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Getting Through A Bad Week (or Being Ok With Skipping The Dri-Tri)

Posted on September 18, 2023 | Comments Off on Getting Through A Bad Week (or Being Ok With Skipping The Dri-Tri)

This past week of workouts was a pretty typical bad week for me. I always hate how I feel during these weeks and it’s even worse when I try everything I can to feel better and nothing seems to work. I’m grateful that it’s not as bad as it could have been, but it was close to unbearable at times with the pain and nausea I was experiencing. I even had a few times that I had to leave class because I was worried I would get sick. And because of how I was feeling throughout the week, I made the decision not to go for the Dri-Tri. I know it was the best decision for me because I would have pushed myself really hard and I know I would have regretted it. But I did spend this past week doing my workouts with the possibility that I might do it, so I pushed myself however I could.

Monday’s workout was a Dri-Tri prep day. This workout was focused on the floor work for the Dri-Tri, specifically the floor work for the strength version of the Dri-Tri. The strength Dri-Tri is something that is new and I think it would be a fun challenge to do when I am feeling up for it. It splits up the rowing a bit more so it’s not just a 2000-meter row to start things off. But you have weights for the floor work instead of just doing body weight exercises.

For cardio, we had 4 blocks that were close to identical. Each block was just under 3 minutes long and we had a distance challenge to see how far we could get in that time. We started at a higher incline and lowered the incline each block. For me, I started with the resistance level just below what I use for my all-out level and went down by 1 each block. It wasn’t easy because when the resistance level is high, I can’t pedal that fast. So it was easy for me to improve my distance every block.

On the rower, we also had 4 blocks. Each block had a row distance and 2 medicine ball exercises. We did the row distance, the exercises twice, and then rowed for distance if there was any time left over. Every block had bicep curls and overhead presses with a medicine ball, but the reps started at 10 in the first block and went down by 2 each block. The row started at 50 meters and went up by 50 meters each block. I’m glad the row segments were short because I was able to do pretty decently with them and didn’t feel too nauseous on the rower.

And on the floor, we had one long block. We started with doing 4 reps for each exercise and it went up by 2 reps every time we went through them. We were supposed to use the same weights for each exercise, but I had to modify them a bit and wasn’t doing exactly that. We had burpees, hand-release push-ups, tap squats, hammer curls to shoulder presses, and lunges. I only used the weights for the squats and hammer curls to shoulder presses. And I did go lighter with the weights than I normally would do because I knew it was going to get harder as we increased the reps. I think that was the right choice for me and I think I did ok with what I accomplished in that block.

Tuesday’s workout felt a bit more like an endurance workout for me. This was also the day this past week when I was the most nauseous and had to leave class a few times because I was worried I was about to get sick. I’m glad that didn’t happen, but it’s always a horrible feeling when it happens. But I know it’s always better to leave class for a few minutes to let things settle than to do something that might make things worse that last a lot longer.

For cardio, we had rounds of a 3-minute push pace with a base pace in between. The base paces were 1 minute, 90 seconds, and 2 minutes long. I used my normal push pace resistance level for all of them, and I was proud of pushing myself to do that. I did go a bit slower for my base paces than I normally would do to allow myself to recover a bit more, but I think that was the better option than changing my push paces.

On the rower, we started with 3 rounds of a 1-minute all-out row. We were told to rest as long as we needed to between each row so we could really push ourselves for each row. After those 3 rows, we had squats to calf raises. We repeated this pattern but the rows got 15 seconds shorter each time. I was starting to work on the 30-second rows when the block was done, so I got a lot further through everything than I expected I would be able to do.

On the floor, we had both upper and lower body work with back-to-back sets. We had reverse-grip low rows, bicep curls, and tricep extensions for upper body. And we had lunges, pulsing half squats, and hip bridges for lower body. I did pretty decent with the exercises and tried to use my normal weights for all of them, but I did have to go lighter toward the end of the block since I was getting tired.

I was feeling a little better on Wednesday, but not much better so I still had to go easy. I was still debating about going for the Dri-Tri at this point so I was pushing myself a bit. But by the end of this workout, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do it, and was glad that I at least tried my best in the workout.

For cardio, we started with a 30-second base to push pace, a 1-minute push pace, and a 30-second all-out. Then we had a long recovery before doing rounds of a 30-second all-out with a 2-minute recovery. The idea of the long recovery was to get back to a base pace within those 2 minutes, so I used my base pace resistance level as my recovery and just pedaled slowly and got faster within those 2 minutes. I think that was a good plan for me and I felt like I was at a base pace about a minute into each recovery.

On the rower, we started with a 100-meter row followed by tricep extensions with a medicine ball. We increased the row by 100 meters each time and continued the pattern of rowing and medicine ball work. I was a bit worried about how I would do with the longer rows, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was slow and didn’t get really high wattage on my rows, but they also were not the worst that I’ve done.

And on the floor, we had shorter timed blocks. We started with lunges and squats to y raises on the straps for a short block. Then had a block with each exercise timed for 30 seconds. We had bench hopovers (which I did as lunges), bicep curls to front squats, and single-arm snatches. Then we did something similar with 30 seconds of uppercuts, single-arm clean to presses, and skater lunges. And we went back and forth with those various timed blocks for the entire time we were on the floor.

On Thursday, I was feeling like I was finally over the hump of feeling horrible. I was mainly dealing with pain and not nausea, so that helped me feel a bit more normal. I still was struggling a bit, but it’s always nice to feel like you are doing the best you have done in several days.

For cardio, we had 2 blocks. The first block had increasing push paces with 1-minute base paces in between. The push paces started at 30-seconds and went up to 75-seconds. The second block was similar but all the base paces were 45 seconds and we decreased the push paces each time. I was worried that the second block would be a bit tough for me with the pain I had, but it went really well and I didn’t feel like I had to take too many breaks within the block.

On the rower, we also had 2 blocks. The first block started with 3 rounds of a 200-meter row where we could rest as long as we needed between each row. I ended up resting for about 45 seconds each time. After the row, we had lunges and front and back hops until the block was done. The second block started with 3 rounds of squats and lateral hops and then we did rounds of a 30-second all-out row and rest as long as you need between each row. I think I liked the second block a bit more because it was nice to end things with the row and not the exercises.

