Bike Decision - input requested!!

Disclaimer – I know this is a first world problem.  And being the biggest decision in my life means I am BLESSED!

I am going to buy a road bike in the next few weeks.  I have been drooling over Cervelos for years and can afford one.

However, the location to buy is extremely inconvenient AND in a town like Chicago, I don’t think I could ever lock that bike up and take a run.  To me it is like the Rolex.

However… the Timex (Fuji) is sold at the shop closest to me.  I was a single mom for about 15 years and always bought a grade down and did without to provide for my kids.  The Fuji is perfectly fine for where I am and would be safe locked up – but it isn’t sexy.

OOOORRR…. I could go with a Trek – middle of the road, great quality.  And take my loyalty somewhere else.

What do you do?  Money is no object – treat yourself to something that is kind of a liability, buy the budget but dependable brand and reward amazing customer service or get the middle of the road with a company you have no affinity with but get a decent quality bike?

Thoughts on Being Coached

 The act of being coached is so much more than just paying the bill and following the plan.

One has to really trust and communicate in ways that can be pretty uncomfortable to a Type A personality.  I was a single mom, the only woman on most conference calls, the only woman taking my APICs exams.... I have done a lot of things On.  My.  Own.  I am a textbook DIY kinda gal.

Enter Triathlon Goals...

I started in September and found myself some do it yourself training plans and was chugging along.  Chugging... Doing all kinds of time and miles but not getting any faster.  I decided I needed someone to tell me *what* to do in all these sessions I am logging.  So.... I hired a coach.

She loads my first week and I am off and super excited.  A couple weeks go by and I am getting faster, the regular time trials make this indisputable, and great.  But, as I am watching my weekly duration/distance totals I see I am not adding any mileage and the duration is getting less.  As much as an hour one week... In large part, because I am faster now than I was 5 weeks ago.  Still, I want more! I want to be gaining in endurance AND speed.  I have learned other things - I am slowly getting the nutrition figured out.  And that is in HUGE part thanks to her.

I have more goals than one sprint tri in April.  I want to finish a century, swim 2.5k, run 8k, complete n Oly distance Tri.... I am going to have to pick up the pace... er - you know what I mean.

Hiring a coach is lot more than paying the bill and following the plan.  You have to trust... I have put my goals and my dreams in someone else's hands.  Not completely, I own putting in the effort. It is kind of like she is the navigator.  I am driving the car, but I have to trust her when she says turn here... That is difficult for me.

I have communicated that I need the endurance to pick up - and my new plan reflects that a little.  I am going to have to be clear and somehow still trust.  After all, she has done this before - coached many athletes who have achieved their goals.  I haven't!  She knows more than me... Period.  Trust the process - le sigh, who knew swim/bike/run was so darn mental!!!

Are you a coached triathlete?

How do you handle the - I want more conversations?

Motivation...

Because of this process #MakinATriathleteOutOfMe I am feeling so much stronger – not just physically, but mentally.  I see by my twitter feed that I often complain about the process of getting to the gym – but once I am there I am 100% in.  I haven’t skimped or cheated on a work once.  In fact, since September I have only missed 5 scheduled workouts since September 1^st (excluding the bronchitis) … Five – Five days!! 

Friends keep asking me what motivates me – and I don’t have a good answer.  For some reason, training for a goal vs working out to lose weight or ‘be healthy’ makes skipping a session no longer an option.  It is another task/appointment on my day that will be completed – period.

I do often think of something I heard Apolo Ohno say in one of his videos leading up to his Kona appearance “Champions are made when no one is looking” (I am sure I have paraphrased) I get sentiment… I am not aiming for a podium finish, rather to finish in a place that I am proud of.  But I get it… All the sessions, and miles and minutes logged are useless – no matter who sees you… if you aren’t putting in the effort – Every.  Single.  Time.

Something about that frame of mind means I don’t need motivation to get the job done.

Does the question ‘How do you stay so motivate?’ sound weird to you?

Do you feel motivated most days?

Is motivation required to be successful??

