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| The classic question. |
The Austin Distance Challenge starts tomorrow. Total mileage for all 6 races = 5 + 10 + 13.1 + 18.6 + 13.1 + 26.2 = 86 miles. At this point I am just going to cross my fingers that I remain in one piece for the whole thing.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Chicken v. Egg
The Austin Distance Challenge starts tomorrow. Total mileage for all 6 races = 5 + 10 + 13.1 + 18.6 + 13.1 + 26.2 = 86 miles. At this point I am just going to cross my fingers that I remain in one piece for the whole thing.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Finding Balance
Jocelyn's blog reminded me guilted me that I have been lagging in my blog posts. I didn't even recap the Austin half marathon! Which, coincidentally, was the last time I felt above water in trying to do everything and doing everything well.
Let's summarize the mileage first.
WW07: 30.5 miles (included the Austin half)
WW08: 19 miles
WW09: 27.7 miles
WW10: 5.6 miles (got a stress cold, only ran 1x)
WW11: 32.1 miles
WW12: 42.4 miles
Trying to run high mileage during quarter end was probably not the greatest idea, but lesson learned for next quarter!
Next, summary of life events.
Austin half marathon ended up being a PR of nearly 20 seconds, which was really surprising. Jocelyn and I had been waiting for the porta potty at the start, so didn't cross the start line until about 3 or 4 minutes after the gun had gone off. Which means you have to wade through a lot lot of people before you can get your free running space. We ran (well zigzagged) together for the first few miles, before I left her on 1st Street heading north. Managed some 7 minute miles in the middle of the race and overall, a negative split. Aside from the late start, I was pretty happy with this. Definitely went a lot better than 3M - not sure if it was the added run fitness, the hilliness (flat does not make me faster), my negative split "strategy," or a combination of everything. And then we went to brunch at Jack Allen's and got to hang out with Jocelyn's awesome friends Bliss & Minsok and drink lots of red wine. It was a good race Sunday.
Then work took over. And I got even more stressed. And decided that I no longer wanted to do long course triathlon this year. And that to prevent a meltdown, formal coaching was not in the plan for this year. I never thought I'd be the person giving up triathlon stuff because of work, but sometimes you just have cut your losses and figure out what will keep you sane. My old method of brute force, just try harder and you'll survive it, doesn't go as well when you're working 60+ hrs a week and in a relationship.
So then I signed up for the Rogue Trail Series 30k distance. Because just running (with a few swims and 1 bike workout per week) and Atomic is "way easier" than trying to train for 3 sports and be decent at all 3 sports at the same time. And then in talking to Coach Tod at Atomic, the plan became to ramp my mileage to ~50 mpw by the first trail series race.
So here I am, 2 weeks in. Somehow I managed to get in 40+ miles last week. I haven't done that since Jocelyn and I did the Graveyard 100k in 2013. I spent half the miles this week wanting to die, probably from both not sleeping enough (meetings that start at 7a and do not end until 10-11p cuts into good sleep and recovery) and the increased mileage.
Next week is the first race. I'm going to use it as a practice run since I haven't run real trails in awhile. Clearly I did not think this through when I signed up for the series, but there are 3 races to do and the first one just sort of crept up so I'll just train through this one and see how the rest go.
Let's summarize the mileage first.
WW07: 30.5 miles (included the Austin half)
WW08: 19 miles
WW09: 27.7 miles
WW10: 5.6 miles (got a stress cold, only ran 1x)
WW11: 32.1 miles
WW12: 42.4 miles
Trying to run high mileage during quarter end was probably not the greatest idea, but lesson learned for next quarter!
Next, summary of life events.
Austin half marathon ended up being a PR of nearly 20 seconds, which was really surprising. Jocelyn and I had been waiting for the porta potty at the start, so didn't cross the start line until about 3 or 4 minutes after the gun had gone off. Which means you have to wade through a lot lot of people before you can get your free running space. We ran (well zigzagged) together for the first few miles, before I left her on 1st Street heading north. Managed some 7 minute miles in the middle of the race and overall, a negative split. Aside from the late start, I was pretty happy with this. Definitely went a lot better than 3M - not sure if it was the added run fitness, the hilliness (flat does not make me faster), my negative split "strategy," or a combination of everything. And then we went to brunch at Jack Allen's and got to hang out with Jocelyn's awesome friends Bliss & Minsok and drink lots of red wine. It was a good race Sunday.
Then work took over. And I got even more stressed. And decided that I no longer wanted to do long course triathlon this year. And that to prevent a meltdown, formal coaching was not in the plan for this year. I never thought I'd be the person giving up triathlon stuff because of work, but sometimes you just have cut your losses and figure out what will keep you sane. My old method of brute force, just try harder and you'll survive it, doesn't go as well when you're working 60+ hrs a week and in a relationship.
