Lunch Run Paradise

I can't believe it's been a week since I've been running.  How is that even possible?  I've been hitting the bike trainer and the pool, but have somehow avoided going out into the dark and cold to run.  So, I am so looking forward to getting in a 10k at lunch today.   I feel like a horse ready to get out of the gate. Let these legs stretch out and go!

The picture to the right is one I snapped the other day of part of my lunch time running trail.  It's a pretty quiet country road that has some nice winding turns and a couple of "wake your quads up" hills.  There's even a sweet Lab that comes out to greet me pretty much every run.  I remembered to bring a dog treat today for him, too. 

Hope everyone has a great training day! :)

I love the idea of virtual races, I'm just bad about submitting my results.  But, for me it's about the motivation to get the mileage in, so I'm in for  The Iron Christmas Virtual 70.3 Race.


The race is being hosted by Luke from The Super Fatlete and it was my favorite So. Cal Multi-Sport racer, Patrick that gave me the heads up.

Between Monday, Dec. 20 and Friday, Dec. 24, each entrant must swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles. 

I've already got this in the bag.  ;)

I got the swim in on Monday (and I didn't even know about the race).  Have  a 6.2 mile run planned for lunch today.  Bike trainer tonight.  And, we're only on Tuesday, folks!

Ok, I'll admit it.  I'm going to race with a fanny pack.  Technically, it's called  a SPI Belt, which stands for a "Small Personal Item Belt," but when push comes to shove.. it's a fanny pack.  But, just like the closet Snuggy wearers out there, I kind of like it. 

It's small and works just like a race belt, and has these wrap around pull cords/ toggles that actually hold your race number (sold separately) and the model I purchased has six individual elastic sections to hold gels.  Then on top of that you have the zippered section to hold whatever your heart desires.  (Although the pouch looks tiny, it can actually fit quite a bit.)

I purchased one of these at the Dallas White Rock Marathon expo.  The particular sales lady that I had was umm.. how do I say this nicely... not in a good mood?  I was very close to walking away, but I could see the benefits in having one of these puppies for IMTX.  Since the course is a three-loop course, I think I'll just be carrying my hand held water bottle as normal instead of having some monstrous Fuel Belt attached to me.  I figured I'll have my gum stash, a couple "keep me motivated snacks" and whatever else I deem necessary at that point. 

Plus, they make my abs look good.  See photo.  Alright, I'm lying. Not my abs, yet.

I tried it out at the DWRM and it bounced a little, but I was able to tighten it up and barely noticed it. Overall, pretty happy with the little bugger.  Even if it is a fanny pack.

30 weeks or 206 days.  However you look at it... THE JOURNEY HAS STARTED!!

This last week has been a transition period- from finishing out the 2010 triathlon season and sprinting (!) to beginning marathon training and now this week, I begin IM training.  Not much of a rest period, that's for sure. But, switching gears to start going "long" is an adjustment.

White Rock 2009

I had a great 12 mile run last Saturday morning.  That was seriously double  the longest run I've completed in more than 3 months.. at least?  Nothing like crash coursing into marathon training.  I'm only 6 weekends away from the White Rock Marathon, so I have a lot of running to catch up on. I had a nice invite from Jason over at Life of An Aspiring Triathlete - also running White Rock- to join him for a 16 mile run, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hang.  Trying to take it slow and easy and trying not to get injured, but thanks Jason!  You Rock!  (We'll train together at some point - promise!)  

Ironman training (today) consisted of a 2,500 yard pool swim at lunch and then a 10k run this evening.  The run is more than what is called for, but I'm having to adapt to keep my mileage up.  I'm typically swim between 1,500 and 2,000 during a session, but at a greater intensity, so upping the mileage wasn't too bad- but still seemed like a long time to be water-logged.  My swimming will be dropping from 3 days/ week down to 2 so that shouldn't be so bad.

As always, I have my wonderful swim partners to thank (Blake & Michelle) for keeping me motivated in the water.  I've always preferred being a "wolf pack of one" when it comes to training, but I always enjoy their company.

Hope everyone is having a great week.  :)

I pulled out my HomeSwimmer last night, for the first time in awhile and realized just how much I missed using it!  The resistance of the spring really added a lot to the short workout and I could feel my shoulders really working.  Plus, it was such a treat to swim outdoors and in a 2-piece suit.  (Both of which I can't do at work.)  I used it before I went on my 4-mile run, but I think I'm going to start switching that up! A post-run swim sounds much more refreshing.

Back to the HomeSwimmer story, though.  When I first started training for triathlons last year, I didn't know how to swim freestyle. I've always felt comfortable in the water and love snorkeling, but typically my pool experiences were relegated to floating on a lounger with a margarita in hand.  In high school, I was a diver. The extent of my swimming was from my splash in the pool to the ladder.  I don't think I even attempted to swim a length of a pool.
 