T Minus 9 weeks!!!

Nine weeks sounds so much closer than 10 weeks!!
This will be my first full week with the new coach - so lots of time trials.  I also have a 5k (if the weather holds) Saturday.
Mostly this week, though... I am focusing on nutrition.  I had a blatant example Saturday of how garbage in makes me feel like garbage.  I know this - it isn't revolutionary... but donuts for breakfast haunted me the whole day.
By the time I got to the gym at 5pm, I was exhausted already!!  I cut my swim session short AND my bike session.  But of which were very difficult to do just the portions I did.
Today, I have shopped, cleaned, menu planned so this week I can make better choices.
I am looking forward to learning from the new coach and making sure the time I spend training is adding value and not just grinding minutes - wahoo!!! NINE WEEKS!!!

T minus 10 weeks.... Progress

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

Monday

Rest Day

Tuesday

26 minute run  One of the easiest fastest runs I have done.  I kept a 10 min mile pace and totaled 2.5 miles

Wednesday

88 minute bike Had to force myself on the bike, which is rare... but I got it done and kept a cadence around 80 pretty consistently... which was good.

Thursday

Rest Day... or spend all the money, eat all the food day... I hired a Tri Coach... more on that as time moves along.

Friday

26 minute swim & 53 minute bike... good swim and GREAT ride... like the kind so good when you done you realize you are crying happy tears.  I love my bike!!

Saturday

44 minute swim & 70 minute bike... I made bad food choices for breakfast with my son.  Then we went ice skating for a while.  By the time I got to the gym at 5pm I was exhausted!  I only managed a quick 20 minutes in the pool.  I straddled the bike for 60 minutes - it wasn't pretty, but better than not showing up at all.

Sunday

44  minute run   So, I hired a coach... and this was her first day!  Of course, that means time trials this week.  Today I swam 500 y in 16:35... executing a non-embarrassing flip turn at the deep end on each lap - go me!!

Total for this week

Miles Moved

56.5

Time Trained

5 hours 20 min

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

T minus 11 weeks!!

I have been training for my first triathlon since September... however, I am now within 12 weeks.  I picked out a 12 weeks to Tri training planning from beginningtriathlete.com.  I went with the Olympic distance since that is my A race goal for the upcoming year.  However, the Tri in Sullivan in April is actually a Sprint. 

Here was the plan and how I did against it for the first official week:

Monday

Rest Day

Tuesday

24 minute run: Knocked this out quick and easy on the dreadmill during lunch at work.

Wednesday

80 minute bike: Worked from home due to extreme weather and might have taken a very long conference call from the trainer :)  Also... attended my first tri club meeting.  I am so excited to become active in that group and have some friends who are equally as crazy.  Just sitting there listening to what people were training for, how they make time... I felt a little less crazy than I usually do with my 'real' friends!!

Thursday

Rest Day

Friday

24 minute swim & 48 minute bike
Nothing remarkable - got it done :)

Saturday

40 minute swim & 64 minute bike
Actually did this on Sunday due tot he 5k flopping around.  This was the best swim set I have had so far.  I think I have found my race pace and that felt great.  The bike... whoa... up until now I have been watching Netflix from the trainer, but for these 1 hour and under sessions I am going to start using youtube cycling videos that guide you on when to up cadence and resistance.  TMI WARNING... I puked a little.  It was TOUGH.  For the record, I didn't stop - just did my business, threw my sweat towel off to the side and kept 'moving'.  MUCH better work out than Grey's Anatomy ..obviously :)

Sunday

40  minute run
I had planned on racing a 5k Saturday, but it was about 15 below zero with the wind and I was worried about icy (read I am klutz... slip and fall) kind of conditions.  Instead, I ran on the treadmill.
Skipping the 5k race was a real bummer for me.    With only 11 weeks to go a sprained ankle or twisted knee would be devastating to my plan right now.  So, I opted for safety.

I flopped the Sunday/Saturday plan to accommodate the race that didn't happen


Total miles for the week - 49.2
Total time training - 5 hours 20 minutes