Turkey Trot Recap

My best friend, Nana, lives in Michigan.  This is a bummer for a number of reasons, but as of late, the biggest has been that she and I aren't able to do run/rides/etc. together.   She and I are both on a crazy journey to becomes fitter, slimmer versions of ourselves and it's unfortunate that as we both discover a love for a variety of physical activities that we aren't able to share that with each other.    So, when she decided she would be at home for Thanksgiving, we decided we would find a 5k to run together.   Conveniently, IRIS was holding their annual Turkey Trot in Faribault and had online registration, so we settled on that.   

Thanksgiving day dawned bright and beautiful, unseasonably warm at more than 50F.   Rather than grabbing tights and gloves, Nana and I both settled on knickers.  Actually, the same knickers, only in different colors...we are, after all, basically the same person.   The pre-registered line was very very long, which was a little concerning as we had only arrived with about a half hour to spare.   Fortunately, the organizers realized that they were running out of time, and opened the Walkers Only line to the runners.   

After we got our numbers, we wandered out to the start line and milled about in the crowd.   While standing there, we ran into several folks from the bike club, which was great.   I fear I wasn't a very good friend, though, as I failed to introduce Nana to the group.  I'm sure she's used to it by now, as social graces are not exactly what I'm known for.    While we were talking, I kept checking my phone.   Ben had mentioned that he was considering coming out to run with us, but hadn't committed for sure.   I hadn't heard from him one way or the other, and when 8:20 rolled around, I figured he wasn't coming (the race started at 8:30).   However, as I was scanning the crowd to find the start, my eyes fell upon a freakishly tall fellow.  Ben!  

The race started, and we were off.   The weather continued to be great, and we had full run of the road.   We settled into a good chatting pace and proceeded to start knocking out the miles.    We did walk a few times, but as we were just out to enjoy the day, it was no big deal.   All the fun was in being out doing the run with friends, not in racing.  (Besides, I saw the top women's time...the only thing I'll ever be racing is my PR).   

At the end, Megan was on the sidelines cheering as we ran in.  It was the first time I've ever had someone cheering my name...that was pretty cool.   We stuck around and cheered for Dave and Randy as they came in, and then wandered inside to get snacks and water.   The food choices were pretty good, if you were wondering.  Even better, however, was the fact that Dave had brought his famous Monster Cookies, which I gladly partook of (and promptly erased whatever meager calorie deficit I had managed to acquire for the day).

All in all, a pretty great morning.   Running with someone is so much better than running alone.  I look forward to doing it again.   

(And for good measure, I did run a 5k (unofficially) on Saturday :) )

Triathlete or Tri-wanna-be?

I'm having a harder time getting into the swing of this off-season training thing than I thought I would have.  I believe there are a couple contributing factors, but mostly that just adds up to excuses for not doing what I know I need to.   Part of my problem (excuse #1), is that I'm sorta lonely.   I've gotten used to being part of a pack through the summer, frustrating as that can be.  Now, with the exception of spin class, it's just me, and somehow that's just not as fun.   I don't think there's much I can do about that, other than suck it up and focus on the goals.

Goals are part the problem as well (excuse #2).   It's all good and well to say "I'm going to do a tri!", but the fact is, that is still many months off.  I am, at heart, a short term kind of woman.   I like goals that I can knock off in a matter of weeks, not months.  As such, I'm going to spend some time coming up with some entertaining goals for myself (complete with rewards, naturally).    I'm thinking they are going to range from something like 'run 5 miles' to 'follow your workout plan for two weeks'.   The rewards will be in scale with the achievement, but I find they make the work all the sweeter.

The final problem is probably the most pernicious.   While I've mostly wrapped my head around doing a tri next year, I have yet to commit to being a triathlete.    As I mentioned in a previous post, if I do this thing, I want to do it well.   Unfortunately, I'm not exactly a natural athlete.   This is hard for me, and I'm not a person for whom many things are all that hard.   This is the biggest test for me, personally.  Am I willing to put forth the effort to do this?  Am I willing to put myself forward in this manner, knowing that I may well fail?  It's a mental game, an internal wrangling to decide which version of myself will prevail.   Will I be a triathlete?   Or a wanna-be?

DOMS, my old friend

Well, my first week of off-season training was mediocre at best.   I've decided to give myself a star on my calendar for each day I complete my entire workout.   This week I got three stars.   Ouch.   The spinning is easy, but the run requires me to work on my will power a bit more.  The swimming is probably going to have to wait until I have a chance to get to the bank and/or the Park and Rec office, as I don't ever have cash on hand to pay for the daily fee.   I paid on Monday with change, but I don't suspect the teenager who was life-guarding appreciated that.

On the positive, I did most of my strength workouts in.   I say most, because I was sore enough from the first  two that I decided to give the third a pass.   In fact, on my run on Saturday (which I did do), I had ample cause to ruminate on the less than desirable side effects of DOMS.   Suffice to say, there is not a sports bra on this planet that can hold firm enough to avoid pain from sore and inflamed pecs.  

Spin class was a highlight, however.   I found myself able to maintain standing workouts much more consistently.  Also, I felt like I was getting more out the workouts in general, in part due to more endurance, and in part due to knowing when to say screw it, I'm doing something different.   All of this, hopefully will continue through the rest of the winter, and pay dividends next spring.   We'll see, I guess.

For week two, I think I will focus on strength training, until I get the swim thing figured out.   I also need to find some different core workouts, as having that many exercises that require holding for that long is just too boring to do.   Maybe some sort of circuit?

"Off" season

Well, I've spent the last few weeks chilling out and not trying too hard to do much of anything.   I've taken the mountain bike out most weekends and had some fun discovering a new aspect of this crazy sport I've decided to make my own.    In the back of my mind, however, I've been ruminating on my plans for the off-season.   I have high hopes for next season, from doing my first (and subsequent) tri, to doing some serious riding -- and all of that will require that I am in better shape than I am right now.  

Next week marks the start of my off-season training plan.   It's a bit ambitious, and I'm sure it will be tweaked along the way, but this is what it looks like so far.

Monday - Morning swim (technique), evening spin
Tuesday - Morning strength (legs/core), evening run
Wednesday - Morning swim(endurance), evening run
Thursday - Morning strength (arms/core), evening spin
Friday - Morning swim (easy swim) -- Rest day
Saturday - Morning spin, afternoon run
Sunday - Strength (core focus)

I've never tried to put together a strength routine before.   My focus is largely on my core, as I need to set that right to avoid the mid season back issues I have had the last two years.   However, I want to work on arm and leg strength as well, for power purposes.   The following is my rough plan.

Legs:
10x Squat
10x Reverse Lunge
10x Side Leg Raise 
10x Calf Raise
10x 3-way Lunge

Core:
10x Windmill
10x Knee Cross Crunch
10x Prone Snow Angels
10x Plank w/ Knee Bend
10x Exercise Ball Arch

Arms:
10x Standing Shoulder Press
10x Prone Press
Push-ups (to exhaustion)
10x Skull Crushers
10x Chair Dips

Feel free to offer suggestions if you are so inclined.  I'm very new to this.