Siempre parece imposible hasta que se hace.

Here we go.

Today starts the first cycle of Half Ironman training for 2010. Or as my friend Dave would call it: pre-Ironman training. Evil Mr. Potter. I totally drank the kool-aid! (Note: It tastes good. Go for it... take a sip!)


As all good training programs go, mine starts with a rest day. Obviously this is to ease you into the regimented pseudo-craziness which is sure to follow.

Alternately, it could be to give you a chance to wrap your head around what you are about to embark on.

I prefer the later to the former.

I am looking over the plan which I have chosen to follow (Matt F.'s Level 5 plan). It is indeed the very same plan I started last year. Note how I say "started" and not the more expected "followed". This is the very same plan which I had a complete meltdown trying to follow.

Somehow the two-a-days from day one were challenging but at some point they became unmanageable. Could have been the mental place I was in last year, or it could have been the fact that I had about zero confidence in myself.

Challenging training plan + low self-confidence + zero mental or emotional stability = FAIL

Fail as to completion of the plan and scheduled race, but success in being able to move past all that crazy stuff and realize that had I had just a single iota of confidence in myself as a runner or triathlete, I would have toed the line race morning to become a Half Ironman finisher... not an Aquabike finisher.

Amazing how one little ingredient means the difference between cookies and hockey pucks. I prefer cookies, but end up with hockey pucks all too often.


So now as I sit here at work (shhhhh) looking over the training plan it seems.... manageable.

I do not fear not making every single training session. I did very well in my Aquabike given the amount (lack thereof) of training I had under my belt. I expect to see some MIA diays on my schedule. I am not happy about this or going into the plan looking for non-compliance.

I am just being realistic. Two weeks of US travel followed by 2 weeks of China travel, followed by a race or two and then more international (Mexico) travel. Not necessarily the prime canvas for painting the perfect picture of training plan compliance.

What this does provide is a background for an opportunity to practice my new mantra... consistency is king and choose base over build when having to make a choice.

2010 will be the year of travel and choices in training, however I know that if I follow my plan 90% of the time, opting for base building running and swimming when I am forced to deviate due to travel or other life obligations and focus on making every weekend count in endurance and long brick work, then I am looking at the following.

Challenging training plan + fluidity + confidence = SUCCESS!

And that my friends means cookies, not hockey pucks.

Siempre parece imposible hasta que se hace, mi amigos.

Run Martians or Trails, That Is The Question.

Hello friends!

I have some pretty neat news to share, or rather an update on timing of a big trip.

I will be in China traveling for half of a month. I am very excited for the opportunity to travel to a land which I have never thought I would ever travel to. I mean, who goes to China? Me. I am going to both Shanghai and Hong Kong, with another stop within the PRC just outside of Shanghai which city's name alludes me at this moment.

I am both excited and nervous as I have never traveled over seas before. Not even to the UK. So far my international work has been limited to three years working in Ontario, Canada, and the past four years visiting Ciudad Juarez and Guadalajara, Mexico. (Note to you the reader, do not ever go to Ciudad Juarez. Never. You have been warned and that is all.)

Hong Kong at night

Another picture of Hong Kong at night

My travel has been pushed back to the end of March, returning just one week prior to the Martian half marathon on April 10th, 2010. I will be in the US for less than 8 days.

I have no idea what level my jet-laggedness will be at (and yes, I just made up that word so feel free to reuse it as needed.) I have been advised by no less than 5 people to NOT run outside while in Hong Kong, and while in Shanghai to remember that I have no right of way and many of the people I spoke with actually have either been hit by vehicles or have had some pretty close calls.

And you thought Detroit was tough... heh.


OK well no biggie. I mean, I can do treadmill runs IF I am lucky enough to find a treadmill, or I can run the stairs at my hotel or I can just not run for 2 weeks and then suck wind at Martian... being all tired and broken down... possibly. Or, I can sneak in some runs if and only if safe to do so if I keep my head on a swivel and never bring the iPod along with me. If I will be walking the city to see the sights, why not jog some of it, right?

Let's be honest here. I have pulled out more miraculous things with much less training. Like my entire 2004-2006 running seasons. I am not in the race to win it although I do want sub 2:30 which is still pretty slow by anyone's standards even my own. I think I can finish the race with little issue if I just listen to my body and take it one mile at a time.

I can do a long run when I return from China, that may help me work out some of the jet-lag. I am thinking at this point I will just have to do a last minute sign up for the race if it remains an option.


