Good Morning everyone from good 'ol Texas,
It's supposed to be around 100 degrees today, but for some reason I expect to walk outside and feel a fall like weather. I think since I am gearing up to head off to school and I am used to the midwest weather, that's simply what I expect. It's been a good summer for me, and I have a lot too look forward. Good news is that I still have a few races left in the season and then some time to recharge and refocus so next year will see some progress.
The olympics are on and the only way you would not know that I suppose is if you were hiding under a rock or too busy seeing "The Dark Knight" for the third time(I have seen it twice haha). Anyhow, despite the less than favorable political conditions surrounding China's hosting of the games...I am still a sucker for watching them. I remember watching them for the first time when I was 6 years old in 1996 when they were held in Atlanta. My friends and I would make up obstacle courses in my living room and trying and "compete" againest each other for the gold. Of course we all wanted to be from the USA. I remember even cutting out paper medals to give to the winners. I am happy to watch cycling, triathlon, swimming, and some other high stakes contests and this is one of the few times you actually can on televison. I was watching Phelps swim last night and I swear my heart rate was in the 120's, it is amazing to watch him swim. He has a very interesting back story as well. I feel bad for future olympians who will have to try very hard to beat his records...or any of the 1,2,3 swimmers' records.
I am going to keep training and racing in triathlon, running, and cycling and if I could even compete in the international military games or make the Air Force triathlon or cycling teams, that would be one of the biggest accomplishments of all time in my life.
Well, until another day and time...have a great rest of the weekend and Tri On For Life!
-MK
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Video Viewing
Afternoon everyone!
You can check out the little video I put together this afternoon at this URL...
Thanks!
http://www.bfitbday.com/video/video/show?id=1985135%3AVideo%3A8722
You can check out the little video I put together this afternoon at this URL...
Thanks!
http://www.bfitbday.com/video/video/show?id=1985135%3AVideo%3A8722
B-Fit B-Day-Completed!
Hey all,
Alright so here's what happend...I went out for my run and at about four miles in, i began experiencing severe heat related issues, my legs didn't cramp they just began to ache and each step became quite painful, I wanted to drink more water but if I did it just sloshed in my stomach, so I sent out a distress call and got picked up. I promised myself I would finish the rest of the run within the 24 time frame I set and this morning I did along with my 1 mile swim. I think I disrespected how hot it really was yesterday afternoon but I paid the price for it the rest of the day.
Anyhow, the good news is that I finished.
Here are the times...
Swim 1 mile 32 minutes 14 seconds
Bike 18 miles 1 hour 10 minutes (hills)
Run 8 miles 1 hour 18 minutes (hills, heat, and trails!)
You know what, kudos to anyone who completes the 4 mile swim for the gold challenge...wow!
It was a lot of fun and I will definately make this a tradition from now on! :-)
Pictures and a video slideshow soon to come...
-MK
Alright so here's what happend...I went out for my run and at about four miles in, i began experiencing severe heat related issues, my legs didn't cramp they just began to ache and each step became quite painful, I wanted to drink more water but if I did it just sloshed in my stomach, so I sent out a distress call and got picked up. I promised myself I would finish the rest of the run within the 24 time frame I set and this morning I did along with my 1 mile swim. I think I disrespected how hot it really was yesterday afternoon but I paid the price for it the rest of the day.
Anyhow, the good news is that I finished.
Here are the times...
Swim 1 mile 32 minutes 14 seconds
Bike 18 miles 1 hour 10 minutes (hills)
Run 8 miles 1 hour 18 minutes (hills, heat, and trails!)
You know what, kudos to anyone who completes the 4 mile swim for the gold challenge...wow!
It was a lot of fun and I will definately make this a tradition from now on! :-)
Pictures and a video slideshow soon to come...
-MK
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
B-Fit B-Day!
Hello everyone! It's Wednesday August 6th 2008 and I am finally eighteen. So I can vote, sign my own forms where a legal guardian would have been needed, and buy a lottery ticket! Woohoo! So I got everything ready and heaed out for the bike (pool is sadly closed today so that will be bright and early tomorrow!)...hammer nutrition gels, check, water and infinite drink, check, clothes helmet shoes, check check check...and I was off!
