Completed my 12th Half-Marathon this morning on a beautiful, cool, sunny day! Both my best friend/training partner Alicia and I were not feeling it as we started the race this morning. She has been sick off and on this week, and I've been in my own funk lately. Barely training (surprise, surprise) for the race didn't help either.
It took me about 2 1/2 to 3 miles to get into a groove, and after that it was an easy pace to the end. About 4 1/2 miles in I could tell that my pinky-toenail was scraping against my fourth toe and knew I was gonna have a bleeder on my hands (or feet) soon. It wasn't long before I felt the sticky substance surround half of my foot and had to muddle through for the tail end of the race.
The route is an out-and-back course, and as we rounded the turn around point I was surprised to see that no mats had been laid out to keep track of runners' time and exclaimed, "We totally could have cheated!" Not that I would have. Even if the powers that be knew nothing of my dishonesty, I couldn't accept the medal, or even claim that I had "finished" the race in good conscious. So, we did an about face and headed back for another 6 miles.
It wasn't long before our lack of training and the prior weeks stressors got the best of us and we began walking for just as long and just as often as we ran. This was quite alright with both of us however, as we were now on the downswing of the race and only wished to finish. Conversations of where to eat after the race and our gastrointestinal problems soon filled the air. By mile 10 we were running from landmark to landmark, and only wished that the race would soon be over - heinies and hamstrings were getting a little tight.
On our last turn, with only .1 mile left to go, Alicia got her second wind and pulled out ahead of me. I tried to ram it into high gear so we could finish together but that didn't quite work and I ended up crossing the finish line probably 5 - 7 seconds behind her. I also like to think that I didn't want to steal her glory, as I've finished first in my fair share of the races we've competed in together and it's only right that I give her her moments....... oh, who am I kidding?! She kicked my ass fair and square! Either way we both finished another race, and both got a pretty sweet medal to hang around our necks. I finished in an unofficial time of 2:43:56 - not a PR by any means, but probably right on par with some others that I've run.
Our next race is the Waverly Hills 6.66 mile trail run on Halloween night. I'm concerned about this race for two reasons: 1 - it doesn't start 'til 8:00 p.m. and we'll be running the course in the dark with only headlamps to guide our way, and 2 - trail runs are a whole other beast! Needless to say, I've asked for a personal day the following morning since I know we won't be pulling into home until close to midnight, and if my 7 mile hiking trip this past weekend is any indication as to how my calves are going to feel, I will be needing all the recovery time I can get!
About Me
- Connie
- Louisville, Kentucky, United States
- After four years of long-distance running (5k, 10k, half-marathons) I got a little burnt out and decided to try my hand at triathlons. This blog is a journey into my training regime, as well as the play-by-play experiences I have had while competing in these amazingly fun events!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Feelin' like a fraud
I've come to the realization recently that I am a physical fitness fraud. I've been "running" since 2005, and "competing" in triathlons for a year now, yet my exercise and eating habits outside of these events is more couch potato than iron(wo)man. I came home from a vacation in Disney World this past week weighing the most I've ever weighed in my entire life - 141 pounds. Now, some of you may be saying to yourself, "Are you kidding me? She's 141 pounds and she's complaining about this???" But for someone who is a self proclaimed "athlete," and comes from a family of obesity, this is a big deal.
I would say 99.9 percent of people who know me know that I have completed multiple half marathons, marathons and triathlons. I went through the lunch line at work the other day and I took two desserts. A patient told me "You don't look like you eat that much." My reply? "I work out a lot!" The truth is - I don't. Not even close. I barely trained at all for my first marathon, and for the second - I did a once-a-week long run on Saturday mornings and that was it. I trained hard for my first Olympic Triathlon, but the others I looked at as a way to maintain and have something to do that weekend. People come up to me and say, "You've done how many of these events? I could NEVER do that, that is awesome." When I hear this though, I almost feel fake - like I'm getting all the glory for barely any work. Now, that is not to say that the races and triathlons themselves aren't grueling (see my previous posts for the Chicago Marathon and the Shelbyville Back to Health Olympic Triathlon), but I just feel that my lack of training and my lack of eating the way I should mock the other athletes that are out there really working hard and making positive changes in their lives.