As it stands my two options are as follows:

Martian half marathon slightly under-trained and potential for certain jet-laggedness (boo-yah twice in one posting!),

What the terrain on Mars would be if we were to actually run there. Not so bad, pretty flat really. Much like Hines Drive. Odd.

or

The Trail half marathon, definitely under-trained for trails (hellllooo Poto!) but can get in some more trail runs and I will have two additional weeks of training and rest before the race.

The Potawatomi Trail.. not so flat and very... well very trail like.

Maybe I should just do a long run at KMP one week, and the next do it at Potto or Maybury that way I am at least ready for either race. Hmmm.... Interesting conundrum.

And by interesting I mean *ACK*!

So we shall see.


I am posing a question to my bloggy blog readers and followers out there... if you travel internationally by way of over the big pond, please tell me your thoughts on jet-lag and advise on running a half marathon 1 week after a trip abroad.



Peace, love, and running...

100 miles down!

So far I have ridden 100 trainer miles this year. In 16 days time - 5 bike sessions total (30,30,28,8,4).

Yes. My quads are screaming at me today, if only because I did an actual "quality" bike workout yesterday. For the first time I did a Spinervals workout -oh. em. gee. It was a Time Saver workout of 30 minutes but holy cow, one legged drills and speed intervals are not easy - especially after two days of between 28 and 30 mile drainer rides.

Now time to shower, get ready for work, and set goals for this week.

This week I need to hit the pool at least twice. I just need to do it. Nothing big, but maybe 1000 meters a go just to get back into the swing of things. I have not swam once all year, and I honestly cannot remember when I swam last. I just know that it was not good.

I also want to try to get to the FAST swim at Schoolcraft Saturday, and run my long run at KMP. I am going trail running at Maybury with Jaclyn Sunday.

Sweet!

These are the days I enjoy. Fun times with fun people!

2K10... here we go again?

Sometimes to start over is not to go back to the mythical square 1 and call a redo. Sometimes, we must start over to move on a different path all together and sometimes we do not have to go back to start.

Funny. Last year when I was knee deep in Muncie training (or rather knee deep in the hysteria and drama that was my life) I was going crazy to get in long rides, runs, and swims. My head was about to explode, I was carrying too much emotional baggage with me and I was becoming paralyzed by the situation let alone my fears of failure.

And one fine day in late June, I lost it. Totally and completely. Epic life balance FAIL.

So far. the first three rides of 2010 are all much longer than a bulk of my rides last year save for the three or four 40-60 milers I managed pulled out of some magic hat. I know that I am starting over (much like I have in the past) but this year... I feel like I am starting over from last May... not so much like starting over from 2005. Now this is an improvement over a few months ago when I woke up one day and had a total realization that I had regressed back to my former pre-triathlon self.

But I have to ask myself, when do we stop starting over and just plain get on track from the current place we find ourselves? Are there no connectors or do we always have to go back to the beginning?

So many times before when I would say starting over, I would imagine myself as living life in a video game of sorts. You have "x" amount of lives (tries) and if you "died" then you magically got transported back to the start and you did the entire course over again, hopefully having learned from your miss-timed jumped or overuse of the super fast running feature.

What? Oh please, Super Mario Brothers rocks and you know this to be true.

However - I neglected to see myself as living in a video game with checkpoints. Those nifty things that once you reach a particular stage in the progress of the game even if you fail you get sent back not to the start but to the checkpoint.

Aha. That is more like it.

Calling a redo on the Monsoon known as Muncie?

Previously I wrote that I needed to do Muncie. No other half would suffice for my first full 70.3. That I had set out to complete Muncie and held myself back from that goal so I need a redo so I can finish what I had started. In fact, looking over the first draft of my '10 race schedule I saw '09 written all over it. Motor City, Muncie, Woodstock, The Dino Series, Brooksie and the Freep.

Whoa nelly. If I have grown as a person and athlete - why am I trying to relive such a horrible year?

I thought that I had to do Muncie to reclaim something I lost or that I had missed all together in 2009, but why? Why was I trying to relive 2009 the way I thought that it should have been instead of leaving 2009 where it was. It is what it is and it was what is was. And now, it is in the past and I am moving ahead. Muncie in '09 was my yer for the Aquabike. My HIM will come.

I need to just move forward with "2K10"


In case you cannot tell where all of this speak of Muncie, mythical squares and video games is leading me to... my friend Carol and I decided on doing the Welland Half Ironman in Welland, Ontario, Canada this June 26th. The timing works out better for me. It is less expensive and I am actually excited to do this race even though it is not Muncie.

