still in the running

For those of you who doubt... you know who you are... I have only to say this: DON'T. Don't doubt that on May 07,2011 I will step up to that line ready for anything, hopefully the Ironman but for now anything will do. I have continued my training and continue to find creative ways to work in two hours a day. Ideally it would be three but yeah I have a staff who depends on me, Professors riding my case etc etc - so yeah two hours a day for now but it is paying off. I'm lighter and moving faster every day: rain, sleet, snow, hell and high water. Unfortunately, do to the demands of my life this site is not updated regularly, but I am not worried about that, I would rather be running or biking or swimming over typing about running, biking or swimming... So don't lose heart, I haven't. Look for a complete blog update some time after December 14.

The Dirty Dash

The Dirty Dash was perhaps the hardest race I have done to date... I am including the two half-centuries, half-marathon and triathlon I have already completed. I am not sure why this race was so much harder than the others being that the distance was a mere 10k but nevertheless I found it to be exceptionally challenging. It also really sucked being the slow person on my team. If you are ever in this position it is one you want to get out of as quick as possible. With that said, it was a fun race and I loved my team! Additionally, I will be including pictures with a play by play of how the race went as soon as they become available.

On a side, I was so mad about my own abilities at the Dirty Dash that I got up this morning and went for an almost two hour bike ride. It was good to get out and continue to work, especially since I was so incredibly sore from the race yesterday.

Never enough time

I realized today that if I trained the recommended three hours a day from now to the race, that would be 687 hours of training... that's right 687 hours of preparation for an event that is 17 (max) hours... and yet it doesn't feel like it's enough. Hmmm.

Furthermore, finding time to train for the Ironman has proven problematic. Between work, school and extra curricular activities I am only training about four hours a week. According to all the books, articles and websites I have referred too this number should be closer to 20 hours a week. Any thoughts or suggestions on how to build in more work-outs would be greatly appreciated.

Additionally I have decided to join Weight Watchers because the principles they teach are sound and having the additional support will be nice. So from here on out, weight losses or gains will be updated per the 'official' weight watchers' scale.

Upcoming Events:
The DIRTY DASH Saturday September 25, 2010 10k Obstacle Course

Current Stats:

Weight: Not willing to disclose this particular bit of information just yet...

Height: 5'2" (for the record I don't anticipate this one changing)

Total Loss: 0 lbs (I have fluctuated on this one so I will be logging numbers now based on Weight Watchers tracking)

Days to Ironman:

First Triathlon

Post Triathlon

Today I had the opportunity to attempt my very first triathlon today and can I just say what a learning experience that was!

Things I learned from the baby summit triathlon:
(1) always do a gear check prior for leaving for race - they will not let you compete without say a HELMET!
(2) nothing is quite as unnerving as being the last person in the running part of the race and having the support truck stalking you like prey (I think this may have helped to substantially improve my time)
(3) when you get lost on the course, retracing your steps is not always the best option (the race was bittersweet for me as this did happen and I think I missed out on some of my biking as a result)
(4) stay for the raffle, you may win some cool prizes
(5) races are awesome motivation!
(6) and last but not least people are so nice on race day - this always helps to restore my faith in humanity.

Injury

Well it has been a long time since my last post and there is one simple reason: my training came to a crashing halt when I was involved in a water accident that left me gimped...

in the hospital...

but alas I have made a full recovery and am in full swing of my training. With classes starting this week I began my triathlon training class. It is excellent!

Holiday Weekend-O-Fun

While in the great state of Idaho I had the opportunity to continue my training in a less aggressive albeit fun way. While the excursion was sandwiched between two flat tires it was a fun way to get in a workout which brings me to my key point for the week: never underestimate the importance of having fun with your training. In my reading I have discovered this is key to preventing burnout; based on my experience I would say it's key to success.

On a side, I forgot my good shoes and pretty much felt like a dork the whole day - Good times!

a very helpful website

Additionally I have found many helpful articles at http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/

as well as great recipes at http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/

For the record- the more I learn the more I wonder 'what I have gotten myself into...'

getting a jump on things

Having given this some careful consideration I decided that participating in periodic races would give me small, more manageable goals to work on as I prepare. In the picture on the left I am about to finish my first half-marathon. Next to come... the heber half-century and an unnamed olympic triathlon.

start simple

I quickly discovered that my initial training schedule was far too ambitious. How it should be modified remains unclear...

So for the remainder of the week I will be trying the following: keep it simple and keep moving. I will also be trying some new recipes this week. Please refer to the recipe page for more details.

the beginning

Well tomorrow is the big day - the first official day I start training for the Ironman. Now I think it is important to know that I will be approaching this as a complete novice. I have no experience with this level of training and will basically be stumbling around in the dark which will likely result in some humorous albeit challenging experiences. I will try to update with pictures, tidbits and antidotes as much as possible.

Week one goal:

Hydrate - drink 64 oz of water a day

Day one training will include the following:

18 mile bike ride (I could die before this thing gets off the ground)

30 mins of walking (this ones more realistic)

45 mins of weight training (no biggy)

20 mins stretching (love it!)

Current Stats:

Weight: Not willing to disclose this particular bit of information just yet...

Height: 5'2" (for the record I don't anticipate this one changing)

Total Loss: O lbs

Days to Ironman: