Above All Else, Be Welcoming

So I was in the pool yesterday and I noticed the guy next to me had a IM70.3 Miami water bottle. When he stopped for a second, I asked him about it, as we had originally considered racing Miami this year (instead, we signed up for Silverman). We chatted for a second, but he had to get back swimming so his coach wouldn't be mad due to the extended rest.

He finished up his swim as I was finishing up an interval (woo pyramid sets) and we got to talking more about triathlon and the longer distances in general. I found out that he's doing IMAZ this year, his first full. As that was mine, I got all giddy and told him it was awesome, and what to look out for, etc. He shared with me his excitement and his joy that he was going to be sharing the experience with a group of five friends. 

The interaction got me thinking about some of my other conversations I've had with my fellow triathletes.

- At Crescent Moon last year, I was in transition before the race with my friend Jeanne. It was one of her first triathlons (and indeed, may have been her first one in open-water), so she was asking me a ton of questions. A few other people near us were also newbies and joined in on the conversation.

- All the conversations we had with Scott in his lead-up to IM Coeur d'Alene this year.

- A few years back, I saw a woman with an IM Kona bag in the locker room at the gym. I asked her about it; I don't even remember her response, but I remember that she pretty much brushed me off, giving me a curt reply before walking off.

Both the experience yesterday as well as the one at Crescent Moon made me realize how much I missed having guiding voices in my triathlon journey. Sure, I had a few - thanks, Kris! - but in general, I feel like I had more negative experiences than positive ones in the early part of my triathlon journey.

I will be the first one to tell you that I am no triathlon expert. However, since I enjoy the sport and have a ton of experiences to share within it, I will actually open my mouth and talk with you about tris (not a common experience if you know me in the non-internet world). 

So, fellow triathletes (and endurance athletes and athletes in general), I say to you this: if another person asks you about your Ironman hat, or your marathon t-shirt, or whatever, be nice. Be welcoming. Do you really want to be the woman I encountered at my first Oly back in the day, where I accidentally knocked her helmet off her bike and she about bit my head off? I barely knew what I was doing! I obviously didn't mean to brush her stuff!

(I could have been just as mean to my rack mates at one of the Boulder Tri Series races a few years back, when I came back into transition and my stuff was EVERYWHERE, but really, what's the point?)

Remember, we were all new once, whether it was last year or 15 years ago. You may not have been nervous setting up that first transition, but let me tell you, a lot of the rest of us were. If someone talks to you pre-race? Try to talk to that same person post-race, ask how it went - s/he'll be thrilled that you asked, and will then maybe be inspired to share the welcoming vibe with the next person.

Being Better Tomorrow

I'm typing this from an iPad so bear with me. 

I'm 9 days into the New Year and I'm not disappointed in myself. I've done well. Lots of riding and Some good lifting. My running could be better and I haven't had much time to swim due to work. Probably most important?  I've gotten great rest this year. 

So one thing I've realized this year is I need each day to be a bit better than yesterday. Take what I did today and build. Continue making strides and each day will show growth. 

So Far, So Awesome

Well, we're a few days into the new year, and the plan of awesome is going fairly well so far. Of course, life attempts to derail the plan every day, whether by being exhausted thanks to work, dealing with annoying people at work, or by apparently having my debit card hacked (*siiiiiigh*).

Still, I've successfully worked out every day of this new year. I haven't done much each day - anywhere from 15 to 50 minutes, but I'm getting back into the groove of things.

Running I've done the least, but it's also been butt-honking cold, so I'm okay with that. I've gotten on the treadmill once and done a group run with SkirtSports.

Cycling I've done a fair decent bit - all trainer time - and I'm still waiting for my legs to not feel like lead when I climb on my QRoo.

Swimming I'm not playing with any of my toys quite just yet (pull buoy, paddles, etc.) so I can get my feel for the water once again. Which is probably a good thing, really, as today Brandon mentioned my arm hinging wasn't going so well, so I slowed down to consciously focus on it.

I'm purposefully not going all out because I know it won't get me anywhere. I've forced myself to not get on the bike some days (to make three-a-days) because I know I'll be on it enough this year ... even though I'm oh so glad to actually want to climb on the damn thing.

My body is complaining about the work I'm putting it through, but I can tell it's getting close to craving it, too.

And let me tell you - I've missed it.

2015: The Year of Awesome

Also known as the annual goals and resolutions post!

If I've learned anything over the last few years, it's that I think I set my goals too high. Granted, I don't think I set them out of the realm of achievablity (did i make that up? i think i did ...), mind you, but as I mentioned this past fall, I fear success, and think I subconsciously self-sabotage.

Therefore, the number one, above all else goal this year is the following: 

Embrace my inner awesome.

(yes, that gets bolded, giant-sized font, italicized AND underlined.)

I don't think I do that. I don't give myself enough credit. I am my harshest critic and no one (except for maybe my brother) can put me down more than I can.

