Feedback

After a couple of years in the sport, speed does not necessarily come with more practice or more time. At some point, it takes some big work to make small gains.

Thanks to Eggers, I have gotten some feedback on my swim videos, along with a few drills for an improved stroke. It can be hard to incorporate good technique at master's swim when I am just trying to make the interval, so I am going to try make sure I spend some time swimming solo.

Laura has way to much to do at work and sent me an article this week on finger spacing in the swim. I don't think I am quite ready to address finger spacing, but I attached this picture for her analysis, and the article information for those of you who would actually read something like this: Journal of Biomechanics... (Minetti, 42 (2009) 2188-2190).

So, aside from swimming, I have also chosen to address strength this winter/early spring. I have lost muscle with injury and surgery, and I am another injury waiting to happen if I don't gain some strength. I finally bit the bullet and committed to 8 weeks (16 sessions) of personal training in a small group with a very, very affordable rate. Okay, it was dirt cheap. I figured, even if the strength sessions were not geared towards athletes, I could make the most of it and at the very least it would promote consistency with my strength training.

Like my swimming videos, working with a personal trainer (Cato) has given me the opportunity to get some objective feedback. We tested my body fat, which is at an all-time high. Cato was no-nonsense about the whole process- and my fitness is not consistent with my goals. So, it is time to dig a little deeper and start addressing some limiters, or weaknesses, or dials...whatever you call them. :)

We started off week one with baseline strength testing and a training session with plyometrics. At one point I looked at my sister and we both had pain on our faces and could not catch our breaths. I thought- why did I sign up for this torture? Oh yea, I want to improve, and this is what it takes for me. The sessions are killer- and I am hoping the consistency will pay off in a couple of months.

Happy weekend to everyone! I have some sort of stomach bug, so I plan to sleep in a dog pile of 3 big mutts on the couch tomorrow, read Outliers, and watch North by Northwest.

You Know What This Is About

hmmm...how to make this post relate to triathlon.

Drew Brees says this to his team at practice-

Every Day.
Every Practice.
Every Rep.
Give it everything you have, until the very end.

Apply this to your training this week and be consistent in making the absolute most out of your workouts. You can stop reading here if you just like tri-talk.

Read on if you like the Saints.

Jenny, Damie, Dave, Sean- celebrating our Saints win. Dave and I went to college with Sean and Jenny, and we have remained great friends through the years in New Orleans. Sean's parents lost their whole house in Katrina, but they rebuilt and stayed in the city. As fate would have it, Sean and Jenny ended up in Memphis with us.

Here are the text messages from my inbox last night during the game (minus a few I accidentally erased).

• This is the Saints lucky text wave! Keep it going, send it on, help our Boys keep marching on! Send this to everybody in the Who Dat Nation.
• I think they are going to put Favre in the hospital.
• Who Dat!?!
• Its time to get crunk
• Geaux Saints. Wish you could have been here the same weekend as Christy.
• Both of us!!! And we will get it!!!
• When Dave talks to Coach Payton tomorrow, suggest they work on FALLING on fumbles at practice.
• Who Dat?
• Go Bush, Go Brees, Go Shockey, Go Sharper, Go Gay, Go everyone!!!
• In New Orleans. This is nuts. Whish you were here.
• Wow overtime for the superbowl!!!!
• So...are you going crazy right now? LOL?
• Go Saints!!!!!!
• SUPERBOWL!!!
• :-)
• They probably won because of those lucky texts
• Who Dat?!?
• Happy?
• Who dat nation. Wore my R Williams jersey for luck. (this one cracks me up...Ricky Williams? that was funny...)
  

Dave- post game heart attack recovery.

As Dave demonstrates, watching the Saints is hard work. Nothing worth having comes easy!

Oh My GAWD!!!!

If you have not ever seen yourself swim on video, I suggest doing so IMMEDIATELY.  I put my Christmas present, the underwater video camera, to use today with pals Joy, Laura, Nancy, and Jeremy.  

