I’m nervous about this half marathon thing. Really Nervous.
Which is why I’m thinking about doing it. Call it a New Year’s Resolution.
Although, I’m going to have to wait to register - I will consider myself “in.”
Guess I’m going to get up and run tommorrow!
Well I’m an official marathon entrant now, and who is coming with me? I signed up for the Music City 1/2 marathon just now. The price goes up like $20 after today, so I wanted to get the discount before the first of the year.
Dang this just seems funny to be doing a marathon. Well it’ s time to go run before starting to drink.
Happy New Year all!
LJ
It’s a big question for all of us - how do you balance training and life? We’re all busy people without having to train - so, how do we do it? Well - for me anyway, triathlon training has become an important part of my life, and I feel that it adds so much that it’s something I must do. Also, the rewards from racing often outweigh the sacrifices (like passing up a good burger every now and then).
The folks at EHow also have some good tips for us:
1. Make sure you evaluate your life properly. Do you have the time to train properly, without creating undue stress?
2. Find a friend. This is important for training, and just to share stories and help maintain perspective.
3. Give yourself a break. More people overtrain for the event than undertrain.
4. Be creative in your scheduling. Work out during your lunch break, for example, and carry workout gear in your car trunk in case you can fit in some training at an unexpected time.
5. Communicate to family and friends how important this is for you and what they can all expect.
6. Make sure you attend to your family, especially since it’s likely they won’t be sharing training with you.
7. Try to schedule training around family time and events whenever possible.
8. Be organized. This will help you manage your time and train more efficiently.
9. Consider purchasing a wind trainer or treadmill so you can bike or run at home if necessary.
10. Be realistic. Don’t let triathlons take over your life.
In my previous post about getting started in triathlons, I outlined some steps to get you going - the first of which was answering the question - “What are your goals?”
So - how to begin? The first question is to ask why you decided to compete in your first triathlon. Do you want to simply get in shape? Do you crave the exhiliration of athletic achievement? Are you simply looking for a challenge? Whatever your reasons may be - congratulations on making the decision!
Personally - my goal was to add a little spice to my life. I was growing quite bored with my daily routine of work, commuting, and sitting in front of TV. To top it all off, I was gaining weight and my self esteem was starting to suffer. So, in an email conversation with Pat one day - I made the decision. I was going to compete in a sprint distance triathlon at the end of the summer - come hell or high water.
From that moment on - my outlook on life changed. I relished the challenge of meeting my time and distance goals - and enjoyed the daily training. Even better, my extra weight started to melt off, and I was feeling better and better about myself. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
So, whatever your reason - just do it. Whatever your initial goal may be, I promise you’ll gain more from it than you ever thought.
Many triathletes’ dream is to compete at the Kona Ironman World Championships. Of course, you don’t just get there by training hard - you have to qualify. This is the first in a series of Ironman Qualifier races - the California Half Ironman.
The California Half Ironman starts on March 18, 2006 in Oceanside California. It consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. Registration is still open, so, if you’re so inclined, get over there now!
As a side note - we would have had to beat 4:30 to qualify for Kona in last year’s race. I doubt that happens this year, but next year - it’s a real possibility.
Very pleased with the last 3 days progress. I was 163 on Monday after the holidays, but the BF did not change over the holidays. Well it just goes to show that if you get strict, cut calories to several tiny meals instead of big ones, drink water, and do lots of lifting and cardio you can lose weight. I know some of it was water weight after the holidays, but I also know some was real pounds. Because for about 3-4 days straight I ate cookies, cheesecake, jam cake, fudge, peanut butter balls, other cakes, puppy chow, and I’m not talking small amounts. I would eat 15 chocolate chip cookies and 10 peanut butter balls. This happened on several occassions. Yes, I was still running and riding my bike over those days, but 163 on Monday.
Well today, and after 3 days of a really strict diet, high protein, fiberous carbs, and good cardio and one lifting session; I was at 154.5 a minute ago. Of course that was before I just ate my chicken breast and spinach, but that is almost 10 lbs in just a few days. It’s not really the way to go, but I wanted to get rid of that water weight and water ever holiday pounds I put on before New Years Eve.
So to sum it up, here is what I did for 3 days. I cut calories to 1500-1600 a day of small portions, but very healthy meals. I ran over 5 miles on Monday, I lifted yesterday and has 20 minute HIIT session and then went back last night to play ball with Dut, Kiah, and Dathan for an hour. Today I did steady state cardio for 50 minutes of running at 7mph and then shot hoops by myself for about 20 minutes. I will say one thing, after taking about 3-4 days off from lifting, I’m sore today from yesterday’s workout.
One last thing I bought a new pair of running shoes yesterday. I have had the Asics Gel Nimbus II ever since our tri, but yesterday I was in Hibbett looking for some b-ball shoes and came across a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus I’s that were sharp looking, and since I know I like running in the Nimbus II, I picked these up for $60. That’s 50% off the retail price. That’s what I ran the 50 minutes in today. I also replaced the insole of my old Asics, because I had worn holes all the way through them where the ball of my foot was. Never thought I could wear a shoe out that quickly.
LJ
One of the greatest things about this sport is the Triathlon Community. Here are some links to other folks that are doing what we do.
Spiffyman - a real deal triathlete that shares his own training.
Natasha Filliol - A hottie Ironwoman.
Running out of Lifetimes - A runner’s journal
Fred Sommers - Professional Event Manager
Today was another good post-holiday workout. I couldn’t resist going back for more running - and I’m still working my way up to a good solid run. I started my run split at 5 minutes walk (to warm up), then a 5 minute run. Then, I dropped down to a 2/3 minute run walk combo to finish out the 30 minutes. Man - that felt good.
Then, I went over to the elliptical, and really worked it out, keeping my heart rate at over 15o for 30 minutes.
All in all - things are picking up. That holiday weight should be gone in a few days!
Well the verdict is in…after eating as much as I could for 3 days solid, not exercising one bit, and even laying around more than usual…I still managed to lose 1 pound. I was 220 pounds before the holiday season, and this morning I was 219. I was pretty pumped. I cannot post much, because work is CRAZY right now. I will give a more detailed post tomorrow.
With New Year’s right around the corner, one thing I’m hoping to hear from family, friends, and readers is the resolution to compete in a sprint distance triathlon this year. There is no other hobby that will add as much to your life as an endurance event.
The first thing you’ll need to do is to create a plan. While that seems simple enough, the folks over at Beginner Triathlete offer up these questions to ask yourself:
1. What are your goals?
2. How much time do you have per week to train?
3. Do you have any prior injuries that could pose a problem?
4. Are you overweight?
5. Right now, do you have a base in running, biking or swimming?
6. Your first year of training. What should you focus on?
In a series of posts over this next week, I’ll address each of these questions, and invite the rest of the authors here to do the same.