Learning to Run....

Running....    you just do it, right?   Any two year old knows how to simply get up and go, right?

The answer to the second question is "yes", those little suckers simply get up and go.  They don't think about it; they don't need shoes; they just run with pure joyous abandon and beautiful, natural form.

51 year old guys?   Not so much!.......    :-)

One of the things I really need to work on is my run form.   This and losing a few pounds could be the difference between a good half marathon leg at the upcoming Rev.3 SC 70.3 race and struggling home.  Thankfully, as best I can tell (based particularly on feedback from the guys at Bull City Running and coach Marisa) I'm pretty much a "mid foot striker" and I don't have huge issues with either over or under pronation.  I see this as a good start (especially when it comes to avoiding injury), but there's soooo much more to work on.  Basically I'm still pretty much a "plodder"...   I don't float majestically across the asphalt...  I fight my way there!  

Most recently I have been working on "toeing off" and trying to finish every stride.   I can certainly feel the benefits when I'm fresh, but find it hard to stay focused on this when I get tired.

Then there's run cadence.  Again, I can comfortably maintain a good cadence (maybe 80-90 per min) when I'm fresh, but do I maintain it at the end of a long run?

I also, apparently, run like a plank!   The new challenge is to introduce "contralateral rotation" - basically having your right leg and left shoulder work in harmony and vice versa.   I'm looking forward to a session with The Puppeteer on Friday to start to get this "grooved".   I'm absolutely positive that improved flexibility and core strength will be a recurring theme!

No doubt there will be a dozen other things in the future to add to the list.   Isn't it amazing that there is so much to learn and that even something as fundamental and "natural" as running can involve so much learning.?   It's so easy, even a baby can do it!

I Will.....

As my facebook friends know, I recently had a rush of blood to the head and signed-up for the Rev.3 Anderson, SC 70.3 "Half Ironman" distance triathlon on October 14th of this year.  http://rev3tri.com/anderson/anderson-news/

I don't want to do this to "just finish" - I want to make both myself and The Puppeteer proud and, in order to do that, I'm going to have to work very hard for the next three months.  I'm absolutely committed to doing this.   Here's my first pass at an "I Will List" - no doubt I will be adding more as time goes on!

I Will……

I will make myself and my coach proud at Rev.3 South Carolina 70.3 in October

In order to do this I will……

….work my ass off for the next three months

….give 100% on every workout

….lose at least 10 lbs by race day

….eat fewer carbs

….move my calorie input earlier in the day

….cut alcohol consumption by at least 50% (I’m not going nuts!)

….eat more fruit and veggies

….stay hydrated

….get more sleep (get to bed earlier)

….get my workouts in earlier to beat the heat

….not sneak any extra breaths during swim workouts

….do more open water work

….perfect my sighting and swim straight!

….finish swim workouts with tired lats

….not mash on the bike and maintain a high cadence – distribute power more evenly

….engage my core and glutes on the bike

….not freewheel unless I run out of gears

….take more calories on my rides

….stay aero!

….do 10 mins dynamic warm-up before every run

….toe-off and finish every stride

….learn to use contralateral rotation when I run

….become a lot more flexible

….do TRX or other core/flex work at least twice a week

….do yoga or other stretch/flex work at least twice a week

Apparently I Swim Like an Elephant.....

I just don't get it.....    at yesterday's Triangle Triathlon I felt as if I had put in a good strong freestyle;   I thought that I sighted well;  I drafted off a few guys;  I swam close to every buoy and I was pleased with my turns........

.......and yet my time was four minutes slower than last year when I struggled and had to throw in breaststroke!

WTF?    Sometimes triathon is just plain strange........

This Should Be Interesting

Saturday morning will see me competing in the Triangle Triathlon (sprint) organised by Set-Up Events.   I raced it last year and very much enjoyed it - I would be really looking forward to this year's event but for the fact that my training has been so disrupted by travel and illness.   I'm not exactly race ready!......

What can you do but suck it up; get out there; do your best and have fun?  