And on the floor, we had work and rest mini-blocks. We did each mini-block twice before moving on to the next one. We started with low rows and close-grip chest presses on the bench. Then we had sumo squats and sumo deadlifts. The last mini-block was with mini-bands and we had knee tucks, side plank leg lifts, and high plank toe taps. I struggled a bit with the mini-band work, but I think it was more about feeling awkward and weird and not an issue with the exercises.

At the end of the week, I felt more settled about my decision to not do the Dri-Tri this time. I do feel a bit like I’m missing out, but I also know how frustrated I would be with myself trying to do it and not feeling like I could do my best or really push myself. I’ve experienced that before and I know I always feel accomplished but sometimes I feel like I really didn’t go for things the way I should. And I’m okay with allowing myself to miss something when I know that is probably the better option. There will be more Dri-Tri events for me in the future, and I know that I will do them when I can and hopefully, I will feel so amazing when I get those done.

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A Bit Of A Recovery Week (or Easier Workouts To Deal With Pain)

Posted on April 3, 2023 | Comments Off on A Bit Of A Recovery Week (or Easier Workouts To Deal With Pain)

After completing the Dri-Tri, I knew this past week of workouts might be a bit tough for me. I’m usually a bit sore after a Dri-Tri, but I also pushed myself more than normal so I knew I might be sorer than expected. I also had a few other things working against me this past week. I knew my pain and nausea could kick in and the weather predicted some rain. All of those can affect my workouts, and the result was that the entire week was a bit of a recovery week where I had to go easier than I would have liked to.

I knew Monday could be one of the toughest days for me, so I didn’t really push myself at all. I went easy from the beginning of the workout, and I think that was the smartest move for me to make because it helped me not get too sore during the workout.

For cardio, the first 3 blocks were all the same. We had a 3-minute push pace with a 45-second recovery after each one. The last block was a 2 1/2-minute push pace and a 30-second all-out which was a bit harder. I used my new normal resistance levels for all the blocks, I just pedaled slower than normal to make it easier.

On the rower, for blocks 1 and 3 we had a 3-minute push row. And in blocks 2 and 4, we did rounds of 150-meter rows with foot exchanges between each row. Even though I just did a much longer row for the Dri-Tri, those 3-minute rows felt really hard. I think it was just being tired and sore, but I did need to take breaks during those rows. I did better on the short rows, but I didn’t really row as quickly as I normally do for sprint rows even though I tried.

And on the floor, in blocks 1 and 3 we had timed exercises. We did 1 minute of lunges, 1 minute of bicep curls to upper cuts, and 1 minute of squat jumps. And in blocks 2 and 4, we had plank punches and scissor kicks. The timed exercises were really hard, but I modified things when necessary and tried to keep those to a minimum. But even with the modifications, I think the floor was the best for me in this workout.

I was less sore from the Dri-Tri on Tuesday, but I also wasn’t fully recovered so I still went easy but tried to go a bit harder than I did the day before. There were a few moments I worried I was doing too much, but I was happy with what I was able to get done.

For cardio, we had 3 blocks and they all had the same format. We had 2 rounds of a 30-second base pace at an incline followed by a 75-second base pace with no incline with a 30-second all-out with an incline at the end. The incline/resistance level went down each block, so that helped me to go a bit harder as the workout went on. And I did increase my resistance level above my all-out level for the highest incline to make it a bit harder for me.

On the rower, we also had 3 blocks that all had stroke drills followed by exercises. The first block had 15 stroke drills, the second block had 12 stroke drills, and the last block had 10 stroke drills. The exercise for the first block was lunges, the second block had deadlifts to low rows with a mini-band, and the last block had low rows to hammer curls with a mini-band. Since all the rows were pretty short, I did a lot better than Monday. And I feel like stroke drills are some of my strongest rows since I have a lot of patience, so I was happy to work on them.

And on the floor, we focused on doing work on one side at a time. We had lunges, single-arm low rows, single-arm cleans, single-arm shoulder presses, and side plank crunches. It wasn’t easy doing one side at a time since I know that I can tire out quickly, but I allowed myself to go a little lighter with the weights I used so I was better than expected and didn’t have a sloppy form for any of the exercises.

On Wednesday, I was mainly dealing with pain in my hips due to the rain, so that was what was affecting my workouts instead of soreness from the Dri-Tri. But that is a bit easier to manage, so I was able to do a bit more again.

For cardio, we had 2 blocks. The first block started with a 1-minute push pace followed by a 30-second base pace. We did 3 rounds of this pattern but the push pace got 15 seconds shorter and the base pace got 15 seconds longer each time. And in the second block, we had rounds of a 45-second all-out with increasing recoveries between each one. I was able to go a bit harder in the second block compared to the first, but I was doing better than I had for the first two workouts of the week.

On the rower, we started with a 1000-meter row. After the row, we had halos, tricep extensions, and presses with a medicine ball. Then we had 2 rounds doing 500-meter rows with the same exercises. Just like earlier in the week, I knew I had done a longer row over the weekend for the Dri-Tri, but this row was just challenging for me. I was going slower than I would have liked and I took breaks. Maybe the adrenaline from the Dri-Tri allows me to do more with my rowing than I normally can do, but I want to keep getting better with my endurance rows. This workout just wasn’t a great example of that for me.

And on the floor, we had one long block. We had skater lunges, pop jacks, upright rows on the straps, single-arm snatches, woodchoppers, and plank shoulder taps. It was a lot of work, and I think by the time I got to the floor I was getting a bit burnt out. I was going slowly, but I tried. And toward the end of the floor time, I just focused on the exercises that weren’t hurting me as much so I skipped the lunges and pop jacks.

Thursday was a similar day to Wednesday as far as pain goes. It was mainly in my hips due to the rain. I was a bit shocked that I hadn’t really experienced any pain or nausea during the week, but that might have been masked by the other things affecting me during the week.

For cardio, we had 2 blocks. The first block was rounds of a push pace followed by a base pace with an all-out at the end. And the second block was about the same length as the first one, but we went at our own pace and just tried to beat the distance from the first block. For that second block, I set my resistance level a little higher than my base pace but lower than my old push pace. I just tried to keep my cadence steady for the entire time and I was very happy with how well I did. When I did the Dri-Tri, I was worried about setting the resistance level too high, but this proved to me that I might have underestimated myself.

