"My body immediately reacts to a lack of exercise. 'Take me outside' it cries; 'let me out'". Paula Zahn
This weekend was the first of many challenging weekends we will have this spring with the kid's volleyball and soccer tournaments. Madison had her first out-of-town volleyball tournament.
Ever since December 26th, I had done a swim, bike or run every day.....until Friday. Knowing we had the tournament and knowing the hotel had a gym, I packed enough clothes to run each day we were there. I was planning to run Friday evening once we arrived at the hotel and got checked in. What I didn't count on was lots of rain and leaving the house an hour later than we planned. By the time we got to the hotel, it was time for the parent meeting. By the time we were done, it was 9:30 at night and I was still full from our late dinner. The streak was broken as no workout got done.
Saturday morning we were up early for the girls' first game of the tournament. They had three games and were done around 2. They played awesome, winning 2 of the 3 matches. As we were leaving, some issues arrived that caused us to be later getting back to the hotel than planned, but I headed to the exercies room anyway. It was a TINY room. I managed to get in 45 minutes on the treadmill. Then I showered and we went out to eat.
Sunday was another early morning. The girls unfortunately played the #1 ranked team of the tournament. They played hard, but it wasn't enough. After a 2 hour break they played their other two games. Again, earlier issues of the weekend had an affect on the girls emotionally and they lost the next two matches as well. They were a player short so Madison was playing front row and back row. They played their hearts out and were exhausted. The parents decided to take the girls downtown for some Tex-Mex and let them bond as a team. We had about 25 people for dinner. But after eating Tex-Mex and getting back late, there was no way I was getting on the treadmill. And I needed it after sitting at the games all day.
Monday morning my body was screaming, "I need a workout". Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for me) we had someone bang on our door at 6am. Obviously they had the wrong room, but now that I was awake I decided to head to the treadmill for an hour run and then meet the girls in the lobby for breakfast. I got in my run and felt much better.
Then it was off to the final day of the tournament. It was win or go home. The girls won the first two matches and made it to the finals. And the final match went to 3 games. They fought so hard, but were sooooo tired. They ended up with second place in their bracket. We were all so proud.
Today it was hard to go back to work and I think it was hard for the girls to go back to school. Madison said she almost fell asleep in class. And they all looked sluggish at practice. Me? I feel better after getting back into my workout routine. My body needs it.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Enough For Today
"Jesus said, 'Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.'" Matthew 6:34 (NRSV)
Every morning before I leave for work, I read a devotional for the day. A few days ago I read one from The Upper Room that I felt applies to Ironman training. The quote above was the verse for the devotional. Following is the rest of the devotional:
In my backyard is a small pond that I made a few years ago. I decided to direct some of the rainwater runoff from the roof of our house to the pond, using plastic drainage pipe. The pipe was 100 feet long and would need to be buried underground. I did not want to spend the money to rent a trencher, though the ground was full of roots, making the job difficult. After an hour of digging with a pick and shovel, I realized that I didn't need to dig 100 feet all at once. I could do a few feet each day and, eventually, I would complete the job.
I have often found that a particular task seems too great when I look at it in its entirety. However, when I break it down into smaller parts and do just what I can do today, I can complete the task over time.
Jesus encouraged us to deal with today's concerns and to trust him for the rest - for all that we need in the future. When I trust God for one-day-at-a-time strength, what at first seems impossible becomes more than possible. It becomes accomplished!Mike Smoot (Virginia)
To me, this applies to Ironman training in the sense that you have to do the day-to-day workouts and not worry about race day. When most people first get into triathlons, completing an Ironman seems impossible. But,if you do the work required each day, then on race day you WILL accomplish your goal.
So that's what I'm going to do. Follow the plan. Do the required work each day and see where it takes me. And if I complete the scheduled workout I can say, "Enough for today".
