The Javits Cough... and the Battle to Prevail

Soo... in my last post i reminded you all that i was behind on my training due to NYTF and getting sick... That nasty Javits Cough / Plague, as we in the toy industry have been calling it -- because everyone got it and everyone was wiped out the week after NYTF, lasted a little longer than I would have liked and knocked me out for a two weeks.  UGH.

That being said on Saturday, March 1st, I buckled down and battled my way through a 1 hour trainer session followed by a (roughly) 2mi run.  Man, it was tough. honestly, I was unmotivated because I was so run down and mentally unmotivated because I was out of it for so long, I was nervous.  but the support I got from my coaches and team was awesome.  They reminded me that the race is still a while away and that I have plenty of time.  Just hearing that relieved some of the stress that i put on myself.   So after the training ride and we went out for a transition run, I of course was at the back of the heap.  Running my intervals and trying to keep up.  As we made our way back from our loop on beach, (Which was awesome - we ran by where they were setting up for the Spirit Awards), Javier (one of the coaches) spotted me as the lone soldier and ran me in.  Knowing that I was getting over sick he asked if I wanted to slow it down.  I was surprised he asked, as my running pace is normally 11.5, so when i asked Why?  he said, "well you are running a 9min mile right now and i don't think its the best for your cough/chest congestion."  i was floored!  i couldn't believe I was running that fast and agreed to slow down and walk a bit as I was coughing every minute or so. LOL.   When we got back to the team, I of course was embarrassed that I took so long, in what seemed like forever, (reality i was 5min behind everyone else), but the team was there with arms wide open to greet me with the tunnel of love.  it was awesome!  They really are a special group.  Amazing, Supportive and just all around Awesome.

Sunday, I was spent.  Saturday  truly took it out of me. I fell asleep by 8:45 that night and spent most of Sunday recouping before heading to a friend's for the Oscars.

Monday, I went to Crossfit which was great.  worked on my core and strength training and did (4) rounds for time of a 300 meter run, 5 Box jumps, 10 Wall Balls & 15 Situps in 12min 24 seconds.  it may not seem like a lot, but trust me, it kicks your butt.

Yesterday I officially signed up for Vineman. So it is 100% serious.

Last night was our pool session.  YAY!  The Pool, oh how I missed you. We conquered 2200 Yards in 1hr.  Concentrating on form.  it was great and I was happy to be back.  At the end of the night, Coach Riz asked me to take the team out with our Go Team.  I was so excited i forgot to say "ok team on three.. go team".. i just shouted Go Team.  it was hysterical and we did it again.  this time i nailed it.. "On the count of three, GO Team.. One.. TWO.. THREE.. GO TEAM!" BOOM!

This morning was hills... boy was that a nice wake up call on the old legs that have not really been on a bike in two weeks!  Lordy, burn baby burn.  We met at San Vicente and Ocean in Santa Monica at 6:45am (i was up at 5:45) and headed up San Vicente for a quick 1mi loop before heading up for the "Amalfi Loop"... it is a decently challenging - switchback hills through a beautiful neighborhood.  the ride was gorgeous.. the hills made my heart rate beat so fast, i thought my heart was going to beat right out of my chest and the ride was very tranquil. Overall it was about 9.5miles of awesomeness.

Tomorrow night I head to Puerto Rico for my soon-to-be sister-in-law's bachelorette party.  This should be very interesting.  The good thing is the water will be warm so i can get in some open water swims and the girls are all runners, so i should get a few runs in as well.  The bad things is that this is a bachelorette party, LOL. 

til next time... enjoy some fun pics and don't forget to donate! :-)

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/VineHIrn14/RachelHGriffin

Rach

Traveling and Training... Part II

I am behind.

I went to NY over a week ago for NY Toy Fair (NYTF).  It was a long and grueling week which left me with little to no time to train.  i honestly thought i would get a lot more training sessions in that i did.   it is very frustrating.

Upon arriving in NYC on Friday, Feb 14th, i was greeted with snow and sludge.  gross and definitely not the way i wanted to start of my week.  Saturday morning, i checked my calendar and saw that i had 30 min to spare, so i jumped on the treadmill to get "something" in before my meetings would begin. it was extremely boring but i was able to run just shy of 3 miles and squeezed in some strength and conditioning, too.  then i was off to Javits center to meet with the Toy Industry Association for a pre-NYTF press meeting.  Shortly after, i received email after email letting me know that half my team was delayed due to weather conditions.  Normally, it wouldn't be an issue, but we were hosting our first blogger breakfast the following morning and i also had the Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards Dinner that night. You can see how i may have felt slightly stressed given that i only had a few hours to semi-prep the blogger breakfast room and get ready for the TOTYs.  Luckily, all of our gift bag samples were shipped to javits and i had most of my PR samples with me from my last trip to NYC, plus i was able to get help from a friend in our trade marketing team.  So, the set up wasn't too painful and with 1hr left to spare, i raced back to the hotel for the TOTYs...