On the rower, we also had 2 blocks. The first block started with a 20 stroke drill. Then we looked at the distance and tried to get to that distance in fewer strokes. After those rows, we had lunges and then repeated the pattern. The second block was similar but we had a 15 stroke drill and bicep curls with the medicine ball between the rows. I was very happy that I was always able to beat the number of strokes for the distance in both blocks.

And we also had 2 blocks on the floor. In the first block, we started with neutral grip thrusters to rotations and squat jumps (which I did as squats to calf raises). After 3 rounds of those, we had sit-ups and back extensions but because I was moving a bit slowly I only got to the sit-ups. For the second block, we had skier swings, push-ups (which I did as chest presses on the straps), and balance bicep curls. And after 3 rounds of those we had crunches and leg lifts. I got more done in the second block, but I think that was a bit random because I was still moving slowly.

I wasn’t really expecting the entire week to be a bit of a recovery week for me, but I guess that’s what my body needed to do. And this week might be similar since it’s very likely that my pain and nausea will kick in, especially since it didn’t happen this past week. But maybe I’ll surprise myself and things will be better than I expect since this past week was a bit worse than I expected.

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Unexpected Results At The Dri-Tri (or I Thought I Knew What Would Happen)

Posted on March 28, 2023 | 3 comments

I’ve done the Dri-Tri at Orangetheory almost every time it’s been offered. I have only missed 2 that I could have been a part of (this doesn’t count when the studios were closed). It’s a challenge that I have never regretted doing, even if I question why I’m doing it again as I start. But I do love seeing how well I do because it’s a real test of my progress and I usually push myself hard to prove to myself what I can do.

The Dri-Tri is offered twice a year, and the one that just happened was my 11th one when you count the relay and at-home versions or my 9th when you only count the full in-studio ones. So I think I’m pretty experienced in the challenge and things aren’t really unexpected for me anymore. I went into the one this past weekend having a pretty good idea of what time I wanted to get certain parts done and what I wanted my overall time to be. I hoped my row would be done between 11 and 12 minutes and my overall time would be around 55 minutes. This wouldn’t be anything crazy, but it would be an improvement compared to what I have done before.

I was really worried about how I might do since I feel like I haven’t had a lot of improvements recently in my workouts. But I also knew that even when I’ve been having really horrible days, I’ve been able to complete it and that’s my main overall goal. As we were getting ready to start, I focused on getting in a little more stretching so my body wouldn’t be totally cold as we started.

The row has been a struggle for me in workouts, but I really wanted to see what could happen if I focused more on my endurance for the row than what the time or other stats on the rower said. I picked just the 500-meter split time as I was rowing and tried to keep it as stable as possible throughout the entire thing. I did slow my rowing down quite a bit compared to other 2000-meter rows I’ve done. I paused at the back of the rower and made it a bit more like a strength row. I don’t know what my stroke rate was because I didn’t want to focus on that, but I’m guessing it was a lot slower than what I would want it to be if I focused on that. And when the row was done, I was shocked to see that I finished in 10:19. I really thought it would be just over 11 minutes. I couldn’t believe I was 40 seconds faster than my goal!

The floor section isn’t my favorite but it’s not the worst. It can be tough when you are halfway through it because you repeat what you just did. But I tried to zone out when I could and just get through each of the exercises. And I allowed myself to take breaks when needed since that’s one of the only sections where it’s easy to take a break. And when I was done on the floor, I was about 4 minutes ahead of what I thought the time would be. So I knew I was doing great with time when I got to the bike.

The bike section is always the longest for the Dri-Tri. When I used to use the treadmill, it also was the longest section. But I think it’s a lot more manageable for me on the bike. I knew that the last time I did the Dri-Tri, the bike took me about 28 minutes. I figured that was a good time to strive for and I knew that getting it done that quickly would get me below my overall goal time. I put the resistance level below my current base pace level, so I was able to pedal so much faster than I normally could. The RPMs I was getting were so much higher than what I get in class. I knew I was pushing myself a bit harder than I wanted to, but I was noticing that there was a chance I could get the entire thing done in under 50 minutes and I set that as my new goal. About halfway through the bike, I realized that I couldn’t get to that goal if I continued doing what I was doing, so I started to do sprint intervals. I did a sprint for about 30 seconds and then pedaled the rate I was doing before for about 90 seconds or 2 minutes. I knew toward the end that I probably was going too hard, but I was too stubborn to give up on my new goal and just went for it. And it paid off because I finished my distance on the bike and my overall time was 49:44!

This wasn’t the fastest Dri-Tri I’ve ever done, but it’s at the top. And honestly, I felt more accomplished with this than I remember from past ones. I really thought I knew what I could do and what my results would be, and I was over 5 minutes faster than expected! That’s a huge difference!

Of course, I had to take a victory photo after I was done.

We all got medals for completing it plus there was other swag we could take if we’d like. I got a tote bag (which I can always use) and a really nice tumbler.

And when I got back to Orangetheory on Monday, they had a whiteboard up with the overall results. I knew I wouldn’t have placed in the top 3 for women, but since I was the only person who did it on the bike, I technically placed 1st for bike Dri-Tri.

I’m so proud of what I was able to do and how much I shocked myself. I was very sore after I was done and I know that’s because I might have pushed myself a bit too much. But honestly, it felt worth it to me. And hopefully, when the next Dri-Tri comes up in about 6 months, I’ll be able to do it and I’ll have even more improvements in how I do!

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Watching The Dri-Tri (or Cheering On A Friend)

Posted on September 21, 2022 | Comments Off on Watching The Dri-Tri (or Cheering On A Friend)

Since I started at Orangetheory, I have done almost every single Dri-Tri. I did miss the first one that happened after I started working out because I had a mammogram that day and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel after. I went to the studio to support the people doing it, and I remember how much I regretted not signing up and doing it myself. I really felt like I was left out and missed doing something that everyone seemed to be so proud to complete. Fortunately, I have been able to have that feeling for almost all the others that have happened since I have done all the others.

