Q&A: WHY????????
OK. I know this is probably a big shock and a very interesting turn of events for those who have wasted time reading my posts over the past couple of years. So, time for some transparency!
And now, I'll answer a few questions from the assembled media:
KEELS! Why are you doing ANOTHER Training Journal??
Oh, hey! You read my first Training Journal!
I first became super-active on the DisBoards in 2015 when I decided I wanted to run my first half marathon, and then ultimately run at least one race a month that resulted in a medal. Of course, that changed pretty quickly when
@FFigawi talked me into participating in the Dopey Challenge in 2016. And, of course, the rest is history. Oddly enough,
@FFigawi figures into THIS training journal too, albeit a LOT earlier.
So, yes. I'm doing another training journal - and I hope that like 12 Months of Medals (while I was still posting to it ... eesh), that this can be helpful for neophytes thinking of making the leap outside of running events to a different type of endurance challenge. On top of that, we have a great community here so I'm hoping that some of our more expert individuals will come and chime in.
On top of that, I like to write and to vent and to b!tch about things, but to also celebrate triumphs and successes - a training journal is a great way for me to that without annoying and alienating my sweet husband and friends who already have to deal with it in real life EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
So. Yay! Training Journal Part Deux!
So ... What's THIS Training Journal About?
Thanks - thought you'd never ask! In 2017, I have decided to shift my training and race goals from strictly running/road races (and, before you ask, NO - I have thought about it and I will NOT be doing any trail races) towards mixed endurance events, specifically triathlons.
It's going to cover a myriad of things - mostly training, nutrition, gear and basically the things I've learned as the weeks go by.
I've joined a beginner Tri group here in Funkytown that has twice-weekly group runs (will not be participating in those) and weekly group swims and group cycles. It also has mandatory sessions on transition and race-day prep. The whole training group cuminates in - what will be a first for many of us - sprint triathlon on March 12.
With this group comes a coach, which I'm relatively excited about. Not to take anything away from ALL the help that John has given me over the past (nearly) two years - but this is my shot to have someone here at Ground Zero to help me get better and to hold me accountable. Of course, I may actually hate this and decide to change - I've already decided that I will do my runs on my own (more on that later), and will just follow her directions in Training Peaks and post my Garmin data for her to go through. But I WILL be taking part in every effort to swim in a group (both pool and open water), cycle in a group and practice transition.
Why Triathlons? I Thought You Liked Running?
You know what? If you'd asked me about this six months ago, I would've told you that you were crazy. There was NO way I was going to do that craziness.
But then, disaster struck* ... I got severely hurt and it really became a discussion with my doctor and I about what my body was capable of doing and handling going forward. To get me to Dopey, I ended up just focusing on my overall aerobic endurance by training in cycles similar to those of triathletes - essentially, hitting the equivalent of "goal mileage" for a run via different aerobic activities. The basic formula I followed was that .5 mile swimming = 12 miles+ biking (sustained mph, not average) = 3 miles running. Ultimately, this did NOT help my running per se when it came to Dopey 2017 - the only thing that makes you faster is running, obviously - but it DID help me go from completely immobile to Dopey Proficient in essentially nine weeks.
Also, this was around the time I got to spend the day spectating
@FFigawi completing his IronMan - and I was in awe. It was just awesome to watch the support from family and friends for each of the athletes. And then when I got into the workouts, I could see that "Yeah, I get why people like this!".
And then there's my "Sole Sisters" here in Funkytown. These are the girls that I run with, that powered me and motivated me to my first half marathon WAY before I was ready, and the ladies that support me through every other challenge (which they STILL can't wrap their heads around) that I've done since that first half marathon in March 2015. We made a pact that we'd all do our annual Mayor's Triathlon in July of 2017 - and like everything else, I either go big or go home. So, here we are!
Swim. Bike. Run. How Do They Rank?