Alright so I am finished with the bike now I am headed out for the run! I took some pictures of my bike and I and some video when I was riding, so look for all that to come together with the results of all three events tomorrow morning/ early afternoon!
Weather is still doing alright for the time being, it might be scattered storms later this afternoon so I best be running fast!
Here we go (again...)
-MK
Alright so I am finished with the bike now I am headed out for the run! I took some pictures of my bike and I and some video when I was riding, so look for all that to come together with the results of all three events tomorrow morning/ early afternoon!
Weather is still doing alright for the time being, it might be scattered storms later this afternoon so I best be running fast!
Here we go (again...)
-MK
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Birthday Triathlon Routes
The one mile swim will take place at my neighborhood lap pool, which would equal 36 laps. The bike and run will take place on the road, the run might have some off-road parts but otherwise is generally on the road.
Here is the link to mapmyride and my birthday ride route.
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/san-antonio/437026778
The 8 mile run with the biggest hill in Stone Oak (San Antonio)
Alright....here we go!
Oh and I will take some new pictures of my road bike since I have taken any in the past fews months and I fixed a few things on it, the bike is quite hilly so the road bike it is!
Here is the link to mapmyride and my birthday ride route.
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/san-antonio/437026778
The 8 mile run with the biggest hill in Stone Oak (San Antonio)
Alright....here we go!
Oh and I will take some new pictures of my road bike since I have taken any in the past fews months and I fixed a few things on it, the bike is quite hilly so the road bike it is!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Ah crap....
Sorry everyone, strangely enough...working at a Bike Shop is slightly time consuming but here we go. My birthday is the 6th (Wednesday) and I will be doing the BiFit B-day and I am very excited because I have been waiting all year to finally get to do it. Pure fun involving my three favorite sports! Hmm...only bad thing is that it is going to potentially rain so I will have to make it work to land the Gold challenge in honor of the olympics starting soon.
So I will respond on my earlier post of reviewing my bike purchase review.
Okay so bikesdirect are alright people to work with, there is no face to face support though, so that is a down side. The bike I ordered was the Motobecane Immortal Force and I am sure the guys at my bike shop just laugh at me behind my back, but you know what...now that I have gotten the bike to my liking...it really is a great bike...just does not have the name to go with it. The bike is full carbon, and full ultegra components. Now I have spent enough time looking at the Trek Bikes we carry at the shop and I will admit the frame structure makes a big difference but man does the cost go up. The comparable trek model would be the Madone 4.7 at $2700. That frame is still made in China and mine was made in Taiwan...so isn't that interesting? Mine cost roughly $1499 no tax, but I dumped $300extra into the fit, bars, stem, and build up, and cable length reduction. However, a another female such as myself might have to do the same thing. It is nice to have an LBS back you up though if you should need help. The bike rides very smoothly, and the ritchey wheels are not too bag, but I might upgrade them at a later time.
Oh, BikesDirect sent me the 2008 model and not the 2009 like they were supposed to, but they refunded me the $100 difference no problems and I like to ultegra crankset and ritchey wheels better anyhow. So, what is my overall verdict...okay so the motobecane bikes might have some lame arse names and not look as flashy as the Treks or Specialized or whatever...but if you are in a pinch with cash and really want a bike...you can get a mid range model and go to Bike nashbar.com and find some upgraded parts and keep the cost down...just don't get ripped off by your shop...all of the will charge labor no matter what so be ready for that. They have to eat too you know. However, always compare and please check out your LBS and other shops before buying on impulse or you will have the hassle of returns and that can be a mess. Good luck!
Okay my silliest newbie mistake was when my first triathlon had seen rain in the morning. It was about 45 degrees outside...I decided to use my cycleops trainer to warm up instead of taking my bike out on the road that in 30 minutes I was going to be riding anyway. Smart idea right...I mean I went to a MTB race before in Lajitas, TX and they were using them, and hey they use them in the Tour right? Well...just leave that sucker at home...I learned that quickly. My mom stills make fun of me for it, but hey I was 15 and oh well right? :-)
Well I will be sending updates and pictures to here via my phone as I cover my B-Fit B-Day. Anyone think I should go for an on/off road one? 1 mile swim, 18 mile bike, and 8 mile run. I am going to make a video following any shots I can get during my birthday triathlon, sound good?