I didn’t feel as accomplished after I did the sprint one or after I did the at-home one, so I have always tried to do the full Dri-Tri every other time. Of course, when I did the at-home one, I had no option to go one at the studio since everything was shut down. I just did the best that I could with the circumstances at the time.

I’ve been very proud of myself for doing the Dri-Tri. I always have a moment when I start to wonder why I’m doing it again and think that it’s pretty miserable, but when I’m done I’m so happy that I proved to myself that I could. I never regretted doing one, no matter how horrible I might feel while doing it. Even when I completed one while feeling nauseous or if I didn’t get sleep the night before, I’m always so glad that I pushed myself to do it and proved to myself again what I’m capable of.

But when the Dri-Tri was announced the most recent time, I knew there would be a good chance I would need to miss it. It was announced right after I hurt my back, and I had no idea how long the recovery would take. I was really hoping that I would be feeling ok the week of and then I could sign up. But even though I feel significantly better, I’m still dealing with regular pain in my back and I knew that pushing myself to do the Dri-Tri wouldn’t be a smart choice. I was annoyed I had to make that decision, but I knew that I would really regret it if I tried to do it and had to quit in the middle because I hurt my back again.

There is always an option to go and cheer on people doing the Dri-Tri, and I used to try to stick around after I was done with mine to cheer on the people after me. But since I wasn’t going to do it this time, I wasn’t originally planning on going to cheer anyone on. Plus, almost all the times were while I was working, and I didn’t want to have to take time off work. But then my friend Erin asked me about doing it and how she was thinking of trying it for the first time. I told her that I couldn’t do it, but if it was during a time I wasn’t working, I would go and cheer her on.

She was able to get a spot in the first heat, which was before I had to start work. So I headed over to Orangetheory in my regular clothes (which felt weird to be there in something other than workout clothes) to cheer on Erin and everyone else in the first heat.

I’m so glad I went. I had fun cheering on Erin and supporting her while she completed her first Dri-Tri. And yes, I did feel like I was missing out a bit, but I think the positives outweighed the negatives. That was different from the first time I missed doing the Dri-Tri and was there to cheer people on. I think I knew I had to make this choice and it was better to be there to support than to not be there at all. And it was exciting seeing everyone who was able to get it done in incredibly fast times! I usually don’t get to see that as much when I’m focused on my own challenge.

The next Dri-Tri will be in about 6 months or so. They typically do them twice a year. And I have every intention of doing it then. I hopefully won’t have something wrong at that time that really prevents me from competing. I know I can’t guarantee that, but I’m really being mindful of the aches and pains I have so I don’t have another situation with an extended recovery time again.

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Sometimes It Feels Like One Thing After Another (or Having To Miss Things For My Own Good)

Posted on September 14, 2022 | Comments Off on Sometimes It Feels Like One Thing After Another (or Having To Miss Things For My Own Good)

I’m used to having a bad 1-2 weeks each month. It’s an annoying reality of my life, but it’s just what I have to deal with. The ways to avoid it are either not options for me or things I don’t want to do just yet. But it feels like since my last bad week, it’s been one thing after another and it’s not stopping. And I feel like it’s starting to affect my life a bit.

I’m glad that I didn’t throw out my back while also having a regular bad week because that pain would have been really difficult to deal with. My back is doing a lot better now, but when it started I was really worried that something serious was wrong with me. I am used to bad pain with my hips, but this was another level. And when I was trying to sleep, the pain sometimes got worse. I do move quite a bit in my sleep, and every time I moved the pain woke me up. And almost worse than that pain, sometimes I wasn’t able to move and I felt trapped and that woke me up. I don’t know how to explain my lack of ability to move, but I just couldn’t turn over the way I normally do. I needed to wake up, sit up, and use my upper body to move me. It was really odd.

I’m glad that things are better now and I’m not in severe pain and it’s becoming less frequent. I still feel pain when I move certain ways and I do still have some issues moving while I’m laying in bed. But it’s nothing like what it was just a week ago. And I think that every day things are getting a bit better and I should hopefully be back to normal soon enough.

But just as my back was doing better, I got my booster shot and had to start dealing with those issues. I’m glad that I timed it out well so the worst of my side effects occurred over the weekend when I could rest and recover. But my lymph nodes are still swollen and my arm still hurts. And I have been feeling pretty weak in my workouts, which I should have expected but I wasn’t. Feeling weak when I don’t feel sick anymore is such a tough thing to deal with.

And now, I’m just about to start up another round of regular bad weeks. So I feel like I haven’t had a break. And this isn’t my normal, so it’s been hard for me to deal with this mentally. I’ve been trying to keep up with my normal plans, but this week I will have to skip something that I really was planning on.

I have done the Dri-Tri at Orangetheory almost every single time that it’s been offered since I started working out there. I missed the first one because of my schedule, and of course, I missed the ones that happened when the studios were shut down. But I did do the Dri-Tri at home, even though that’s not exactly the same. And this weekend, it’s the Dri-Tri again. I had every intention of signing up and just going for it. I know I wouldn’t get a PR or do something amazing, but that’s not the point for me. I just like to do them to prove to myself that I can.

But between how weak I’m feeling and the issues with my back, I know it wouldn’t be smart for me to try it. I have to be careful with what I do, and I know that some of the exercises wouldn’t be the best options for me to try. I do push myself, but I’m aware of my limits and what adrenaline can do. And I think that if I did the Dri-Tri, I would probably push myself too much and not realize until after it’s done that I did something that set me back with my back recovering. I wanted to wait and see how I felt and make a decision at the last minute, but I know now that there’s no way I could do it in a smart way and I just have to accept that’s what will happen.

I’m still thinking I will go to the studio to cheer people on, especially if any of my friends decide to go for it. But I also know that it will probably be a bit sad and frustrating to watch others do something I wanted to do and know I just can’t join in. I know this won’t be my last chance. They do the Dri-Tri every 6 months or so, so I just need to focus on being ready to do it then and not missing out on the one now.

