Destination MoP is FULL (of motivation!) (Page 25)

Running my first 5k tomorrow.  Anyone else racing this weeking?

This 5k is a fund raiser for my son's soccer club.  The boy and Mrs. sschaar are also running  My goal is to average a 12 min/mile, so I expect to bring up the rear in our little family competition.

-Steve

Good Luck Steve!

Our kids frequently run with us in the smaller local races and it's always fun to have a little family competition going! Our kids can probably beat us  in an all out sprint, but once you start getting over 2 miles, they fade fast.  Hope you guys enjoy the family time.

Sorry for the delay in reporting back on how my first race went!  Here's my Race Report.

Overall though it was awesome!  I really had a blast the entire race!  I was nervous all the day before and that morning but once I got there I felt pretty good.  I feel like I was well prepared for every part, I was even comfortable during the swim (which was a relief!).  I actually ended up doing much better in all three sports than I had been in training (yay for adrenaline I guess! ), so that was a nice surprise. 

The weather was good.  I think it might have been a little hot for the spectators but with my tri top and shorts being slightly damp from the swim it was just enough to keep me comfortable the whole time.  Thankfully a lot of the bike course was shady too.  I think I hydrated and fueled well so I didn't have any issues there either.

All in all though everything went way better than I expected it would.  I was comfortable enough that I was able to just really enjoy myself and I could even appreciate in the moment how awesome everything was and how proud I was of myself to be doing what I was doing.  It was really an amazing day!

Hopefully all races after this one won't be anti-climactic, maybe this one being my first was special.  But I felt like a rockstar that day!  I felt like I had won a battle!  It was great, and I can't wait to do it again!

I gave myself a few days to rest, I was super-mega sore for a couple of days but I've got to get back in gear again.  My next race in only a few weeks away, lol!  I don't know how much improvement I'll be able to get between now and then but it'll still be cool to compare and reinforce for myself how much I'm loving this stuff.

Erin,

What an awesome race report and congrats on doing so well! You sound so happy and I love how you enjoyed the race. I'm a novice to this sport, but I was just talking the other day with a woman who also does these things and used to only run (like me) and she also said how it's so nice to finish a tri feeling good and strong rather than finishing a running race where everything hurts and you worry about recovering.

Hope everyone has fun with their events this weekend.

Joanne

Wow Erin, you rock!  What a truly awesome race.  I can only hope my first tri will be that successful.

-Steve

Oh BTW, my 5k was canceled.  Charlotte had some severe rain storms yesterday.  Parts of the trail along the greenway were several feet under water.

Thank you!

And that's a bummer Steve, I was looking forward to hearing how your 5k went.  Hopefully it will be rescheduled?

I haven't been good about setting my monthly goals, in fact I haven't been too good about sticking to my training plan either.  So I'm going to give it a shot for August:

1. Put together a new training plan and stick more closely to it
2. Swim at least 3 times a week (or substitute with weight lifting if I have to skip)
3. Join a cycling group for a group ride at least once a week (still not sure if I can keep up with a group yet, so I want to try to get to this point before the month's over)
4. Increase my running distance to 4.5 miles (just 1 mile more than where I'm at now)
5. Keep a good life balance.  Continue to train adequately but don't let it interfere with my home life or become something that stresses me out.  I'm doing this for fitness and fun, so keep it that way.

WOOO HOO!  Way to go on the weight! You are an inspiration!

Soooo I have not been too motivated but, also, not completely slacking...not completely.  But after the race reports and all of the inspiring goals met I am recommitted.  Plus, I have my first OLY in a short 5 weeks! 

Had a nice ride yesterday and attempted a 10K this morning...bonked and it turned into a 5K...blood sugar was 47 before I started and though I added a gel, after the first two miles I bonked.  Added an OWS at the lake this afternoon which was amazing.  Felt really good! Only about 500yds but a confidence booster none the less.  Last year I was too afraid to swim to the buoys and back.

My other issue is work and the drive to work are draining me.  I am exhausted everyday and by Friday I am dead!  Twice last week I fell asleep during my lunch break! My position has changed and its a bit more stressful so I need to adjust I guess. 

So June and July goals were not met...I do not like to get on the computer after working on it all day so I have not been logging my meals but I have been eating every three hours and aware of what I am putting in my mouth.

Aug Goals:

Run a 10K once a week

Do 5K 2x a week

Swim 2x

Bike - long 1x

Bike short 1x

Get ready for this OLY coming up...yikes!  Later this month will be my one year anniversary of completing a triathlon.  I am looking forward to seeing the difference in time...hope there is a difference in time ha ha, there will be! 

Diana Nyad is attempting to swim from Cuba to Florida, 103 miles, at the age of 61.  It is estimated that it will take her 60 hours.  Think about that.  Swimming for 60 hours.

She started last night.  Follow her progress here.  My new mantra is "extreme dream" when I get tired during training.

Dang, and I was feeling good about running 10 miles this morning.  Now I feel like a total slacker ;-) 

Pretty amazing... GO DIANA!