Tri on and keep going...
-MK
So I will respond on my earlier post of reviewing my bike purchase review.
Okay so bikesdirect are alright people to work with, there is no face to face support though, so that is a down side. The bike I ordered was the Motobecane Immortal Force and I am sure the guys at my bike shop just laugh at me behind my back, but you know what...now that I have gotten the bike to my liking...it really is a great bike...just does not have the name to go with it. The bike is full carbon, and full ultegra components. Now I have spent enough time looking at the Trek Bikes we carry at the shop and I will admit the frame structure makes a big difference but man does the cost go up. The comparable trek model would be the Madone 4.7 at $2700. That frame is still made in China and mine was made in Taiwan...so isn't that interesting? Mine cost roughly $1499 no tax, but I dumped $300extra into the fit, bars, stem, and build up, and cable length reduction. However, a another female such as myself might have to do the same thing. It is nice to have an LBS back you up though if you should need help. The bike rides very smoothly, and the ritchey wheels are not too bag, but I might upgrade them at a later time.
Oh, BikesDirect sent me the 2008 model and not the 2009 like they were supposed to, but they refunded me the $100 difference no problems and I like to ultegra crankset and ritchey wheels better anyhow. So, what is my overall verdict...okay so the motobecane bikes might have some lame arse names and not look as flashy as the Treks or Specialized or whatever...but if you are in a pinch with cash and really want a bike...you can get a mid range model and go to Bike nashbar.com and find some upgraded parts and keep the cost down...just don't get ripped off by your shop...all of the will charge labor no matter what so be ready for that. They have to eat too you know. However, always compare and please check out your LBS and other shops before buying on impulse or you will have the hassle of returns and that can be a mess. Good luck!
Okay my silliest newbie mistake was when my first triathlon had seen rain in the morning. It was about 45 degrees outside...I decided to use my cycleops trainer to warm up instead of taking my bike out on the road that in 30 minutes I was going to be riding anyway. Smart idea right...I mean I went to a MTB race before in Lajitas, TX and they were using them, and hey they use them in the Tour right? Well...just leave that sucker at home...I learned that quickly. My mom stills make fun of me for it, but hey I was 15 and oh well right? :-)
Well I will be sending updates and pictures to here via my phone as I cover my B-Fit B-Day. Anyone think I should go for an on/off road one? 1 mile swim, 18 mile bike, and 8 mile run. I am going to make a video following any shots I can get during my birthday triathlon, sound good?
Tri on and keep going...
-MK
Friday, July 11, 2008
Quick post!
I love this video, watch it before you head out to bike and it's sure to stick in your mind while climbing those hills!
Here's a nice quote for the day as well:
"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly.
AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES."
- Nike ad
Here's a nice quote for the day as well:
"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly.
AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES."
- Nike ad
3 a day keeps the doc away
Howdy!
I can say that now that I am in Texas again, though not many folks say it around here in SA. Well let me give a run down of today's workouts...(I did not have to work today so I took advantage of the time I had to really give myself a great dose of tri training).
Morning: 1250m in the lap pool. I am so excited to have moved into a neighborhood with a lap pool and it's literally 300 yards away from my house so I just trot over there in the morning and swim. I also bought a waterproof housing for my ipod shuffle...the only downside to the unit is that the headphones don't channel sound very well. It's from h30 audio I think...it's still a good product and cheaper than a swiMP3 player.
Then I decided the tackle the steep hill outside my neighborhood on Knight's Cross road on an out and back 3 mile run. Nice little pace and my third day of running in a row. Wednesday I did a 6 miler and Thursday was a 5.5 miler with a long steep hill back to my house, quite hot outside as well.
Afternoon: After refueling with HEB marathon rolls (mmm good), a little bit of pasta and a chicken sandwich...it was out for a nice 27-30 mile ride through the roads outside of the SA city limits. I don't know the exact distance because my garmin battery died on me. Avg heart rate of about 140 for 2 hours. Lots of good hills, some steep and some long. I think I took a wrong turn at one point and ended up on highway 281 until I got back on Borgfield road which goes back to canyon lake road back to my house. I did stop to by some water along the way, lots of little gas stations so I always keep $5 in my seatbag in case I need some water. Today that was quite helpful.