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A Dri-Tri Sunday (or I Didn’t Realize This Was A Milestone)

Posted on March 22, 2022 | Comments Off on A Dri-Tri Sunday (or I Didn’t Realize This Was A Milestone)

I’ve done the Dri–Tri at Orangetheory multiple times before. I’ve done the regular one in the studios, I’ve done 1 relay, and I did the at-home Dri-Tri when the studios were still shut down. It’s always a challenge, but it’s also something I look forward to. I might be nervous and sometimes question why I’m doing it before starting or in the middle of the event, but I’m always proud of myself when I’m done and I have never really regretted doing one after. I am always proud of what I can do, even if I’m disappointed in not getting a PR or having a big improvement from my last one. And it’s a great way for me to prove to myself that I am strong and I can do a fitness challenge as hard as the Dri-Tri is.

But they don’t always go smoothly for me. I’ve had some not-so-great luck with a few of the ones in the past. I’ve had one that was after a night that I wasn’t able to sleep so I was exhausted and really didn’t feel ready. My first post-shutdown Dri-Tri seemed to have multiple issues such as me having the wrong time written down so I almost missed it plus I was dealing with a burst blood vessel in my eye. And when the Dri-Tri this time was announced, I realized right after signing up that it was going to be on what would likely be one of the worst pain and nausea days for me. That’s just how it happened and there was no way I could have prevented that.

But I’ve done workouts while I’m hurting and I figured this would be another challenge for me. I also knew that since it was a bit later than my typical morning classes, I could take some pain and anti-nausea meds a few hours before it started so they would have time to kick in. I wasn’t going to go into the Dri-Tri with any super crazy goals. I really just wanted to finish in under an hour (if possible) and I didn’t want to have to leave to be sick. I also had a real stretch goal of finishing in under 55 minutes, but I knew that was going to be very difficult since I haven’t done that for my most recent ones.

The 2000-meter row is always first, and I think that might be what worries me the most each time. That’s a really long row and I have learned from Dri-Tris in the past that I can’t go too hard or I will be too tired for the rest of it. So making sure I pace myself is important but also I need to try to push myself a bit and not go as easy as I might for a regular workout. I knew I would need some breaks during the row and some would be out of my control (if I get too nauseous, I have to stop or it will get much worse). But I wanted to limit the breaks that weren’t necessary so I could get off the rower as fast as I could. I only ended up taking 3 breaks total. 2 of those breaks were ones that I picked and 1 was due to being nauseous. And I didn’t take my first break until I had done over 1000-meters, so that was a big accomplishment for me. I was able to do the row in just over 11 minutes, which was much better than I expected. I had a goal in my head of trying to be under 15 minutes.

The floor was extra tough this time because there are a few exercises that are face down and those make me extra nauseous. I just took my time with those and modified things where I could so I didn’t get too sick. I know we aren’t supposed to modify much, but my studio and the coaches there are really good about being ok with me having to make those changes so I can manage things. The one tough thing each time with the floor is that you do the exercises twice. So you always know when you are halfway through and sometimes it feels like I have so much more to do. This time felt like that, but I was focused a bit more on not feeling sick so that, in a weird way, was a nice distraction.

And the last part is the 5K run, which is 12.4 miles on the bike. I’ve done the bike for the last few Dri-Tris and I think I’m getting better on the bike each time. I do still need to make improvements with how fast I pedal. I probably need to put the resistance level lower than I’m used to so I can keep going fast and not get too tired. I did try to do a few small bursts of sprints so I could pedal really fast and then went back to a consistent pace. That helped a lot with getting a lot of distance quickly on the bike.

When I got on the bike, I knew I could make a guess for how long it would take before I was done. I know approximately how long that part will take, but the variable is how often I might need to rest or drink water. So I had a good feeling that I probably would finish in under an hour, but I wasn’t sure how close to that hour mark I would be. I think those sprints helped me a lot because I ended up finishing in 55:24, which was 27 seconds faster than my last Dri-Tri! I wasn’t expecting to beat my last one, especially with how I was feeling. I guess this is a sign of how much stronger I am than I was back then. I’m still over 6 minutes away from my PR, but I know it’s going to take time to get close to that old time again. But I’m so thrilled with a 27-second improvement!

I was celebrating my improvement while I hung out at the studio to cheer on the next group of people working on the Dri-Tri. I didn’t stay the entire time for the next group because I was starting to feel really nauseous and wanted to get home, but I was there until most of them got onto their treadmills.

And then when I got home, I figured out something else I could celebrate. This was technically my 10th Dri-Tri! I have now done 8 full in-studio, 1 relay, and 1 at-home. I don’t know if I want to necessarily count the relay and at-home ones, but a friend told me they should count since I did a fitness challenge no matter which one I did. So I’m going to celebrate that and then celebrate doing 10 in-studio ones after completing 2 more.

I really went into the Dri-Tri this past weekend worried I wouldn’t do ok and that I might feel like I missed a chance to prove to myself I could do it. Instead, I went above and beyond what I thought I could do and I proved to myself even more than ever that I am an athlete who can take on challenges like this!

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My First Post-Shutdown Dri-Tri (or This Is Not How I Expected Things To Go)

Posted on September 21, 2021 | Comments Off on My First Post-Shutdown Dri-Tri (or This Is Not How I Expected Things To Go)

When my Orangetheory studio announced that they would be doing the Dri-Tri, I wasn’t sure at first if I was going to sign up. I’ve done the Dri-Tri lots of times and I think I have done it every time my studio has offered it except the first time. But even with being back at the studio again for about 6 months, I still know I’m not back to where I was before the shutdown. And I didn’t know how I would do with the Dri-Tri this time.

But I forced myself to get over that feeling and realized that’s exactly why I needed to do it. I needed to prove to myself that I could. Even if my time wasn’t anything close to what I used to do, I needed to know I could finish. So I signed up and decided I wasn’t going to look at my old times to see what I used to do and go in with an open mind. I did have 2 ideas of what I would like to do, based on what I know I could do in regular classes. I was hoping I could get onto the bike (the last section of the Dri-Tri) before the 30-minute mark and I was hoping I could finish in under an hour. But I knew that I might not be able to do either, so I wasn’t setting them as big goals, just ideas.