Because of this, I've decided to make changes all the way around. No longer will I be taking the easy way out, and "getting by" in these races. No longer will my work outs (lol - or lack there of) end with a trip to McDonalds. I recently went to the grocery and made healthy choices rather than unhealthy ones. The problem in this area is that I am such a picky eater that I am limited on what I will eat. I WISH that I liked a larger variety of foods, including vegetables, but I just don't.
I've also decided that I'm not happy just being a "thin" person anymore - although the thinness is fastly fading away as I pack on the pounds, accumulating more muffintop and cellulite than should be legal. I want to be fit and even toned. At 34 years old, I'm not getting any younger and it's going to be even harder to lose as time goes on.
So today I jumped on the treadmill for a three mile run, did some strength training with my home weights and stability ball, and am planning on eating in moderation this evening (and every evening from here on out) when I go out with a girlfriend later on. From now on, I will be a bona fide "athlete" instead of just playing one in the public eye. I will make good life choices that result in more than just a medal around my neck. And, when someone asked how I've lost so much weight (15-20 pounds is my goal), and how I stay so thin, I will honestly be able to tell them that it took a lot of hard work, dedication, good choices, and a realistic look at what I needed to do on the inside, in order to see results on the outside.
I would say 99.9 percent of people who know me know that I have completed multiple half marathons, marathons and triathlons. I went through the lunch line at work the other day and I took two desserts. A patient told me "You don't look like you eat that much." My reply? "I work out a lot!" The truth is - I don't. Not even close. I barely trained at all for my first marathon, and for the second - I did a once-a-week long run on Saturday mornings and that was it. I trained hard for my first Olympic Triathlon, but the others I looked at as a way to maintain and have something to do that weekend. People come up to me and say, "You've done how many of these events? I could NEVER do that, that is awesome." When I hear this though, I almost feel fake - like I'm getting all the glory for barely any work. Now, that is not to say that the races and triathlons themselves aren't grueling (see my previous posts for the Chicago Marathon and the Shelbyville Back to Health Olympic Triathlon), but I just feel that my lack of training and my lack of eating the way I should mock the other athletes that are out there really working hard and making positive changes in their lives.
Because of this, I've decided to make changes all the way around. No longer will I be taking the easy way out, and "getting by" in these races. No longer will my work outs (lol - or lack there of) end with a trip to McDonalds. I recently went to the grocery and made healthy choices rather than unhealthy ones. The problem in this area is that I am such a picky eater that I am limited on what I will eat. I WISH that I liked a larger variety of foods, including vegetables, but I just don't.
I've also decided that I'm not happy just being a "thin" person anymore - although the thinness is fastly fading away as I pack on the pounds, accumulating more muffintop and cellulite than should be legal. I want to be fit and even toned. At 34 years old, I'm not getting any younger and it's going to be even harder to lose as time goes on.
So today I jumped on the treadmill for a three mile run, did some strength training with my home weights and stability ball, and am planning on eating in moderation this evening (and every evening from here on out) when I go out with a girlfriend later on. From now on, I will be a bona fide "athlete" instead of just playing one in the public eye. I will make good life choices that result in more than just a medal around my neck. And, when someone asked how I've lost so much weight (15-20 pounds is my goal), and how I stay so thin, I will honestly be able to tell them that it took a lot of hard work, dedication, good choices, and a realistic look at what I needed to do on the inside, in order to see results on the outside.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
A Busy Fall
Just realized I only have four more weeks 'til my next half-marathon, and a mere 10 weeks 'til the next full - ugh! Allergies kicked my butt this morning, and I bowed out of the 10-miler we had scheduled as a training run. I'm trying to figure out the training schedule for the marathon, but the half, two 10k's and a trip to Disney World is sorely hampering my abilities to schedule appropriately length training runs.