Every morning before I leave for work, I read a devotional for the day. A few days ago I read one from The Upper Room that I felt applies to Ironman training. The quote above was the verse for the devotional. Following is the rest of the devotional:
In my backyard is a small pond that I made a few years ago. I decided to direct some of the rainwater runoff from the roof of our house to the pond, using plastic drainage pipe. The pipe was 100 feet long and would need to be buried underground. I did not want to spend the money to rent a trencher, though the ground was full of roots, making the job difficult. After an hour of digging with a pick and shovel, I realized that I didn't need to dig 100 feet all at once. I could do a few feet each day and, eventually, I would complete the job.
I have often found that a particular task seems too great when I look at it in its entirety. However, when I break it down into smaller parts and do just what I can do today, I can complete the task over time.
Jesus encouraged us to deal with today's concerns and to trust him for the rest - for all that we need in the future. When I trust God for one-day-at-a-time strength, what at first seems impossible becomes more than possible. It becomes accomplished!Mike Smoot (Virginia)
To me, this applies to Ironman training in the sense that you have to do the day-to-day workouts and not worry about race day. When most people first get into triathlons, completing an Ironman seems impossible. But,if you do the work required each day, then on race day you WILL accomplish your goal.
So that's what I'm going to do. Follow the plan. Do the required work each day and see where it takes me. And if I complete the scheduled workout I can say, "Enough for today".
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
I Got Spoiled
"Once you have established the goals you want and the price you're willing to pay, you can ignore the minor hurts, the opponent's pressure and temporary failures." Coach Lombardi
Being off work last week spoiled me in more than one way. I enjoyed "sleeping in", which for me means sleeping until I wake up on my own. No alarm clock. But I usually can't sleep past 7:00am. Last week I think I even slept until almost 8 one day. But the real way I got spoiled was that I got my workout in first thing and then was done for the day. This was good for two reasons.
First of all, getting my workout in first thing in the morning means that I had no excuse later in the day to not do the workout. It was already done. And while I'd love to get in some workouts first thing in the morning on any given day, I'm not to the point where I'm willing to do that - YET. I know that day will come, but not now. I get up at 5:30 as it is. I'm not willing to get up any earier until I get into the heart of Ironman training.
The second reason getting the workout in first thing has to do with the weather. We have had some unseasonably cold weather for us. The day after Christmas my run was in 29 degree weather. And that's the weird thing. If I get up and get dressed to run in the cold, and go out and run in the cold first thing, I don't mind. I know that I'll warm up as I go and that when I get home I can take a nice warm shower and then I will be warm the rest of the day. But, if I get out in the cold and know how cold it is and then get warm again before doing my run, it feels so much colder getting out in it. I can't explain it, but it's hard to make myself run in even 50 degree weather after being at work all day. Knowing I have to get back in the cold is tough, but that's what I did today. I got home from work, got dressed for cold weather running and headed out for an hour long run in the low 50s. I know that may be warm for some of you, but it's cold for us. And it's only going to get worse. Thursday and Friday we are suppose to have high temps only in the 30s. And it's suppose to get down to 19. You won't find me outside running in those temps. Go ahead and call me a wimp. That's why I own a treadmill.
And back to the quote at the top - when I was out on my run today I got a side cramp about 20 minutes into the run. Normally I would have stopped and walked to see if it would go away. But I know that when I stop to walk, I have a hard time getting in that running groove again. Knowing that I will face cramps, pain and doubt during the Ironman, I kept going. I slowed my pace some, but I kept going. That cramp stayed with me for probably 10-15 minutes before it finally went away. But I ignored the minor hurt because I have a goal. And that goal is always on my mind.
Being off work last week spoiled me in more than one way. I enjoyed "sleeping in", which for me means sleeping until I wake up on my own. No alarm clock. But I usually can't sleep past 7:00am. Last week I think I even slept until almost 8 one day. But the real way I got spoiled was that I got my workout in first thing and then was done for the day. This was good for two reasons.