The day of the Dri-Tri was a bit of a weird morning for me. I was still dealing with the burst blood vessel in my eye and it was looking much worse than the 2 days prior (this is normal, the blood is similar to a bruise and it can spread for a while before it starts to fade). I felt like I looked horrible and that everyone would be looking at me. And then when I was getting ready to leave for the studio, the shoelace in one of my shoes broke. I wasn’t going to wear new shoes for a Dri-Tri and didn’t have time to unlace one shoe and put in new laces, so I had to make it work.

And it turned out, I had even less time than I thought. I knew the Dri-Tri wasn’t at a normal workout time for me, but I wrote it in my calendar as being at 10:45am. So I got to the studio around 10:35 so I’d have time to do a little warm-up before starting. Well, I guess I wrote it down wrong because it was actually at 10:30! Fortunately, they hadn’t started when I got there and were going over all the rules. But I didn’t have any time to warm up. They actually were waiting on me to strap my feet into the rower so they could start. So from the time I arrived to the time the clock started was probably under 2 minutes. Not ideal and not something I had ever experienced before.

The first part of the Dri-Tri is the 2000-meter row. This is something we do as a benchmark so I’m very familiar with what I can do and what my time is like. Since the studios reopened, I have done this benchmark twice and they both have been much longer times than I have done in the past. I’m pretty sure the most recent one was one of the worst times I’ve ever had on it. And I knew that doing this row as the first part of the Dri-Tri meant I needed to be very careful to not go too hard and to conserve some energy.

Normally, they say to do 10 really hard pulls and then find a good pace and intensity to stick with. I didn’t do those hard pulls, I figured without a warm-up that was going to be a really bad choice). I just tried to find a steady rhythm and to keep things around the same pace the entire time. I also wanted to try to limit any breaks I might need to take. And I don’t know how or why this happened, but somehow the row this time was much better than when I did the row as a benchmark. My time was still slower than before the shutdown, but it was over a minute faster than the last benchmark. And I was able to only take 2 real breaks and 1 break where I was still rowing but rowing very slowly. I couldn’t believe that! I didn’t care that I was the last person on the rower (I think I had over a minute on the rower when everyone else was already on the floor), I did it and couldn’t believe that it went a lot better than I thought it would.

The floor is all body weight exercises. We had bench hop-overs, bench tap squats, step-ups (which I always do as lunges), push-ups, plank jacks, and burpees. I do little modifications t0 a few of the exercises. The hop-overs are done one leg at a time and not as a hop. The push-ups are on my knees. And the burpees are done using the bench for my hands. Because I’m not competing or trying to get into the regional Dri-Tri workout, it’s ok that I do these modifications. The floor exercises are split up so you do 2 rounds of everything. And normally as I’m starting the second round, I have a moment of thinking that I’m exhausted. And I did have that this time, but I was able to keep going. I just took the breaks when I needed to and then got back to it when I was ready.

When I went over to the bike to start the last second, I took a look at the clock and it was about 25 minutes in. So I had made it to the bike in under 30 minutes and that gave me a nice boost before starting the bike. This is always the longest section for me. If I was on the treadmill, it’s a 5K run (or 2.5K if you powerwalk like I used to). On the bike, it’s 4 times that. I’m not exactly sure that the distance of the bike is 12.4 miles, it’s listed as trips and not miles. But I know the bike needs to show 12.4 to be finished.

I knew I wouldn’t want the resistance level too high on the bike, but I also wanted to make sure it wasn’t too easy because that can also make it tough to go for a long time. So I had it either at my base pace level or the level between my base and push paces. I just changed it when I felt like I was ready for a change, I didn’t worry about tracking intervals or timing anything. I just wanted to go and base it on how I was feeling. When I needed a break for water, I did have to stop pedaling because I don’t have enough balance or stability to do that. But I tried to keep pedaling super slow when I could as I was getting my water bottle or putting it back. But for most of the time I was on the bike, I just tried to let my mind wander because I knew I’d be on there for a while.

I would check my distance every so often and mentally note when I hit different milestones like being half done or 10 minutes in. And I was making pretty decent time compared to what I thought I’d be able to do. The coaches and staff go to each person as they are finishing so they can mark the time and everyone cheers as each person finishes, which is really nice. I was one of the last people to finish, but I didn’t care. I got it done. And my final time was 55:51! I did it in under an hour!

Considering all the things working against me and how I wasn’t sure how I’d do in the Dri-Tri, I was in shock with my final time. Even one of my coaches said he was impressed that I did that well without having the warm-up before we started. I don’t know how I did it and I’m still in a bit of shock, but it happened!

And for completing the Dri-Tri, we all got a certificate, medal, and water bottle.

And yes, you can see a bit of my messed-up eye in that photo, but I was able to make it look much better than it looked in person.

I’m so glad I decided to do the Dri-Tri and didn’t let my worries get to me. I needed this challenge. I needed to see that I could do it and do better than I thought. I needed this proof that I’m not doing that much worse than I was doing before the shutdown. Even with all the things that were going wrong or not my way before I started, I overcame it all and did an amazing job!

I know that this doesn’t mean that I will instantly improve in my regular workouts because I approach those different from how I do the Dri-Tri, but I at least have a new record I can reflect on when I’m trying to see improvements and growth in my workouts.

And despite how I sometimes feel in the middle of a Dri-Tri, now I can’t wait until we have the next one so I can do it all again!

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Dri-Tri At Home (or Taking Challenges Where I Can)

Posted on September 29, 2020 | Comments Off on Dri-Tri At Home (or Taking Challenges Where I Can)

As I mentioned yesterday, one of my workouts last week was doing the Dri-Tri at home. I’ve done almost every Dri–Tri since joining Orangetheory. I missed the first one because I was scared and had something that I thought would prevent me from doing it. I missed the one earlier this year because it happened right after the gyms closed. I was getting ready for that Dri-Tri during my last in-studio workouts.

Some studios in different areas have reopened, and it is Dri-Tri again. So those studios were going to do them as close to normal as possible. Some studios did them outside or modified things, but they were still close. But for those of us who don’t have studios open yet, Orangetheory created a Dri-Tri that we could do at home. It was the video workout for Saturday, which worked out perfectly for me.

I love challenging myself in the Dri-Tri. I always have new goals in mind with what I want to be able to do. I usually wonder why I’m doing it at some point in the middle, but I’m always so happy when I’m done and I feel so proud of myself. And I really wanted to try to get that feeling at home.