I've been hella-unmotivated for the past few months or so - since finishing the San Francisco Marathon. True, I just had another sprint-length tri last week, but that doesn't necessarily mean I appropriately trained for it. I have to try to figure out something to get me back in the game - back on my toes and out there training. The weather is starting to get cooler, so there should be absolutely no excuses for not running and biking out there. Guess I'll have to break out the old Excel spreadsheet and put some numbers together. Funny, I love to PREPARE and PLAN for the training, it's the actual ACTION part of training that creates a snafu. Sigh...
I've been hella-unmotivated for the past few months or so - since finishing the San Francisco Marathon. True, I just had another sprint-length tri last week, but that doesn't necessarily mean I appropriately trained for it. I have to try to figure out something to get me back in the game - back on my toes and out there training. The weather is starting to get cooler, so there should be absolutely no excuses for not running and biking out there. Guess I'll have to break out the old Excel spreadsheet and put some numbers together. Funny, I love to PREPARE and PLAN for the training, it's the actual ACTION part of training that creates a snafu. Sigh...
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Oldham County Tri - bringing it full circle
Yesterday I competed in the Oldham County Mini Triathlon, the same triathlon that started it all just one year ago this exact same weekend. It's interesting to see how far I've come with this sport, and to be able to compete for the second time in my first-ever tri.
The morning was warmer than predicted by our not-so-accurate weathermen, as the day started off in what felt more like the low seventies than high sixties. Before I was able to get my bike on my car, the rain came pouring down which had me a little concerned. After driving to the OC, checking in, getting marked, and setting up in transition, there was little more to do than wait around and check out the competition before Alicia, Lori, Bill and I took our turn at the pool. I had already dipped a foot in to check out the temperature when we first walked down, and the chilly water definitely had me nervous - I don't do well with cold weather/water. Brrrrr. I heard later on that there had been a leak in the pool and that staff had to keep filling it up with water from the hose, hence there was no time for the water to warm up before the race. I estimated that it was between 70-75 degrees in the pool.
I saw that athletes marked in the low 200's were taking off, so I lined up to wait my turn to jump in the frigid pool (I was #237). There was a 20 second staggered start between athletes, and normally I would have jumped in the pool and waited until it was time to push off from the side to go. But the water being so cold turned me into a major weinie, and I opted to stand at the side and jump in at the last second. It was definitely a shock to my system, and I have to say that besides doing the Polar Bear Plunge in 2005, this was the coldest water I have ever been in! It took about two laps to get used to the temp, but soon I was focusing more on form and how many laps I had left in this leg of the race.
After pulling myself up out of the water, I walked my way to T1 where I had a fairly good transition time and it was off to the bike course. Because of the earlier rain I was a little nervous about the potential for slick roads and was very cautious throughout the course. I rode my breaks on most of the downhills, which there were a lot of! I remembered from the first time around that this race has continuous rolling hills, and the only change this time was that they added two more miles for a total of 10 rather than 8. I made it through okay however, with an average of 3 1/2 minutes per mile.
Pulling up to T2, I had no trouble clipping out and waddling my way to store my bike and switch out shoes. Surprisingly, my legs felt strong starting out on the run course, which was a cross country route mostly on gravel. I hit the 1 mile marker approximately 12 minutes after starting the run - decent considering my notorious slow pace and the uneven terrain. After the turnaround I slapped a high-five to Bill, and felt relieved to see the finish line up ahead.
I had forgotten to hit "start" on my stopwatch when I jumped in the pool, so I could only estimate that I finished the race in about 1:19 - about 4 minutes slower than last year, which I didn't think was too bad considering the extra two biking miles. Pretty soon, Alicia was coming across the finish line, and we ended our adventure with a hot shower and a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrell - woo hoo.
I'm definitely happy to have completed another event - my 7th triathlon in a 12 month period, and that I've found a sport that I truly enjoy competing in. Mostly though, I'm thankful that I get to enjoy this experience with friends who enjoy it as much as I do. Up next - the Louisville Half Marathon followed by the Waverly Hills 6.66 mile trail run on Halloween. Nice!