I realized today that I do not need Muncie. What I need is to live out this year to my best ability and be greatful for every single day.

This ain't your momma's 2009, people. This is 2010. And no truer words will have ever been spoken when I say that I truly thank God every day for that fact.

I made it. And now I can move on.

Crunch Crunch Crunch Crunch

2:20:00 in 2010

I am on day 3 of 100 of my hopeful running streak. So far so good. I am following the plan for my

spring half marathon and am looking forward to each run. Knowing that I can just log in a 1 miler makes me feel good and I always end up going longer once I start out that door.

I have two goals for the Martian Half Marathon this year. First and foremost - enjoy the race! My second goal is time related. I want to go sub 2:30 this year, preferably at Martian. I would really like to end 2010 around 2:20. That would be a just under a 15 minute improvement over 2009. So enough of liking... I am setting my sights on a 2:20 2010.

The First Two Steps

It really is just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other at a rate of turnover which will help propel me to the finish line 13.1 miles away in a certain period of time. While every step counts... the first two steps, I feel, are most important. Not the first two steps of the race. No. The first two steps of training.

Once you have done that you pretty much just keep going. Good days. Bad days. These days will certainly happen. I hope for more of the good, but am prepared for whichever comes my way knowing that when things get bad the good is sure to follow. I also have to keep this as the reality check for when things are going stellar as to not to get too far ahead of myself and over train just because I feel good. That my friends is the recipe for burn out right there. Failing to follow the plan and forgetting that each and every run is a gift. Each and every run is a blessing.

I had a lot of thoughts on the run tonight, and I feel it only appropriate to share with you the latest edition of my TSJoR.

The Simple Joys of Running - January 12th, 2010 edition:

• I have found that when you run the same route a lot, your tracks become indistinguishable from those of your kin. My yak trax, his yak trax, those with small feet, that one guy with the huge feet, those running in the very identifiable Nike Shox with a dog companion... I see us all now, but by tomorrow we shall not be able to know who left which tracks.
• I love that each step leaves just as much of a mark on the earth as it does your soul.
• Running is a great way to self improve. I listen to some neat podcasts from NPR. I love that I can listen to a conversation while feeling my body fall into its rhythm.
• I enjoy exploring my new surroundings through running. I am able to connect with the streets I now call home. Personally, I feel that experiencing new places on foot is the best way to do it. I never knew how hilly Farmington Hills was until I ran it. Now I am seeing how flat Berkley is. For the first time in years I need to find hills to run!
• I see that training and nutrition go hand in hand. I want to eat better because it will only help my running, as well as keep me around longer to enjoy this life ahead of me.

Feels like normal... well normal plus.

I have an early season half marathon and an early season half ironman. Do you know what that means?

TRAINING! (Read: normalcy)

I am starting to get over the hump of my sickness, (Read: normalcy plus) feeling much better but still not... right. This weekend is a visit from my mom and dad who will be staying with us all weekend long, and then Monday starts the first training of 2010.

Yes!

In my training I am adding weekly goals such as sleeping a good number of hours each night, drinking enough water to keep me hydrated (in my effort to ditch the caffiene). and adding in swimming.

I am excited to train smarter. To train harder. To enjoy the whole process and not just the outcome.

Next week I want to get to the pool once. The following week twice, and the next week three times. My goal is to be in the habit of swimming at lunch when my HIM training starts in late February.

If I can swim in either the AM or at lunch, then my training will go much smoother.

Week 3 of my training will also be the first check point on my goals for the new year - Consistency. Since I have sick all year so far I have not been able to run. At all. Ugh.

So, once I am in health, I will start the 100 days clock. I think that it is fair only because this goal is to get me consistent and if I was to run outside in the 7* weather with this illness, I would not be running for long. Not good.

I am also getting back into the habit of blogging more regularly. And logging in my miles... which obviously has been easy given the lack of them.

I am still using Beginnertriathlete.com but my HIM trainin gplan is actually through TrainingPeaks, and my half marathon training plan is on there as well, so I will be double logging for a while. I need to keep up with BT as that is where a huge majority of my trainng partners are, as well as this site keeps the entire history of every yard swam, every mile biked, and every mile ran. Monthly, yearly... for EVER. Oh OK, not forever, but I can always go back and read through the logs and see where I was and how far I have come.

Now I just need to be more dilengent tracking my calories... livestrong.com is great becuase it has so many foods, however that is an additional tracker I need to keep up. Both BT and TP have nutrition logs, however they are not the most user friendly. Oh well, I will figure it all out!


