Well I've survived one month of training, one race and we're creeping up on 3 weeks until the wedding. My mind is going a million different directions, but I use my training time to clear my brain and refocus my energy. Then I go back to my crazy hectic life.
Nothing much to report other than my totals:
Miles Run: 46.4
Laps Swam: 281.5
Mins/Hrs on bike: 630m or 10.5hrs
I had a "down" week last week. Just felt tired and drained. My chest has felt tight & it's hard to breathe. Everyone says you'll have a bad week or bad workout. So as cranky as I was, and as much as I would have rather just sat on the couch, I just pushed through it. My last 7 mile run felt like crap. My legs were heavy, it was hard to breathe and I was just mentally out of it. But it's done & behind me and I can move on to month 2!
What to work on: GET UP EARLIER to get one workout in on double days. It's not difficult to do two workouts in one day, but rolling my a$$ out of bed is the hardest part. Just need to DO IT!
My positive take away: Even if the workout feels like garbage, it's better than nothing and you'll feel better at the end for having done it, than if you sat home.
February race.............
I'm thinking the BRRC Valentine's Day 10K on 2/9. Anyone care to join me & Jethro?! (if they'll let me bring him)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
1 down 11 to go! Frosty Fingers 5miler Race report
Frosty Fingers 5mile race
Saturday January 12th, 2013 9am 41degrees
Gunpowder Falls State Park
So I managed to find a January race! YES! I narrowly avoided screwing up my NY resolution in the first month! This was an awesome race. Small & friendly. Flat, fast & nice and cool. And CHEAP!! No traffic, no parking issues and no lines for the port a pot (although I found the "secret" ones).
I arrived at the park around 8:30. You had to drive all the way around to get to the parking area, so I decided to make a "pit stop" at the pottys near the beach. Smart move, there was a decent line for both registration and the potty at the race start. By decent line, I mean 20 people, but moving really well. I registered for a whopping $6, yes SIX dollars and got my free pair of BRRC gloves, bib & pins. I was meeting a fellow Chi Omega alum and some of her friends before the race, so we caught up & headed to the start line. There were probably about 90 runners.
There's not much to report on the actual race itself. It was a perfect temperature for me. Mile 1 and Mile 5 were my best. 3 & 4 were the "worst". My goal was to finish at/under 40minutes. Until I realized that I don't know how to multiply! 5milesx9min/mile is NOT 40, it's 45! Readjust....goal was at/under 45minutes! :) I felt pretty decent with no major issues. I kept an eye on Garfield (my Garmin) to make sure I was close to 9. Garfield told me that the course was off, so......according to him I finished 5miles in 44:24. According to clock time I finished 45:07. SEVEN seconds, REALLY?! If I could only learn to drink from a cup & still run without 1 - choking to death, or 2 - throwing water in my face, I would have been good. Oooh well.
I ran back down the course after finishing to find Lindsey & Jacob & run back in with them. I left them just before the finish, so I could swing around & cheer them in. They gave away really funny prizes for the winners (both based on time & random draw). Fuzzy animal backpacks, gumball machine, shirts, hats, cookies & stuffed animals. I'm pretty sure they raided the clearance isle at CVS before the race! Either way it was a nice, low key race. And fellow fast runners stuck around & spread out on the course to cheer the rest of us in.
Looking forward to 11 more good feeling race reports!!!
What's February's race?! We shall see!
Saturday January 12th, 2013 9am 41degrees
Gunpowder Falls State Park
So I managed to find a January race! YES! I narrowly avoided screwing up my NY resolution in the first month! This was an awesome race. Small & friendly. Flat, fast & nice and cool. And CHEAP!! No traffic, no parking issues and no lines for the port a pot (although I found the "secret" ones).
I arrived at the park around 8:30. You had to drive all the way around to get to the parking area, so I decided to make a "pit stop" at the pottys near the beach. Smart move, there was a decent line for both registration and the potty at the race start. By decent line, I mean 20 people, but moving really well. I registered for a whopping $6, yes SIX dollars and got my free pair of BRRC gloves, bib & pins. I was meeting a fellow Chi Omega alum and some of her friends before the race, so we caught up & headed to the start line. There were probably about 90 runners.
There's not much to report on the actual race itself. It was a perfect temperature for me. Mile 1 and Mile 5 were my best. 3 & 4 were the "worst". My goal was to finish at/under 40minutes. Until I realized that I don't know how to multiply! 5milesx9min/mile is NOT 40, it's 45! Readjust....goal was at/under 45minutes! :) I felt pretty decent with no major issues. I kept an eye on Garfield (my Garmin) to make sure I was close to 9. Garfield told me that the course was off, so......according to him I finished 5miles in 44:24. According to clock time I finished 45:07. SEVEN seconds, REALLY?! If I could only learn to drink from a cup & still run without 1 - choking to death, or 2 - throwing water in my face, I would have been good. Oooh well.I ran back down the course after finishing to find Lindsey & Jacob & run back in with them. I left them just before the finish, so I could swing around & cheer them in. They gave away really funny prizes for the winners (both based on time & random draw). Fuzzy animal backpacks, gumball machine, shirts, hats, cookies & stuffed animals. I'm pretty sure they raided the clearance isle at CVS before the race! Either way it was a nice, low key race. And fellow fast runners stuck around & spread out on the course to cheer the rest of us in.
Looking forward to 11 more good feeling race reports!!!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Public Enemy #1: Flip Turns - I'm coming for you!!
So we're about 1.5 weeks into my "formal" (meaning actually having a calendar & list of workouts & checking them off) training plan. So far no major issues! Wheeeww! As expected, swimming has been challenging.