The morning was warmer than predicted by our not-so-accurate weathermen, as the day started off in what felt more like the low seventies than high sixties. Before I was able to get my bike on my car, the rain came pouring down which had me a little concerned. After driving to the OC, checking in, getting marked, and setting up in transition, there was little more to do than wait around and check out the competition before Alicia, Lori, Bill and I took our turn at the pool. I had already dipped a foot in to check out the temperature when we first walked down, and the chilly water definitely had me nervous - I don't do well with cold weather/water. Brrrrr. I heard later on that there had been a leak in the pool and that staff had to keep filling it up with water from the hose, hence there was no time for the water to warm up before the race. I estimated that it was between 70-75 degrees in the pool.
I saw that athletes marked in the low 200's were taking off, so I lined up to wait my turn to jump in the frigid pool (I was #237). There was a 20 second staggered start between athletes, and normally I would have jumped in the pool and waited until it was time to push off from the side to go. But the water being so cold turned me into a major weinie, and I opted to stand at the side and jump in at the last second. It was definitely a shock to my system, and I have to say that besides doing the Polar Bear Plunge in 2005, this was the coldest water I have ever been in! It took about two laps to get used to the temp, but soon I was focusing more on form and how many laps I had left in this leg of the race.
After pulling myself up out of the water, I walked my way to T1 where I had a fairly good transition time and it was off to the bike course. Because of the earlier rain I was a little nervous about the potential for slick roads and was very cautious throughout the course. I rode my breaks on most of the downhills, which there were a lot of! I remembered from the first time around that this race has continuous rolling hills, and the only change this time was that they added two more miles for a total of 10 rather than 8. I made it through okay however, with an average of 3 1/2 minutes per mile.
Pulling up to T2, I had no trouble clipping out and waddling my way to store my bike and switch out shoes. Surprisingly, my legs felt strong starting out on the run course, which was a cross country route mostly on gravel. I hit the 1 mile marker approximately 12 minutes after starting the run - decent considering my notorious slow pace and the uneven terrain. After the turnaround I slapped a high-five to Bill, and felt relieved to see the finish line up ahead.
I had forgotten to hit "start" on my stopwatch when I jumped in the pool, so I could only estimate that I finished the race in about 1:19 - about 4 minutes slower than last year, which I didn't think was too bad considering the extra two biking miles. Pretty soon, Alicia was coming across the finish line, and we ended our adventure with a hot shower and a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrell - woo hoo.
I'm definitely happy to have completed another event - my 7th triathlon in a 12 month period, and that I've found a sport that I truly enjoy competing in. Mostly though, I'm thankful that I get to enjoy this experience with friends who enjoy it as much as I do. Up next - the Louisville Half Marathon followed by the Waverly Hills 6.66 mile trail run on Halloween. Nice!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Looking Ahead at 2011
With only four months left in the year, it's time to start mentally planning and preparing for the events of 2011. By the end of 2010, I will have completed 19 races in a 12 month period. The goal I set for myself for this year was to complete at least one event per month for the entire year - and while I've achieved this goal so far (and even surpassed it numerous months), in 2011 I would like to focus on longer events.
I completed my first full marathon in October 2009, and then another in San Francisco in July 2010. I am currently signed up for the Memphis Marathon in December (solely by default, as I had planned on only the half, which ended up filling up before I got around to registering), which will give me a total of three in a 14 month period. Next year, I would like to complete at least two more full marathons, and also tackle the half-distance triathlon (1.2 mile swim/56 mile bike / 13.1 mile run), which I'm hoping to do in Cedar Point in September. To keep myself motivated and busy however, I also plan on doing the Shelbyville Tri Series again (a series of four sprints taking place monthly beginning in January), as well as some other smaller races throughout the year.
The Ironman Louisville just took place this past weekend, and my ultimate goal is to compete (and complete) one of those AMAZING races! If all goes well, and I don't completely fall out during the half next year, I plan on making that my goal for 2012. Not sure I will do it here in Louisville - it always takes place that last weekend in August, which historically is a very hot and humid time of year, so I'll be keeping my eye out for another location that may be more suitable to my total weinie-ness. Either way, I've learned to never say never and to just go with it and see what happens. After all, after completing my first half marathon in 2005, I swore I would not put my mind and body through that pain ever again. Five years later, I guess this addiction has made a liar out of me!