Wow, it's so great to come on here and read about everyone's achievements.  I'm always so pleased to hear when things are going well.

I'm really struggling at the moment.  I'm trying to get back into training, but after over a month of very little exercise I'm feeling really unfit.  I'm also struggling because in addition to my knee (which is improving, but still not right, so making me very nervous) I'm also getting a lot of foot pain due to an old injury exacerbated by the amount of time I'm spending on foot at work.  I've spoken to my physio about it and he's suggested we try strapping it to mimic an orthotic to see if that would help.  Which is great in theory, but it's almost impossible to actually do it because my physio is SO busy all the time (he's too good, and so never has any free time).  So it's getting more painful by the day, with no end in sight.  And that's before I go out and do the 10/12/14 mile runs I've got on my training plan.  So unsurprisingly I'm finding it hard to motivate myself to get out there and do the runs...  Currently I'm sitting (at 0030hrs after work) with an ice pack on my knee and my foot in a bowl of iced water, in the hope that it will feel better before a run in the morning.

On a completely unrelated note, have you guys heard anything about the rioting in London?  It's all gone a bit mad.  An hour before the end of our tour of duty today half my shift got mobilised to go down there to provide a riot team.  Bearing in mind we cover up to the border with Scotland, we're the furthest force possible from London, so I guess it's really bad.  I'm really feeling for the guys who are heading down there.  We worked a busy 10 hour shift, and then instead of going home to bed at midnight they got in a carrier and have a 6.5 hour drive to london, where they will have to work probably 8 hours against the rioters tomorrow before coming home again.  And that's if they bring them home and don't keep them down there for longer. :-(

Andrea - great job on the weight!  And you sound revved up on the training as well - I'm excited for your upcoming Sprint!

Steve - bummer about the 5K - any other ones coming up you can do as a family?  We seem to have them almost every weekend here - they aren't all well publicized though - sometimes you have to search a bit to find them.

Melanie - way to push it at the beach - vacations seem to go either way for me - really healthy or a real set back.  Sounds like you took the better route!

Cynthia - sounds like you had a great swim.  Hope that as time goes on, the new position at work won't be quite so draining for you.  New responsibilities and relationships always are draining at first until you get a new routine going.  Keeping my fingers crossed for ya!

If you haven't had the chance to read Erin's race report - take a moment or two to do so.  I want to commend her on a REALLY good first tri.  What is especially impressive is how well paced her race was.  Notice that Erin's run ranking is better than her swim and bike meaning that she paced herself really well.  For those of you who are heading into your first tri, that's a really good goal.  Making sure you have plenty in the engine for the run - part of that is training, of course, but part of it is also race-day strategy.  Congrats again, Erin :-)  Also have to say your picture looks the part of a triathlete!

Rach - I was just reading about the riots today.  Sounds really bad.  Hope you and your crew will be safe and that things calm down.  On my more reflective days, I wonder how long it will be until we have them here too.  But that's for another board.  That knee / foot stuff is such a tough call.  I can't imagine the increase in training will help... maybe your lack of motivation is trying to tell you something?  Personally, I'd probably be working on my swimming if I were in your shoes (or biking if that isn't making things more painful).  Can't do much about the work, I imagine.  :-(

Hey, one other mid-term check point.  How are your shoes holding up?  When was the last time you bought a new pair - if you're over 300 miles on your current pair and you're starting to get some tweaks in the knees, hips or feet... and you wear shoes with a fair amount of support... might be time to start cycling in a new pair.  Why do I mention this... cuz I think my time is up!

Hope everyone has a great week.  I drive to Florida on Wed / Thurs (18 hours) and then fly to Michigan for a week-long course.  I've had 4 weeks of family visiting and I've revisited old eating habits with the expected outcomes.  Funny how we can revert based on environment.  Anyway, after I get back from Michigan, things calm down again other than taking my daughter up to college over Labor Day.  Plus, the weather should start cooling off - FINALLY!

Take care everyone,

Stu

Stu, thanks so much!   I definitely made a conscious effort to reserve my energy and dole it out in the right proportions.  I think doing a lot of Brick workouts helped me know what it would feel like and what to expect.  For the majority of my training until pretty recently I was having the worst time with the run because I'd go out too fast at some point and have no energy left and I'd feel terrible.  Many times I'd have to cut my run short or stop and walk.  So the fear of feeling that horrible in the race was a big motivator to me to take it easy.  I decided I'd rather be slow but comfortable and happy than faster and in pain and misery with the chance of having to stop and walk.

Rach, I'm terrible about keeping up with the news so I just looked up what's going on over there.  That's terrible and scary!  I hope it ends soon, you stay safe and can get some rest.

I'm continuing my strange week.  It's very up and down. 

I haven't managed any training because the pain in my foot was just too much, but this morning I finally managed to see my physio and get it strapped up.  Since then I haven't had any pain.  Hopefully that means that an orthotic will solve the problem, which is great news.  I'm really hoping to get a run in tomorrow to check if that's also pain free.  That would be great. 

We're working really long shifts at work this week (up to 13 hours) to cover for people who are down in London and Manchester helping out with the problems.  It's not really conducive to doing anything other than sleep and work, but I'm really hoping to get a bit of training in over the next two days while I'm on rest days.  Of course there's always a possibility I'll get called into work, but I'm hoping for at least one clear day.

Another bit of fantastic news I got this evening is that our local tri club have chosen me as one of the people they are going to fund to become a triathlon coach!  I put myself forward because I've been involved in teaching/coaching a few different physical activities before (among other things I was a professional ski instructor) and really enjoyed it.  I wasn't sure if I'd get selected because I think quite a lot of people want to do it, and with my shifts I can't commit to a session every week.  However, for whatever reason I've been chosen.  The level 1 course is in November, and then I'm expected to do some coaching for the club under the supervision of a more senior coach.  I'm really excited about that.

Hope everyone's having a good positive week.  Anyone competing this weekend?  I'm meant to be doing my 2nd ever OLY a week on Sunday.  Going to have to see how things go over the next couple of days before I make a final decision about that...

Loved this quote on her FB page:

"Your success isn't measured by the distance, but what you dared to achieve and those you inspired along the way!"

Who do we have racing this weekend?  Who will you inspire today?

Rach - many congrats on being selected - you'll be a great coach!  You're very positive, supportive and you have a desire to learn - all great qualities for a tri coach.  I'm not surprised to hear that you had coached before.  No doubt this will also be a great motivator for you to continue your growth as a triathlete as well.  Funny thing is that I almost asked to see if you'd be interested in filling in for Heidi when things got too busy :-) 

Glad to hear about the progress with recovery for your injury.  I'll just do my usual plug for long-term thinking :-)

On other subjects, arrived safely in Florida last night after 18 hours of driving.  This morning's run was not inspiring, but I did it.  Wow is it humid down here - 82 degrees at 7am and the humidity was so much worse than normal Virginia weather.  I have more respect than ever for those who train through the summer in Florida (or Texas - ick!)

Hope everyone has a great weekend and good luck to anyone racing.  I fly to Michigan tomorrow.  Last stop on this week's whirlwind tour!

Stu

Sorry I've been quiet lately - like others, I've work has been busy, and we decided to sell our townhouse & move to a house without adjoining neighbors (of course my wonderful husband, the stay at home dad, has taken on the brunt of the work on that one, even though he has an olympic this weekend & is training for a HIM in Sept).

@Melanie - the swim in the lake was fine - it's a pretty straight course so the buoys are easy to see (other than the sun glare, be warned), which was nice.  However, there's definitely some seaweed/vegetation that gets caught on your hands at times - I didn't have that really happen until the end of the swim, so that was good.  I am not thrilled at the logistics of the shuttle, pre-race mandatory inspections & that the roads don't close for the race. I know we'll be spread out, but I'm not sure how 1800ish women on 2 lane hilly roads that aren't closed to traffic & don't have huge shoulders is going to work out, even with officials directing traffic.  I guess I shouldn't be too pessimistic before the race even starts, huh? 

@Rachel - we're following the news & all I can think is it's insanity & very scary!  Congrats on being selected to coach & I hope you're able to continue healing.  I think I'm finally done with my patellar tendinitis, but will continue to be very careful for the next few weeks (just in case) - but Stu is right - think long term.

@Stu & Erin - belatedly, congrats on your races.

I let July slip by without focusing on my goals, so I've set new ones for August on my BT page & will post them for the group.

I didn't actually enjoy my 1st tri in Jun, so my #1 goal for August (my 2nd tri ever) is to actually enjoy the experience.

I'm really feeling the (positive) effect of yoga on Saturdays, so I've decided to make it my core-related goal for August.  I've held fairly steady at the same weight for a few months, but that's not exactly what I want or need, so I need to re-focus on eating & weight loss in August, particularly after my race. 

August goals:

Wow Rach, that's really exciting news on being selected for the coaching training.  It sounds like your club is really awesome.  In the meantime hang in there, it sounds like you're juggling a lot right now.  I hope things quiet down soon and you finally make progress on healing your injury.

Stu, I actually moved to Maine from FL almost 2 years ago now.  I had wanted to get into triathlons many years before that but the FL heat was just too limiting for me.  Just going outside to do the yard work was enough to make me feel sick, let alone training for a triathlon.  So I agree, anyone in those super hot areas that has the motivation to train and compete in that weather is very impressive to me, I couldn't do it.

Just did a Brick on the course for my 2nd tri next weekend.  It went well.  The bike course is slightly more challenging than the last one I did but not by too much and now I know where all the hills are so that should help.   It'll be very interesting comparing this next race to my first one.  The first one was about 1100 women (women only) and brings in a lot of novices and a ton of spectators.  This next one is much smaller, men and women, and I'll expect there to be more experienced athletes in the mix.  So I might end up more back of the pack but that's ok.  My goal will be to have fun first and then improve at least a little on my times.