First of all, getting my workout in first thing in the morning means that I had no excuse later in the day to not do the workout. It was already done. And while I'd love to get in some workouts first thing in the morning on any given day, I'm not to the point where I'm willing to do that - YET. I know that day will come, but not now. I get up at 5:30 as it is. I'm not willing to get up any earier until I get into the heart of Ironman training.
The second reason getting the workout in first thing has to do with the weather. We have had some unseasonably cold weather for us. The day after Christmas my run was in 29 degree weather. And that's the weird thing. If I get up and get dressed to run in the cold, and go out and run in the cold first thing, I don't mind. I know that I'll warm up as I go and that when I get home I can take a nice warm shower and then I will be warm the rest of the day. But, if I get out in the cold and know how cold it is and then get warm again before doing my run, it feels so much colder getting out in it. I can't explain it, but it's hard to make myself run in even 50 degree weather after being at work all day. Knowing I have to get back in the cold is tough, but that's what I did today. I got home from work, got dressed for cold weather running and headed out for an hour long run in the low 50s. I know that may be warm for some of you, but it's cold for us. And it's only going to get worse. Thursday and Friday we are suppose to have high temps only in the 30s. And it's suppose to get down to 19. You won't find me outside running in those temps. Go ahead and call me a wimp. That's why I own a treadmill.
And back to the quote at the top - when I was out on my run today I got a side cramp about 20 minutes into the run. Normally I would have stopped and walked to see if it would go away. But I know that when I stop to walk, I have a hard time getting in that running groove again. Knowing that I will face cramps, pain and doubt during the Ironman, I kept going. I slowed my pace some, but I kept going. That cramp stayed with me for probably 10-15 minutes before it finally went away. But I ignored the minor hurt because I have a goal. And that goal is always on my mind.
Friday, January 1, 2010
In With The New
"The future belongs to those who prepare for it."
A new day, a new year, and a new goal to achieve. This will be the year of the Ironman, and this will be a year of preparing. I'm excited about the year, but at times still wonder what I've gotten myself into. But, I know if I do the training, I will finish the race on November 6th.
In the meantime, I have a half marathon in 3 weeks, so I started out the new year with a 14.5 mile run. I did something different this morning and set my watch to beep for intervals of 4/1. I know I'll walk some during the marathon of the Ironman and I'm thinking about training with intervals for it, so I thought this morning's run would be a good time to try it out. I actually felt good the whole time and was ok with my average pace. I won't do intervals for the two half marathons I have coming up, but I may try it at my HIM in April and see how it works.
Here is what my year looks like at this point:
January 24th - 3M Half Marathon
February 14th - Austin Half Marathon
March - a couple of pay rides of at least 60 miles
April 11th - Capitol 10K
April 25th - Lonestar 70.3
May and June - long bike rides
June 21st - Lake Pflugerville Sprint Tri
July and August - long bike rides
Possibly another HIM about 2 months out from IMFL
November 6th - IMFL
I am lucky in that there are many supported pay rides in the spring and summer and many of those have the option to do the full century distance. I'll be doing as many as I can, depending on soccer and volleyball schedules for the kids.
Whatever your year has in store for you, may you prepare well so that on race day you will achieve the success you desire.
A new day, a new year, and a new goal to achieve. This will be the year of the Ironman, and this will be a year of preparing. I'm excited about the year, but at times still wonder what I've gotten myself into. But, I know if I do the training, I will finish the race on November 6th.
In the meantime, I have a half marathon in 3 weeks, so I started out the new year with a 14.5 mile run. I did something different this morning and set my watch to beep for intervals of 4/1. I know I'll walk some during the marathon of the Ironman and I'm thinking about training with intervals for it, so I thought this morning's run would be a good time to try it out. I actually felt good the whole time and was ok with my average pace. I won't do intervals for the two half marathons I have coming up, but I may try it at my HIM in April and see how it works.
