To borrow Buzz Lightyear's saying, "to infinity and beyond," today marks the day that I'm going to turn this training around! This is something I should have been doing all along, but I've been in a weird place the last few months. Things that were once important to me were put on the back burner in a lot of aspects of my life. BUT NOT ANY MORE (at least I hope - man, I still don't sound confident and convinced). Today I am going to the gym after work and I will follow my training schedule every day this week! No excuses! That's the plan. And then on Sunday I will be running in the Race for the Roses Half Marathon, which is good. That will force me to get in a long workout this weekend. Ugh, I just hope I am not self-sabotaging. I want to do this race. I have wanted to race and complete an Ironman for at least four years now (if not longer). Here is my chance, so what am I doing with that chance?! Where is the focus and the determination?!
It is like I need to get my heart back in the game. Why do I want this? Why am I pursuing this goal? This is no minor race. And the fact that April is in two days is CRAZY! April, May, then JUNE! June 21st - DDay! Dooms Day, Don't be a Dufus and Start Training Now Day, Do It Day!
Ok, so clearly I have a knack for stressing myself out and being a little over-dramatic. So, here is what I should focus on: just today's workout. I still have about 82 days until my race. If I pull it together and start training, I may still have a good chance of getting to that finish line in June. So, what do I need to do today to make sure I get to the gym and give it my all? I guess I just have to do it.
Don't tri...do!
That is it! A choice between action and contemplation. Just do it and then think about it later. As Coach Seth says, "continual forward progress" (I think that is the mantra - someone correct me if that is wrong). One foot in front of the other. The finish line is a fixed point. As long as I keep moving, at some point, I will arrive at my destination. Which means that starting today, I need to take my next step forward, which is getting to the gym and completing my workout.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
It's Gonna Take a Miracle...
(WARNING...this one is a long one in order to make up for missed blogging!)
Anyone hear of a good two month training program for the Ironman distance? No? Oh, is that because it's a major endurance race that takes months of conditioning in order to get your body ready for the beating that a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run dish out?! Ok, that's good to know.
I have pretty much screwed up my entire training program. I have a little over two months until CDA and somehow I need to get my butt in gear. Let's rewind four weeks and see what happened...
Week of Feb. 23rd:
I left for the Bahamas on a 7 day kayaking trip that left from Northern Exuma Island. It was an amazing trip! I got to camp and paddle and forget all about such everyday nuisances like cell phones, emails, my job, you know, the usual. But what I didn't do was train. The paddling was really leisurely and not so majorly cardio-focused. The beaches were not very long, so the idea of running back and forth forty times to get about 3 miles of running in did not really seem very motivating. And I did get to swim in the ocean twice, but that was more sight-seeing vs. cardio training. So, there went one week of preparation for CDA. But here are some of the things I got to see...
Week of Mar. 2nd:
Back to Portland and planned to go for a run with my pal/housemate Molly. She had plans to run 9 miles at Forest Park. I was up for the challenge but decided I should just take it "easy" and run 8 miles since I had not been running. The run started off just fine, I took it slow and ran by myself. I had my ipod and was listening to Motown tunes for the first mile until the head phones started having issues. I took them off and started to focus on my breathing and foot placement on the uneven terrain. This was probably better because I cannot use an ipod during the race, so I should really be training like I'll race.
Eventually I hit the mile 4 marker and headed back down the hill. Things were still going well. I had a moment or two where I thought that I should have turned around at the 3.5 marker but I didn't follow through with that thought. On the way down, I started feeling my knees. It felt like the second I passed the Mile 2 marker, signifying that I had completed 6 miles, both knees started hurting. The last two miles were spent with me wanting to scream and curse. I should have just stopped and walked, but I am stubborn and felt like I should have been able to run 8 miles. So I gimped along at a painfully slow shuffle. I tried to pick up my pace at one point, thinking that lengthening my stride would help, but it just caused my knees to feel more pressure and pain. I wanted to scream. I think I may have started crying out of frustration, but I kept shuffling along. I had a permanent grimace on my face and wanted to yell at anyone that I encountered on the trail. I must have looked evil.
My legs were tired and struggled with the uneven terrain, so every foot strike on the rocky ground sent a frustrating pain through my knees (not a sharp pain but a dull, pressure filled pain that makes me want to ball my fist and punch something or bite my lip until it bleeds). Fun times! But I did it! I completed the 8 miles and did not walk. I hurt and was frustrated at my lack of training, but I did it. I felt like I should be further along, and yes, truthfully, I should be.
The next day, I had planned to ride my bike starting from McMenamin's Edgefield up to Women's Forum. It is a short 20.5 mile ride or so. This was my test on my new bike considering I have not done any hill climbing with Roo and she does not have a granny gear. After the previous day's run, I was sure that this ride was going to kick my butt. But instead, I was pleasantly surprised. It was easier than I remember some of my "beginning" rides during previous tri seasons. I love the aero position and it felt good climbing, even though the grade is not as steep as I will need to get used to. But overall it was a confidence boosting ride!