Ahhhh normalcy... welcome back my friend.

The Muncie Endurathon Report, Take Two

ACHOO

I hate being sick and unable to do anything aside from eat food which I cannot taste, and try to not hurt myself at work. I may try to eek out a yoga practice tonight at the YMCA because I need to stretch and yoga is quite soothing to me. I need to move already.

I have been really sick since I got home from trainerfest Ferndale and have no clue how it could have come on so quickly. On the bright side I did ride 30 miles at the trainerfest, so that made me really happy.

Needless to say my running is at a huge 0 miles for 2010 so far. My running streak of 100 days will start after I get the clear from my in-house doctor.

REDEMPTION

So I got me some plans. 2010, 2011 it is all in there. All crammed in there. All sorts of crammed. In. There. In my head.

I am testing the waters with 2010 - the year of international travels, a million launches, and 2 half Ironman races. 2011 will be a very small season with 4 races. 1 sprint, 1 oly, 1 half, and 1 Ironman.

I seriously crack myself up. Remember back in the day (as in last year) when I swore up and down that I would NEVER. NEVER. EVER. Do an Ironman. Heh. Liar.

My sticky-note race plan for 2010 looks something like this: I am only listing the larger races as any misc. 5ks will be slipped in there along the way if I am available.

MARCH
*Tentatively * Corktown 4 miler - I will be in China from 3/1 - 3/12, the race is 3/14

APRIL
Martian Half Marathon
Trail Half Marathon


JUNE
Ann Arbor Triathlon
Motor City Oly Triathlon
T-Rex triathlon series #1

JULY
Motor City Mile Open Water Swim (1 mile)
Muncie Endurathon Long Course Triathlon (70.3)
T-Rex Triathlon series #2

AUGUST
T-Rex Triathlon series #3
Swim to the moon 1 mile OWS
*Tentatively *Breakwater Long Course Triathlon (70.3)

SEPTEMBER
Woodstock half marathon

OCTOBER
Brooksie Way half marathon
Guadalajara half marathon (if I am in Mexico at this time)
Detroit half marathon

So why brave extreme heat/rain/mugginess/monsoon at Muncie? After much deliberation, I need redemption at Muncie. I need to do my first half ironman at this race. I need to finish what I started in 2009. No other course will do it for me unfortunately. Steelhead would have been awesome because it is in Michigan and I always know so many people doing it, however I just cannot swing the outrageous fees. They really raised the price this year.

Everything else is pretty much sprints and fun races. I am the girl who can do a half marathon every weekend and feel good doing it, so that is why my plan is so run heavy.

The run is my devil. The run is my church.

I say this because I have a serious love/hate relationship with running. I love running while I really do not love some of the places my mind wanders. When I run it clears my head ultimately however it is a journey, nay, a process to get there.

I enjoy the scenery. I enjoy the feeling of leaves, snow, ice, water, cement, pavement, grass and dirt beneath my feet. Often I work out the struggles I have in my personal and professional life.
While I run, I meditate. I use running as my place to ponder larger things. Sometimes this is good. Sometimes this is bad. It always is what it is.

I let the bad things that happened in 2009 paralyze me in running while I stayed strong in everything else. I was afraid of running because of where my head would take me. I was not ready. I physically could have completed the Long Course at Muncie last year, but was afraid of what I would feel come the run.

No, not how I would feel in my body. How I would feel in my heart. It was too soon. I knew that I just did not have the positivity in me to tackle the devil when he wants to join my run.

In 2009 Muncie was not to be my 70.3. I made peace with that and completed the Aquabike option. And I had a blast.

So that is why, in 2010, it is important for me to tackle this crazy course with all the weather difficulties that may arise. I am ready. I can handle it. I am stronger inside and out. I can hold both the light and the dark in my heart now, and I know that I can survive and dig deep if I need to.



I start my journey February 22nd. This is the date that my official half Ironman training begins. The first three weeks of training I will be traveling, so this will be an exercise in staying strong and getting the job done while practicing life balance. The really genuinely neat thing is that I am excited about all of the things coming in 2010.

I truly feel like this year is a gift. <3 I feel like this year is going to be amazing.

010110

010110

The first of the 18 binary days we shall have this century. I like binary years. It is comforting to me for some reason. You may think that it is odd, but when I can put a name, rational, reason, or explanation to something I just feel good about it.

2009 was quite possibly the worst year of my life. I am not even going to recap it because I would much rather acknowledge that the year was what it was and leave it in its own rightful place in history. We were able to pull out of it with some great things. Still employed, mom is with us, and Mike and I now own a house.

