Training Update and Upcoming Race Schedule

I had a busy week with my daughter's graduation party this past weekend, which was perfect timing for a recovery week following the Rev3 Williamsburg 70.3. I had a good, relaxed week with a couple of 2000+ meter swims, a few easy 5 mile runs and a couple of 30 mile bike rides. On Friday morning's run and Saturday's  ride I still felt some fatigue but on the ride I did last night and this morning's 7 mile run I felt great so I believe I am fully recovered and ready to hit it hard again.

The plan is for  Steve and I to race an olympic distance tri this Sunday in Lake Milton. Right on the heels of that race we are doing the Bay Days 5 Mile road race on the 4th of July and another 5 mile race in Mentor at the Johnnycake Jog the following weekend. Those races will give us a little taste of speed as we build up the endurance for the 140.6. We also have a century ride coming up in mid July that sounds like a lot of fun as you stop at some of the local wineries and take back wine for the finish cookout.

We also added a new race to the schedule! After both racing well (but not as well for me as I had hoped) at Rev3 Williamsburg Steve and I discussed and decided to race the Challenge New Albany 70.3 race in late July. With it being a short drive and just a quick overnight it made sense for us versus IM Muncie or something else. I'm excited to race on a new course, which appears to be pretty flat and fast! I'd love to get a bigger PR this time around with some additional endurance behind me.

Following the recovery from New Albany we have a couple more weeks of hard training and then the taper for the 140.6 starts. My goal there is really just to finish in a reasonable time and get my first taste of this longer distance.

Glad to see you go, go, go, go, goodbye...January - Update on the Training

What a month. Blah! I am so happy to see January go! Although it is a time of resolutions and new beginnings for many, for me it was just a bad month. You see I really have a strong dislike of winter to begin with. I have always had Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) to some degree...more like the "winter blues" but this year it has been at an all-time high. Some days it is hard to pull myself out of bed only to go out into the bitter cold (some days as cold as -30 degrees with the windchill) not to mention the feet of snow we have had several times in the Northeast. Really all I want to do is eat and sleep yet I have somehow managed to keep training. Us Clevelanders are tough people. We just keep going.

With the winter training being more difficult than I can recall in many years I have been relegated to running a lot of my mileage this winter on the treadmill. I'm not even a treadmill hater anymore but I am just sick of it and so is my cranky IT band! In fact I've spent the month with hamstring/IT band issues with the left leg. Taping up with KT tape, foam rolling, Normatec, stretching and more stretching. Next week I'm headed in to a sports chiro to see if they can nip this in the butt before the season really starts. 

Frozen after our N. Chagrin yetti trail run!

Next weekend I am scheduled to run the dirty love trail 10K at North Chagrin Reservation. It is a fun race. A group of us did the preview run last weekend and it was extremely cold and snowy and took about twice the amount of time it would in nice weather. So we will see how the week goes and I will decide if I am racing or not. It would sure be nice to get out there but my goals this year are too important to compromise so if I have to sit things out at times this year I am prepared to do so.

And in other news Steve and I booked a short all-inclusive trip to Cozumel, Mexico in early March. I really cannot wait to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin and toes in the sand. I am hoping to be running healthy for the trip so we can enjoy some warm runs! Looking forward to the vacation and daylight savings time and spring coming up too! 

What I'm up to this "Off season" & Moving Into the Season

Well it's the off season for the next 4-6 weeks or so. From there it's time to build up the endurance for an exciting and tough season starting off in February and March with some trail racing, a half marathon in April, marathon in May and diving into the triathlon season with a 70.3 in June, some other races and the big 140.6 in September! I'm looking forward to moving ahead because I am not really a huge fan of the off season and I am super excited to finish my first 140.6!!

So what am I up to now? Strength work including TRX, yoga, kickboxing and lifting as well as masters swimming with Liquid Lifestyles Liquid N'durance. My typical weeks now consist of a couple short 45-60 minute runs and a long run of 90-120 mins, a couple shorter 45-60 min bike sessions and a weekly long ride of 90-120 mins along with a 90 minute swim session and 2 or 3 45-75 minute strength sessions for a total of around 8-10 hours a week.

I plan to add a second day of coached swim practice after the holidays so I can maximize the gains here since this is really where I need the most help. Additionally I am working on some dietary changes and trying to get my weight and body composition in the right place for a successful 2014 season.

As the early season approaches I will add in more running in prep for the early season races and the marathon. I expect to be running at least 5-7 x weekly during this phase as well as maintaining 3-4 sessions with the bike, 2 swims and 1 or more core sessions. This is lots of hours of training, which means I can drink more tasty IPAs and Stouts of course ;)

So, lots of fun stuff going on now and working on my strength and swim and excited to ramp up as we head into 2014! What are you up to now and what are you goals for next year?