T minus 10 weeks... Plan

Here is the plan for T-10 Weeks to my first triathlon

Monday

Rest Day

Tuesday

26 minute run

Wednesday

88 minute bike

Thursday

Rest Day

Friday

26 minute swim & 53 minute bike

Saturday

44 minute swim & 70 minute bike

Sunday

44  minute run

New Years Day 5k race Report

I love a good New Year's Eve party - the friends, the promises, the drinks.... I even kind of like nursing the hang over on the sofa while half watching college football.
So I surprised myself when I decided to sign up for a New Years Day 5k.  I did go out to dinner ... AMAZING prix fixe at The Girl and The Goat with some very dear friends (that deserves its own race report!!)  I was a very good girl and had less that two glasses of wine... even when I was flipped off for being lame - whatever :)

The race was in Lincoln Park south of the zoo, an area I love to walk/run and enjoy - when it is warm!  It was about 24 degrees when I got out there at 10:30 this morning.  I kept walking and actually stayed quite warm.  How many layers does it take???
-full length leggings
-fleece lined leggings
-fleece lined knee high socks
-stretchy knit gloves
-thick warm gloves
-sports bra
-long sleeve tech shirt
-20 year old college sweatshirt
-super warm but thin running jacket with hood up
-hat (boys size 8-10 cause I have a super small skull!)
-and a scarf
I shed the hood and one pair of gloves before I finished, but honestly, was quite toasty the whole time.
Now... enough stalling, on to the run...
This wasn't as good as the 5k I did in November.  I have not been running enough.  I have been biking and swimming hard core, but the run is the hardest and most injury prone for me... so I don't do it enough.
Mile 1:Pace 14:40  The first mile was pretty good I ran the whole thing.
Mile 2: Pace 14:53 I walked the water station and had to really convince myself to keep running.  I am getting a small twinge on the top of one foot that flared up. 
Mile 3: Pace 15:11  This mile I walked the whole thing... and yes, my walk pace is only 18 seconds slower than my run pace... BOO!

I have got to get out and run on the pavement, even if it is only one single mile.  Even if it takes MORE time to bundle up than I spend running.  It wasn't a bad day... I did it and I finished... that is good.  But the next one will be better.

Goals for 2015

I have already recapped what was a pretty good year... So let's look forward!

There is a page here on the blog for the races I have planned, so I am not going to make this a race list.  Rather what I plan to achieve by participating in those events:

• First and Foremost... I am going to make a triathlete out of me!!
• The focus on fuel and training as opposed to weight and grueling gym hours - I want to continue this.  It has been an amazing mental change and I look forward to riding this wave through 2015... and beyond
• I will swim a mile
• I will learn how to change my bike tire and a few other bike maintenance things.  I won't be 'that girl' who needs help!
• 5k goal of 35 minutes.  
• One new thing a month... physical - be it a new class, a new experience - something I have never done before... once a month
• I will log several 100 mile weekends on the bike
• Training hard is the goal, for sure... but most importantly I want to learn to listen to my body to avoid injury... while not using minor tweaks as an excuse
• Learn to clip in on the bike!!
• Become an active member of a local Tri Club.  I love the on line support, but I need some real bodies to interact, laugh, drink... oh, and train with.  My dear girlfriends are about worn out with my 'Crazy Talk'.

I feel these are achievable and stretch me enough to challenge but to not discourage.  I will check back in against this list as the new year rolls along.
What about you?  I would love to see the goals of others!!

Recapping the Year... 2014

WOW!!  What a year I have had.  While my blogging for the physical changes have only been the last half of the year, my whole year has been pretty amazing.

• I walked a half marathon in June
• July and August I had some real good talks with my Ortho and decided to go through with the Euflexxa injections which have reduced my chronic knee pain to nearly zero most days
• I bought a bike in August.... So much I can say about this, but in short - it has and I believe will continue to change my life
• I picked up a 10+ year old bucket list goal to complete a triathlon.... and have viciously gone about the process of making a triathlete out of me
• Triathlon Training took over the last three months of the year: 2 swims, 2 runs, 2 bikes, 1 long (discipline of choice), 1 Core and 1 strength session a week.  I followed through with this far more weeks than I didn't.
• I walked a 5k for a charity near and dear to friend which led me to believe I could run one
• So... I ran a 5k.. the whole damn thing
• I signed up for a whole Training Vacation with Ironmen!!  Three whole days of swim/bike/run - repeat, with people just as obsessed as me!!

I am truly blessed with amazing friends who always know when to stand back and when to hold out a hand.  My beautiful children are becoming amazing adults of whom I am so very proud.  I became a Cookie (grandma) for the second time.
So yes, it has been a very good year...  I have loved, been hurt, won, lost and even surprised myself...
I am more than ready for a whole new year to begin.