Here is what my year looks like at this point:
January 24th - 3M Half Marathon
February 14th - Austin Half Marathon
March - a couple of pay rides of at least 60 miles
April 11th - Capitol 10K
April 25th - Lonestar 70.3
May and June - long bike rides
June 21st - Lake Pflugerville Sprint Tri
July and August - long bike rides
Possibly another HIM about 2 months out from IMFL
November 6th - IMFL
I am lucky in that there are many supported pay rides in the spring and summer and many of those have the option to do the full century distance. I'll be doing as many as I can, depending on soccer and volleyball schedules for the kids.
Whatever your year has in store for you, may you prepare well so that on race day you will achieve the success you desire.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Out With The Old......
"If you do not consciously form good habits, you will unconsciously form bad ones."
The last couple of weeks of December have been busy. The weekend of the 19th, my cycle team had a ride/lunch/white elephant party. We got in around a 25 mile ride. There were a couple of times I let loose as I was on my tri bike, but for the most part we all stayed together. This meant going slower than normal at times for the newer riders, but at least I was getting in time on the bike. The white elephant exchange was kind of fun as well.
Then on the 20th, we had to go out of town for a grandmother's 90th birthday and then come back in town for Dalton's indoor soccer game. Then it was back out of town on the 23rd for Christmas with the in-laws, back on the 24th and Christmas with my family on the 25th. Then back out of town on the 26th with extended family. Luckily, after that we were home for good and I was off work the last week of the year.
During all the craziness, I have continued to work out, even getting in my longest swim session to date - a 2,800 yard workout. I'm excited that I'm at that point and I still have 11 months to go until IMFL.
This week off has been nice, but still busy. One of the guys from my Sunday school class at church put out a resolution challenge. From the 26th - January 1, he challenged people to workout at least 20 minutes a day by walking or running. You get points for time, distance, being outside, and if the outside workout is below freezing. My first workout was the day we had to go out of town, so I got up early to get my run in and it was below freezing. Wahoo!!!! An extra point. Even though I would have worked out every day anyway, this challenge has encouraged me to probably do more than I would have. Thursday was a busy day and I could have easily skipped the workout, but I knew others in the challenge would see a blank day and I wanted points, so I got my run in. Forming that habit of working out every day is what most people need to keep going, so I hope the challenge helped some people.
As I look back on 2009, I feel like it was a good year. I got a PR in the 5K, 10K, and sprint triathlon distances. I ran more than I did last year, and I swam over twice the distance I did in 2008. 2009 totals are:
Bike: 1384.26 miles
Run: 832.73 miles
Swim: 32683.26 yards
Strength: 3 hr 55 min
Massage: 3 hr
Race Volunteering: 4 hr 30 min
Soccer: 30 min
Spin Class: 1 hr
Walking: 15 hr 46 min 30 sec
Wii Fit: 20 min
Yoga: 23 hr
It will be interesting to see 2010 totals at the end of next year after training for the Ironman.
I hope that your 2009 was good to you and that 2010 will be even better. Happy New Year everyone!
The last couple of weeks of December have been busy. The weekend of the 19th, my cycle team had a ride/lunch/white elephant party. We got in around a 25 mile ride. There were a couple of times I let loose as I was on my tri bike, but for the most part we all stayed together. This meant going slower than normal at times for the newer riders, but at least I was getting in time on the bike. The white elephant exchange was kind of fun as well.
Then on the 20th, we had to go out of town for a grandmother's 90th birthday and then come back in town for Dalton's indoor soccer game. Then it was back out of town on the 23rd for Christmas with the in-laws, back on the 24th and Christmas with my family on the 25th. Then back out of town on the 26th with extended family. Luckily, after that we were home for good and I was off work the last week of the year.
During all the craziness, I have continued to work out, even getting in my longest swim session to date - a 2,800 yard workout. I'm excited that I'm at that point and I still have 11 months to go until IMFL.