I completed my first full marathon in October 2009, and then another in San Francisco in July 2010. I am currently signed up for the Memphis Marathon in December (solely by default, as I had planned on only the half, which ended up filling up before I got around to registering), which will give me a total of three in a 14 month period. Next year, I would like to complete at least two more full marathons, and also tackle the half-distance triathlon (1.2 mile swim/56 mile bike / 13.1 mile run), which I'm hoping to do in Cedar Point in September. To keep myself motivated and busy however, I also plan on doing the Shelbyville Tri Series again (a series of four sprints taking place monthly beginning in January), as well as some other smaller races throughout the year.
The Ironman Louisville just took place this past weekend, and my ultimate goal is to compete (and complete) one of those AMAZING races! If all goes well, and I don't completely fall out during the half next year, I plan on making that my goal for 2012. Not sure I will do it here in Louisville - it always takes place that last weekend in August, which historically is a very hot and humid time of year, so I'll be keeping my eye out for another location that may be more suitable to my total weinie-ness. Either way, I've learned to never say never and to just go with it and see what happens. After all, after completing my first half marathon in 2005, I swore I would not put my mind and body through that pain ever again. Five years later, I guess this addiction has made a liar out of me!
Getting Better with Age
It's been quite a year so far, and every day that I go out for a run, a bike ride or swim, I'm amazed at how much I have accomplished over the past five years - and particularly over the past year.
I was in JROTC in high school, and once a year we had to do a physical fitness test. Now, I was just a scrawny little thing in my teen years - my current height of 5'6", but a mere 110 pounds max during that entire four years. For whatever reason however, I just couldn't find the ability within myself to run one mile in the time alloted - a fairly slow 13 minute pace. I recall struggling every year to get by. Now, the sit ups, pull ups, standing long jump, etc. I could pull off without a problem. I mean, how hard is it to move through a crunch with your tummy flat as a board, and to hold up the weight of little more than skin and bones on a bar for 30 seconds? Piece of cake. But it was the endurance, the cardio, and the lung capacity that always got me when it came to those "other" events. I guess I just figured that being skinny equaled being healthy, and as long as I was thin I didn't necessarily need to do any type of strength or cardio training. Nearly 20 years later however, boy was I wrong!
Don't get me wrong, I didn't spend my younger days completely inactive. While sitting on my bed making mixed tapes and fantasizing about Joey McIntire was a favorite past time, I actually did put in my time outdoors, and even had a regime of Richard Simmons "Sweatin' To The Oldies" going for quite a little bit thanks to my mothers expectation that she would herself take up excercise one day (that never did quite pan out, but I will never again listen to the song "Personality" without visions of little Dick Simmons dry humping the air). I'd go for walks around the neighborhood, complete the step-by-step instructions to excercises printed in the latest women's magazines. One wake-up call however, came around the age of 19 when I bought a bike (mountain, hybrid, whatever - it was a cheapy from Sears), and found that I could hardly ride without getting immediately winded, and that my legs were useless for the remainder of the day when I would get out and pedal. I also thought I was really doing something when I would ride from home through Bernheim Forest and back - a puny six mile round trip course. Now, the bike is hardly worth getting on if I'm going to do anything less than 15.
Almost every time I run with friends I say, "Look at how far we've come. I never thought ten years ago I would be doing this." And here I am about to complete my 15th event of the year with still another half marathon and full marathon to go, along with a 6.6 mile trail run and a possible half marathon trail run as well. And because of all this, I am now quite possibly in the best shape of my life. Sure, I will never fit into a Junior size 7 again (and to be quite honest, at 33 years old, would I really want to? How ridiculous would THAT look?) My exterior has aquired a few more flaws here and there, but the inside is nearly as healthy as it can be (I use the word "nearly" because I know that I am not training at my capacity - that I can go harder if I really pushed myself to do so). But the fact that I could once not even complete a full one mile run, and am now competing in endurance events just amazes me. I would also like to give a shout out to all of the other endurance athletes out there who know exactly what I'm talking about. Who somehow found the world of endurance sports in their late twenties or older, and have embraced the endorphins and mental highs that come with completing a race. To all the other sweatin' oldies out there - I salute you!