Popsicle Stick Workout

I love Pinterest.... I have a serious Pinterest problem... that I intend to do NOTHING about!!
Mostly because it gives me so many great ideas... like this one!

We all waste time standing around, even if it is only a few seconds here and there.  I decided to make the popsicle workouts for two times - 1: in the kitchen.  We all wait one more minute for the oven time to ding, or the coffee to finish.  I am going to use these tiny little motivators to keep moving and hopefully make sure my metabolism gets a few tiny little bursts in the day.
I can also use them while on the sofa watching TV.  We all know those commercials are the best time to be moving and get an extra burn built into the day - I will use these for that purpose.
I decided to make four groups and ideally I will select one from a different group each time until they are all done.  Then start over.
Here are the groupings I made:


ARMS:
-25 Bicep Curls
-25 Kick Backs
-20 Overhead Press
-25 Tight Arm Circles (front and back)
-20 Pivoting Upper Cuts


LEGS:
-30 Calf Raises
-20 Plié Squats
-50 High Knees
-10 Squats
-30 Second Wall Sit


CORE:
-20 Oblique Crunches
-30 Second Bicycle
-20 Crunches
-20 Russian Twists
-30 Second Leg Scissor


WHOLE BODY:
-10 Burpees
-90 Seconds Jog In Place
-20 Lunges
-50 Jumping Jacks
-5 Jumping Squats

Why Wednesday

Why Wednesday…

This Wednesday I am feeling good, strong, and just about back to full health.  That dumb bronchitis takes me a full month to get over.  But since I have been home I can take an almost full breath and am so happy to be on a training plan again.  I have three good work outs in three days… one bike, one swim and one run – I can feel the changes in my mood already.

Not that I wasn’t in a good place on vacation – I was surrounded by my daughter’s family and able to nurture and coddle and love them… which was awesome.  But in a different way.

Being home means I eat better, sleep better and train harder… and the sense of peace I have within is truly notable.

So this Wednesday, this feeling of peace and strength and confidence and calm.. is why I have decided to make myself an athlete again.  When I train and eat well I feel better.

Is there a better reason???

I am not a very consistent blogger, but I like the idea of doing this topic for a while.  When I feel like it :)

Back in the Saddle

Travelling is so much fun – I love to be out of town… different food, different views.  This trip I got a new grandbaby, too!!  I was gone for two whole weeks… just about too long, honestly.  I am just as happy to be home.  And back on my training plan.  I am going to ease back into training as I didn’t get in as much as I would like due to being Cookie (our word for Grandma) on call and the lingering bronchitis. 

 So this week just one work out a day.  But I am going to make it count!

Monday – Swim at least 45 min or ¾ of a mile which ever takes longer

Tuesday – Run 5k on elliptical

Wednesday – Weather looks like I might get in a ride outside… if not Run 5k on elliptical

Thursday – Rest Day

Friday – Hoping I can ease back in to two a days with a bike/swim

Saturday – Swim/Run

Sunday – Endurance Day… I pick one of the three and go longer in time or distance than I have before

 

Next Week : Two a days with a quiet work week and get the Core/Strength back on the schedule, too

 

Week 7 Habits are Forming

What is that saying about XX days to a habit.  Training has truly become a habit for me.  Instead of looking for valid reasons I can’t work in a work out – I am rearrange things to make time for training.

Wednesday

A red day… I don’t know if it was having a post-race fall out or what.  But I did not work out and made bad food choices.  I am owning it and moving on.

Thursday

Determined to get back on track.  Since I blew off the plan Wednesday I ‘pretended’ like I was just swapping the rest day.  So…  I got an outdoor run and a stationary bike at the gym in.  Being outside for a run – not a walk/run was great!!  Even if it was very cold.  I am not run/walking anymore.  The Hot Chocolate proved to me I can run… so I do.  Just not too far/long.

Friday

Swam in the morning, run at lunch and a core work out before heading out for dinner with the girls… that is a GREAT DAY!!  Really happy I made time to get it all in

Saturday

Bike and elliptical block style at the gym.  I only did 30 minutes on each.  Next weekend I can up that to 45 minutes each.  I did… however, find a spin class style bike that isn’t in the spin room and that is a much better workout for me than the traditional stationary.

