My new favorite thing

I have determined that spinning is for me. It's my new favorite thing! I was told by Gladys that it would be good to help build by endurance for cycling outdoors and Lloyd mentioned that he took spinning classes a lot when he first started doing Triathlons. I went to the gym today with the plan to bike for 30 minutes and jog for 30 minutes. Maybe it was because the federal government was off today, but the gym was PACKED. Like, every machine was taken, except this fancy stationary bike. I got on and immediately fell in love with this machine. I was able to pick my courses  (I rode along a cliff by the ocean) and how long I wanted to ride for (mileage wise). It ROCKED. I wound up staying on it for 1 hour and 5 minutes. The best thing was that I knew all about cadence. I tried to stick to 90 rpms, but that was tough! I now have a feeling for how fast I need to go on the bike to be competitive. Now, I just need to learn about how to select proper gears and tie it all together. I won't be learning about gears again tonight, as my Merlot is starting to kick in again....

Tomorrow's plan: run 30 minutes (maybe spinning again too!)

Cycling Cadence

Last week I wondered how fast I should be going on the bike. Well, today in spinning class, the instructor keep saying "increase your cadence" and I had no idea what he meant. I recalled that Travel Diva mentioned that running with a cadence helped her get back into the sport, but on a bike? I was completely lost. I just kept pedaling away and committed to looking it up when I got home.

Apparently, cadence is how fast you are pedaling and is measured in rpms (revolutions per minute). When racing, a good cadence to keep is 90 rpms. What gear your bike is in factors into this somehow. My Merlot is kicking in, so that's all I learned today.

In my very short spinning experience (minus the fact that I don't have padded shorts yet to avoid a sore butt), spinning is the TRUTH. It's a good workout, you burn lots of calories and it seems to be just what I need to do to build my base. See, with the exception of that day in May when I sprained my ankle, I haven't been on a bike in like, 20 years! So, before I go out and purchase a bike (I am attending 2 bike clinics this week to learn more about purchasing a bike, weather permitting) and get outside, at least I will know how hard I should push myself by taking these spinning classes. Thanks to Gladys, Adrienne and Fergie, I worked up the nerve to start spinning classes, and boy am I sure glad I did! It's all... coming together (with a long way to go). More tomorrow....

Snow workout?

I'm not sure if I am wimping out or not, but I burned 724 today walking to 2 different ATMs (the first one wasn't working) to get cash to pay the guy who dug my car out. Walking in snow that is knee deep and in some places thigh deep is a workout! Yeah... yeah... I know it's not a 30 minute run and a 30 min swim (or kicks like I planned to do, since I have this Chemical Dermatitis thing going on). Isn't burning 724 calories workout enough for one day? Plus, I plan to walk to and from the metro (14 blocks roundtrip) later when I go to watch the Superbowl. I think that is enough. Perhaps I will double up on tomorrow and do a spin class and then run?

WHO DAT?!?

Forehead like braille: Chlorine rash (Chemical dermatitis)

After swimming on Thursday, my face was unusually tight and itchy. I can home and washed it with my usual stuff and since then, my forehead has turned into a braille like texture that's red, rash-like and hurts. It awakened me at 5:30 this morning! I did a little research and apparently, when you are submerged in water for a period of time, water removes the thin layer of surface oil of the skin that normally locks in moisture. Without that protective layer, fluid in the skin and surrounding cells evaporate rapidly, drying the skin. Lack of moisture also causes tiny fissures to develop, causing the skin to become irritated and itchy. And if you have sensitive skin like I do,  this is a nightmare! Along with the moisture loss how about the chlorine? Chlorine is an irritant if you have sensitive skin.

Some call it the the swimming pool rash or Chlorine rash. This can occur the skin is exposed to excessive amounts of chlorine, which is a skin irritant. Chlorine is a necessary component in swimming pools in order to kill bacteria that can lead to skin and health problems. If the strength of the chlorine in the water is too strong or if repetitive exposure to chlorinated water occurs, a chlorine rash or chlorine itch may develop. This is a form of chemical dermatitis.

