running

Training for Success

Do you have to eat every 2 hours? Get HANGRY if you don’t?  Are you able to go go go all day long then crash once you actually sit down?  Require a giant glass of wine/beer after work just to “unwind”?  Use working out to beat yourself up as a stress relief?  Have trouble falling asleep? Wake up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep?

This defined me.  Family and friends knew meals and snacks were a necessity if you didn’t want the bitch to come out.  Missing a meal was never an option.

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2017 Triathlon Season

Today was a wrap on the 2017 triathlon season!  Since my first one last year, I have fallen in love with this race.  I completed 3 Tris this year – one was suppose to be an ocean swim, but due to rough waters it was cancelled (Islandman Triathlon in Avalon); another in a pool which I’m not a fan of the serpentine style race (Lititz RecCenter Triathlon); and a lake which was awesome, even if my shoulder was acting up and I had to breast stroke the entire distance (Marshman Triathlon in Marsh Creek State Park).

Like all my half marathons, I really do need to start properly training for these events.  I do believe going to CrossFit a few times a week does help build strength and endurance, but CrossFit does not prepare you for sitting on a bike for extended period…Luckily you can swim however you want so there is always breast stroke. I would actually like to do better so I really need to start freestyling and conserving my energy for the other 2 legs.  Maybe next year I’ll properly plan and train for any Tris I decide to compete in….I do always say this for whatever race I sign up for…one day tho!

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Lititz Triathlon Recap

I do have one regret from last weekend’s triathlon…I should have gone harder. I’ve had the mentality lately of showing up and doing the work without pushing myself. Sunday’s race was no different. I swam and biked with minimal effort.

I am competitive but I’ve tried to keep it under control the last few years. It is more with myself than it is with other people. However, a little friendly competition isn’t going to hurt. The friend that got me into triathlons was doing this one. We both signed up last minute without any true training for the tri. But CrossFit trains you for anything, right?!

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Overtraining

CRAP! The Islandman Triathlon is officially less than 3 weeks away.  I am starting to freak out a little about the race.  Since signing up (February?) I haven’t had a game plan – real surprise there, right?  Even though this is nothing new (I have never truly stuck to any sort of training program), I thought this time would be different.  I do want to do really well, not trying to win awards here, but I do want to crush it to my own ability.  Either way, I know I will be able to cross that finish line.  The only possible disappointment I’ll have is when I don’t beat the three others that I’m doing it with.  But to my defense, they do have more experience with triathlons, access to a pool for training whenever they want, and are taller than me = longer running strides.

Last week was a short work week due to Memorial Day, so I thought I would have more time to do things I wanted to do.  It was 4 weeks to go until the triathlon.  Again, no real training plan so I didn’t think much of what I was doing every day.  Well I was totally wrong, I definitely over did it.  My body is SCREAMING at me this past weekend and still is today.  My quads and hip flexors are extremely tight.

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PR 5K and Training

I have a LOVE  H A T E relationship with running.  But this year, this “training” cycle, something is working.  I’m training way less than I used to, but over a two week period I PR’d my 5K time TWICE.  The latest was AFTER a 17 mile bike ride – HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!

On April 30th, I ran a 5K at the Philly Zoo.  This was not easy as the paths throughout the zoo are narrow and we started at the back of the pack.  Obviously, we had to make a bathroom stop before the run!  The first mile was super slow as I was trying to weave my way around the walkers and strollers – 10:37. This was the first time EVER (training or race) that I had negative splits! Mile 2 – 8:28. Mile 3 – 8:11!  That race I would have considered my ideal time at 27:21.40.

Two weeks later I decided to finally get on my bike, the triathlon was 5 weeks away and I had yet to try out the new bike or even get a ride in.  No expectations for the day, I told myself I would bike 30 minutes out and come back.  As I changed shoes I ate a Phat Fudge packet and had a few sips of water.  Again, I set out with no expectations, I just wanted to run 3 miles without stopping.  Honestly thought this was a struggle.  As I ran up the hill to my car I looked down at my phone and saw that I was CRUSHING IT.  How was that possible, I felt like I was running so slow and my form was awkward as hell (at least that’s how it felt after the bike).  So I decided I was going to see what my 5K time would be and ran around the parking lot until my phone hit 3.1.  To my surprise I killed that run – 25:31. HOW?!?!

I have been in complete shock with how I was able to run my best 5K time EVER after an hour bike ride. Over the past week I’ve done a lot of reflection trying to figure out what I did to get here and realized this time around I have completely changed the way I train, especially when there is a race in my future.

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