And really, I'm the only person who can change the above. So that's what I want to do this year. Be more awesome.

That being said, I do have a few other goals related to the purpose of this here triathlon/fitness/whatever blog ... ones that I came up with randomly back in July when I was dreading the rest of the year.

They are:
Ride 5000 miles.
Swim 250,000 meters.
Run 500 miles.

Yep, that's a lot. It will take a hell of a commitment on my part (well, both our parts, really - Brandon's in on this ... except for swimming. He's only going for 175k thanks to his job and also because he doesn't need the work as much as I do), but I'm excited to do it. I'm five days in and so far, so good.

We've mentioned those numbers to several people close to us; some people think we're going to fail, and fail horribly and others think we'll be able to do it no problem. I think it won't be easy, but I'm willing to try a sheer volume goal as opposed to time goals in races - a "goal is in the journey" type of thing, I guess.

There's another reason for wanting to put in this massive amount of volume this year and for us scheduling two 70.3s a month apart ... we're trying to set ourselves up well for next year.

That's right, we're already planning 2016 'round these here parts.

If you look back at 2013s numbers, they were enough to get us through Ironman, but let's be honest - we were way undercooked going into IMAZ. Particularly me, and particularly on the bike.

2016 is going to mark our fifth year of marriage and, if the trend/weekend holds, Ironman Chattanooga will fall on our fifth anniversary. I've already told Brandon that racing an IM on our anniversary is how I want to celebrate, and he's all for it.

And I'm still not sure how it happened, but the idea of also racing IM Boulder that year popped into our heads ... which, if we did it, would mean two 140.6 races six to seven weeks apart. It would be difficult, but not impossible - we saw our friend Ann do it this year and rock BOTH races (although Ann is also a freak of nature, so you know) - third overall female at IMMaryland and then followed it up with another third overall female at Beach2Battleship.

So yes. Tons of mileage this year and closely-raced 70.3s to build a solid foundation going into the double Ironman year of 2016.

If you think we can do it, great! Encourage us! Come train with us! (with that many bike miles, we'll need some company ...)

If you don't? Well, screw you; I don't want your negative energy harshing my awesome.

Here's to a great year!

December and 2014 Round-Up

Oh, end of year posts ...

Let's start with December first, shall we?

Running: 1.6 mi
Swimming: 0m (0mi)
Cycling: 28.86 mi
Lifting: six sessions (3:34)
Other: one boot camp session (60:00), four walks (1:40)

Did I do something non-S/B/R related?: If we count the boot camp class like we did back in July, yes.

Am I strength-training regularly?: Yep.

Am I injury-free?: Thankfully, yes.

December ended up being a crapshoot for the final few weeks. I decided to say "screw it" when it came to working out so I could get a lot of personal stuff done (projects around the apartment that I've been meaning to do for YEARS; essentially cleaning out some clutter). It lifted an unknown weight off my shoulder, so the stress release of stress I didn't even know I had? Totally worth it.

As for 2014 ...

Did I get a new 5K PR? Unfortunately ... no. It still lives on.

Did I continue to keep PRing at the BolderBOULDER? Nope. I was on pace to until my butt decided otherwise. Stupid colon.

Did I get any closer to 2:00 in the half-marathon? Ha, no.

Did I get any closer to 1:30 in the sprint triathlon? Technically ... yes. Thank you Lakes Country Triathlon and your short, short swim.

Did I get any closer to 3:00 (but stay under 3:30) in the olympic triathlon? Ha, no.

Did I get any closer to sub-7:30 in the 70.3 distance for triathlon? Still nope. Almost pulled it off with lack of training though ...

 Am I back into the 8:00/mi range running? Not consistently. I have flashes of it, but only flashes.

Did I learn to tolerate hills on the bike? Actually ... yes! Only one hill mentally killed me, and if I'm being honest, it was the hill plus lack of training plus heat plus a headwind. Horrible combination for anyone, really.

Did I ride more than last year? Oh, not even close ...

Do I suck less in the pool? Maybe? Hard to quantify ...

Did I strength-train regularly? Yes! 58 total sessions this year means I did.

Am I injury-free? I am. I had periods off from training, but it was due to stupid things, like shingles, not injuries.

 Did I do at least one non-tri related activity a month? I got a little technical with some, but almost. April was the only month I didn't, but I had extra in August, so we'll say it averages out to yes?

Did I blog more? I actually blogged less than last year ... but I was on pace for it. Travel makes blogging rough. As does not doing anything. And getting burned out.

******

If you go straight by my goals I posted on the blog last year, the year actually ... kind of sucked. I hit maybe three goals this year? I trained so much less and got horribly burned out and spent a lot of time not training.

That being said ... I learned a ton this year. 

- I learned that I can podium.
- I learned that half my problem is a fear of success.
- I learned that a super-heavy early racing season? Is no bueno if I want to do ANYTHING the rest of the year.
- Conversely, I learned that I can handle a heavy race load and race consistently and not kill myself.
- I learned that I am enough, but I want to be more. I want to DO more.