So then I signed up for the Rogue Trail Series 30k distance. Because just running (with a few swims and 1 bike workout per week) and Atomic is "way easier" than trying to train for 3 sports and be decent at all 3 sports at the same time. And then in talking to Coach Tod at Atomic, the plan became to ramp my mileage to ~50 mpw by the first trail series race.
So here I am, 2 weeks in. Somehow I managed to get in 40+ miles last week. I haven't done that since Jocelyn and I did the Graveyard 100k in 2013. I spent half the miles this week wanting to die, probably from both not sleeping enough (meetings that start at 7a and do not end until 10-11p cuts into good sleep and recovery) and the increased mileage.
Next week is the first race. I'm going to use it as a practice run since I haven't run real trails in awhile. Clearly I did not think this through when I signed up for the series, but there are 3 races to do and the first one just sort of crept up so I'll just train through this one and see how the rest go.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
WW06: Feb 2-8
Another week with lots of work... and 15.5 hrs of training! I definitely feel like I am reaping the effects of 6 weeks of consistent training, running especially. However, I think staying around 13-14 hrs of training per week is a better balance with all things considered.
32.5 miles run for the week. Definitely on track.
Next weekend is the Austin Half Marathon with Jocelyn herself! Between running, (swimming), and wedding planning, we will be eating ALL the food. Because that's what we do best.
32.5 miles run for the week. Definitely on track.
Next weekend is the Austin Half Marathon with Jocelyn herself! Between running, (swimming), and wedding planning, we will be eating ALL the food. Because that's what we do best.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
WW05: 01/26-02/01
14 hrs and 14 min of training for the week on top of 60+ hrs of work. On my 15th straight day of working; what are these things called weekends anyways? I think if my job was satisfying and I was passionate about what I do, it would be a different story, but right now I just feel like a firefighting punching bag.
20.2 miles of running in 3 runs. Tried Hoka's for the first time, all of 3.9 miles, but so far I'm liking them!
20.2 miles of running in 3 runs. Tried Hoka's for the first time, all of 3.9 miles, but so far I'm liking them!
Sunday, January 25, 2015
WW04: Jan 19-25 + a race report
Only 10hrs and 12min of training this week due to a rest day and easing up for the 3M Half Marathon this morning.
Overachieved this week and got 26.3 miles total, so still on track with a little buffer now.
Work has been getting more and more stressful and it's a good day when I can get out to do my training sessions when I planned them. Overall, life is pretty exhausting - physically from training and mentally from work - with not much time to recover. I'm either sleeping, working, or training.
I dislike not being able to give my all in races; I pay money and get up early to do them so I want to be able to give my best effort. However, even I have a mental limit, and I hit mine this past Friday at work. Then, all the Saturday errands, plus needing to do some work and knowing I'd be working Sunday afternoon after the race definitely did not help with the mental exhaustion or getting me in the right mindset for the race. Originally my goal had been 1:30-1:35, so with the recent events, I went in hoping for a sub-1:35 but not really knowing what was going to happen.
The start was cold; I had on a long-sleeved Atomic shirt, long capris, and compression socks plus a throwaway hoodie on top. I started with the 1:35 pace group but going strong at the start has never been a strength, and my feet were frozen. So I let them go and ran with a friend for about the first 5-6 miles. Overall, ended up slightly under pacing the first half.
Around mile 6 the legs decided they were ready to start moving, so I picked it up. And in typical Amy fashion, I ran out of miles to quite make it in the 1:35 target. But back to the mental fatigue - it was definitely a challenge the whole way through to keep my mind keep going. My legs have run 13.1 miles many times over, at slower paces for sure, but I was confident they would survive the distance. It was one of those "meh" races. I know in other scenarios my brain would have locked on the sub-1:35 goal and I'd have executed better, but this time my all to give was a lot less all.
Part of my disappointment lies in that 3M is known as a PR course - it's net downhill with no steep uphills. I've been running more this year, yet it's less than 3 minutes faster than the Austin half last year. And, so far, not even sore. I'm exhausted from getting up early and all the work, but not the satisfying leg soreness that comes from a great workout.
Overachieved this week and got 26.3 miles total, so still on track with a little buffer now.
Work has been getting more and more stressful and it's a good day when I can get out to do my training sessions when I planned them. Overall, life is pretty exhausting - physically from training and mentally from work - with not much time to recover. I'm either sleeping, working, or training.
I dislike not being able to give my all in races; I pay money and get up early to do them so I want to be able to give my best effort. However, even I have a mental limit, and I hit mine this past Friday at work. Then, all the Saturday errands, plus needing to do some work and knowing I'd be working Sunday afternoon after the race definitely did not help with the mental exhaustion or getting me in the right mindset for the race. Originally my goal had been 1:30-1:35, so with the recent events, I went in hoping for a sub-1:35 but not really knowing what was going to happen.