The night was great.  I was able to see old colleagues and watch Spin Master receive  TWO TOTY Awards.  it was very exciting and for those of you that don't know, the TOTYs are the "Oscars" of the Toy Industry, so this is a huge honor. :-)

after a rather late night, i headed back to the hotel to sleep for roughly 4hrs, to begin what would be the next super crazy, hectic days that is NYTF.  Up at 5:00am and back to Javits to finalize the blogger breakfast.  My team had arrived in the wee hours of the night, so they were just as tired as I was, but we did it!  We hosted a successful blogger breakfast with 50 fantastic bloggers and then headed up to our showroom to continue to talk to press about our amazing hot toys for 2014 and what will be hot for the Holidays.  (Can you believe that i am already talking about the holidays?!?!?)

anywhoooo.. the next 4 days were just as manic as the first two. Segments on The View and Fox and Friends, local & national press, double events every night and so on.  it was a fantastic show for us.  Amazing coverage and excitement for what is to come.  That being said, trying to fit in a work out was tough and to be honest, trying to squeeze in a trip to the ladies room or a bite to eat was just as tough...   although, i wasn't able to work out, i bet i clocked a minimum of 10 miles a day during the show and events.  If only my Garmin looked a little classier or i brought my Fitbit, i could have tracked my steps! :-)

By Friday, Feb 21st, i was able to get to the pool.  it was probably the most crowded pool i have ever seen.  it had 3 lanes -- 2 for lap swim & 1 for aerobics.  needless to say, it was a good thing i was doing drills for technique and not for speed. :-)

although i did dry my hair before stepping out into that cold and nasty abyss.  i think the germs from the week were already in my system. by the end of the night, the cough had set in.

UGH.

Saturday was my soon-to-be sister-in-law's (Christy) bridal shower.  When i woke up, i decided to NOT run.  i could tell that i had a "fight" on my hands.  so, instead of joining my brother and Christy on a 4 mile loop, i stayed in bed and took as many Musinex and Advil I could and continued to drink as much water as possible.  At the shower, i think i drank 4 pitchers of water.  no joke.  i also peed about 100 times. 

(TMI? :-) )

Finally, Sunday -  i can go home and boy am i ready. With a cough that mimics a fog horn and a nose that runs better that i do, i take another cold and sinus pill and head for JFK.  Surprisingly, i make it through the flight with no major coughing spells, but i did manage to go through multiple packs of travel tissues and hand sanitzer. :-)

arriving home at 5:00pm... i realized i needed to skip our "re-commitment" party.  Not that i am not committed, but i know i needed to rest and i didn't want to jeopardize getting anyone else sick.  So, i managed to make a small bowl of pasta before falling asleep at 8:00pm! Seriously, 8pm?!?!

so today is Monday, our rest day.  and thank goodness for that.  i took off from work today and tomorrow in hopes to have a mini-vacation.  but this is now turning into re-coop days.  i did do our strength and conditioning drills today, so i am happy about that, but i also feel weak and tired and the cough and runny nose are worse.  UGH.. just what i need, right?

so by missing a week and getting sick, i am nervous about the weeks ahead.  last week, the team had their second build phase, where hills were introduced in both the bike and the run, plus the coaches timed everyone on their swim and i missed it. i think my running pace is still within the time that is required, but running hills, not so much.... and hills on a bike, it is has been a while, so i know that will be a struggle.  the only thing i have going for me right now is that i know my swimming is pretty decent.

that being said, what can i do?  it is what it is, right?  i just have to suck it up and know that it will get better.   i will get better - physically, mentally and healthy!.  i will kick this cold and conquer the challenges ahead.

now that NYTF is over, i will finally have time to breathe.  it is Go Time.  i know that i have some bumps in the road ahead. i am a workaholic and i know that work will always pop up and my brothers wedding will take away a couple of weekends, but i am determined and that is all i can be, right?

so, lets do this.

enjoy some wacky pictures from my trip to NYC.

love always,

Rachel

9

The Build

i am seriously loving the team training.  i am learning a ton, thank goodness, and having a blast.  i know for sure that i am still not lifting my legs up as much as i should when i run, because i can't see a difference in my time yet, but i will get there.

come hell or high water, i will enjoy running!! :-)

so last weekend we did great run drills... after every half mile, we did plank and balancing drills.. and looped them for 1hr.  surprisingly, it was fun and i definitely did not think i was running at all.  granted my time was still slow, despite my cadence being accurate. it is really frustrating to not be there, yet.  but I know i will ultimately get there.

Sunday was another bike session, roughly 22 miles in 90min.  which again, is frustrating that i am not going faster, especially when i see teammates fly past me.  but i will get there.  plus i think i need to push myself more.  i have been finding that after a bit i am just enjoying the ride, because it is beautiful out.  i have to constantly remind myself, hey Rach, your prepping for a race here, not a cruise around town! :-)

Tuesday was another swim night.  and i love it and for whatever reason, in the pool i am constantly pushing myself.  i know i need to do it more on the bike and run, but i don't even think about it in the pool, i just do it.  maybe its because i am so comfortable in the pool? i dunno.  maybe i can trick myself on the bike and run? :-)  either way, this week is our build and i need to build!

yesterday i missed the bike session because i found myself on work emails, so i ran in my neighborhood and then did cross-fit last night.  i do enjoy that cross-fit.  i think it is helping me with the core strengthening that i need while making my legs stronger, too.

this morning it was back to running with the team with 2min fast pace running then 3min race pace running.. and then for me 1min walk.  i know i know.. but i am working up to running more. :-)  it was good.  i am finding my fast pace run ranges from 8:48 -10:12 - depending, and my normal race pace is about 11:33 give or take, sometimes close to 12min.  which i think people can walk faster than me.  if i can get my race pace up to my fast pace, i will be happy.

Tomorrow i leave for NY.  it is currently snowing and freezing according to friends and family and i think they are expecting a few feet. AWESOME!  so this weekend and all next week will be a challenge to work out.  i am determined. so please send me good vibes!! :-)

below is a picture of some of my teammates.

til next time

xoxo

Rach

Traveling and Training.... Part I

Traveling while training is hard.

I flew into NY this past monday and luckily for me, it was our "rest day."  so that made it a little easier, but it was also extremely busy and extremely cold. therefore it was a little un-motivating. however I did manage to squeeze in some of the training, but unfortunately, not all of it.

so needless to say i am a little bummed.  i managed to do the elliptical on Tuesday instead of the swim and i ran on thursday on the treadmill but i wasnt able to bike on Wednesday or swim this morning.  it is a little frustrating, as i am in it to win it, but man, it is tough.

tomorrow we are starting to build up from our base and we are starting with the run.  ugh.  dreading it.  but ready to rock and then a bike ride on sunday.

i have a week of warm workouts then i am back to NY on Friday for 10 days and i will have a schedule that is twice as hectic which i know will make training that week, that much harder.  but hey, maybe i can convince my work peeps and meetings to donate to LLS right? :-)

here is hoping!

 

Picking Up the Pace

so this week we are all about our Cadence... Cadence Cadence Cadence...  we need to constantly have a high Cadence so we can switch gears on our bike with ease which will transfer into a happy run.  its amazing how all these little macro things translate into the overall performance and efficiency of the entire race.

Ahh the little things...

Saturday we had "Bike 101" which was kinda awesome for a few reasons... #1, i have been doing this on and off for nearly 8 years and i have never had a flat tire, nor have i ever had to change a one.  that is insane, i know.  i guess it is a blessing and a curse.  well thankfully, we had a lesson and "IF" god forbid i had to change a tire for myself or a fellow triathlete, i can!  and shockingly, it wasn't as tough as i imagined it to be. Who Knew!?  #2 it was gorgeous!! Biking around Griffith Park is a amazing.  Living and training in SoCal is fantastic and is probably the only reason why i committed to this madness, because i can train with easy in the "dead of winter." #3 i learned how to use my trainer.  So now, "veg out nights" at home watching TV will take on a whole new meaning. :-)

So last night was another swim session.  man i do love the swimming.  and not to toot my own horn, but i kinda killed it last night. LOL. we had these tricky drills again, this time we were doing "shark fin switches" and my coach actually used me, my form, as an example of "what to do," WHAT??!!?  i was taken back when my teammates in my lane told me, it was really nice and rewarding.  its funny, when I do these drills, it feels super wacky and odd, so i thought i was all over the place.  i couldn't believe i was actually doing it right!! WAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

oh.. so.. i almost forgot, as i mentioned before, i was lucky enough to attend the Grammy Awards. it was such an amazing experience to watch and to support  a dear friend.  Any who... luckily, i was able to squeeze in the morning bike session and able to hang through the night without a nap!! i think my energy level is starting to catch up to my training!  fingers crossed it lasts, as the next few weeks are going to be rough with two trips to NY for New York Toy Fair.  Combining training, working and socializing is going to be serious! :-)

below are some pics.

Enjoy and don't forget to donate, please!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/VineHIrn14/RachelHGriffin

lots of love,

Rachel

GO TEAM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uvWPBff8gE&feature=youtu.be

At the end of every session, we remind ourselves that we are a team.

All for one and one for all.

GO TEAM!

Feeling Invigorated... and tired at the same time. Is that possible?

so i am well into my second week of training and i am not going to lie, i have been dragging all week.  it is not necessarily the workouts themselves that are that strenuous, but i think the fact that i have not done anything remotely active since July, it's killing me.

swimming on tuesday was actually amazing, we learned some new drills, which were a little wonky at first.  it was almost like trying to pat your head and rub your belly at the same time.  it was quite funny.  but cool at the end.  Stan, one of my teammates,  and i were pretty close in time and leading our lane in our drills when we decided to race at the end.  He beat me, but i think my form was better. :-)

today was awesome.  although i missed my morning run with the team due to any early meeting, i was able to have a great Crossfit session concentrating on kettle bell swings, goblet squats and dumb bell thrusters.   and then, i did the a 30 min running session complete with drills and all.  it was awesome.

of course it is 10:15 and i am beyond ready for bed.   i will sleep like a baby tonight, which will be good.  i have a big weekend ahead -- swimming tomorrow and bike sessions on both saturday and sunday and then the GRAMMY Awards on Sunday night!  i cannot wait.  it is going to be a lot of fun.  lets just hope i can stay awake!

Rach