So sue me, I didn't watch the Inaug, I caught up on Drudge.

Today was such an awesome day. This morning, I treated myself to a performance test with Robbie Ventura and Dr. Max Testa. Dave, the Head of Operations over at VQ's Chicago location, told me to act surprised when Dr. Testa walked in. So I did. Dr. Testa is a cute little Italian man who can basically talk your ear off about anything sports-medicine related. I'm really into this stuff, so I could listen to him talk for hours. And I pretty much did. Though I phased out some of the talking during the last few minutes of the LT test (the really hard part).



Anyway, we went through some of my background (race PR's, health history, perceived strengths and weaknesses) and talked a fair amount about the injuries I had going into IM CDA last June. I mentioned that my longest training ride was 70 miles and that my run training was virtually non-existent. Robbie winced at this. We looked at my bike fit and both Robbie and Dr. Testa concurred that it looked pretty good in terms of the fore/aft seat position; not too aggressive and not too boring, either. We tilted my seat down a little to allow me to roll my pelvis forward a bit more, and decided we would bring my handlebars down as my cycling skills improve. Apparently, I have a pretty inconsistent pedalstroke and need to work a lot more on the pull part where I engage my hamstrings and hip flexors. The upside to this is that I have beastly quads. I also need to work on my handling skills since: 1) I am not very good at grabbing waterbottles from volunteers at races; this has almost resulted in disaster on a few occasions. 2) I have trouble on tight turnarounds and usually end up unclipping one foot.



We started the LT test after the bike fit. Robbie pricked my finger with a magical pricking gun every 2 minutes or so (that's what she said), and then put the blood into a reader that measured the lactate volume. Lactate is a byproduct of cell degeneration, so it correlates strongly with fatigue. Lactate Threshold (LT) is measured on a scale with different points - the "breaking point" is the first upswing in the graph curve, and LT is the intensity level of exercise where there is an abrupt and significant increase in blood lactate levels. It's kind of confusing, but this graph I found helped me understand (thanks, Google!):


(FYI, the green dot with the arrow pointing down to '45' is the "breaking point.") I have yet to receive the formal results, but I think I did pretty well. I probably went to about 90% of my max and hit about a 172 HR (started at 54 at rest but nervous). They said something about a 13 lactate volume level, but I don't know what that means. Apparently, LT is a more consistent measure of aerobic capacity than VO2 max, so I'm definitely glad I did this, bruised pointer finger and all.


I won't bore you with the rest of the details on the test, but they did some other functional analysis stuff like flexibility, range of motion and muscular/core strength. Robbie and Dr. Testa also told me that they were going to be pushing me to put in a lot of cycling volume to improve my muscle memory, improve Z2-Z3 efficiency on the bike, and reduce risk of injury (vs. pumping out lots of run volume which is high-impact).


After all that, I felt compelled to go back to the gym, so I did a quick yoga class (I did work today, believe it or not - I just woke up early), grabbed some chow with a friend at an awesome restaurant called Duchamps, and then went to a clinic featuring guess who, Dr. Testa. Yeah. Best day ever.

Vision Quest Indoor TT

This afternoon I drove out to Vision Quest's Highland Park facility for a 30 minute indoor time trial. VQ does several indoor TT series "races" throughout the winter to keep everybody motivated when it's negative 30 degrees outside with a foot of snow on the ground. Fortunately, this weekend has been warmer (in Chicago that means 15 degrees F). I had an awesome time and was really impressed with the facility, which was set up with about 50 computrainers, HD screens, a professional, friendly staff, locker rooms with showers... the whole shebang. It was a pretty intense workout, but I was probably a bit more conservative than I needed to be; I'm also a bit out of shape as my bike hasn't seen the light of day since August (not joking). I guess I came in 2nd or 3rd among the women, because somebody told me I won some prize money (only 30 bucks, but still awesome!). I think I averaged just shy of a 19 mph pace on the mock Bong 40K TT course (great name, right?), which I could actually take part in this summer if I so desire since it is in Wisconsin. Overall, not bad for my first try.

I talked with Robbie Ventura, the freakin' president of VQ and former pro-cyclist (http://www.visionquestcoaching.com/robbie.php) about getting involved at VQ and working with a coach. I went ahead and signed up for a "performance evaluation" this Tuesday, which involves a lactate threshold (LT) test, bike fit, and a functional performance test (evaluates flexibility, balance, muscular weaknesses). Best of all, I get to work with both Robbie and Dr. Max Testa. Robbie is very well-renowned in the cycling world, as I've pointed out, but Dr. Testa is an orthopedist AND a coach (http://www.cycleto.com/videopopups/maxlance.html). He's worked as team physician for Teams 7-11, Motorola and Maipei. Oh, and he's also trained cyclists like Levi Leipheimer and Lance Armstrong. You know, no big deal. So, to say the least, I am really freaking excited. And out 300 bucks.