Obviously, there’s no way to do the Dri-Tri exactly the same way at home. I guess if I had a rower I could do it with running/walking outside. But I do appreciate that they tried to do something that was close to what we do in the studio. For this video workout, we were coached through the entire thing. The coaches were doing the workout too. They didn’t just show the exercises and leave us to it. I really liked having that constant coaching.

For the rowing section, we had exercises that worked out the same muscles that rowing does. It was about 8 minutes long, so a little shorter than I normally take to do the 2,000-meter row. But just because it was faster, it doesn’t mean I wasn’t just as tired. I did try to challenge myself with the weights I was using for that section to make it hard.

For the floor section, we had the same types of exercises that we have for the Dri-Tri, but they were timed intervals and not the number of reps. Again, like the row, just because it was different didn’t make it easier. And for the cardio, we had different exercises that got our heart rates up.

The entire workout was about 45 minutes long, so it was a similar length to what it takes to do the Dri-Tri. And I was exhausted after I was done. This was a really hard workout and I tried to make it as hard as possible with challenging myself with the weights.

There were aspects of the regular Dri-Tri that I missed. I love doing it with people cheering us on. I love how we come together as a group to cheer on the finishers and we don’t stop until everyone is done. I missed the personalized coaching. I missed using the rower and having a good way to compare one Dri-Tri to another.

I hope that by the time the next Dri-Tri happens, gyms will be able to be open. I know that I might struggle more than I have in the past, but I just want to do it in the studio to feel that same sense of accomplishment. I am proud of what I did, but it’s not the same. I keep saying how I crave that feeling I used to get in my workouts, and this was just another sign of how much I want to get that feeling back.

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Learning Something New Every Time (or Being Ok With My Dri-Tri)

Posted on October 1, 2019 | Comments Off on Learning Something New Every Time (or Being Ok With My Dri-Tri)

I’ve done the Dri–Tri multiple times over the years. And I feel like every time I do it, there is a new lesson or challenge that I learn. My first Dri-Tri was a huge learning experience. I had no idea how to pace myself for it and I really messed up by going too hard on the rower. I’ve worked on improving that every time since. I also learned lessons with how to modify the floor work and how to split things up to make things easiest on me (it’s still hard, but it helps when I split some exercises into smaller intervals). And for cardio, I’ve learned so many lessons on the treadmill. And my last Dri-Tri was the first for me on the bike so that was another new experience.

So when I was getting ready for my Dri-Tri this past weekend, I had all those lessons in mind. I remembered lots of things that I struggled with before and tried to keep those experiences in mind when I was thinking about my game plan. And I honestly did feel ready for it the day before. And then I made a dumb choice and went out the night before. I didn’t think I would be out that late, and it ended up being a much later night than I thought. And by the time I was home and in bed, I struggled to fall asleep. I maybe got 2 hours of sleep combined that night as little 20-30 minute bursts. It wasn’t good and it was a dumb decision to go out the night before. But I couldn’t do anything to change that before the Dri-Tri.

I did have work before going to Orangetheory and at least that wasn’t too stressful. And there was about an hour between work and the Dri-Tri so I used that time to relax and focus on what I wanted to do. I knew that being tired was going to affect how things went, but I really wanted to do just a little better than I did last time. My bigger goal was to be under 50 minutes again, but I wasn’t sure if that would be possible.

Well, I was right that I couldn’t do it in under 50 minutes. I didn’t even do better than I did the last time. It actually ended up being my slowest Dri-Tri time ever. And that was really frustrating for me. I tried so hard and it didn’t have the results I wanted it to have. But I also was aware that being so tired was working against me.

But despite having my slowest time ever, I did have some really good moments in the event. First, I finished. That’s awesome because not everyone can do the Dri-Tri. Being able to complete it is an accomplishment and I shouldn’t look down on that.

When we are doing the 2000-meter row, we are told to keep the stroke rate lower than we think it should be since it is such a long row. That has been something I have been working on since my first Dri-Tri and it is getting better for me each time. I try to zone out a bit during the row and just focus on not stressing about going faster. I’m usually able to stay steady with the stroke rate and that’s something that continued this time.

But we are also told to keep an eye on the 500-meter split time on the computer. That time moves based on how fast and how hard you row. And doing a long row usually means that the number will get higher (and it will take you longer to complete a 500-meter split). I have seen this happen in my rowing a lot and I hate how much fluctuation there is. I usually have a great split time for the first half or so, and then it gets much higher than I would like it to be. But for some reason this time, I was able to keep my split time within 1 second except the first few strokes and the last 150-meters. It was so steady that I wondered if the computer broke and it was stuck. But then I’d see it go down and back up 1 second and I knew that it was just me being able to keep it steady.

On the floor section of the Dri-Tri, there isn’t much I can do to change which exercises I can do. I modify things like being on my knees for the push-ups, using the bench for the plank jacks and burpees, and doing lunges instead of step-ups. I try to find new tricks that might help me, but there aren’t a lot of things I can try. What I did this time was split the lunges up differently so one side wasn’t getting as tired as it has in the past. I tried to just focus on each exercise at a time and not what was coming up next. And I didn’t pay attention to what people were doing next to me. I didn’t realize that I was the last one to finish the floor until I was walking to the bike.

Using the bike for the Dri-Tri is still a new thing for me and I’m still learning a lot. I knew this time that I wanted to not worry about the resistance levels and just set it to my base pace level. When I got on the bike, I was so tired and it felt like I would be on there forever. I also knew by the time I was on the bike that there was no way I would be doing better than my last Dri-Tri so I had that affecting my mood a bit. But I tried to not think too much about it because there was nothing I could do at that point to change that.

I was able to keep it at my base resistance level for about the first half of the bike challenge. But it was starting to get really hard and I was slowing down a lot. So I dropped the resistance level lower to make the bike easier on me. I wanted to pedal as fast as I could since that was going to help me get to the final distance more than the resistance levels would. I was breaking the bike portion down into small chunks and trying to celebrate whenever I finished another small chunk. And I tried to limit how often I took a sip of water since I have to stop pedaling to get my water. So each water break stopped my progress and I didn’t want to do that too much.

