Posts Tagged ‘Goals’
I feel each new year is a blank page in “my book”. A chance to start fresh and get excited about the opportunities ahead. A chance to think about what I would like to do and the adventures I want to take in the coming year. Though some of the race related decisions of what I will be doing were made in 2016, it is no longer “next year”. It is coming into the here and now and the grooming of the specifics come into play.
As far as training goes, I have been active since the end of my race season in October. During the off season, I don’t abandon swim, bike and run, but I definitely mix things up. I have actually had a focus to my swim and I am rather pleased with where I am currently, especially considering it is January. I took several weeks where I would do a run about once a week, maybe two now and again, “just for fun”. This eventually moved into a base build where I was trying to incorporate low zone runs and gradually increase mileage. It was nothing too structured, but I was also thinking ahead to 2017, since running would be a big focus as soon as the new year began. As far as the bike, it is where I always would choose to be, so it is easy for me to keep trainer rides in my rotation. I have been getting in rides approximately twice a week. I definitely have been able to mix it up as well. I have tried some “new to me” classes at the gym and also some more focus on strength training. I have not been able to keep in the strength training as much as I planned, but one winter workout that has been in regular rotation since the first of December is a weekly stair workout with my tri team. We gather on Thursday mornings at 6am at a local 17 story office building and climb stairs every way you can possibly imagine. This is a killer workout and it never disappoints. We have an interesting way of making this challenging workout super fun and I look forward to it every week.
There will be no significant changes to how I approach training in 2017. I continue to be dedicated to getting stronger every year. My dedication is my strong suit…I have to be. Progress does not come easy for me and this is one thing that I can always bring to the table.
I will tweak some things here and there to try to reach that improvement this year. Last year I believe that I plateaued a bit, so my focus is to DO THE WORK that is necessary to grow in 2017.
My first training plan of 2017 has already kicked into full gear. With my first race planned for March 19, it is time to incorporate the structure that is needed to keep the focus and push for the goals. The Tobacco Road Half Marathon is first up. I am excited to have this early season race…this is new for me. The idea was that I would take this early focus on my run….base building started late November and by March I will be well prepared for this half marathon which will hopefully set me up well for a strong season of triathlon.
The next race I have committed to is the Chattanooga Ironman 70.3. May 21 will be here before I know it, but I am crazy excited about this event. This is one that I really wanted to race in 2016, but missed my opportunity to sign up before it sold out. I am most looking forward to the change this will bring. I have completed four half-ironmans and three of those were Raleigh IM 70.3. The variety and challenge of a new course will be more than welcomed and “fingers crossed” that the temperatures will be a bit kinder than those that Raleigh tends to deliver. This is a team event so there will be a strong showing from Oak City Tri. Plus, Tony has signed up, which will be his first triathlon back after a several year break. This race has a lot for me to be excited about!
I have not yet signed up, but I am also planning to do the Cary Long Course Duathlon that I have done the last couple of years This is a few weeks before Chattanooga IM 70.3, so the timing is ideal. This has become one of my favorite local races, so I am happy that it seems to fit well with the calendar. I expect that this will be another tri team event, which makes racing it, even more fun!
As you can see, the first part of the season is planned out. I have my mind on some summer races, but Tony and I need to pair up our calendars and make some scheduling decisions (he plans to race some Xterra events and there are far fewer of those races to choose from). One thing I have determined is that whatever I do decide to race, I need to plan a bit better than I did for my later season races last year. This will allow me to better set the structure, which in turn, should set me up for a great season!
Today is the race day that did not happen. My original plan for today included running the Kiawah Island Half Marathon. This was the first race that I knew I would have on my race schedule for 2015. It was actually decided in the summer of 2013 (sitting pool side with cocktails)…yeah, a long time ago.
At the end of my tri season, I had switched to a run focus and had a great plan to follow. I was working hard and running well overall. As of my last running update here on the blog, I knew my goal (and stretch goals) were completely attainable. That is one reason why it is so frustrating. Despite the best laid plans, they unfortunately have to change sometimes. To my dismay, I have deferred my race registration to 2016.
About seven weeks ago, I was having some lingering leg pain. It was originally in my inner thigh where I felt the most. I finally had the run where I knew I had to stop and give it a break. I iced, stretched and rested it for a few days. Then after this initial break, I gave it another go. I still had the pain. So, more resting, stretching, icing and ibuprofen. This time I gave it a week without running in hopes that would be enough. I was still optimistic that I would be able to race on December 12.
Upon my next try at running, I was not feeling the pain in the inner thigh. I was able to get a mile, but I gradually felt pain in the upper hamstring/inner abductor. After that, I gave it one more go, but decided I needed help. The basics of rest, stretch, ice, ibuprofen was not doing the trick.
I have read about ART (Active Release Therapy) and my friend Tim was undergoing treatment when I started battling these issues. He had good luck with the treatment (he was supposed to run the marathon distance at Kiawah Island, but had to defer his registration as well). I started seeing the same doctor and have had four treatments so far.
My last training run occurred on October 24 and had not tried had a “successful” run since then……..until this past weekend. After my third treatment, I was given the green light to go for a run. I was able to get in three miles!!!! I did not have pain, but still felt tightness in the same area. I was very excited to get it in and how I felt. I WILL say that it was surprising how my run fitness has dropped in the weeks that I have had to that this break. That’s okay though, just happy to run! Baby steps…..
