Keeping my Training Compass Focused on the Journey

It’s April - my June Sprint tri (my second tri -- ever) is 2 months away from tomorrow. Tri training just got real. For whatever reason, even after doing one sprint triathlon, or any distance of triathlon still seems overwhelming - not the run, not the bike, but that swim, and the combination of the three sports?

My goal for the 2018 Callaway Sprint Tri is to match or beat last year’s time for each part of the tri. Here are my splits from the 2017 Callaway Sprint Tri:

Swim (400m)	11:29
Bike (9 miles)	37:32
Run (2 miles)	24:31
Total Time	1:20:37

Week 1 Triathlon Training:

My first week plan featured one bike ride of 65 minutes and one 30 minute swim. The workouts for Week 1 did not go as planned:

	Plan (Time)	Actual (Time)	Distance
Bike	65 minutes	34:12	6.68 miles plus 35 minute walk
Swim	30 minutes	29:20	600 yards
Run	3 X OTF	5 days X OTF

For the week 1 bike ride, my friend and I had decided to do our bike ride right after our OrangeTheory Fitness (OTF) class.  I stack workouts like this often and not had an issue.  About 15 minutes into the Week 1 ride, my allergies and breathing got the best of me. In Georgia, in April, pollen counts for trees and grass are somewhere in the 3,000 - 5,000 range. I had to turn around 5K into the ride and finished the week 1 bike ride with 10K and 35 minutes  I had hoped, and planned for double that time and distance, at least.

As for the Week 1 swim, I tried to focus on just getting comfortable in the water once again -- swimming is not, nor ever been something I feel confident. 600 yards is the distance I ended with - not great but it is what it is.

Week 2 Triathlon Training

The plan for week 2 only increased the bike workout time by 5 minutes and only had 1 swim workout planned.

	Plan (Time)	Actual (Time)	Distance
Bike	70 minutes	1:15:33	17.8 miles
Swim	30 minutes	29:29	700 yards
Run	3 X OTF	6 days X OTF

I just finished week #2 and happy to say training did not make me feel overwhelmed like week #1 did. The bike ride felt great and happy to report I came out at 14.1 mph -- so much better than last week.  We also did a 10 minute run immediately after this ride to complete our first brick workout -- this part was pretty horrible but it got done. Week #3 will increase the duration of the bike to 80 minutes and follow with a 10 minute run.

The swim for week #2 was so much better than the week before - I believe I am starting to relax in the pool and was able to increase my distance to 700 yards this week - in the same amount of time as last week.  Week #3 will see an increase of 1 swim this week for a total of 2. I have a lot of work to do with the swim.

Running this week went well - I am doing my running workouts at OrangeTheory Fitness as part of my 60 minute class.  I am also completing the OrangeTheory UltraMarathon challenge to complete 31.1 miles of running distance in the month of April - this is helping keep me accountable to get the distance in.  Week #3 will have a decrease in the number of running days from 6 to 4 but I have a 5K race next Saturday.  I am hoping to finish the 5K in under 30 minutes!

I have been amazed though at how hungry I have been with these increased workouts - definitely going to have to keep a handle on the food monster waiting to tempt me at every turn.

The highlight of this training week though was getting to run a couple of miles at a group run and then hear Scott Jurek, a runner who broke the record for the fastest through hike on the Appalachian Trail in 2015, talk about his experiences and his new novel, North.  Scott is an inspiration, gave lots of great insights, and reminded me to take on new adventures when I am feeling burnt out or lacking passion for what I am doing.  Jurek motivated me to keep my tri training compass focused on the journey 

Stay tuned for week #3 and 5K race updates.  Thanks for joining me as I grow and learn through my tri training.

Why Running?

I’m not sure what the reason is - but I have thought a lot about this lately.  Why do I run, why did I start running?

Truth is - I am really not sure why I started running. I was not athletic growing up. In school, I was always one of the last few kids chosen to be on a team in PE class or for games at recess. My mother's friends and extended family described me as "pudgy" or "chubby."  This fueled a life long obsession with my weight, yo-yo dieting, and comparing myself to others.