So, the best treatment or remedy is to stay away from chlorinated water for a while to let the skin recover from the chlorine exposure. But how am I going to do this when I am trying to learn to swim and get ready for my race?? I found that certain lotions can be applied to the skin prior to swimming to block the effects of chlorine on the skin. This is a useful procedure for those who need to be in swimming pools such as competitive swimmers.

I ordered a brand called DermaSwim Pro from Amazon.com this morning. I am also going to try a line of products by Dermalogica for my regular cleansing and moisture routine for awhile.

Rest day

There were 2 things that they stressed to us in the informational and those were 1. Consistency is important (the training plan calls for 6 days of training per week) and 2. Rest is even more important. I see what they mean. After that 6:30am spin class and 5 prior days of trying to get my endurance up with jogging again, learning to swim and conquering my 1st spin class, baby I was wiped out. The plan was to work from home on yesterday, but I ended up taking 2 naps before the end of the work day. I am glad that today is considered a rest day, because I can sure use it.

Sunday's plan: Swim 30 minutes + run 30 minutes

Spinning away

I headed back into my second spin class today determined to not leave feeling so beat up. This instructor was very helpful in setting up my bike (the right way) and even gave me some good tips. Throughout the class she kept an eye on me and motioned me to not bike with my legs gaped open and told me to relax my shoulders. Her music even rocked! I did suffer a tad bit with achy shoulders and butt, but I have a strategy to overcome those aches.

I want to know why all my friends who have taken spinning class never told me about getting padded shorts!?! That seat was killing my butt. I have to see about getting some of those in advance of the next class.

The class was 45 minutes and I burned 662 calories! I think I can get used to starting my day this way. Maybe the new goal will be to spin on M-W-F until I get my bike and then bike out doors on those days.

Garmin, Polar or Timex? How do I choose???

I really would like a watch that has a heart rate monitor, records calories burned as well record distance on the bike, run and swim. I found one that I can get by Garmin that does all 3, yet the reviews are terrible for the swim capabilities. So, do I buy the one that I can use for the bike and the run and get another one for the swim?? Decisions... Decisions.... and these these are so expensive! Tonight is research night on the Polar brand and maybe I'll look up the Timex one on tomorrow. I am going to go broke messing around with all of these gadgets and lessons. But I am LOVING every minute of it! This is such a huge deal for me. I'm so excited that I got started!!

Treadmill snafu

Today's plan was to run for 30 minutes. I wasn't about to risk going outside and slipping in the snow, so I brought it to the gym. After 12 1/2 minutes, I wanted to go home to my couch! I much rather run outside. My shins started hurting and I just felt like if I was going to doing all that running, I should be going somewhere! I think the only thing that kept me going was this chic that was 3 times my size that was running about 3 times faster than me on the treadmill next to me. I started to try to hang with her and go as fast as she was, but almost slid off the back of the darn thing...

I hung in there, walked a bit, stretched a bit and managed to stay on for 35  minutes total including a warm up/cool down, but it was tough. Day 3 down and 136 days to go until the big race on June 20th.

Changing my stripes

I went to the pool today at my gym all proud and ready to practice my new swim techniques that I just learned on Sunday and was quickly intimidated by the other inhabitants of the pools swimming like they were natural born amphibians! (Did you know that dolphins are not amphibians? They are actually cetaceans, which are a kind of ocean dwelling mammal.)

I am determined to not only learn to swim, but to swim like the dolphins! I hope this swim instructor can help to change my stripes sooner than later, but I know that will only come with lots of practice. Maybe I will try going to practice in the mornings when the Michael Phelps wannabes are still asleep??

Spin baby spin!

Well... this isn't exactly what I looked like when class was over, but inside I was like gobeccagobeccagobeccaGO! I don't think my instructor set up my bike properly so my shoulders hurt...and my butt, wrists and ankles too. But I was happy that I overcame the intimidation of the dreaded spin class! I discovered that my handlebars need to be higher so my shoulders and wrists don't hurt, my feet should not be pointed so my ankles don't hurt and I should really stand when they stand and pedal so my butt won't hurt so bad. All in all? Not so bad! I may even go back on Friday!