March Madness - Half-Iron

Fundraising Update: I have now raised $2610 to help fight cancer! If you haven't had a chance to donate, please visit my fundraising page and help me reach my goal of $8000. Thank you to everyone who is participating in my March Madness Bracket Pool. Your participation has brought me $1000 closer to my goal!

I apologize to everyone for not updating my blog. I'll be sure to update it on a weekly if not daily basis in the future. A lot has happened in the last month - most notably - 2 new firsts!

• My longest ride - 100 km - March 14th, 2010 - This ride was AMAZING! We started out of San Rafael on a beautiful Sunday morning. The 62 miles included some tough hills and amazing scenery. I was lucky enough to have the company of Margaret, Kristie, and Melissa for most of the ride. I do have to say that the conversation is never dull during our long workouts. I did buy some bike shorts the day before instead of wearing my tri shorts, which made the ride much more enjoyable. I also still need to get a new cassette for my bike to make climbing hills a little easier. It's a little frustrating to get beat up the hills. The ride too a little less than 4 hours. We had some wonderful SAG stops along the way with wonderful snacks and water to refuel. We really couldn't do all of this without the support of our friends and family. While it was my longest ride and I was happy to be finished, I really did have a great time and enjoyed my surroundings with beautiful scenery and wonderful teammates.

• WILDFLOWER HALF-IRON - March 20th, 2010 - 2nd toughest half-iron in the USA - my first half-iron and longest triathlon to date. This was such an awesome weekend. We drove down to the Wildflower course on Friday morning. Coach Dave, Coach Doug, Arlene, Maria and I shared the RV for the weekend and experienced some extra entertainment when the RV blew a tire around Morgan Hill, CA. It was probably a result of Coach Dave driving 85 mph in an RV, but he lucked out with the tire company saying it was caused by "over-inflated tires." Doug was probably the most to thank for getting me through the weekend with his one-man comedy act and impeccable impressions of about 8 different cultures and accents. I was rolling all the way down to the campsite. With only a few minor hick-ups, we were up and ready bright and early Saturday morning to start our half-iron day.

• Swim - 1.2 miles - I was actually a little happy to get into the water. Having not gotten much sleep the night before due to Dave's snoring and being extremely cold, I was a little worried about how much energy I would have during the day. On top of that, the bike ride down to the lake was really windy and cold, and my feet because so cold and numb that I couldn't walk normal while trying to set up my transition area. Luckily, the water wasn't quite as cold as one of our previous swims at Lake Del Valle. The swim went alright although it probably could have been better. I had a small panic attack at the beginning but was fine once I got going. I had to stop on the way back since I started coughing. Overall though, it went by a lot quicker than I had imagined, especially considering that I hadn't been swimming.
  

• Bike - 56 miles with hills - I tried to change quickly into bike shorts. Changing at transition is tricky and involves the use of a skirt and some careful maneuvering. I was pretty proud of myself for getting through the experience without mooning anyone. I set out on the bike, and of course the route began with going uphill from the lake. I had a couple of issues on the bike. My chain came off the ring towards the beginning of the course. Luckily, I wasn't going uphill. I also stopped at a couple of the sag stops to stretch and refuel. My IT band was getting a little too tight during the first 20 miles. Besides that, I really enjoyed the ride. I struggled up the infamous Nasty Grade with Tony keeping me company, but I was happy to find that it wasn't as nasty as everyone made it sound. It was really just a long steady incline with a steeper grade toward the summit. After enjoying the view, the ride down from Nasty was pretty amazing - I was a little scared for my life but enjoyed going 45+ mph downhill. The end of the bike course was where I was a little shaken up. I barely avoided a near head-on collision going back down to transition since I didn't brake soon enough on the downhill and couldn't keep my bike on the right side of the road. I was lucky that the car reacted in time for me to get around them without eating the concrete or their car! Lesson learned. I will be more cautious on downhill turns from now on.

• Run - 13.1 miles with HILLS - I'm convinced that the run is what makes the course so tough. Just to add insult to injury, the first 4 miles of the run just goes up...and up...and up. I was thankful to have Phil running next to me. We probably could have pushed ourselves and run more, but we implemented the walk/run technique. While we're being scientific, our method included walking up hills and when we felt like it with some running in between. We finished in about 2:40ish. I wish I could say I enjoyed the view at the top, but I was too busy thinking about how brutal the run course was to even notice. Thanks Phil for the company. I owe you for helping me through the run with my sanity!