Here are some pics I took with my cell at Women's Forum:
Week of Mar. 9th:
The 15K Shamrock run! I had a couple of days of cardio prior to the race (a 2 mile swim, some elliptical work and maybe a spin session - not enough for Ironman training). I was nervous about the run considering that the weekend before my knees had crapped out at 6 miles and this race was 9.3 miles of hill climbing, gradual down hill, and lots of cement pounding. Plus the weather was windy, rainy, and just plain delightful (kidding - it was miserable). But I took my time, focused on my form, and felt good. At mile 4, somewhere on the Terwilliger curves, my left knee started up. I felt nervous but tried to think positive and utilize my running mantra ("I am a runner...I run with the greatest of ease"). And something worked because my knees held up. I was even able to pick up my pace at Barbur Blvd all the way to the finish line (I was even passing people - it was AWESOME)! I finished the 9.3 miles in 1:36:47, and I felt good afterwards! HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT so you would think that training was back on track, right?!
Week of Mar. 16th:
Enter NCAA March Madness and college basketball. The Zags made it to the Sweet 16 and training essentially stopped for me.
Need I say more?! GO ZAGS!
Anyone hear of a good two month training program for the Ironman distance? No? Oh, is that because it's a major endurance race that takes months of conditioning in order to get your body ready for the beating that a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run dish out?! Ok, that's good to know.
I have pretty much screwed up my entire training program. I have a little over two months until CDA and somehow I need to get my butt in gear. Let's rewind four weeks and see what happened...
Week of Feb. 23rd:
I left for the Bahamas on a 7 day kayaking trip that left from Northern Exuma Island. It was an amazing trip! I got to camp and paddle and forget all about such everyday nuisances like cell phones, emails, my job, you know, the usual. But what I didn't do was train. The paddling was really leisurely and not so majorly cardio-focused. The beaches were not very long, so the idea of running back and forth forty times to get about 3 miles of running in did not really seem very motivating. And I did get to swim in the ocean twice, but that was more sight-seeing vs. cardio training. So, there went one week of preparation for CDA. But here are some of the things I got to see...
Week of Mar. 2nd:
Back to Portland and planned to go for a run with my pal/housemate Molly. She had plans to run 9 miles at Forest Park. I was up for the challenge but decided I should just take it "easy" and run 8 miles since I had not been running. The run started off just fine, I took it slow and ran by myself. I had my ipod and was listening to Motown tunes for the first mile until the head phones started having issues. I took them off and started to focus on my breathing and foot placement on the uneven terrain. This was probably better because I cannot use an ipod during the race, so I should really be training like I'll race.
Eventually I hit the mile 4 marker and headed back down the hill. Things were still going well. I had a moment or two where I thought that I should have turned around at the 3.5 marker but I didn't follow through with that thought. On the way down, I started feeling my knees. It felt like the second I passed the Mile 2 marker, signifying that I had completed 6 miles, both knees started hurting. The last two miles were spent with me wanting to scream and curse. I should have just stopped and walked, but I am stubborn and felt like I should have been able to run 8 miles. So I gimped along at a painfully slow shuffle. I tried to pick up my pace at one point, thinking that lengthening my stride would help, but it just caused my knees to feel more pressure and pain. I wanted to scream. I think I may have started crying out of frustration, but I kept shuffling along. I had a permanent grimace on my face and wanted to yell at anyone that I encountered on the trail. I must have looked evil.
My legs were tired and struggled with the uneven terrain, so every foot strike on the rocky ground sent a frustrating pain through my knees (not a sharp pain but a dull, pressure filled pain that makes me want to ball my fist and punch something or bite my lip until it bleeds). Fun times! But I did it! I completed the 8 miles and did not walk. I hurt and was frustrated at my lack of training, but I did it. I felt like I should be further along, and yes, truthfully, I should be.
The next day, I had planned to ride my bike starting from McMenamin's Edgefield up to Women's Forum. It is a short 20.5 mile ride or so. This was my test on my new bike considering I have not done any hill climbing with Roo and she does not have a granny gear. After the previous day's run, I was sure that this ride was going to kick my butt. But instead, I was pleasantly surprised. It was easier than I remember some of my "beginning" rides during previous tri seasons. I love the aero position and it felt good climbing, even though the grade is not as steep as I will need to get used to. But overall it was a confidence boosting ride!
Here are some pics I took with my cell at Women's Forum:
Week of Mar. 9th:
The 15K Shamrock run! I had a couple of days of cardio prior to the race (a 2 mile swim, some elliptical work and maybe a spin session - not enough for Ironman training). I was nervous about the run considering that the weekend before my knees had crapped out at 6 miles and this race was 9.3 miles of hill climbing, gradual down hill, and lots of cement pounding. Plus the weather was windy, rainy, and just plain delightful (kidding - it was miserable). But I took my time, focused on my form, and felt good. At mile 4, somewhere on the Terwilliger curves, my left knee started up. I felt nervous but tried to think positive and utilize my running mantra ("I am a runner...I run with the greatest of ease"). And something worked because my knees held up. I was even able to pick up my pace at Barbur Blvd all the way to the finish line (I was even passing people - it was AWESOME)! I finished the 9.3 miles in 1:36:47, and I felt good afterwards! HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT so you would think that training was back on track, right?!
Week of Mar. 16th:
Enter NCAA March Madness and college basketball. The Zags made it to the Sweet 16 and training essentially stopped for me.
Need I say more?! GO ZAGS!
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