I know in the beginning of 2009 I was sick of the way I looked, the way I thought, and the way I felt. A family wedding was coming up so I did the typical thing - I hired a personal trainer to help me lose weight and to help me get in better shape. Running was not, even randomly, in my thoughts of getting fit.  Even 10 minutes on the Arc Trainer seemed as a lifetime.

And, then it happened.  My friend dared, yes DARED me, to run a 5K that she was helping direct.  I had NEVER run a race in my life for any reason - including having anyone chase me. I couldn’t back down from a dare, especially when I was trying to become more “fit.”

It was March 2009 on a rainy, cold day - I ran trail 5K at a local park, and, I didn’t die. It was honestly not half bad.  I didn’t train for the race other than what I had been doing with the personal trainer.  My time for the race was 42:41 - an okay pace for my first 5K I thought.  And, so, it began.  I ran several more 5K’s and worked on getting my times down. I continued to run more and more.  I...was...hooked.

At the end of the first summer of running, I signed up for a half marathon. I was invigorated by the training - I felt alive and very positive about what I was doing. It was the first time I had felt this way in many years.  My first half marathon was the 13.1 Marathon Atlanta with a time of 2:36.

First Half Marathon - 13.1 Marathon Atlanta
October 2009

I wondered if I could run a marathon. I asked my husband’s opinion - he told me I couldn’t. I was devastated, and I set out to prove him wrong. I signed up for the 2010 Disney Marathon and marathon training began.

First Marathon - 2010 Walt Disney World Marathon
January 2010

I finished the 2010 Walt DisneyWorld Marathon with a time of 5:56.  The bug had officially bitten - I did a marathon about 8 weeks later - the 2010 ING Georgia Marathon with an improved time of 5:45.

ING Georgia Marathon
March 2010

There have been 8 other marathons, 31 other half marathons, and a 50k since the first two marathons.  I used to tell people I ran to set a better example for my kids or to inspire others.  The truth is the reason I run is pretty selfish.  I run to find me. I run to find that calm space inside myself, to think, and to solve all the world’s problems. I run to be with my tribe who are mostly runners.  I became an RRCA Certified Running Coach to help others find their why - to find themselves through running.

2018 is bringing me into a different space.  I am finding new confidence in my running and myself thanks in part to OrangeTheory Fitness (@otfdouglasville) for the fitness transformation of the last 15 months and the loss of 30 pounds. I was blessed to be chosen to be a Skirt Sports Ambassador for 2018 and also part of Team Zensah 2018.  Running continues to take me on adventures that I never  imagined. Running is a gift, a blessing, and it continues to be a great teacher.

Are you considering going for a run? If you want an adventure that will take you to new places, put on those running shoes, head out for a walk, and maybe a run.  The hardest step is the first one.

Fair Weathered Runner?

Okay, I admit it.  I am a fair weathered runner.  I would rather be inside, taking my favorite OrangeTheory Fitness classes with the treadmill, than be out in the cold and/or rain in the winter months.  Just a tip - taking back to back OrangeTheory classes match up with tough long runs any time for endurance!  And yes, I am a self-confessing OrangeTheory addict.

This week, the last full week in February - we have spring like temperatures here in the Atlanta area - up in the 70s.  It has been glorious. On Monday, I went with my best running friend to Athens to join her and her sister for a 11 mile long run before a half marathon next weekend.  While it was kind of gloomy outside that day - it was warm. I was jumping for joy because it was so wonderful to be out in a running skirt instead of tights, long sleeves, and gloves.

A bike ride on Diana the Wonder Woman Bike was my cross training for the week - a 12 mile bike ride on Thursday.  The goal was to do 10 miles at a relaxed pace of 12 miles per hour just to get the initial ride of the year out of the way.  My riding partner and I got behind some ladies out for a leisurely stroll of 9.5 - 11 mph for the first half of our ride - we just decided to join in and enjoy the relaxed pace.  Of course, we decided to add on an extra couple of miles at the turnaround so we did and pushed the pace on the return to an average of 15+ mph for the final 6 miles.