• Celebration - I finished the half-iron in about 8 hours and 12 min - a time that's about an hour and a half slower than my goal. However, I finished, and the beer at the end never tasted so good! After wading back in the lake for an "ice bath" and taking a shower, we started the party. I had a great time drinking and hanging out with such wonderful people. It was great to see everyone let loose and have a great time outside of training!
  

THANKS IRONTEAM FOR A GREAT WILDFLOWER WEEKEND!

Boot Camp Day 2

Date: 2/21/2010
Time: 8 AM
Location: San Jose
Weather: Cold and Raining
Workout: 60 min swim, 60 min run, 17 mi bike, 30 min spin, 30 min run/strength, 30 min spin, 30 min run/strength

Notes: Probably my biggest headache about IronTeam is how much we have to drive when we live in San Francisco. Luckily, Arlene was nice enough to give me a ride to Boot Camp today. We left my house at 6:45 and arrived at 7:45 to start working out at 8.

I have realized that I'm not swimming enough. My flip turns were really sad, and I got a little more tired than I should have for the workout. I have a lot of catching up to do in the pool! We transitioned to the bike and rode for 17 miles with a couple of hills in the middle. The rain really started coming down a little over half way through the ride, and we all ended up riding with puddles in our shoes - not the most comfortable feeling. I am grateful for group workouts cuz I am not disciplined enough to get out and ride by myself in the rain. We then transitioned again into running shoes and started on a one hour total out-and-back run. We were instructed to do burpies and crunches every 10 minutes during the run. Since the reasoning behind this wasn't explained, I decided it wasn't necessary for me to spend time on the wet pavement and just ran. :) We then did some hill climbing and one-foot spin training followed by a track and strength workout....then repeat. It was around 3:30 pm by the time we got done with the last track workout, and I needed to head back so I decided to skip the "stretch and cool down" in the pool.



Another thing to note is I had my first experience at In-N-Out Burger on the ride home. I have to admit the burger was pretty great for fast food and definitely hit the spot! We got back to San Francisco around 5:00 PM. Long day and time for some work and R&R. Time to Iron Up for the week ahead.

My Hubby's First Time on a Road Bike

Date: 2/20/10
Time: 11:45 AM
Workout: ~25 mile ride
Location: Paradise Loop
Weather: Cloudy and Cold

Notes: I really wish I would have taken a camera with me so I could get some pictures of David on his first ride ...EVER...on a road bike. After we bought him some bike shorts and jacket at the Presidio Sports Basement and rented a bike, he was looking pretty spiffy. After settling on a Fuji Roubaix Pro aluminum bike - a bike that will make him appreciate a nicer one, and we started off to ride the Paradise Loop - not bad scenery for a first cycling experience! The terrain included a couple of steep hills, and I'm embarrassed to admit that David beat me up all of the hills. I am going to blame my tri bike for this (I am told they are much more difficult to ride uphill). Therefore, this is always going to be my excuse when I'm slow making it up the incline :)


The course included riding across the Golden Gate Bridge, through the town of Sausalito and made it back down to Tiburon. I do have to say that tourists are pretty annoying on the bridge. They take their sweet time, ride side by side, and stop to take pictures. Other than that and a couple of wrong turns we had a great time! We saw a couple of deer in the middle of the road that didn't seem to care that we were there. Once we got to Tiburon, we had lunch and started to head out to finish the loop. However, as any cyclist will know, the first time on the bike will be a little painful on your bum. Instead of finishing the loop we ended up taking the ferry back to San Francisco and riding from Fisherman's Wharf back to Sports Basement.

While I was a little bummed I missed Day 1 of Boot Camp with the IronTeam, I was thrilled to spend the day with David and had a wonderful time! We're currently looking to buy him his own road bike, so keep posted for future rides with my new cycling buddy. We really do live in such a beautiful place for running and cycling, and I love my husband for making the effort to enjoy it with me!

February = Hill Month!!!

