Marathon Training & Fundraising Continues

Everything seems to be going really well! I've already raised almost $1500 and am in the process of planning a fundraiser. Look out for an Evite soon, it's going to be a good one! Running has been going really well. It's 65 degrees here in Maryland today and really windy! I ran about 11.5 miles today and felt terrible at the beginning and end, but really great for the middle 8-9 miles. The wind got pretty bad towards the end and my legs just hurt. It was still a great run, and I'm still way ahead of the marathon training schedule.

Cross-training has also been a lot of fun. I joined Sport & Health a few months ago and have been spinning, lifting and swimming to stay in good shape. I don't want to let everything else go just because I'm training for a marathon. I do have a few triathlons in May/June.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me with either encouragement or donations! Your donation really makes a difference in the lives of those with blood cancers and I can't thank you enough!

2009 is going to be a great year!

You can view my online fundraising page here:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/natl09/julieoplinger

Hawaii Day 3- The 1/2 Ironman had to be cancelled

We STILL can't swim in the ocean because of the heavy rain here. I have accepted the fact that I will not get in an open water swim here in Hawaii on this trip. And the local pool is closed because the heater is broken and the water is only 75 degrees. Fine with me, but I guess when you have been living here for a while this weather and water temp is "cold".

Today was supposed to be our big 1/2 Ironman day to celebrate my friends birthday. We determined early in the morning that it wasn't going to happen. The rain coming down was pretty intense around 6 am. I had already been awake for almost 2 hours at that point. I haven't adjusted to the time difference at all this trip. I even had to leave the masters swim team party at 8 pm last night because I couldn't see straight and could barely hold an intelligent conversation. At this point I hope I don't adjust because I'll be home in two days. Olwen was nice enough to snag me a great gift at the swim team party during the white elephant gift exchange since I had to go home to bed. Here's what she got me...

So instead of our massive workout, we made cranberry scones and didn't hurry up to get in our workout clothes since the sky looked like it could open up at any moment. We watched Ironman Hawaii on TV and by the end were completely inspired so we took off on our bikes for a nice "social" ride. I really did believe that this time "social" really meant social! I have been screwed in the past by that term.

We had to head over to the USMC base because there were so many large puddles on the roads here. The roads there were much better for riding and traffic was minimal. We got in a great ride...checked out the big waves and surfers, climbed part of a mountain and then headed home. It was pretty windy, which hurt because I was trying so hard to not get dropped, but just SO nice to be riding outside. Once home, we did a short run and then headed to Teddy's Bigger Burgers for recovery food which has all but put me in a food coma. It started pouring down rain the second we headed out for burgers. I think we took advantage of the few hours today when it was NOT raining.

I can't figure out how to swim in Hawaii. Strange, right? Maybe tomorrow...but I'm not optimistic anymore.

Nap time...then dinner with more of my swimmer friends who live here. Tomorrow I hope to go swimming somewhere, somehow. If I do, I will be sure to let you know.

Days 1 & 2 in Hawaii

After 14 hours of travelling, I arrived in Honolulu yesterday afternoon. Rain, rain and more rain caused our planned LCM practice with the Kailua Masters to be cancelled. I was actually looking forward to it, last time I was here we swam SCY with no lane ropes and I was looking forward to the same challenge, just LCM!

I slept for about 12 hours last night and headed out this morning for a run. Ted told me a loop that is about 10K so I headed that way on a path close to the ocean. Heat, wind, humidity and sun...man I'm not ready for this! I got to the turnaround in about 27 minutes and felt pretty good. The way back was just hot with the sun glaring in my face and I could feel my face turning a bad shade of red. I made it back, smiling, and had a nice cold ice water. Almost even split the run, but just couldn't hang on with the heat. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, just merely stating a fact that when you train in temps in the 40s, it's hard to adapt to training in 80s and humidity.

We're not sure what will happen with our planned 1/2 Ironman "race" tomorrow since the rain has caused them to put up "no swimming" signs at the ocean and some roads are flooded. Hopefully things will be better by tomorrow morning and we can get in some sort of training. I will be ok if the bike portion is shortened, but was kind of looking forward to the half marathon run. Hopefully my body will react better tomorrow to the heat/humidity. It's not as bad as a bad day in DC in the summer.

Off to be a tourist and go shopping We're headed to the masters holiday party tonight!

(Rainy day 1 and sunny day 2 pics above)

SCM Zones- Swimmer for a weekend

I think I'm still processing how well I swam last weekend at Rutgers. I learned more from this meet and think that I will be taking a look at how much I really need to actually train in the pool in order to swim fast at meets.

I haven't really "trained" since SCY Nationals in May. In July I developed shoulder pain and decided to just focus on other things than swimming hoping that it would just go away on it's own. Four months later it was still bothering me and it was diagnosed as tendonitis about three weeks ago.

Two weeks ago I went to Michigan and swam in a meet there (short course yards) and went the following times:
200 back- 2:44
100 breast- 1:29
100 back- 1:11

This weekend, heading up to Rutgers, the only thing I really had was more cross-training. I haven't swum too much in the last two weeks, maybe twice a week. We went to the pool on Friday evening to swim and it was honestly the first time since Savageman in September that I felt like a swimmer. I cruised through the water. Inspired by all of my friends who were using this meet as their shave/taper meet, I decided what the heck, I'd shave too. I've been tapering since May!