Alright, so I just thought I would give little insight into something I think all endurance athletes should do if they are not already. CORE WORK! Best thing for anyone who values maintaining proper form while swimming, cycling, and running. I like to do it about 3 times per week and what I would reccommend would include: yoga (flexibility is soooo important for obtaining full power on the bike and staying relaxed and fast on the run) pilates (you can buy books and DVDs on this, I reccommend windsor pilates DVDs) and I bought the P90X dvd set (don't laugh they will kick your arse I am not joking) and the core synergistics is by far the best core work I have ever done and has made me a much better athlete, it's and hour long and the set also comes with an abs workout which is pretty intense the first few times. If you can ebay these items (and look for the P90X yoga 1.5 hours long and a very hardcore workout, trust me), I say grab them because they would be the most useful to you as an endurance athlete. For some good workouts that emphasize form and effeciency over size and bulk, buy the Abs Diet workout book, it has lots of circuit style workouts that are very useful during the off-season...oops I mean "very few triathlons available months" and I believe it's much more suited for a triathlete to do those exercises over a meat-head's muscle workout. Plus it has some great ab exercises that give you more variety which is so key to improving your strength and visible defintion. If you are an experienced athlete, you probably already know what I am saying, but if you are realitively new...then I would definately add core work to your training schedule for certain. It will make you a much more balanced and confident triathlete when training and in racing.
I am really glad to have hills where I run and ride, I feel so much more gains in my training and I have to share a little story really quick. I don't like boasting, I hate triathletes with big egos...it makes me laugh and shake my head in disgust that's for sure. So please don't take this the wrong way when you read it. I was coming home from work on Wednesday and I came to an intersection where another cyclist was in front of me. I said 'hello, how are you' and he said the same. When the light turned green he took off down the road like we were going to race or something. I let him go because the road is under construction and quite rough at certain points, plus I have a 15+ pound bag full of clothes, magazines, shower stuff, shoes, etc. in my work bag on my back. So I keep riding and turn up Wilderness Oak (which has a loooong climb to the next light and then where I turn to head home) I have ridden it a lot so I am getting better but it's still rough. Well I see the cyclist (who has a spongebob jersey on so I will call him Spongebob man) slowly climbing up the hill...and I thought to myself.."I am going to catch him, heck I am almost home I might as well try as hard as I can to catch him" So I take off up the hill spinning my legs as quickly as I can. I see myself start to gain on him and then I came up along side him while taking a drink from my bottle and passed him without saying anything because well I thought it might just be a little rude. He thought he was better than me back at that stop light and I figured that well... being a girl, with a huge pack on her back, drinking from a water bottle while cresting the top of a hill might be word enough and nothing more needed to be said. I made my way back home and did not see him pass by again so I do hope he made it home okay.
So I have to say, for the first time in over a year I feel really good about my training and racing. I love living in Texas again, even though I am an AF brat I do consider Texas as my home so please don't trash the trails and roads and drive your car less, ride your bike more and love being alive! By the way, how great is the month of July right...the TOUR is on! Hooah! Take care and God Bless until the next post!
In the next post... I will review my BikesDirect purchase of a road bike and my sweet awesome and new HP laptop! Plus, I will try and tell some goofy newbie stories from my first race and pass on some "What I wish I knew then, that I know now knowledge".
I can say that now that I am in Texas again, though not many folks say it around here in SA. Well let me give a run down of today's workouts...(I did not have to work today so I took advantage of the time I had to really give myself a great dose of tri training).
Morning: 1250m in the lap pool. I am so excited to have moved into a neighborhood with a lap pool and it's literally 300 yards away from my house so I just trot over there in the morning and swim. I also bought a waterproof housing for my ipod shuffle...the only downside to the unit is that the headphones don't channel sound very well. It's from h30 audio I think...it's still a good product and cheaper than a swiMP3 player.
Then I decided the tackle the steep hill outside my neighborhood on Knight's Cross road on an out and back 3 mile run. Nice little pace and my third day of running in a row. Wednesday I did a 6 miler and Thursday was a 5.5 miler with a long steep hill back to my house, quite hot outside as well.