Ironman Florida Soundtrack

Workin' on it... subject to change. I want upbeat rock with a bit of pop flavor.


-The Polyphonic Spree: "Light and Day"

-Cake: "Going the Distance"

-Coldplay: "Viva La Vida"

-Rob Zombie: "Never Gonna Stop"

-U2: "Desire"

-The Verve: "Bittersweet Symphony"

-Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: "Weapon of Choice"

-Cars: "My Best Friend's Girl"

-The Hives: "Hate to Say I Told You So"

-AC/DC: "Highway to Hell"

-Nine Inch Nails: "The Hand that Feeds"

-The Killers: "Read My Mind"

-Billy Squier: "Stroke Me"

-Depeche Mode: "Personal Jesus"

-KISS: "Shout it Out Loud"

Off-Season updates

Hello all,

As is common with endurance athletes, I have a love/hate relationship with the off-season. It is great to relax, unbuckle that top button for Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts, and have a little more wine than is probably appropriate. Nonetheless, I find myself clamoring for more time in the pool, on my bike and on the treadmill (since I can't bring myself to run outside in this nasty Chicago weather). I've also been forced to take it easy for awhile as a result of a ruptured appendix two months ago. Fortunately, I've been getting back up to speed with my running and am faring much better than I was this past summer, but still have a lot to work on endurance-wise. I am up to about 12 miles a week, just working on easy base mileage.

Th. and I signed up for a late February half-marathon in the foothills of north Georgia's Blue Ridge mountains. My guess is that it will be as challenging, if not harder than the 10-miler we ran at Hemlock Overlook (VA) in December 2006, which forced even the speedsters to walk up some of the hills. I'm definitely ready to race again (and get the hell out of the Windy City for a weekend).

We also signed up for Ironman Florida, which is set for November 7th, 2009. We've got a ways to go, but I am already preparing for my basework and training. I'd like to work with a coach to see if I can attain my initial goal of sub-12 hours, plus not get injured along the way like last year. Several friends of ours signed up as well, including a friend who committed while drinking at a Death Cab for Cutie concert. He'll be fine.

Anyway, not much more to share in terms of athletic endeavors, besides a bit of skiing in Steamboat Springs, CO last week. Unless you count eating an entire pizza and half a bag of chocolate chips (fortunately not at the same time) an athletic endeavor...

Merry/happy whatever you celebrate,

Krysten

Race Report: Big Shoulders 2.5K Swim

Alas, I wimped out and opted for the 2.5 instead of the 5K (two dreadful laps around Lake Michigan). As it was, my lats were tired after one lap because my "training" has involved shorter, more frequent swims (i.e., 2000 m 3 or 4 days a week). This technique seems to work quite well for me when I am trying to get back into the swing of swimming. My balance, rhythm and lung capacity all usually feel a bit off when I haven't been in the water for awhile. Anyway, it seemed to work quite well in preparation for this open water swim as well.

Prior to signing up, I checked out some of the results from last year's race... pretty impressive. This race attracts Olympic caliber athletes like Erica Rose and some guy whose name I can't remember who did butterfly for the entire 5K course. Insane. Erica Rose has been the top female finisher for several years, finishing just short of an hour typically.

In the past, race conditions have been tricky - i.e., cold, choppy and poor visibility. Fortunately, I have dealt with all three of these issues previously, so I wasn't particularly worried. On Saturday, the 6th, however, the water was a balmy 69, not a cloud in the sky, no fog. It was quite difficult to see the buoys, however, as there were only three of them stretched out across the lake. Spotting was probably one of the more difficult aspects of this race.

Overall, it was a great swim. I specifically focused on extending my pull through and keeping a nice cadence. My right shoulder did the thing where it tries to pop out of socket, which means I was getting tired and need to spend more time in the pool/gym. Anyway, I pulled off 47 minutes and change, and beat the girl behind me because she decided to walk out of the water and I booked it past her. I'm a triathlete, beeatch. Ready for T1! (Not.)

We also got these weird Che Guevara Andy Warhol-esque t-shirts with a be-goggled Obama on the front and the word "SWIM" beneath. For the remainder of the day, people complimented me, asked questions, or flat out mocked me (Th.) for my t-shirt. Does Barack even swim?

This photo exemplifies how I feel about swimming 5 kilometers on September 6th. I think this has to be my favorite Ironman photo. This one and the one of me contorting my face in an effort to get sunblock out of my eye...

Racine Day's Inn... BOOOO!

I forgot to mention... if you ever happen to be in the armpit of Wisconsin, I mean, Racine, do not EVER stay at the Riverside Day's Inn. They charged us $180 plus my unborn baby and the place is a total dump. I didn't bother to look at the sheets because I was too afraid, and it looked like somebody had vomited on the floor previously. There was no water in the "pool" either. Too bad I didn't take any photos.