Last April I didn't have a membership to the gym at work yet, so I was trying to figure out how I was going to go from lounger to Phelps-fish style-swimming in a couple of months. We have a great pool in our backyard, but the length from end-to-end didn't allow for much practice. Maybe three to four strokes and you were at the other end.

So, after a little internet research, I found the Home Swimmer.  For $89, I ended up with my own lap pool at home. I love this thing. So much that I even sent a review to their company and they published it on their web site.  It's an ingenious, portable little contraption, that I would highly recommend.  (And no, they're not paying me to do it either.) It's just one of those finds that I like to tell people about that might not know it exists!

I ended up getting a gym membership at our hospital, which gave me access to an indoor 25-yard lap pool. I asked a lot of questions of the swimmers there and ended up with a great swim coach, when I hired our web manager- (he's a high school swim champ..) and watched a lot of YouTube videos.  I went from barely being able to swim one lap to being able to finish over 1.2 miles without being exhausted.  But, I have to give some credit to the HomeSwimmer, because it really allows you to focus on your stroke, kick and breathing properly and I know that using it made me a stronger swimmer.

I was thinking that I might just have to start using it in the winter to get used to swimming the longer distance (2.4 miles to be exact) in my wetsuit.  Whether or not I'll be able to talk myself into getting into the cold water - when I really don't have to - that's a different story.  Brrr..  I'll continue to enjoy my warm pool for the time being.

I had a great talk with my friend, Peyton, tonight. (Sorry, Peyton... hope you don't mind).  But, I can't tell you how much I love talking with people who are just catching the triathlon bug ("Newbies").  Mainly the ones who are considering it, but are scared to death. Why? Because that's exactly where I was a year ago.  Ok. 385 days ago.  I competed in my first sprint triathlon on July 11, 2009.  I was scared to death. Other than knowing that I was going to swim, bike and run... I had no idea what to expect. I had read a ton of articles online, but still wasn't sure how things were going to end up when or if I crossed the finish line.  Well, I finished and while I was exhausted, I immediately started thinking about what I could have done better and if I had only pushed it a little harder on the bike, I could have finished "this" much faster. Yep. I was hooked.


Since July of 2009, I've finished:
5 Sprint-distance triathlons
3 Olympic-distance triathlons
1 Half Ironman-Distance triathlon (70.3 miles)

3 Half Marathons (4 if you count the one in May '09)
1 Full Marathon

1 Adventure Race - Warrior Dash
1 Bike Rally (45 miles)

And the season this year is just getting started! :)  Entering races and events keeps me motivated. If anything it keeps me accountable for my training.  I keep track of my training meticulously, thanks to BeginnerTriathlete.com. It's a great site and using the forums and the training logs are free!   Here's a quick peek at how the site keeps track of everything.

Training Totals

July's totals:
Bike:	7h 01m 33s  - 112.8 Mi
Run:	3h 00m 09s  - 18.2 Mi
Swim:	3h 18m 57s  - 8440.42 Yd
Strength:	5h 55m

2010 totals
Bike:	57h 24m 35s  - 841.64 Mi
Run:	33h 36m 27s  - 202.65 Mi
Swim:	41h 28m 15s  - 90022.42 Yd
Strength:	16h 03m

Family First 
It must seem like I'm working out 24/7, but that's really not the case.  Because, being a mommy is my number one priority and I work full-time. For the majority of the time, I do 2-a-day workouts.   I'm very lucky to have a pool at the hospital that I work at, so I'm able to do my lap swimming there. I also work with two very awesome people that just happen to like to do triathlons or some part of triathlon workouts.  Most days, when I'm not attending a Chamber meeting or other work-related functions, I work out during lunch.  Then after work, I come home and spend the evening with my family until my daughter goes to bed and then I start my second workout of the day.  That's usually either a P90x session, a 4-6 mile run around the neighborhood or some quality time with my bike trainer.  The last of which is my least favorite. Weekends usually include one early morning long run or a bike/ run combo, so I'm back right after breakfast or an early morning race.  It leaves me with the majority of the weekend to spend with my very busy little one, which I should actually be tracking as exercise, because we can play "Following the Leader" for at least an hour.


Back to "One Day"
So, where does this lead me on my "One Day" post title?  I think it comes down to how much I enjoy sharing my active lifestyle with others. Whether it's just answering general questions about triathlons or putting together a half marathon training plan for a first-timer, I love it. I can't tell you how proud I was of my mom, who at age 64, finished her first sprint triathlon earlier this year!  She trained hard and accomplished something she wasn't sure she could do. We all start out questioning our abilities, but given the right opportunity, we can find out what we're capable of.  So, my "one day" is how this new found love of triathlon and my background in marketing/ event planning/ PR might be a great mix for becoming a good race director. I've already talked to our local coach at Fit-N-Wise and we're going to meet later this month about planning some additional tri's for next year.  It looks like I'll be getting my feet wet as the race director for an All-Women's Tri!  How cool would that be for our area?  From there... who knows?  Maybe we'll have a 70.3 race in North Texas in the future.  Ironman...I'm available. Ha! :)