It seems that the pain problem are weak hips/hip flexors which has caused me to compensate in other areas during my running resulting in the issues I am currently experiencing. I have added hip strengthening exercises to my regiment as well. So, when I do get back to a regular running routine, my hips will be ready!
Fortunately, I really wanted to focus on my swim after Kiawah, so I have just pushed that up in the schedule. On average, I have been able to get to the pool three times a week. Regular swimming during the off season is a goal of mine and I have gotten off to a solid start. I have also continued to bike on the trainer, which is what I opt for when I need a good sweat session!! I have incorporated core and lower body work without any pain, so I have plenty that I CAN do!
This is the first race of any kind, that I have signed up and was not able to participate. I know that listening to my body, focusing on treatment and getting my weaknesses stronger, are in my best interest. It is still a bummer that I had to put it on hold and not go for my open half marathon goal this year. No worries….I will be healthy and determined when the 2016 race season rolls around!
My friend Nicole is racing this morning…..she was the last one standing after Tim and I had to defer. (Tony had considered this race at one time, but never committed.) Her training has gone really well and I know she was prepared to have a great day. Sometime soon we will all be able to race together….I guess we can plan this next summer while sipping cocktails by the pool!
In my triathlon and personal goal world, 2014 was an absolutely amazing year for me. My race plans for 2015 are not as big as training for my first Ironman and my focus for this year will obviously be very different. I have plans and goals that I will be working hard for, but it will not take as much of ME as training for my first Ironman. I am aiming to have fun while pushing toward my goals for these races.
Here is the current plan for the first part of 2015.
Long Course Duathlon//May 16//I have never participated in a duathlon, so I figured I would give it a try. The distances associated with this race are 5 mile run/33 mile bike/5 mile run.
Ironman 70.3 Raleigh//May 31//I raced Raleigh 70.3 the inaugural year in 2013. Last year I volunteered. Here is a quick recap from my 2013 race in order to frame my present year goals.
- {SWIM} Not one of my best. While I was very prepared, I did not execute what I wanted back in 2013.
- {BIKE} Great and exceeded my expectations. My “stretch goal” for the course was sub-3 hours. When I had raced Beach 2 Battleship Half in 2012 (my first and only other half), my bike time was 3:00:09…I wanted those 10 seconds back!! Because I was able to train the Raleigh 70.3 bike course multiple times, I knew exactly what to expect. It was far hillier than B2B, which is a FLAT course. Well, I pulled it off with a 2:58:37, so those results were very special to me. I hope to improve even more on that time.
- {RUN} I executed the run as planned. Race day ended up being a very hot day and training conditions had not been that warm leading up to the race. My plan was to run smart…focusing on hydrating and staying steady. I felt really good about how I executed the run with 2:13:12. I had originally planned for a goal closer to the 2 hour mark (my B2B time was 2:06:34), but I knew conditions dictated a different plan on race day.
- {GOALS} My focus this year will be on improving my times in each of the three legs. I have lots of room with the swim…no particular time goal here…just want improvement. As far as the bike, I want to push it a bit more and hope to shave off a couple of minutes. As far as the run, I would love to hit the sub-2 hour mark for the 13.1. Overall for the 70.3, it would be awesome to break 6 hours again. B2B Half in 2012, I pulled out a 5:53:43. While Raleigh is a more challenging course, I had a 6:14:12. So, I hope to push my training to see that sub-6 hour mark once again!
Smile Train Sprint//June 28//This is the same race as my very first triathlon back in 2009. It consists of a 250-yard pool swim, 12 mile bike and 5K run. I have never raced it a second time, even though it is a great local race, really perfect for first timers. I have wanted to race it a second time, but it has not fit into my schedule these last years. I really want to go out there, have fun, but push it hard. It will be fun to compare my race times to those from my first year!
Washington Olympic//July 25//This will also be a repeat race. It was the first Olympic distance I raced back in 2011 with a 3:04:01. The only other Olympic/International distance I have raced was in 2012 with a 3:11:47 (however, this bike distance was 27 miles compared to 23.5 miles at my first). Overall, my goal is to break the 3 hour mark and have fun with the distance.
As far as triathlons go, end of July is as far as I have committed my schedule. At that point, I plan to evaluate how I am feeling, what I want to continue to push goal-wise and then decide if I want to schedule more sprints, an Olympic or possibly another half. I have a list of potential races that interest me, most of which I have not done previously, so we will see what the second half of 2015 will bring!
Kiawah Island Half Marathon//December 12//I touched on a sub-2 hour 13.1 goal earlier in my list. This is really one of my biggest goals of the year. While I have done this in training, I have never logged this time in a race. Plus, I have never raced a stand alone 13.1…only as part of the 70.3 distance. It will be awesome if I can knock this out in Raleigh 70.3, but Kiawah Island is the plan with one of my running buddies. We decided one day last summer, as we were hanging out by the pool, to go for the sub-2 hour mark with this race. It will be special to train with my friend and then push each other on race day to meet our goal!
I am looking forward to getting in a good amount of variety and having a fun 2015 race season!
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