Hey everyone,

I've been slacking on my blog posting the last couple of weeks, so here's an update on the last 3 coaches/captains workouts. I'll make sure I do a better job of posting on a daily basis! Please keep checking back and donate to help fight blood cancer if you're able! http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/louisir10/kpham5

Superbowl Sunday!!
Day: 2/7/10
Time: 8 am
Workout: 31 mile Captain's Ride http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/CA/Oakland/992126515234220155
Location: Rockridge BART - Oakland, CA
Weather: PERFECT!!
Comments: First of all, I want to say thank you to my wonderful husband, David, for waking up early to come sag for us on his day off! This wasn't my day, but I had a fun and beautiful ride none-the-less. I fell a couple of times since my shoe decided it didn't want to unclip (first time that's happened since I first got the bike). After that, I guess I must have messed something up, because I fell a 3rd time when my chain jumped off the gears. Finally, my gears decided they would just start shifting on their own - not something I'm too comfortable with on hill climbing. The ride took a little over 3 hours total. While I had some bumps, it was a gorgeous day. I didn't know parts of Oakland were so scenic! We had an amazing view at the top of the hill of San Francisco and both bridges. It was a crystal clear day, and the views really made me appreciate where I live. Part of the ride was also in the shadows of some beautiful coastal redwood trees.

I'm not going to lie, the first hill at the beginning of the ride seemed to never end, and I ended up walking my bike for part of the incline. I also walked the very top of Pinehurst hill since I was nervous about my gears jumping around. Overall, I had a great time. Tony, the master mind behind the day's bike route, led a group of us through the ride. I enjoyed some great company and a great workout prior to going home and vegging in front of the football game. Such a great day!!



Day: 2/6/10
Time: 8 am
Location: Novato High School
Workout: Team workout! Swim drills with wetsuits, plyos and Indian run, and core workout!
Weather: Cold and raining

Comments: Go GROUP D!
The swim was good practice. It was the first time the team practiced swimming in our wetsuits, so they eased us into it with an open-water swim. We practiced the swim start as well - which feels a bit like the Clif Bar Triathlon Start commercial. We also used it as a chance to practice sighting and surging in the water. Despite some people getting kicked in the face, we had a good time.

The track workout wore us out a little. We started with plyometrics before being split into groups and doing the Indian run, which was basically running in a pace group and the person in the back of the group has to sprint every 20 seconds to get to the front of the pack. We did this in 5 x 1200m intervals. Good times! We kept a sub-8 min/mile pace during each interval.

Core: Dave learned some funny tricks from his coaching training with Dave Scott. Something yesterday must have done something though, cuz I was feeling my calves when I woke up Sunday morning!


MARKER RIDE!
Day: Jan 31st
Time: 9 am
Location: Orinda BART
Comments: This ride was actually 2 min slower than my last marker. However, I'm not going to count this as too big of a disappointment since I'm a genius and had my brakes rubbing up against my wheel during the entire ride. I was wondering why the initial hill seemed so much harder than last time! I guess that's my blonde moment for the week- or I could just pretend that I did it on purpose to make the ride more challenging (Yeah right!).

Remembering Louie Bonpua

Date: 1/24/2010
Time: 9 am
Workout: Louie Bonpua Tri
Notes: I'll post a little more about Louie in the future, but for now please watch this short video about this amazing IronTeam member and honoree. We should all strive to be as brave and determined as him in the face of adversity.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v700/shinjukuboy/?action=view&current=LouieTribute2.flv

Dear Louie,

Although I never had the privilege of meeting you and being your teammate, I want you to know that your story and your determination is an inspiration for us all. During moments of weakness, we can all find strength in remembering the miraculous journey you led in becoming an Ironman. We had a wonderful triathlon on Sunday. Although we are a new team, the thoughts shared by those who knew you and the support of your sister and her family made us feel like you were there racing alongside the IronTeam. We know you were smiling down on us, and we hope we made you proud.

Sincerely, Kristin Pham
IronTeam 2010

P.S. Your sister makes AMAZING egg rolls!

Today was an amazing day. We swam 1500 yds, biked 27.1 miles, and ran 5.3 miles. It's not quite the same as an Olympic Distance, but pretty close. We were joined by the South Bay IronTeam as well as the Lavaman Team for the Louie Bonpua Triathlon at Pleasant Hill.


Swim: The swim was in a wonderfully heated pool. It was a total of 60 laps which I did at a slower pace than I would have liked. I finished in about 30 minutes and would like to be able to do that same swim in about 25 min. My flip turns were horrible and got worse as I tired, but alas there will be no flip turns in the Ohio River.

Transition: The transition was a little on the slow side. I did kind of take my time to make sure I was dry, warm, and hydrated for the bike ride. I'll have to speed this up a little for the next event.