Saturday
The meet didn't start until 2 pm. I decided to skip my long run and just put as much energy into my races as I could with no excuses in my way. We got to the pool, got in about 1600 meters of warming up, a few pace 50s, but nothing too hard because I didn't want to make my shoulder hurt.

100 Breast- I didn't feel like I really deserved to put on my fastskin (the regular swimsuit style one) so I did this race in my cute practice suit. From the start it really felt great...and I'm NOT a breaststroker. I was somewhat keeping up with the girls in my heat who were entered with low 1:30s. I finished and was wiped, but elated to see 1:32.51 on the board. Ok this is good....

50 Back- I almost skipped this one since it was so close to the 100 BR and I really didn't feel warmed down. I hadn't practiced a backstroke start yet so I decided to just use this one as a pace 50 and to get in a start before the 200. Good thing I did. This swim both showed me that I had no idea where either wall was and humbled me because it was hard! I went 37.18.

200 Back- I changed suits for this one. I felt so relaxed behind the blocks and had a small idea that something incredible was about to happen. It was either going to be really good or really bad and I felt in control of that outcome. I decided that if I went 3:00, that I was just going to smile and be happy. But I just felt so good. So relaxed, but giddy nervous at the same time. I was in a heat with people entered with 2:55 and above. I was glad to not be in the fast heat. I got out ahead of my heat and swam an incredible race, even paced and in control. It felt smooth and relaxed the whole way. When I touched the wall, I knew it was good. I smiled, laughed and really wondered what I had done to swim so fast. I finally looked up to see my time and laughed even more. I think everyone on the pool deck at that moment thought it was a lifetime best, and believe me, it felt like one! I was not only 2 seconds faster than I swam it in SCY two weeks ago, but only 4 seconds slower than my lifetime masters best.
Final time- 2:42.17
Splits by 50: 39.39, 41.22, 41.80, 39.76
Splits by 100: 1:20.61, 1:21.56

Sunday (MY BIRTHDAY)!!!
Sunday's warm up was hilarious. No one was in the end lane so Mollie (aka Jollie) and I (aka Mulie) decided to hop in joined a few minutes later by Muppet. Little did we know that another woman had it in her head that lane 1 was the "lane for older people" and it turned into quite the debacle. I still got in a great 1500 meters and really focused on my backstroke turns and finish. I knew that I was still a little off on some of my turns the day before in the 200 so I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect for the 100.

100 back- I was in the second to fast heat and in lane 1. I really didn't want to get last in the heat and really wanted to break 1:20 which I knew was possible since that's what I took the 200 out in the day before. I swam a strong first 50 and the picked it up and just gave it everything I had for the second 50. I finished in 1:15.48, slightly faster than I went at Albatross, but still 4 seconds off my masters best. I was thrilled with the result and actually thought that since I was in an end lane, I'd take advantage of the ladder being right there, but knew I'd never hear the end of it if I did. I rolled out of the pool like a beached whale and of course Andy Ellis was right there to witness the whole thing. It's a great feeling to know you left it all in the pool.
Final time- 1:15.48
Splits by 50- 37.37, 38.11

Best of all was getting to WATCH Mollie (SwimmieAvsFan) swim in the next heat. We're always in the same heat of the backstroke events, so this weekend was really awesome to see her race! She kicked serious butt finishing in a HUGE PR of 1:09.03!!!! YOU GO GIRL!

100 IM- Yeah, right! I kind of knew I shouldn't do this race since it was SO close to the 100 back, and got to the point in the free length where my shoulder just hurt. I backed off and got some ice after the race. 1:20.51.

Jeff had an incredible meet swimming a lifetime best in the 200 IM and really fast swims in the 100 IM, 100 fly and 200 fly. I love to watch him swim. He's got an incredibly beautiful butterfly and swims with so much intensity. I have learned a lot from my sprinter boyfriend over the last year and a half. More on that later.

For now, here's what I learned from this swim meet...
1. I am NOT as out of shape as I think. I could never swim a 2:42 in the 200 back if I were really out of shape.
2. Maybe I don't need to train 20,000 yards/week in order to be fast.
3. Cross training is good...more spinning, running, weights, yoga!
4. I've got great friends.
5. 2009 is going to ROCK!
6. I like the recordbreaker fastskin better than the one with legs. Going to get a new one soon!
7. Dream BIG!

What a weekend. Thanks to everyone for all of the birthday wishes and singing at the pizza place.

From a b-day card from my parents:
"The days and years rush by and yet within them there is a sprinkling of joy and simple times that remind us of what is truly important: to live is a gift, and every ordinary moment is filled with beauty when seen through the eyes of the heart."

Sometimes it is not the "PR" that brings the most joy, but the feeling of "I gave it my all" regardless of the result. Even though I did not swim as fast as I did at this meet last year, I felt the same sense of accomplishment and knew that I did the best that I could at that moment.

The weekend ended with a birthday dinner at the Olney Ale House and 2 "Celebration Ales" one for my birthday and one for the fast swims.