This week off has been nice, but still busy. One of the guys from my Sunday school class at church put out a resolution challenge. From the 26th - January 1, he challenged people to workout at least 20 minutes a day by walking or running. You get points for time, distance, being outside, and if the outside workout is below freezing. My first workout was the day we had to go out of town, so I got up early to get my run in and it was below freezing. Wahoo!!!! An extra point. Even though I would have worked out every day anyway, this challenge has encouraged me to probably do more than I would have. Thursday was a busy day and I could have easily skipped the workout, but I knew others in the challenge would see a blank day and I wanted points, so I got my run in. Forming that habit of working out every day is what most people need to keep going, so I hope the challenge helped some people.
As I look back on 2009, I feel like it was a good year. I got a PR in the 5K, 10K, and sprint triathlon distances. I ran more than I did last year, and I swam over twice the distance I did in 2008. 2009 totals are:
Bike: 1384.26 miles
Run: 832.73 miles
Swim: 32683.26 yards
Strength: 3 hr 55 min
Massage: 3 hr
Race Volunteering: 4 hr 30 min
Soccer: 30 min
Spin Class: 1 hr
Walking: 15 hr 46 min 30 sec
Wii Fit: 20 min
Yoga: 23 hr
It will be interesting to see 2010 totals at the end of next year after training for the Ironman.
I hope that your 2009 was good to you and that 2010 will be even better. Happy New Year everyone!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Time Versus Distance
"One part at a time, one day at a time, we can accomplish any goal we set for ourselves." Karen Casey, from Achievement of a Life Goal
With the holiday season approaching, some things at work, and Madison's volleyball kicking into gear, things are not slowing down. But I am determined to get the workouts in however I need to get them in. Last Wednesday, Madison told me at the last minute that she wanted to go to Bible study. I had already planned to get in my 60 minute run before dark. We were having a hard time figuring out how to get her there and pick her up and still get Dalton where he needed to go. Then I thought, "Why don't I just get dressed, drive her there, and run from that house for an hour? I'll be done when she is." So that's what I did despite the 45 degree temps. And it worked out perfect. She called me on my phone to see where I was just as I was rounding the corner to the house.
I've also had to rearrange the schedule a little bit due to an all day volleyball tournament on Saturday. For the team's first time to play together in a real game environment, they did well (at least I thought). And Madison's serving amazed me. On the last game they were playing, they were down 24 to 17 (or something like that). If the other team scored a point, the game was over and our team was knocked out. It was our turn to serve. And it was Madison serving. She did great under pressure and brought the team back to 25-24. And then the other team won anyway. But I was so proud of her. It was worth it to rearrange my workout schedule.
Then after working out on Sunday with a swim of 2,500 yards (my longest to date) and a run, I got to looking at my Ironman program again. The one I plan to follow does the run and bike workouts by time but gives swim workouts, so it's distance there. I've been following a half-iron plan right now that also bases workouts on time. And I'm actually finding that I kind of like that. For instance, the other night when I had the 60 minute run - normally I probably would have gone 5-6 miles. But since I ran for an hour, I got in 6.2. So I may actually get more miles in this way, at least with running. I know later on I will do bike rides by miles, doing several century rides over the summer, and I know I will want to get in several 18-20 miles run toward the end of training. Well see how it goes.
I also noticed that my Ironman plan only has swim workouts of up to 3,500 meters. I don't think I like that since I'm already fairly comfortable with 2,500. I think I want to go farther, and in swimming you can. I may look at some other plans and take the swimming workouts from those. It will definitely be an interesting year, but one part at a time and one day at a time, I'll get there.
With the holiday season approaching, some things at work, and Madison's volleyball kicking into gear, things are not slowing down. But I am determined to get the workouts in however I need to get them in. Last Wednesday, Madison told me at the last minute that she wanted to go to Bible study. I had already planned to get in my 60 minute run before dark. We were having a hard time figuring out how to get her there and pick her up and still get Dalton where he needed to go. Then I thought, "Why don't I just get dressed, drive her there, and run from that house for an hour? I'll be done when she is." So that's what I did despite the 45 degree temps. And it worked out perfect. She called me on my phone to see where I was just as I was rounding the corner to the house.