I was in JROTC in high school, and once a year we had to do a physical fitness test. Now, I was just a scrawny little thing in my teen years - my current height of 5'6", but a mere 110 pounds max during that entire four years. For whatever reason however, I just couldn't find the ability within myself to run one mile in the time alloted - a fairly slow 13 minute pace. I recall struggling every year to get by. Now, the sit ups, pull ups, standing long jump, etc. I could pull off without a problem. I mean, how hard is it to move through a crunch with your tummy flat as a board, and to hold up the weight of little more than skin and bones on a bar for 30 seconds? Piece of cake. But it was the endurance, the cardio, and the lung capacity that always got me when it came to those "other" events. I guess I just figured that being skinny equaled being healthy, and as long as I was thin I didn't necessarily need to do any type of strength or cardio training. Nearly 20 years later however, boy was I wrong!
Don't get me wrong, I didn't spend my younger days completely inactive. While sitting on my bed making mixed tapes and fantasizing about Joey McIntire was a favorite past time, I actually did put in my time outdoors, and even had a regime of Richard Simmons "Sweatin' To The Oldies" going for quite a little bit thanks to my mothers expectation that she would herself take up excercise one day (that never did quite pan out, but I will never again listen to the song "Personality" without visions of little Dick Simmons dry humping the air). I'd go for walks around the neighborhood, complete the step-by-step instructions to excercises printed in the latest women's magazines. One wake-up call however, came around the age of 19 when I bought a bike (mountain, hybrid, whatever - it was a cheapy from Sears), and found that I could hardly ride without getting immediately winded, and that my legs were useless for the remainder of the day when I would get out and pedal. I also thought I was really doing something when I would ride from home through Bernheim Forest and back - a puny six mile round trip course. Now, the bike is hardly worth getting on if I'm going to do anything less than 15.
Almost every time I run with friends I say, "Look at how far we've come. I never thought ten years ago I would be doing this." And here I am about to complete my 15th event of the year with still another half marathon and full marathon to go, along with a 6.6 mile trail run and a possible half marathon trail run as well. And because of all this, I am now quite possibly in the best shape of my life. Sure, I will never fit into a Junior size 7 again (and to be quite honest, at 33 years old, would I really want to? How ridiculous would THAT look?) My exterior has aquired a few more flaws here and there, but the inside is nearly as healthy as it can be (I use the word "nearly" because I know that I am not training at my capacity - that I can go harder if I really pushed myself to do so). But the fact that I could once not even complete a full one mile run, and am now competing in endurance events just amazes me. I would also like to give a shout out to all of the other endurance athletes out there who know exactly what I'm talking about. Who somehow found the world of endurance sports in their late twenties or older, and have embraced the endorphins and mental highs that come with completing a race. To all the other sweatin' oldies out there - I salute you!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
I'm BAAAAAAACK!
Been a decent week for training, and I'm currently feeling that comforting tiredness that one only gets after a nice, long run. Had a 3 miler on Monday, and took a nice 15 mile bike ride the following day. Since I'm training for a half marathon in 7 weeks, I did a 8 mile loop with a tri friend this morning. Great, cool weather for August - a complete 180 from the temps we've had the past few months. A lot of runners out today, and I felt back in the saddle saying my hello's to those who we passed in the park. Didn't have a particularly fast run - averaged 11:53 per mile - but then again, I will never be a fast runner so I will take what I can get. Getting out there with another person though seems to make all the difference in the world. With the alarm going off at 6:00 a.m. this morning, after not-so-great sleep, my initial instict is to turn it off, roll back over and sleep a few more (or three, or four) hours. Having that obligation to someone else however, tends to keep me motivated. Not to mention the fact that actually completing a run with another person to converse with makes finishing the run that much easier. Were it not for my training partners, I'm not sure I could/would do this on my own. And I'm thankful every early Saturday morning that I have them there to hold me accountable.
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