Despite my poor preparation I still think that I can go under last years time.   It's just a short event:  750M swim (in the hot, green soupy waters of Harris Lake - not too far from the nuclear power station!); 17.5 mile moderately hilly bike ride and 5k run - mostly on trails.

That water's fine I'm sure....    What could possibly go wrong?  :-)

Come on in, the water's fine....

Bloody Typical!

As often seems to be the case, my workouts leading-up to a race (Triangle Triathlon on July 14th) have been disrupted somewhat by work travel, but it seemed this time as if I was getting things back on track a couple of weeks in advance of the big day.  Swims have been pretty good; I feel as if my running legs are back under me and, after a short forced lay-off because of the travel, the bike also feels about back to normal.

I have enjoyed a couple of days at the coast for the July 4th Holiday, with a little extra time to train.  Some nice open water swims; a good long bike session and some runs...  what could possibly go wrong (apart from the ridiculous heat!)?    UGH!   Two evenings ago my throat felt a bit "scratchy" and I was concerned something was up.  Yesterday morning my stomach was a bit upset (but feeling better by lunchtime) and I was coughing slightly.  This morning I woke up completely congested and with nasty sinus discomfort and headache....    the dreaded "summer cold"....   this BLOWS!   Why, oh why, can't I have a "normal" lead-up to a race?

Not much I can do apart from suck it up and try to get better.   I have a long ride with two 10 mile time trials scheduled for today.  Hopefully I'll feel a little better this evening and at least be able to give it a try. 

The Tortoise and the Hare

So, as noted in yesterday's post, I went out this morning for a long ride with The Compass on a typically hot and sticky central NC morning.   In retrospect, taking on a 70 plus mile ride after a relatively inactive couple of weeks might not have been the smartest idea!

We left from the White Oak entrance to the American Tobacco Trail at 06:30 and after about ten miles saw a rabbit on the side of the road and a turtle crossing in the same place.  This immediately brought to mind Aesop's fable "the turtle and the hare".  Unfortunately for me, today The Compass was both Turtle and Hare and showed both endurance and speed while I languished in her wake!



I could certainly feel that I haven't been on the bike for a few weeks!   I managed to just about keep up on flat sections and the steeper gradients, but as soon as there was a long steady uphill stretch The Compass dropped me like a bad first date!   That's what I deserved, I guess, for posting her finish line picture yesterday - I'm pretty sure that she was enjoying herself!  :-)

To make matters worse, The Compass managed to navigate the entire route without a cue sheet (well, almost!) thereby eliminating any small victory I might have been able to claim if she got us lost!   Now I just have to hope that my performance was, at least in part, due to my short lay off and the long days working in Boston this week and not some terrible power outage.

Awesome riding Lindsay - I hope that I didn't slow you down too much!

Back in the Saddle

The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur to say the least!   Firstly a weeks vacation with family in New England and then a week in Boston attending our biggest industry tradeshow and conference of the year.  Long days!

The upshot of all of this is that I haven't kept to a normal training schedule and have been pretty "slack" for a couple of weeks.   All I have really managed to fit in over the past two weeks is a few runs, the longest being an eight miler.  I wasn't too worried during the first week (it was vacation after all - everyone deserves a break and we were very active every day) but I'm disappointed that I didn't manage to do more during the second week - it was just too busy and tiring and sleep seemed more important than getting up at 05:00 to squeeze in a workout.

So....    now I'm back and I have to get back at it.  I'm hoping that my fitness hasn't suffered too much, but I think that I'll probably feel it a bit!   The first big test will be tomorrow morning when I'll be literally and figuratively "back in the saddle" on a ride with The Compass.   This will be my first time out for a while with the newly crowned Three Little Pigs Triathlon overall women's champion, so I may have to bow or something when I see her!  This is what a champion looks like crossing the finish line.....

Sorry Linds....    How could I resist?  :-)

It's going to be an early 75-80 mile ride, and it will likely be hard work as the humidity is forecast to be 96% at 07:00.   I'm guessing that after posting the above glamour shot, The Compass will also be trying to pile on the speed to make me suffer!   I'll let you know how it goes.