I've also had to rearrange the schedule a little bit due to an all day volleyball tournament on Saturday. For the team's first time to play together in a real game environment, they did well (at least I thought). And Madison's serving amazed me. On the last game they were playing, they were down 24 to 17 (or something like that). If the other team scored a point, the game was over and our team was knocked out. It was our turn to serve. And it was Madison serving. She did great under pressure and brought the team back to 25-24. And then the other team won anyway. But I was so proud of her. It was worth it to rearrange my workout schedule.
Then after working out on Sunday with a swim of 2,500 yards (my longest to date) and a run, I got to looking at my Ironman program again. The one I plan to follow does the run and bike workouts by time but gives swim workouts, so it's distance there. I've been following a half-iron plan right now that also bases workouts on time. And I'm actually finding that I kind of like that. For instance, the other night when I had the 60 minute run - normally I probably would have gone 5-6 miles. But since I ran for an hour, I got in 6.2. So I may actually get more miles in this way, at least with running. I know later on I will do bike rides by miles, doing several century rides over the summer, and I know I will want to get in several 18-20 miles run toward the end of training. Well see how it goes.
I also noticed that my Ironman plan only has swim workouts of up to 3,500 meters. I don't think I like that since I'm already fairly comfortable with 2,500. I think I want to go farther, and in swimming you can. I may look at some other plans and take the swimming workouts from those. It will definitely be an interesting year, but one part at a time and one day at a time, I'll get there.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Busy Times
"My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy." John Bryant
I guess today was a day that was too busy. Sure, I could be on the treadmill right now instead of updating my blog, but I pretty much refuse to start a workout after 9:00 pm. I don't mind working out past 9:00 if I've already started, but I don't want to start working out that late.
The past two nights I've gotten home late. Last night, I got home around 8:00. I got on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then the trainer for 45 minutes. I then took a shower and went to bed. Tonight I didn't get home until almost 9:00 and I had not eaten dinner yet. I knew I needed to eat. Tomorrow is a light day as far as activities go, so I'll do tonight's run tomorrow either before or after swimming.
I have looked at my schedule (training and activities) for the next two months to figure out what kind of workouts I need to do and when I can fit them in. I've got the December schedule posted on a cabinet in the kitchen. I need to find the time and get it done.
I've been looking at races/rides for 2010 and how they fit in my Ironman training. One thing that I decided to go ahead and do is an early season Half Ironman. I wasn't sure I wanted to do that, but several other people I know who are also doing IMFL are doing the same race and I think it will be good for me to see where I'm at and start testing the nutrition. So, training for that starts now. No more skipping workouts!
I guess today was a day that was too busy. Sure, I could be on the treadmill right now instead of updating my blog, but I pretty much refuse to start a workout after 9:00 pm. I don't mind working out past 9:00 if I've already started, but I don't want to start working out that late.
The past two nights I've gotten home late. Last night, I got home around 8:00. I got on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then the trainer for 45 minutes. I then took a shower and went to bed. Tonight I didn't get home until almost 9:00 and I had not eaten dinner yet. I knew I needed to eat. Tomorrow is a light day as far as activities go, so I'll do tonight's run tomorrow either before or after swimming.
I have looked at my schedule (training and activities) for the next two months to figure out what kind of workouts I need to do and when I can fit them in. I've got the December schedule posted on a cabinet in the kitchen. I need to find the time and get it done.
I've been looking at races/rides for 2010 and how they fit in my Ironman training. One thing that I decided to go ahead and do is an early season Half Ironman. I wasn't sure I wanted to do that, but several other people I know who are also doing IMFL are doing the same race and I think it will be good for me to see where I'm at and start testing the nutrition. So, training for that starts now. No more skipping workouts!
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