Afternoon: After refueling with HEB marathon rolls (mmm good), a little bit of pasta and a chicken sandwich...it was out for a nice 27-30 mile ride through the roads outside of the SA city limits. I don't know the exact distance because my garmin battery died on me. Avg heart rate of about 140 for 2 hours. Lots of good hills, some steep and some long. I think I took a wrong turn at one point and ended up on highway 281 until I got back on Borgfield road which goes back to canyon lake road back to my house. I did stop to by some water along the way, lots of little gas stations so I always keep $5 in my seatbag in case I need some water. Today that was quite helpful.
Alright, so I just thought I would give little insight into something I think all endurance athletes should do if they are not already. CORE WORK! Best thing for anyone who values maintaining proper form while swimming, cycling, and running. I like to do it about 3 times per week and what I would reccommend would include: yoga (flexibility is soooo important for obtaining full power on the bike and staying relaxed and fast on the run) pilates (you can buy books and DVDs on this, I reccommend windsor pilates DVDs) and I bought the P90X dvd set (don't laugh they will kick your arse I am not joking) and the core synergistics is by far the best core work I have ever done and has made me a much better athlete, it's and hour long and the set also comes with an abs workout which is pretty intense the first few times. If you can ebay these items (and look for the P90X yoga 1.5 hours long and a very hardcore workout, trust me), I say grab them because they would be the most useful to you as an endurance athlete. For some good workouts that emphasize form and effeciency over size and bulk, buy the Abs Diet workout book, it has lots of circuit style workouts that are very useful during the off-season...oops I mean "very few triathlons available months" and I believe it's much more suited for a triathlete to do those exercises over a meat-head's muscle workout. Plus it has some great ab exercises that give you more variety which is so key to improving your strength and visible defintion. If you are an experienced athlete, you probably already know what I am saying, but if you are realitively new...then I would definately add core work to your training schedule for certain. It will make you a much more balanced and confident triathlete when training and in racing.
I am really glad to have hills where I run and ride, I feel so much more gains in my training and I have to share a little story really quick. I don't like boasting, I hate triathletes with big egos...it makes me laugh and shake my head in disgust that's for sure. So please don't take this the wrong way when you read it. I was coming home from work on Wednesday and I came to an intersection where another cyclist was in front of me. I said 'hello, how are you' and he said the same. When the light turned green he took off down the road like we were going to race or something. I let him go because the road is under construction and quite rough at certain points, plus I have a 15+ pound bag full of clothes, magazines, shower stuff, shoes, etc. in my work bag on my back. So I keep riding and turn up Wilderness Oak (which has a loooong climb to the next light and then where I turn to head home) I have ridden it a lot so I am getting better but it's still rough. Well I see the cyclist (who has a spongebob jersey on so I will call him Spongebob man) slowly climbing up the hill...and I thought to myself.."I am going to catch him, heck I am almost home I might as well try as hard as I can to catch him" So I take off up the hill spinning my legs as quickly as I can. I see myself start to gain on him and then I came up along side him while taking a drink from my bottle and passed him without saying anything because well I thought it might just be a little rude. He thought he was better than me back at that stop light and I figured that well... being a girl, with a huge pack on her back, drinking from a water bottle while cresting the top of a hill might be word enough and nothing more needed to be said. I made my way back home and did not see him pass by again so I do hope he made it home okay.
So I have to say, for the first time in over a year I feel really good about my training and racing. I love living in Texas again, even though I am an AF brat I do consider Texas as my home so please don't trash the trails and roads and drive your car less, ride your bike more and love being alive! By the way, how great is the month of July right...the TOUR is on! Hooah! Take care and God Bless until the next post!
In the next post... I will review my BikesDirect purchase of a road bike and my sweet awesome and new HP laptop! Plus, I will try and tell some goofy newbie stories from my first race and pass on some "What I wish I knew then, that I know now knowledge".
Whoa---where have I been?
Hey, sorry for no update for like...ever. I will post more later but here's a run down...moved to Texas, got a job with Bike World at the 1604 location, training for triathlons throughout the summer, and preparing to go to college! Alright well more to come if you are interested in following along!
-MK
-MK
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