august is wrapped!
I must say, I'm pretty happy to see hot, sweaty, humid August depart. Let's take a look at how I did.
August Goals
Complete a metric century (100K = 62 miles). Full century - check!
Another race. It'd be nice if it was a 4- or 5-miler but I'm not picky. PT laid down the law and there was a running embargo and IT WAS SAID.
Keep pool running. Lots of pool running this month! Love it!
Try some veggies I've hated since I've been a kid. Things change. Hmm - not so sure about this one. I did eat mushrooms, but they were buried in chili so I'm not sure that counts.
Break 40 running miles for the month. Land - no; pool - yes.
I finally got myself to a PT this month. Despite the no-running, it was a really good idea. I'm straightening out my shoulder issues - hopefully in a permanent fashion - and while I haven't been allowed to test out a run yet, this is the final attempt to put my IT band to rest. My body has also finally adjusted to the mileage I am putting in on the bike, and I'm sleeping like a rock and bounding through most days. I've been pool running 1-2x a week, and have finally been able to add some swimming back in. I've settled into a pretty decent 4-to-5-day lifting routine, which keeps me out of the gym on the weekends when it's packed with meatheads flinging weights around and grunting like pigs. As for running - I made the decision this morning - and I'm saying it here so I can't go back - to not run the Army 10-Miler at the end of October. I know this is smart as I've been off running for almost 3 weeks now, and 2 months is not enough time to rebuild my base and train to race 10 without getting hurt again. I'm still sad about it.
Cycling, though, has kept me sane. I've finally discovered where my threshold is - the place where it stops being easy - and went far beyond that on the century ride. I feel like I've finally gotten my long ride nutrition figured out, which made a huge difference in my performance. I've added speed work to my cycling life, and I'm determined to make a serious improvement on my next century ride this month. What I need to do is find a pack of people who are faster than me and desperately hang on while I suck on their wheels. My legs are in a place I recognize from a training cycle - where they feel tired pretty much all the time, but a gentle weariness, not a STOP NOW kind of pain. I can't remember right now what it feels like to cycle with fresh legs - maybe I will, after my mini-vacation this weekend. And I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing, for where I am in my training.
As always, I'm continuing to experiment with my diet, this month removing pork, leaving only turkey/chicken as the meats in my diet. Removing meat from my diet has been an interesting experiment. I've discovered that I don't really miss it, which is great, but I think the better - and maybe unexpected result - is that it has caused me to try new protein sources that I maybe would not have tried otherwise. I don't know if I'll completely remove meat from my diet, or keep it out forever, but I am enjoying the way I feel and finding new ways to get the nutrients that I need. I do know that the mistake that many people make is removing meat and replacing it with carbs/fat instead of other protein, and I've been working hard to consciously avoid doing that.
August
Miles run: 17 on land, 49 in the pool.
Miles cycled: 491 (good grief)
Times I've been woken up by a puking puppy: 2
Hill workouts where I didn't puke: 2
Rest days taken: 1 (cough)
Shopping trips to purchase new size clothing: 5 in the past 3 days, ugh
Mosquito bites gotten during outside eating events: in the thousands
Times my PT has made me scream and arch off the table: at least 50
Vacations planned: 1
Days gone without ice cream: 1
September Goals
Keep killing the PT, but make a decision about the IT band.
Finish the metric century under 4 hours.
Try some more veggies.
Buy a new duvet cover (sometimes, it's the little things).
Do the hill workout EVERY WEEK.
What are your goals for September?
August Goals
Complete a metric century (100K = 62 miles). Full century - check!
Another race. It'd be nice if it was a 4- or 5-miler but I'm not picky. PT laid down the law and there was a running embargo and IT WAS SAID.
Keep pool running. Lots of pool running this month! Love it!
Try some veggies I've hated since I've been a kid. Things change. Hmm - not so sure about this one. I did eat mushrooms, but they were buried in chili so I'm not sure that counts.
Break 40 running miles for the month. Land - no; pool - yes.
I finally got myself to a PT this month. Despite the no-running, it was a really good idea. I'm straightening out my shoulder issues - hopefully in a permanent fashion - and while I haven't been allowed to test out a run yet, this is the final attempt to put my IT band to rest. My body has also finally adjusted to the mileage I am putting in on the bike, and I'm sleeping like a rock and bounding through most days. I've been pool running 1-2x a week, and have finally been able to add some swimming back in. I've settled into a pretty decent 4-to-5-day lifting routine, which keeps me out of the gym on the weekends when it's packed with meatheads flinging weights around and grunting like pigs. As for running - I made the decision this morning - and I'm saying it here so I can't go back - to not run the Army 10-Miler at the end of October. I know this is smart as I've been off running for almost 3 weeks now, and 2 months is not enough time to rebuild my base and train to race 10 without getting hurt again. I'm still sad about it.
Cycling, though, has kept me sane. I've finally discovered where my threshold is - the place where it stops being easy - and went far beyond that on the century ride. I feel like I've finally gotten my long ride nutrition figured out, which made a huge difference in my performance. I've added speed work to my cycling life, and I'm determined to make a serious improvement on my next century ride this month. What I need to do is find a pack of people who are faster than me and desperately hang on while I suck on their wheels. My legs are in a place I recognize from a training cycle - where they feel tired pretty much all the time, but a gentle weariness, not a STOP NOW kind of pain. I can't remember right now what it feels like to cycle with fresh legs - maybe I will, after my mini-vacation this weekend. And I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing, for where I am in my training.
As always, I'm continuing to experiment with my diet, this month removing pork, leaving only turkey/chicken as the meats in my diet. Removing meat from my diet has been an interesting experiment. I've discovered that I don't really miss it, which is great, but I think the better - and maybe unexpected result - is that it has caused me to try new protein sources that I maybe would not have tried otherwise. I don't know if I'll completely remove meat from my diet, or keep it out forever, but I am enjoying the way I feel and finding new ways to get the nutrients that I need. I do know that the mistake that many people make is removing meat and replacing it with carbs/fat instead of other protein, and I've been working hard to consciously avoid doing that.
August
Miles run: 17 on land, 49 in the pool.
Miles cycled: 491 (good grief)
Times I've been woken up by a puking puppy: 2
Hill workouts where I didn't puke: 2
Rest days taken: 1 (cough)
Shopping trips to purchase new size clothing: 5 in the past 3 days, ugh
Mosquito bites gotten during outside eating events: in the thousands
Times my PT has made me scream and arch off the table: at least 50
Vacations planned: 1
Days gone without ice cream: 1
September Goals
Keep killing the PT, but make a decision about the IT band.
Finish the metric century under 4 hours.
Try some more veggies.
Buy a new duvet cover (sometimes, it's the little things).
Do the hill workout EVERY WEEK.
What are your goals for September?