With this house, we plan to fill it with love and happiness and to always have a safe place to go when the world outside its four walls turns cold.

Resolutions? Try continuous improvements.

I guess this time of year is the time where people try to make change. New year new you. the resolutioners at the gym. After 30 odd years of hearing these things I realized that I really have come to dislike the term "resolution". I never felt right making resolutions. Resolutions can be broken. What we need to do is to aim for continuous improvements not drastic change. I am going to do something new this year. I am going to make goals for the year, with check in dates to keep myself on track. So here are my goals for the first year of the new decade. You will notice that they pretty much echo the sentiment from my November 2nd, 2009 post.


GOAL #1 - CONSISTENCY

We all know that consistency is king. I believe that I have said that tons here.

So, how am I going ot gain consistency this year? I am in a challenge with some fellow bloggers (Pat from AZ and Ken from MI) along with some of my BT, work, and FAST friends to see which team of 5 (AZ or MI) can run the most miles in 2010. [My money is on MI!]

I created sub goals to help me in my consistency, because I believe in taking little bites, not trying to get it all done in one fell swoop.

I am challenging myself to run 100 days in a row. Nothing huge, just at least 1 mile a day. CHECK IN DAYS: Days #25, #50, #75, and #100.

I want to run 1000 miles in 2010. That averages out to 3 miles a day. CHECK IN DAYS: The last day of each month.

I also have some neat races on the radar and will complete two half Ironman distanced triathlons, so again - training = consistency for me.

My goal is to ride 2010 miles this year. Being a new GREYHOUND I think that this will be quite doable. CHECK IN DAYS: The last day of each month.


GOAL #2 - HEALTHY WEIGHT RANGE/BMI

I am going to be feeling my way through this one as I go along, but pretty much I need my BMI to be in the healthy range, below 24.9. Simple as that. CHECK IN DAYS: The last day of each quarter. BASELINE - BMI = 34.4


GOAL #3 - BALANCING ACT

This is definitely along the CI lines. I just need to be able to keep balancing my work, fitness, and personal lives. CHECK IN DAYS: The last day of each quarter. BASELINE - So far so good!



So there you have it. Binary days are good. God is great. People... well people are crazy.

Tracking the Yaks

May I just say that after less than 4 hours of sleep... I decided to go out for a nice little albeit cold run. And it felt wonderful!

Oh I struggled and needed to walk a few times, but it felt good. Sooooo good.


So I am bringing back the simple joys of running.

Simple joys of running, December 21st edition:

• Feeling the crunch of salt covered snow beneath your feet
• Feeling so alive as you are aware of every single breathe you take.. you feel it sear your lungs and you see it cloud out from your mouth. Your body is a machine and you see it in action on a level only visible in winter.
• Seeing the tracks of those a kin to you. We are a special family of people who in our solo treks leave a welcome and a wave in the path we leave behind us.
  

Peace with the past

I am at peace. Took me a while but I had a long hard look at myself today whilst shopping for a sweater and some jeans.

Why on earth have I let myself deteriorate? *shakes head*

I cannot go back in time and stop eating everything that I ate, nor can I make up all of the exercise my body so desperately needs. All I can do is look ahead and change the course I am on now.


I am getting back into the swing of things one lap, one pedal, one step at a time. Slowly but surely.

I want to run 1000 miles in 2010. I want to complete 2 Half Ironmen distanced races in 2010. I want to drop at least 35 lbs in 2010.

It all starts with action.

So this week I want to run a few times, ride the drainer a bit, maybe get 30 miles in this week on that and get back to the pool at some point. Swimming what? I only have a State Meet in like 3 months. Should probably get back into action on that topic, eh?

I did 7 miles on the drainer Saturday before heading to Cycle to Fitness to order my jersey, tri top, and team socks. I love that we have team socks.

Those 7 miles felt pretty good. My butt was feeling it, but I started just 2 years ago not being able to handle 5 minutes. After a good 4 months off from training... those 30 minutes sorta felt good.


I am not where I was in August, but I know that I can return there with some work. Then with more work - I can surpass 2009 in a huge way. I do not want a repeat, I want better and will do so much better to get there. I have seen the consequences of sloth and laziness first hand. UGH. No thank you.

So... time to work!

I am having lunch with the GREYHOUNDS superstar racer Trish M, so I hope to bounce some topics off of her beautiful mind. In the mean time... insomnia what? Geesh. It is quarter past 1 am and I am not the least bit tired.


Lesson for the day - junk in is junk out. Simple as that.