It left me with a feeling that was a cross between nauseous and hopeful.  

Nauseous, because I never knew how bad I really do swim.  I thought I had pretty good technique, I was just not strong.  Ha ha ha......tear drop.  I was oh so wrong.  

• My hips sink.  I always look around at other lanes and think how other people need to get their hips/legs up.  Well, in 4 years of swimming, no one ever told me that my hips sink too.  I thought they were up and I was leaning on my chest and yada yada.  Nope, they are sitting low and creating drag.  
• I have a very poor catch and pull.  My master's coach has us do drills to improve our catch and get that good, high elbow pull.  In my mind, my elbow is high, bent, and creating a lot of surface to catch water.  In reality, it is straight and sliding through the water.  

Hopeful, because as Dave said- if I really do have such terrible form, than I can only get faster as I improve.  

I highly recommend investing or borrowing an underwater camera.  Get with your friends and go in together on one.  I wish I had seen this 4 years ago- I have been swimming with some awful, awful bad technique for 4 years.  That is 4 years of muscle memory that I have to erase and retrain.  Yuck.  So, if you are in Memphis, you can use my camera to analyze your stroke.  

And, no video on the blog.  I think the girls + Jeremy would all agree that no one, and that is no one, needs to be subjected to the heinous form that floats across the screen. 

Finish Strong

Be happy that I don't have one of those mp3 players on my blog- or you would be listening to the Ying Yang Twins, Baby Boy Da Prince, or some Party in the MIA remix.  

This morning I could not get "Who dat, (who dat who dat?) out of my head.  Every time I finished an interval at swim I started singing a Who Dat song to my coach.  I am still feeling the positive vibes from the weekend.  

Dave and I really experienced the best tailgating that New Orleans has to offer, compliments of my friend Keith.  

Yes, the night was amazing.  It was an amazing game.  I love Drew Brees.  I love my Saints. 

Oh Yeah!

Fully loaded New Orleans- 2:02 am, Dave is asleep, and I need to move to bed myself. We have a BIG, BIG day tomorrow. Who dat?

Great day- Dave and I had a fun(ny) run in Audubon Park to start off our day. I had heartburn and achilles burn for the 30 minutes duration. Let me just tell you, being out of run shape stinks- there is no way around it. You just have to suffer to get it back, even the small stuff. Dave constantly asked me how much time we had left and complained so much, that I finally started to believe that he really does hate running.

We moved from Audubon Park to the French Quarter, and Dave cheered up instantly.

We met some old college buddies at Lafitte's Bar in the quarter, and wandered over to Molly's. The talk of the day? The return of Deuce McAllister.
Next up- dinner with the in-laws. Dave and I always seem to find a way to eat well when we visit the city- dinner at Coquette ( I give it a c+, which is harsh in Nola rankings, but way better food than anything in Memphis). The mother-in-law and I both seemed to think that the in-look for the night included a collared shirt layered with a Saints shirt. And then Dave and his dad both wore plaid? Weird and unplanned....
It is ALWAYS a good idea to stay out way past your bedtime. And I am not even sure where we ended up for the night- some bar on Tchoupitoulas. I would just like to record on record, that Dave is out for the count for tonight, and I am still awake. I win.

And tomorrow is the BIG day. GEAUX SAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who Dat.....and Hello

Sorry! I know, absent blogger. I swear, work is killing me! It is a good thing, but I can honestly say I earn every single dollar I get paid. I work hard. I am dead at the end of the day. The blog just has to wait for the weekend, it seems (as do bills and returning emails).

I would just like to say WHO DAT. Yes, I am in full Nola mode right now- I have already had my drive through daiquiri- followed by jambalaya at the in-laws (with chicken and turkey, yes, they respect the no pork and beef thing)- and we just realized we are on the 3rd bottle of wine.