Does anyone else feel as if they could eat a horse after a swim workout?! I'm not joking, it's BAD! If I swim in the morning, I am hungry ALL DAY LONG! No matter how much I shovel in my mouth. Any suggestions on commiserations are welcome on this one!
Anyway, I decided to go & talk with the Masters Swim Coach to see if I was "ready". He eased my fears somewhat, in that they have all levels of swimmers in the class. Wheewww! I won't be the only slow freestyler, zig zagging backstroker or sinking butterflyer there! :) What I was/am worried about is flip turns! UUUGGGHHH! I've had lessons probably 3 times over the years on mechanics and how to do them, I could probably verbally walk someone through how to do them. But ask me to perform it & you get a spitting sputtering mess at the bottom of the pool, usually facing the wrong way. :( So as I was checking out the other "Masters" abilities in the pool, I realized even the guy who looked like he might sink at any moment was flip turning at the wall. "Oh sh*t!" I thought. Then, "if that guy can do it, dammit I SHOULD be able to"!
So after my endurance set, I decided that during my cool down I would work on my flip turns. One flip between freestyle and one into backstroke, 6 sets. WHY I decided to work on anything form related after swimming 2100m (42laps out & back) is beyond me! It started out "interesting", a nose full of water, totally missing the wall, pushing off into the bottom of the pool, just as expected. But as I relaxed (or just got more tired), they started to feel a little better. I had at least 2 that felt "normal". Now I'm sure from the side of the pool looking down, I looked like drowning maniac, but it'll do for now. The day I master the flip turn will be VERY exciting!!! It's been something I've dared not attempt for so long, when I can do it, I win!
So I've decided from each post I write (if applicable), I need a positive & a negative. Something I can be proud of & something I can work on next time.
Positive: I swam 51 laps & never had an "I want to quit" moment!!!
Negative: FLIP TURNS!!!!!
Does anyone else feel as if they could eat a horse after a swim workout?! I'm not joking, it's BAD! If I swim in the morning, I am hungry ALL DAY LONG! No matter how much I shovel in my mouth. Any suggestions on commiserations are welcome on this one!
Anyway, I decided to go & talk with the Masters Swim Coach to see if I was "ready". He eased my fears somewhat, in that they have all levels of swimmers in the class. Wheewww! I won't be the only slow freestyler, zig zagging backstroker or sinking butterflyer there! :) What I was/am worried about is flip turns! UUUGGGHHH! I've had lessons probably 3 times over the years on mechanics and how to do them, I could probably verbally walk someone through how to do them. But ask me to perform it & you get a spitting sputtering mess at the bottom of the pool, usually facing the wrong way. :( So as I was checking out the other "Masters" abilities in the pool, I realized even the guy who looked like he might sink at any moment was flip turning at the wall. "Oh sh*t!" I thought. Then, "if that guy can do it, dammit I SHOULD be able to"!
So after my endurance set, I decided that during my cool down I would work on my flip turns. One flip between freestyle and one into backstroke, 6 sets. WHY I decided to work on anything form related after swimming 2100m (42laps out & back) is beyond me! It started out "interesting", a nose full of water, totally missing the wall, pushing off into the bottom of the pool, just as expected. But as I relaxed (or just got more tired), they started to feel a little better. I had at least 2 that felt "normal". Now I'm sure from the side of the pool looking down, I looked like drowning maniac, but it'll do for now. The day I master the flip turn will be VERY exciting!!! It's been something I've dared not attempt for so long, when I can do it, I win!
So I've decided from each post I write (if applicable), I need a positive & a negative. Something I can be proud of & something I can work on next time.
Positive: I swam 51 laps & never had an "I want to quit" moment!!!
Negative: FLIP TURNS!!!!!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
And it begins...
So I've never thought I had anything interesting enough to warrant a blog. I still believe this, however I want to record my experiences for myself. If someone else finds inspiration, entertainment or just annoyance in them, then that's more than I planned! :)
So here's my plan. Not only do we have our wedding coming up (another blog will have info on that...one day) but I plan to run 12 races in 12 months. Ideally, it would be 1 race per month for the whole year. But realistically, it may just be 12 total in 12 months.
So it's January 1st, 2013. There was a 5K right outside my front door, in Patterson Park. And what did I do? Took the dog to the dog park & hobbled up the hill there. I was too damn sore from my personal training session yesterday morning to run the damn race. NOT the way I had planned to start my personal challenge. So now the search for a race, any race in January.......
Current Schedule of Events
April 28, 2013 - Nike Women's Half Marathon, Washington, DC
May 11, 2013 - Kinetic Half-Iron Triathlon, Lake Anna, VA
June 23, 2013 - Philly TriRock Olympic, Philadelphia, PA
August 18, 2013 - Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon, Columbia, MD
September 8, 2013 - Iron Girl Rocky Gap Triathlon, Flintstone, MD
So here's my plan. Not only do we have our wedding coming up (another blog will have info on that...one day) but I plan to run 12 races in 12 months. Ideally, it would be 1 race per month for the whole year. But realistically, it may just be 12 total in 12 months.
So it's January 1st, 2013. There was a 5K right outside my front door, in Patterson Park. And what did I do? Took the dog to the dog park & hobbled up the hill there. I was too damn sore from my personal training session yesterday morning to run the damn race. NOT the way I had planned to start my personal challenge. So now the search for a race, any race in January.......
Current Schedule of Events
April 28, 2013 - Nike Women's Half Marathon, Washington, DC
May 11, 2013 - Kinetic Half-Iron Triathlon, Lake Anna, VA
June 23, 2013 - Philly TriRock Olympic, Philadelphia, PA
August 18, 2013 - Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon, Columbia, MD
September 8, 2013 - Iron Girl Rocky Gap Triathlon, Flintstone, MD
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