When I was done, I was so tired. I wanted to lay down and rest, but I knew that doing that wouldn’t be great for my body. So I sat down and worked on stretching for a while before getting back up to cheer on the people still finishing their 5K on the treadmills. It’s so important for me to cheer on the other finishers because I know what it feels like to not have the same amount of encouragement and cheering as people who were faster than me. And it’s awesome watching someone finish who might not have thought they could do it.

In the end, while I had a slow Dri-Tri and I didn’t accomplish what I wanted to, I still finished and had a great time. It’s a challenge that I look forward to doing, even if while I’m in the middle I wonder what I have done to myself. But every time I finish, it’s a great reminder of how much I have accomplished and how strong I have become. I’m already planning on doing the next Dri-Tri and seeing what new lessons I can take from this past one and apply it to the next. Maybe that one will finally get me back under 50 minutes.

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Making Challenges More Challenging (or A Dri-Tri First For Me)

Posted on April 3, 2019 | Comments Off on Making Challenges More Challenging (or A Dri-Tri First For Me)

When I did the Dri-Tri this past weekend, I pretty much knew what to expect. I’ve done it several times before and I’ve learned new tips and tricks each time that usually help me. I don’t always improve every time, but I feel better about it each time I do one. So when I got off the wait list for the Dri-Tri this time, I was so grateful because it was another opportunity for me to test myself and see what new things I could figure out.

But even though I knew what to expect, I also knew this one would be very different from the other ones I’ve done. First of all, I was having a bad nausea/pain day. While I’ve had some nausea, this was going to be the worst of all my Dri-Tri attempts. I was prepared for this, but at the same time it’s hard to be prepared until you are in the middle of the workout. Also, this would be my first time doing a Dri-Tri using the bike instead of the treadmill. If I wasn’t having a bad nausea day, I might have debated using the treadmill even though I haven’t been on it for months. But knowing how I was feeling, there was no way to do anything other than the bike.

We had a 2000 meter benchmark row earlier in the week which I found so helpful. I had an idea of what my row time would be since you are supposed to go slower than the benchmark since the row is only the beginning of the Dri-Tri. I still wanted to be under 9:30 even though that would keep me close to what I did for the benchmark. But I’m stubborn and had that in mind. A lot of people in my heat were doing it for the first time, so there was a lot of emphasis before we started to not burn out on the rower. I listened because I knew I needed the reminder too.

Once we started, I quickly found my pace on the rower. I was not worried about anyone else around me or what was happening other than maintaining my pace. There were a few times I noticed I was getting a bit too speedy and slowed things down, but I was pretty steady without too much effort. I tried to zone out since I knew the row would take time, but that didn’t quite happen. But even with my focus on random things, I still did pretty well with my row. I was the last person to finish, but I did it in under 9:30 so I was very happy with that.

The floor was a challenge that I wasn’t totally prepared for. I always remember the floor as being tough, but I forgot how many things we had on the floor that were face down exercises. Those make me more nauseous so it was a tough section for me. I did modifications when I could like using the bench for plank work, but I still needed a lot of breaks to let the nausea pass. But because I do lunges instead of step ups, I feel like I make up some time doing that. The floor could have been much worse, but it still more than I really thought it would be.

By the time I got to the bike, I was ready to be at the final stage. I had a general idea of how long it would take me to do the bike, but I also haven’t really done that far on the bike in a long time. I started a little higher on the resistance level than my base level, but I decided to drop it back to my base level after the first few minutes. If you are running on the treadmill, you don’t have to go faster than your base. I also knew that if I kept it to my base level that I could probably go faster. And since it’s a timed event, going faster is always better.

I did have a few issues on the bike, but nothing too bad. Whenever I needed some water, I had to stop completely since I’m still not coordinated enough to drink water and pedal at the same time. I also was having waves of nausea during the bike that I had to stop to let pass. I wasn’t sure if the nausea was still from being on the floor or just happening because they happen, but they felt a bit more frequent than I would have thought they would have been. I tried to not stop for too long, but sometimes I just had to.

While I was on the bike, other people were completing their Dri-Tris. I never expect to finish in the first half of the group so I always figure that I will see lots of people finishing before me. I’m never completing against anyone else (even though they do have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners I’m not eligible due to my modifications) so I don’t care where I rank in finishing. And it is always fun watching people complete it because everyone in the room is cheering them on.

As I was getting close to finishing the distance on the bike, I realized that because the staff was focused on seeing who was close to finishing on the treadmills (because they could easily see those numbers) I would have to pay attention to the time I finished. I didn’t mind that there wasn’t attention when I finished because I honestly wasn’t super happy with my time. While I had no idea how long it would take me to finish with using the bike, I still wanted to finish in under 50 minutes. I ended up finishing in 50:50 and it was a little bit frustrating. Those extra 50 seconds could have been one or two water breaks and I hate that I was so close to the goal I set. But I did finish and that is really the most important thing.

I finished around the middle of the pack, and as soon as I caught my breath and recovered a bit I started to see who was close to finishing their 5K on the treadmills. I joined in to cheer on as each person finished and I was so happy I could be a little bit of motivation as other people were finishing. Everyone who started the Dri-Tri was able to finish it. And that is the only goal that really matters.

There were 2 heats for the Dri-Tri and I was in the first one. I had a few friends in the second one and I promised to stick around to cheer them on. I wasn’t sure how late I’d stay, but I wanted to be there for support for my friends. They were nervous with this being their first Dri-Tri and I wanted to help out however I could.

I ended up staying until all of my friends finished their 5K on the treadmill. I didn’t stay for everyone in that heat to finish because I did need to get home, but I wanted to make sure my friends had support even if it was at the very end of their run. They all did amazing and I am so proud of them for taking on a challenge and kicking butt doing it!

While this Dri-Tri wasn’t the same as any of the other ones I did, I’m glad I did it. I found new challenges I had to overcome and I was able to do it. I also now have an idea of how long it would take me to complete the bike section. There’s a good chance I’ll still be using the bike when the next Dri-Tri happens so I’m glad that I have a goal in mind. And I do also know how to deal with my bad nausea days for the Dri-Tri, although I hope the next one will fall on one of my better weeks.

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