august: my training turned on its head
So, taking a look back...
August Goals
Keep riding those ridiculous hills. Check - and I added a mountain!
Don't panic about running. Easy and long is better than speed work. With the occasional twinge, running is actually going quite well.
Maybe do some actual reading about HR training instead of just making it up along the way. Or hire a coach so I don't have to read....
A haircut would be nice. I cut my own hair since I couldn't find time for an appointment.
Figure out race day clothes and actually train in them before race day. Ummm...good thing I still have another month until race day.
DO NOT BUY A NEW BIKE. No matter how shiny. Check!
August was actually pretty solid. I ran more miles than I've run since February, and I swam more yards than....since I've been recording, so at least a year and a half. And with the exception of my naggy shin, my body is actually cooperating. I feel like I turned a corner with my back injury in the first week or so of August, and while I'm still making sure to give it lots of attention so it doesn't get cranky, it's improved so much over the past month that there are times when I actually forget about it. I also graduated from PT this month, which is pretty big, as I've been in PT on and off for over a year now. A lot of time and energy has been focused on the run this month. My long run has been very slowly creeping up, and I'm glad I decided a while back that Philly would be a training run, not a race. I'll finish, but I'll run it carefully and slowly and am not planning on trying to PR. But my PR is pretty crappy, so we'll see how that goes.
I was pretty sad to take Reston off my schedule, but spent the day instead climbing a gorgeous mountain. Cycling this month has been largely focused on technique, particularly as related to climbing, so while I haven't spent a lot of time on the bike, I'm trying to trust in the training that all of the concentrated work will make me stronger. And I haven't been a swimmer long enough to be able to figure out if I'm actually improving in the pool or not, but I spent more time there this month than I ever have, so I'm probably not getting worse. Looking back at where I was on August 1 - I felt like I was in fantastic base shape, and I still feel like that was true. But this month has felt a lot like break everything down into little pieces, and the only way I can wrap my mind around that is to just approach my training day by day. I'm hoping that September brings a lot of "putting the pieces back together."
As for the rest of my life, I feel like I can't remember anything that isn't related to training that went on in August. The poet's marathon training is in full swing, and our house looks - and smells - like a gear closet most of the time. There were some nice nights eating dinner outside with friends, and dog park trips, and one fabulously relaxing weekend in particular, but for the most part, we're both constantly sweating or showering or eating or doing laundry or eating some more or complaining about our various aches and pains. I'm still pretty glad we got married.
September is going to be another very methodical month, but looking at my training schedule, I think it's going to fly by pretty quickly. Two weekends at Skyline, the half marathon, and then it's taper time to Poconos. I've already got some goals floating around in my head for what I think I can do at Poconos. Originally I was hoping to PR the bike split pretty seriously, but that's before I realized that the Kinetic course had 8 feet of climbing and the Poconos course has 3900 feet of climbing. But I've got other goals in mind, particularly as related to the amount of time I will or will not spend in a porta-potty on the run course. I'm learning that PRs in triathlon are completely different than running PRs. Courses are wildly different, especially on the bike, and if I just wanted to finish a 70.3 faster, than I should pick the flattest one I can find. But instead I want to get stronger, and that's why I picked one in the mountains. I'll be stronger now and I'll be stronger next June, and that means a lot more than the time on the clock at the end of the day.
August
Miles Run: 68
Vertical feet climbed: 15179
Beers consumed: 15179
Nights spent sleeping in compression: 17
New bathing suits: 2
New bathing suits in which my boob does not pop out when I sprint: 1
Saddle sores sliced open by evil dermatologist: 1
6lb cupcakes eaten: 1
Maximum frozen yogurt visits in one week: 5
September Goals
Don't get angry at the HR monitor. It's your stupid heart.
Figure out race day clothes and train in them before race day. I MEAN IT THIS TIME.
Put some green stuff in the recovery smoothie.
Make Molly "Happy Birthday" pupcakes.
Do the core work on the day it is actually scheduled.
Start taking pictures again! Your cell phone is not a nice camera.
What are your goals for September?
Also, no RFF for me today, but I'll link you if you put some up, just drop me a note in the comments... Happy Friday, everyone!
Twice As Hard
Dietitian On The Run
Knickers In A Twist
Runner In Progress
MCM Mama
Lizard Runs
Fat Biscuit
Swim Bike Run Life
Cook Train Eat Race
August Goals
Keep riding those ridiculous hills. Check - and I added a mountain!
