Things I Have Learned This Season.

As the curtain closes on 2007, here are some things I have learned.

1. Triathlon is harder than it looks, y'all. :)

2. The question is not, "Will I come in last?" The question instead is, "Will I finish this race?"

3. Sometimes things come up that you could never plan for -- illnesses, mechanicals, etc. Sometimes they'll even throw you out of a race and ruin your day. So sulk for the afternoon. Feel sorry for yourself over a plate of nachos, even. And then, the next morning, get back out on the road.

4. Conversely, sometimes, many times, things happen -- good things -- that you never would've considered before the race. Sometimes, when you think your best time is 2:05, you'll come in at 1:57. Sometimes, when you think a swim will take you 15 minutes, you emerge from the pool at a hair over 6.

5. The people you meet in triathlon and road races are awesome. Simply awesome. Take the time to talk to them, to get to know them, to run whole marathons with them, and you'll have friends for life.

6. Never underestimate the power of good, sound training.

7. At the end of the day, racing is supposed to be fun. So don't sweat it. It'll all turn out.

:)

Olympic Tri Training Begins.

And this week's schedule is as follows.

Monday: Rest day! (King Street Mile was pre-empted by work.)
Tuesday: Rest day!
Wednesday: Bike (48 minutes), weights.
Thursday: Run (24 minutes).
Friday: Run (40 minutes), weights.
Saturday: Bike (80 minutes).
Sunday: Swim (Workout Five on the mile plan), bowling.

:)

Ooh-Ooh.

So, despite my best efforts, I have fallen off the training wagon this week. Christmas will do that to you, I suppose.

I was supposed to run on Christmas Day, but three Santa-crazed nieces and nephews did not allow that to happen. :) And I was supposed to hit the pool this morning, but given the fact that I've been going on very little sleep this week, and traveling/working/volunteering all day yesterday, I opted to stay in bed this morning and try to catch up on my rest. Mainly because every time I fly I become susceptible to germs and viruses that I'm normally immune to. I don't want to court trouble, you know?

The GOOD news is, last week I managed to complete every training goal I'd made for myself. Not too shabby! :) And if I play my cards right, I'll only miss my two swims for this week.

Why the swims? Because I've got a one-mile race on Monday and I want to make sure I can complete it in the requisite 10 minutes or less. Thus, I must work in a couple of runs this week to time myself. My goal is to finish around 8:30 or 9. Tomorrow morning I'm going to try to hold a 9-minute pace. Saturday I will try to hold a 10-minute pace. For tapering. Ha! :)

So, the revised schedule this week looks like this:

Monday: Rest day.
Tuesday: Rest day.
Wednesday: Rest day.
Thursday: Bike (30 minutes).
Friday: Run (one-mile time trial, 30 minutes total), weights.
Saturday: Run (one-mile time trial, 40 minutes total).
Sunday: Bike (60 minutes), bowling.

Next week, my Olympic training begins. I can't wait! It'll be just the structure I need to stay strong. And with one base season under my belt, I feel like now I can work on speed and finesse. Which will give me a leg up, I hope, in next year's races!

Also, as an (important) aside, Santa brought me a new indoor bike trainer!!! So I will be using it tonight while watching "The Golden Girls" on TV. That, and this year's Ironman Florida. :)

Life is good.

:)

Next Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day.
Tuesday: Run (40 minutes).
Wednesday: Rest day, weights.
Thursday: Swim (Workout Five on the mile plan), bike (30 minutes).
Friday: Swim (Workout Five on the mile plan), weights.
Saturday: Run (40 minutes).
Sunday: Bike (60 minutes), bowling.

:)

Cold as Ice.

But oh, it's so nice to run again.

This morning I dragged my sleepy self out of bed and put on my cold-weather running gear for a nice 22-minute jaunt through the neighborhood. The temperature when I arrived back home?

24 degrees.

But do you know what? I didn't actually feel the cold much once I got warmed up. In fact, I was downright comfortable. Except for my lungs, which I felt like had frozen up. And also my toes. I'll have to put on some warmer socks for that.

I was talking to my friend Stephanie after I got into the office this morning and she gave me a helpful hint that I think I'll try next time I run: I'll pull the collar of my jacket up over my mouth and use it as a filter, circulating the nice warm air through the fabric instead of inhaling that frozen oxygen that's lingering about outside. I think that'll do the trick!

Two weeks ago I started swimming again. That same week, I hopped back on the bike. Now, I'm back on the road. This completes my return to triathlon training. It feels great to be back!

:)

This Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day, weights.
Tuesday: Run (30 minutes).
Wednesday: Swim (Workout Four on the mile plan), weights.
Thursday: Bike (30 minutes).
Friday: Swim (Workout Four on the mile plan), weights.
Saturday: Rest day.
Sunday: Run (40 minutes).

:)

This Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day, weights.
Tuesday: Run (30 minutes).
Wednesday: Swim (Workout Three on the mile plan), weights.
Thursday: Bike (30 minutes).
Friday: Swim (Workout Three on the mile plan), weights.
Saturday: Bike (60 minutes).
Sunday: Run (30 minutes), bowling.

:)

This Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day, weights.
Tuesday: Rest day.
Wednesday: Swim (Workout Two on the mile plan), weights.
Thursday: Bike (30 minutes).
Friday: Swim (Workout Two on the mile plan), weights.
Saturday: Bike (60 minutes).
Sunday: Run (30 minutes), bowling.

:)