For the purpose of the distance I'm CURRENTLY training for (Sprint Tri) - easily, the bike is No. 1. No question.
I live in an INCREDIBLY bike-friendly city, and in a neighborhood that's almost exclusively traversed by cyclists. One of my Sole Sisters actually brought Bike Share to FW, so it's clearly a major part of my life. I generally bike anywhere from 50-80 miles a week, just getting around. Now, granted, this is more "commuting" biking - like from my house to places, to the brewery or the pub, to friends' houses, etc. - than race cycling ... but, at this point, it's more comfort on the bike than anything else. And I'm incredibly comfortable. I'm also hoping that training for more race cycling, and riding with a faster group, will push my confidence to the next level.
Second? I'm going to go with the swim. The first two tri's I have scheduled are pool swims, and they are SHORT distance swims (300m vs. the .5 that I've been doing in Florida). I've been able to be pretty consistent with my pool swims, and I've been trying to focus on what my friends have told me - use your legs as LITTLE AS POSSIBLE during the swim portion. I actually timed myself swimming for 300m when I registered for the Mayor's Tri and I was pleasantly surprised - that's basically how you slot yourself for this tri is by your swim time. My best swim in my parents' small pool for 300m was 7 minutes and change.
Third is going to be the run - but I'm hoping that going forward, this won't be the case. I've picked up a LOT of bad running habits from just "gutting it out" and "using Pixie Dust" to get through races. I want to reset my running set and go back to where I wasn't relying on intervals. So, I'm doing a full-scale reboot. Yup, that's right. Couch-to-5K here I come!
But Don't You Have Other Events Planned?
Yes. I've registered for a couple of other events, or have been holding deferrals for races. I've been spending the last week making decisions on how those would go and what I would do.
The first up is Princess Weekend. For reasons NOT related to my Tri training, I was probably going to skip Princess. My post-Dopey feelings made skipping Princess almost a certainty. It's not the weekend for me - I JUST. DON'T. LIKE. IT. I don't like the vibe, and in a year when my husband has asked me to cut back my racing travel for other travel, there's not a single reason why I could even justify the plane ticket, food expenditure and dog kenneling to do a race that I don't like, and for a medal that looks like a prize out of a Chuck E. Cheese machine (yes, it's THAT bad).
I've also let my deferral for the NYC Half lapse, mostly because timing just didn't work out for me.
I enacted my deferral for the Chicago Marathon ... so, we'll see how I feel about training for a marathon (again) in Texas in the summer.
I had previously planned on Pixie Dust Challenge and Dumbo Double Dare, but only one of those weekends will happen at this point.
Disneyland in September is the most likely, but again, it will depend on my Chicago Marathon decision.
Locally - I'm running the Cowtown Challenge again in February (which I'm very excited about!) and I will likely run the Panther City Half again - it was my first half marathon, and I'd like to best my time there.
But after that, nothing. I'm really tri-ing to be focused! (HAHAHAH - see? Jokes! Y'all ... just get used to it.)
Loftier goals? This Can't Be It ...
Well, duh. Nobody starts training for something without something bigger on the horizon!
My immediate goal is Sprint only in 2017, or maybe a Fall Olympic if my first two (possibly three) Sprint Tri's go well and my running gets better.
I have committed to Dopey 2018, and that will probably be my last RunDisney race for a while.
But could I see a 70.3 on the horizon? Entirely possible! I would most definitely like to see my run times get better and closer to 2:15-2:30 consistently for a half marathon. I'd like to see my consistent cycling MPH get from 12 to 14 or even 15. I would like to get as experience as I possibly can in "open water swimming", though my eye is really turned towards 70.3 in New Orleans as it's in a completely protected area. Also, 70.3 in Austin in a lake swim ... and 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake is basically where I was born, and would mean a LOT to my parents and my grandparents. #DecisionsDecisons.
So. Yeah. If I like it and things work out, there may be a 70.3 in store for me in 2018.
MAYBE.