Bike: I have a lot of work to do on the bike. However, this was my second time doing the same bike route, and it already went better than the first! The dreaded Pig Farm Hill won the first battle, but I kicked it's butt during the tri. (When I say "kicked it's butt," that just means I didn't have to get off my bike and walk up the rest of the hill. It doesn't mean I did it gracefully.) After Pig Farm, the rest of the ride is a cake walk. While I'm not a great cyclist, I hope I will continue to see improvements on every ride.

Run: My legs started off pretty dead - hence the definition of a "brick"- for about the first 3 miles. It started raining at the beginning of the run, but I was just grateful that the rain held off until after I completed my bike ride. After that I was able to pick up the pace, and I finished a little too strong. I guess I should take this to mean that I didn't leave enough energy out on the course. I also went away from the run with a giant blister on my foot thanks to the expensive new insoles I was trying out for the first time. Those things are getting returned this week!

Support: There are many people who deserved to be thanked for this wonderful day. First I want to thank my husband, David, for taking time on his day off to drive to Pleasant Hill at 6:45 am with me and stayed until 2 pm so that we could listen to the closing speeches. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have such a wonderful husband. Thank you to all the coaches and volunteers who helped make this race a success. I really appreciate everyone for braving the weather to support us! Also, thanks to Chipotle for the burritos and Louie's sister for the wonderful egg rolls. Louie's sis also donated a generous $1000 to the IronTeam and offered her support during the whole race. That hit the spot after the 3 1/2 hours of exercise! Finally, thank you Louie for providing all of us with the inspiration to make it through this day.

Swimming to Recover

Date: 1/18/2010
Time: 1:30 PM
Workout: Group 2 Ladder Swim Workout
Notes: While I might be silly for working out the day after a marathon, I think swimming helped me workout the soreness. I first stretched in the hot tub and then did the swim workout scheduled for Jan 19th. However, I did Group 2 instead of Group 3 and didn't exactly put my best effort into it. However, I got in the laps and felt better afterwords, especially after stretching in the hot tub at the end of the workout.

Chevron Houston Marathon

Date: 1/17/2010
Time: 7:10 AM
Workout: HOUSTON MARATHON
Weather: Perfect- beautiful and sunny
Finishing Time: 4:19
Race Notes: I ran with my brother Eric for his 2nd marathon and my 5th. While the Arctic Blast had Houston freezing the week before, it warmed up and stopped raining just in time to make Houston beautiful on Sunday morning. We left the house at 5:45 AM and made it there just in time to check our bag, use the restroom, and stretch a little before heading to the starting line. Neither of us had really been marathon training for the previous month, and I hadn't had a long run since the Marine Corps Marathon in October. The two of us stayed together and enjoyed the race for the first 15 miles and had 2 bathroom stops. We were averaging around a 10:30 min/mile pace at that point. After the second bathroom break, Eric's IT band was giving him problems and prevented him from running the whole time, so I went ahead. For the first time in a marathon, I was feeling pretty good and picked up the pace to finish the race with a negative split. I averaged less than a 9 minute mile for the rest of the race and finished the last mile strong with the help of a corps guy from A&M pushing me to run faster.

I want to give a special thanks to everyone that came out and supported us in the race. I was delighted to see some friendly faces from my TNT Nation's Triathlon team at Mile 7 cheering us on. It was such a great boost to see everyone and got me wanting to run a little quicker after stopping to give hugs. Eric and I didn't think our parents were going to get out to see us, but they surprised us and were there with their dog, Princess, at the half marathon mark to cheer us on. I was so excited that they made it out. They also met us at Memorial Park at Mile 20 to catch us again, although I felt bad for Princess not getting to run with us. Finally, they were able to make it to the finish line in order to watch Eric finish the race. It really kept me going knowing they were going to be at Memorial Park to see us again. Also, I'd like to thank Chip Deeds, a friend of David's family, for running with me a little bit after handing me water at Mile 21. Of course I couldn't escape seeing Chip without him getting some up close pictures of me running. Taryn and Andy were also there at Mile 23 after they completed the half marathon, and Katy Carrico was nice enough to wait around and watch me cross the finish line!

Eric was able to put the pain aside and run through the finish line for a 5:24 finish time! Way to go Eric! He has had IT band problems in both marathons he's finished. His new goal is to complete a marathon without getting hurt! I am a little jealous that he got to shake Pres. George Bush Sr's hand though and I didn't get to see him. Too bad we didn't get a picture of that!

Thank you to Team In Training, my family, and friends for all of your support! I could have never done it without you! Maybe next time I can pick up the pace and qualify for Boston!