo! I had a great time and will definitely go back.

Secondly-I've been tagged by Michele:

1. Describe a memory from your first triathlon ever
Cold, raining and stressful! I did not want to race at all that day. I capsized my bike in T2 and turned the wrong way to go into the swim (reverse order tri). I was hooked.

2. Describe a memory from your most recent triathlon
Standing with the sun beating down on my wetsuit- not being able to wait to hit that water!

3. What's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a tri?
Dropping my chain, and then 15km later, toppling over when I passed another person who'd dropped theirs.

4. What's the most thrilling thing that's happened to you in a tri?
Does hi-fiving Andy Potts count? Just kidding! Hi-fiving excited little kids at the finish line of New Plymouth (my first "real" sprint) and then collapsing on the grass.

5. What is something you discovered about yourself by doing triathlons?
That I am not very good at swimming or cycling--but that practice makes perfect and doing things I'm not naturally good at is better for me than only doing those things that come easy!

6. What is The Big Goal that you're working towards?
First marathon in 3 months, planning a half-iron for summer 07/08!

I tag Jodi, Wes and Jessica!