It's hard to say that 2014 was a good year because 2013 was so great. Compared to 2013, 2014 was very, very meh. And if 2015 goes to plan, 2014 will continue to be even more meh in the rear view mirror. 

Still, if you learn from a year, it can't be all bad.

A Reflection on 2014

I've been pondering this blog for awhile now.  Mostly, what do I want to say?  How does one measure a year?  How do you determine if a year was good or not?

To figure it out, I've been weighing what was good and what was bad.  Here's some highlights of the "good":

- I got a ground school instructor position with my company.  An important resume builder
- I transferred bases, from Newark to Kansas City.  Much easier commute
- I solidified some great friendships, added new friends, and kicked out some negative people in my life
- I began taking more steps to further my career (ground school instructor being one of them)
- I had some great trips this year (Minnesota and Vegas were awesome)
- I got my finances secure, to the point that we are actively house shopping

But there were some "bad" things too:

- T and I had a somewhat rocky year in our relationship life (not airing any dirty laundry, just stating the truth)
- I became a workaholic for a period of time, driven by money and money only
- I developed some laziness, becoming a bit of a couch potato

But since this is a fitness blog, you can probably guess what is the worst thing of the year was...that's fitness.

Simply put, fitness was not a priority this year.  To the point that my fitness year was the worst since 2006.

I have weighed on why this was, and have come to a few conclusions. 

The first is that I rode the wave of being an Ironman finisher way longer than anyone should.  There are some reasons for this, but none truly valid.  The second is that as the year went on, the excuses for not working out got more creative (work, work, etc.).  Eventually, working out became a chore.  Going to the gym, putting on my shoes to go for a run, dragging my bike outside?  It all became work.  Even in years past, when riding/running/swimming/lifting weights were tedious and monotone, basic fitness was never difficult for me.  This year, even something as simple as going to the hotel gym to lift for 15 minutes became a chore.  Things like TV, dicking around on the internet...these were things that became more important than 20-30 minutes of activity.

Now, instead of dwelling on what 2014 was not, it's time to move on, turn the page, and make 2015 the year that it needs to be.  A lot of people would say that you shouldn't rely on the New Year to flip the calendar and begin change, but right now, I need something to flip the mindset, and a new date on the calendar seems like a great excuse to do so.  Obviously talk is cheap, and unless I put my words into action, 2015 will simply be a repeat of 2014.  So let's talk a bit about the game plan:

- 175,000 meters of swimming
- 5,000 miles of riding (exercise bike and trainer counts)
- 500 miles of running

There's races to be had.  I have three half-Ironmans on the schedule, a couple half-marathons, some other sprint tris, and various other races sprinkled in.  The reason is that racing gives me a purpose.  Racing is why I do what I do.  I love racing.  Simple. 

I also need to improve food.  That's pretty obvious.  My eating habits are terrible.  I'd say we're right now at a 50-50 healthy/unhealthy.  A long way to get to 80-20 or 85-15.  Luckily, if I start working out a lot, that will be pretty easy to figure out.  That process, my friends, will also be in baby steps.

Obviously life can throw wrenches in the mix.  My schedule is inconsistent at best.  There are life goals that will take time this year (buying a house for example).  Most importantly, the chance to further my career is becoming quite serious, and that will ultimately take priority over pretty much everything.  But there can always be a balance.  Always.  It's up to me to figure that balance out. 

To begin the year, tomorrow morning I will hop on the trainer and do The Pain Cave, which is a pseudo-new years tradition.  It's not much, but it's a good way to start off the year. I have a rough gameplan of fitness over the next few days of this trip I'll be on. 

There's a few hours left in 2014.  Tomorrow, the page turns, and 2015 begins on the right foot.

Also, next year, I vow to blog at least once a week, and hopefully twice.  Look for workout stuff, but also life lessons as well.

See you next year!

Triathlete Christmas

Yes, remiss in blogging, but when I'm not doing jack, I don't have much to blog about. I'll do a year-end post soon (as well as my 2015 goals post), but for now ... this.

It's weird being an adult. Christmas presents are barely a surprise and when asked what you want, all you want to reply is, "I dunno, bill money?" The few things I might want (since come on, triathletes always want new gear), I don't want enough to get for Christmas ... especially because those few things are out of our gift budget.

That being said, most of our presents to each other were definitely triathlete-related.


This is a big box ... I wonder what it could be?




That big box? Was a second trainer for the house. Yep, Skippy got a brother (or sister) as well as a climbing block to accompany it.

What else is triathlete-y in that pile?

- Ironman sweatshirt (for me)
- Ironman 2XU compression socks (for Brandon)
- USA swim trunks (for Brandon)
- a doughnut swimsuit that yes, says "will swim for donuts" on the butt (for me)
- a BU running pullover (for me)

Simple, and easy. 

Hope your holiday season has been wonderful, everyone, as has your 2014. We here at TBD can't wait for 2015!