Sunday

I had a birthday part to attend right in the middle of the day.  It would have been very easy to have one too many mimosas and skip the workout… but I went to the gym at5pm to swim a half mile.  44 times I touched the wall and said… not done yet J

Monday

The brick style work outs on the weekends are leaving the joints a bit more creaky and unstable than I would like.  As much as I hate it, I think I need two rest days.  So I am going to make Mondays a core workout.  Not total rest, but no joint issues.  (The kind of arthritis I have makes even swimming hard on the knees)

Tuesday

Commuting in Chicago was BRUTAL!  After 90 minutes outdoors in 18 degree weather… I worked from home.  Which meant I could get my swim in at lunch time.  Another half mile, time to up that  - but I really need a longer pool.  Frankly – I get sooooo freaking bored.  Half a mile is 44 lengths.  43 times I touch the wall and come up with a reason to stop… and so far, a better one to go on.  I am hoping the new gym has a longer pool.  Which it almost has to.  I think 40 is as short as they get to still offer ‘laps’.  Regardless… I DID IT

The Knees: The left knee has not been super happy this week.  I wore heels one day, which I desperately miss… and I think that has cause the issues.  I am popping advil again and back in flats hoping it is working itself out.  The bike doesn’t aggravate it, so no excuse to sit on the couch.

First Cold Weather Run

I ran today… I completed the Hot Chocolate on Sunday and Friday(today) is the first time I got outside and ran on pavement since that time.  My knees were pretty tender Monday and Tuesday and Thursday I kept on the elliptical at the gym.  I am really worried about causing an injury, hence the nursing of the knees. But today I just wanted to get outside and  breath some fresh air! 

So I did.  I bundled up and told myself... 30 minutes, I can do anything but Rap Music for 30 minutes.  I have started listening to books on tape instead of music because they don’t have a 3 ½ minute switch.  I find that I play games with 'one more song then you can walk'.  But with the books, I get really into it and there is no logical stopping point... so I don't stop!

Today I didn’t want to get to far from home since I had to be on a conference call in 45 minutes so I just wove up and down the side streets off my road.  That worked out really well.  And I covered more ground that I would have thought. 

My pace was slow, but I didn’t hurt – not one single step.  And I felt great to be outside, listening to my book (Gone Girl right now) and working up a little sweat.  I had a rough day Wednesday and instead of letting that pull me down I am back at it and moving forward.

Life is good

Training Log Week Six

I didn’t post Week Five because I was on vacation with the kiddos and grandbaby.  I did about ½ of the workouts I had planned and ate – okish.  I did, however, scope out the situation for December when I will head back to spend two weeks there.  I will be renting a road bike, getting in some open water swims and can use the gym on the base… all in between taking care of my daughter, son in law, grandson and new baby!!  I hope I can get at least two hours a day in sweat time since I will not be working.  Any rate…

Week Six

Wednesday

I was able to work from home and got a half hour in the pool before work started off.  I focused on breathing from both sides of the stroke.  This is new for me but given how much more sore my right arm is when I don’t .. I need to get better at this.  Then at lunch time I got in a 16 mile ride.  I was getting nervous about the 5k and getting in a swim/bike twofer helped calm the nerves.

Thursday

Rest day – this week it was also Book Club day… which is my favorite day of the month.  Resting was not difficult today J

Friday

Another lunch time ride for 16 miles.  This 16 mile ride has become very easy and is now my short ride.  When I bought the bike in August 16 miles was a long ride  - I am loving seeing my progress.  Friday night I hit the pool for some timed laps.  I swam 400m in under 8 minutes.  This was a great improvement for me!!  I logged a half mile for the first time.

Saturday

I was looking down the barrel of my first 5k and I decided I didn’t need to do anything to make that more difficult.  I realize that a 5k is a rest day for many – but being able to do well at this event was important to me and I felt resting was the best plan.  So I did!  I did some crafting, laundry, cleaned the house and generally took it easy.

Sunday

Hot Chocolate 5k!!! I did it!  I ran all but a couple short blocks and I felt great!!  Full details here  I am so proud of having RUN this and this makes the goal of Triathlon so much more attainable to me!  I am reinspired all over again!!  (And a new color – Blue for a personal best)

Monday

The weather in Chicago is getting cold, but the days are also getting quite short – with sunset around 4:30!  I rode the bike in to work and back home, but I couldn’t make the longer loop on the way home or I wouldn’t have made it before dark.  The weather was 56 degrees with the wind at my back the whole way home.  It was a really great ride and such a reminder of why I have made these changes in my life.  Meal prep is on track so I am fueling well this week.

Tuesday

Up early to swim… I set three alarms just to make myself get out of bed.  And I did… which is a win all in itself.  To be honest, I didn’t work super hard, but I didn’t stop or quit.  I worked on the breathing and just went back and forth for 30 minutes.  I didn’t count laps, but I didn’t stop for more than a couple seconds either.  I am glad I did it, but I think the Friday night swims are much more productive to building skill/time.

I am contemplating joining a different gym that has an active Tri group.  It is pretty pricy, but less than a coach, BUT not as convenient as where I am.  At 5 in the morning.. convenience is king.  And I could use some folks in my life who get this obsession!!