Don't panic about running. Easy and long is better than speed work. With the occasional twinge, running is actually going quite well.
Maybe do some actual reading about HR training instead of just making it up along the way. Or hire a coach so I don't have to read....
A haircut would be nice. I cut my own hair since I couldn't find time for an appointment.
Figure out race day clothes and actually train in them before race day. Ummm...good thing I still have another month until race day.
DO NOT BUY A NEW BIKE. No matter how shiny. Check!
August was actually pretty solid. I ran more miles than I've run since February, and I swam more yards than....since I've been recording, so at least a year and a half. And with the exception of my naggy shin, my body is actually cooperating. I feel like I turned a corner with my back injury in the first week or so of August, and while I'm still making sure to give it lots of attention so it doesn't get cranky, it's improved so much over the past month that there are times when I actually forget about it. I also graduated from PT this month, which is pretty big, as I've been in PT on and off for over a year now. A lot of time and energy has been focused on the run this month. My long run has been very slowly creeping up, and I'm glad I decided a while back that Philly would be a training run, not a race. I'll finish, but I'll run it carefully and slowly and am not planning on trying to PR. But my PR is pretty crappy, so we'll see how that goes.
I was pretty sad to take Reston off my schedule, but spent the day instead climbing a gorgeous mountain. Cycling this month has been largely focused on technique, particularly as related to climbing, so while I haven't spent a lot of time on the bike, I'm trying to trust in the training that all of the concentrated work will make me stronger. And I haven't been a swimmer long enough to be able to figure out if I'm actually improving in the pool or not, but I spent more time there this month than I ever have, so I'm probably not getting worse. Looking back at where I was on August 1 - I felt like I was in fantastic base shape, and I still feel like that was true. But this month has felt a lot like break everything down into little pieces, and the only way I can wrap my mind around that is to just approach my training day by day. I'm hoping that September brings a lot of "putting the pieces back together."
As for the rest of my life, I feel like I can't remember anything that isn't related to training that went on in August. The poet's marathon training is in full swing, and our house looks - and smells - like a gear closet most of the time. There were some nice nights eating dinner outside with friends, and dog park trips, and one fabulously relaxing weekend in particular, but for the most part, we're both constantly sweating or showering or eating or doing laundry or eating some more or complaining about our various aches and pains. I'm still pretty glad we got married.
September is going to be another very methodical month, but looking at my training schedule, I think it's going to fly by pretty quickly. Two weekends at Skyline, the half marathon, and then it's taper time to Poconos. I've already got some goals floating around in my head for what I think I can do at Poconos. Originally I was hoping to PR the bike split pretty seriously, but that's before I realized that the Kinetic course had 8 feet of climbing and the Poconos course has 3900 feet of climbing. But I've got other goals in mind, particularly as related to the amount of time I will or will not spend in a porta-potty on the run course. I'm learning that PRs in triathlon are completely different than running PRs. Courses are wildly different, especially on the bike, and if I just wanted to finish a 70.3 faster, than I should pick the flattest one I can find. But instead I want to get stronger, and that's why I picked one in the mountains. I'll be stronger now and I'll be stronger next June, and that means a lot more than the time on the clock at the end of the day.
August
Miles Run: 68
Vertical feet climbed: 15179
Beers consumed: 15179
Nights spent sleeping in compression: 17
New bathing suits: 2
New bathing suits in which my boob does not pop out when I sprint: 1
Saddle sores sliced open by evil dermatologist: 1
6lb cupcakes eaten: 1
Maximum frozen yogurt visits in one week: 5
September Goals
Don't get angry at the HR monitor. It's your stupid heart.
Figure out race day clothes and train in them before race day. I MEAN IT THIS TIME.
Put some green stuff in the recovery smoothie.
Make Molly "Happy Birthday" pupcakes.
Do the core work on the day it is actually scheduled.
Start taking pictures again! Your cell phone is not a nice camera.
What are your goals for September?
Also, no RFF for me today, but I'll link you if you put some up, just drop me a note in the comments... Happy Friday, everyone!
Twice As Hard
Dietitian On The Run
Knickers In A Twist
Runner In Progress
MCM Mama
Lizard Runs
Fat Biscuit
Swim Bike Run Life
Cook Train Eat Race