On Saturday, I did a 6.5 mile run with my Galloway training group. The weather was spectacular - about 60 degrees, partly cloudy, and a gentle breeze. Running has not felt like this in a while - it was relaxed, conversational, and therapeutic. It was the kind of run that made me want to go home and sign up for more races (which I did not) or buy new running clothes at Skirt Sports - it must be spring. My husband was happy that I decided to work in the yard instead - my wallet is too!

My first half marathon of 2018 is next weekend is in one of my favorite destination spots - Seaside, Florida!  I am planning on pushing my pace at the race, depending on the weather - let’s just see how this goes…race report is next!

Flourishing through fitness - 2018 Edition

Do you have big goals for 2018?  It has been said - if your goals don’t scare you, they are not big enough.  Do your goals scare you for this coming year?

I’ve been spending some time this last few weeks thinking about my fitness goals for 2018 - most of my goals this year are focused around gaining speed at shorter distances, doing an olympic distance triathlon, and adding a few states to my 50 races in 50 states goal.  I do have to say...my goals scare me.

My big fitness goals for 2018?

A Sub-30 minute 5K
Meet or beat my prior Half Marathon PR of 2:22
Finish an Olympic Distance Triathlon standing up and smiling
Add Colorado and Maine to the 50 races in 50 states, that will make 9 out of 50 complete.

My races for 2018:

3/2;2018:  Seaside School Half Marathon in Seaside, Florida
4/21/2018: Sweetwater 420 Fest 5K. Atlanta, GA
6/3/2018: Skirt Sports 13er, Louisville, Colorado
6/16/2018:  Callaway Gardens Sprint Triathlon
8/25/2018:  Callaway Gardens Olympic Distance Triathlon
10/14/2018: Mount Desert Island Half Marathon in Bar Harbor, Maine

I needed this reminder to help me focus in on what I need to do this year -

Thanks to @shelleygiglio for posting this on her instagram.  It's okay to have big goals - but I have to work for it!  #REALwomenmove

So excited to get started and represent!  What are your big goals for the year? What do you have planned?

I will flourish here - a journey begins

We all have choices about how we are going to move forward with life and its challenges…. How do you do it?

I don’t know about you - but I have seriously struggled.  This 54 year old female has floundered around with life's ups and downs with feelings of self doubt, weight management, and an eating disorder while pretending that everything was fine to those around me.

2017 was a year of change for me. I chose to do things differently with everything from my mindset,  to the way I eat, and the way I train.  I lost 30 pounds, changed my self talk, and was able to improve my best marathon time by over 42 minutes. This was the beginning.  And, in 2018, I am on a journey to continue, to flourish...

Flourish is defined by Merriam-Webster.com as a verb meaning to grow luxuriantly: or to thrive. A plant grows through seasons - it is planted or grows new growth in the spring, produces its fruit or blossoms in the summer, prepares for cold in the fall, and dies back in the winter.  The plants grow more heartily when given fertilizer, water, and adequate sunlight.  Occasionally though, a plant must be pruned in order to grow to be its best - such as an apple tree that must be trimmed in order to flourish and bear fruit each season.

To flourish, we, as humans, are much like plants.  Our life experiences enrich us, perhaps “prune” us, and help us to grow stronger as we continue our journey in life. We are where we are for a reason -- it could be for a short season, or could be for a lifetime.  We have choices about how we grow -- what we learn in each and every challenge that we face.

I am planted here … I am choosing to grow, to learn, to absorb what I can from this season I am in.  The blog I am starting is to document this journey about life experiences, blessings and challenges - how they help me to flourish right where I am. A warning - a lot of my life journey is focused on running and fitness - there will be a lot of talk about that and the adventures my friends talk me into.

My goal in sharing with you is that it keeps me accountable to both you and me.  I hope that you will join me in my blogging journey as the flourishing begins….