Tomorrow I get to go run in Audubon Park in uptown New Orleans. I am now running 3 miles, but don't hold me to it. It is still really hard for me to run that far/ or not far depending on how you look at it. When I lived in New Orleans, Audubon Park used to be about 4 blocks from my house...my old stomping ground. Tomorrow will be gorgeous and fun.

I will follow that up with some more New Orleans craziness.

and then the Saints.

I was at the very first Saints playoff win in 2000 when the Saints beat the Rams. I cannot express to you the excitement and craziness- one of the best experiences of my life being in the Super Dome for a Saint's playoff win. I cannot believe it is already 2010....10 years later???? Where does the time go?

Let's do it again! Look for me behind the goal post after extra points or field goals- I will dress crazy of course- maybe some pig tails and a boa, so look for me on TV!

WHO DAT!!!!!!!!!!!

My Pretty Girl

I have some outstanding, awesome, "this is what life is all about" type of news that is brewing. I can't completely release it yet because I don't want to jinx things- and I do believe in jinxes.

But, it may be possible that Shelby Angel will be having a new, permanent BFF for romping, butt-smelling, squirrel chasing, and snuggling.

And my amazing adventure of last summer may be reaching the full circle of life.  

Isn't she so pretty????  She is just amazing.  I will keep you updated...

The Routine

I have slowly started to regain a weekly training schedule that is putting me back on the swim,  bike, and run bandwagon.  

I am swimming because Jordan Hasay swims 4 x a week.  What works for a Foot Locker XX National Champion, Olympic Trial runner, and a top collegiate athlete should work for me too.  So take heed, all of you runners that don't have the time or desire to get into the pool:  

Typically I'll do about four hours of swimming a week, split up into four days. Swimming is definitely a huge part of my training.  (interview with Jordan Hasay)

I am not preaching- like I have any room to talk.  Seriously, I am a stinky swimmer.  I am making myself go to master's swim in the 19 degree morning, though, and I am proud to say that Dave has not had to force me to get out of bed once this month.  Come on, guys, you know that is progress for me!  And from time to time there is an Olympian on deck, and I don't want to look like a complete idiot in front of him so I try really hard.  (and probably flail and look like more of an idiot)

In bike news- I am stoked to know that my cousin now OWNS a bike shop in Key West- Eaton Bikes.  Sweet!  I just sent him my "wish list"....if he had only gotten into the business a year or so ago.  ha ha!!!  

I am painstakingly and exhaustingly trying to get in run shape with scorching 15min x 2 runs in the freezing cold with a pace slower than my very slowest marathon that included walking the last 6 miles and visiting 2 med tents.  My biggest motivation, other than one day experiencing a different pace, is the fact that I LOVE to run.  I LOVE it when no one else is running because it is too cold.  I LOVE it when I forget my jacket but run anyways just because I can.  I LOVE it when I run in the freezing cold and my knees are...okay.  

Back to the routine.  Life is good.  

  

Happy New Year!

Dave and I actually made it out last night for a little New Year's celebration.  Gone are the young and fun couple of New Years 2000 that jammed all night to Widespread Panic in Atlanta and refused to sleep.  Ten years later, and they have been replaced by the 30-something couple that has to wake up the next morning to change the oil in the car, paint window sills, and take dogs on play dates.  

When Dave saw this picture, he said we looked old.  I agree- we still have a picture of us from 2000,  and it will be funny to see the picture on New Year's 2020.  

I enjoyed spending time with some friends that I don't get a chance to see normally.  They are all really good runners too, so it was motivating to spend some time in their company.  
Cayenne and Shelby Angel must have partied too hard last night.  Dave caught them snuggling the afternoon away.  

And for my New Year's Day run, I completed 3 x 10 minutes.  Things are moving along at a slow, but steady pace.  My old running buddy, Gina, has resurfaced from the depths of new-motherhood to train with me again, so it looks like my excuses from 2009 will no longer be available to me and I will have to claim 2010 as my year.   :)