The start was cold; I had on a long-sleeved Atomic shirt, long capris, and compression socks plus a throwaway hoodie on top. I started with the 1:35 pace group but going strong at the start has never been a strength, and my feet were frozen. So I let them go and ran with a friend for about the first 5-6 miles. Overall, ended up slightly under pacing the first half.
Around mile 6 the legs decided they were ready to start moving, so I picked it up. And in typical Amy fashion, I ran out of miles to quite make it in the 1:35 target. But back to the mental fatigue - it was definitely a challenge the whole way through to keep my mind keep going. My legs have run 13.1 miles many times over, at slower paces for sure, but I was confident they would survive the distance. It was one of those "meh" races. I know in other scenarios my brain would have locked on the sub-1:35 goal and I'd have executed better, but this time my all to give was a lot less all.
Part of my disappointment lies in that 3M is known as a PR course - it's net downhill with no steep uphills. I've been running more this year, yet it's less than 3 minutes faster than the Austin half last year. And, so far, not even sore. I'm exhausted from getting up early and all the work, but not the satisfying leg soreness that comes from a great workout.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
WW03: Jan 12-18
Both work and training load increased this week. Something like 60 hrs of work, mostly front loaded, and 14.25 hrs of training. With that amount of work there's pretty much no time to recover - basically if I'm not training or sleeping I am working. Hence, I am tired.
Hit the running quota at 20.3 miles over 3 runs. Jocelyn and I are still on track!
Other accomplishment: Swam 15000 yards for the first in a week in quite awhile as well.
Hit the running quota at 20.3 miles over 3 runs. Jocelyn and I are still on track!
Other accomplishment: Swam 15000 yards for the first in a week in quite awhile as well.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
WW02: Jan 5-11
11 hrs and 48 min for the week.
24.4 miles over 4 runs.
Biggest challenge - fitting everything in. When the first meeting of the day sometimes starts at 7a and the last meeting ends around 8:30-9pm, it means I'm thinking about work for ~14 hours each day. Trying to fit workouts around all the meetings and daily deliverables gets interesting at times. Sometimes I wish I had a computer program for my life that could give me the optimal way to schedule everything.
24.4 miles over 4 runs.
Biggest challenge - fitting everything in. When the first meeting of the day sometimes starts at 7a and the last meeting ends around 8:30-9pm, it means I'm thinking about work for ~14 hours each day. Trying to fit workouts around all the meetings and daily deliverables gets interesting at times. Sometimes I wish I had a computer program for my life that could give me the optimal way to schedule everything.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Jan 1-4
Jocelyn and I are trying to run 2015 miles this year. So that means 1008 miles each, approximately 20 miles per week.
Jan 1-4: 18.75 miles (abbreviated since 2015 started on a Thursday)
Total training load for the entire week (Dec 29 - Jan 4) : 11hrs 24min (a 50%+ increase over any week in December)
Jan 1-4: 18.75 miles (abbreviated since 2015 started on a Thursday)
Total training load for the entire week (Dec 29 - Jan 4) : 11hrs 24min (a 50%+ increase over any week in December)
Thursday, January 1, 2015
2015 Forecast
My last post was a summary of 2014. Basically, 2014 was the year of trying to do everything but not doing anything well. I had 3 different job functions throughout the year (usually overlapping); started living with my boyfriend and his cat; continued faithful attendance at Atomic (3x a week most weeks); and raced a full ironman, 2 halfs, and a bunch of shorter races.
So therein lies my 2015 goal - FOCUS. 2015 also happens to be my tenth year in triathlon and my last year in the 25-29 age group. It is also the first year in a 6-year goal to make it back to Kona by 2020. I could probably write my life story and how I grew as a person in those 10 years, but that's for another post.
To commemorate 2015, I bought a new Cervelo P3 in November and hired a new coach, Scott DeFilippis. My old tri bike was from 2009 and there have been numerous aero improvements in the years since. I also haven't been coached 1:1 since 2012 when I was training for IMLou. Thus, I figured a good way to get myself back on track was to go back to 1:1 coaching to get me a bit more focused (pot committed and personal responsibility motivations).
I'm also planning to cut back to 2, maybe 3 once in awhile, sessions at Atomic. Their 16-week strength cycle based on Juggernaut just ended, and think I made some structural gains that will help prevent injury this coming season. Also, my shoulder hates bench press.
The races I have lined up for 2015 so far are:
So therein lies my 2015 goal - FOCUS. 2015 also happens to be my tenth year in triathlon and my last year in the 25-29 age group. It is also the first year in a 6-year goal to make it back to Kona by 2020. I could probably write my life story and how I grew as a person in those 10 years, but that's for another post.
To commemorate 2015, I bought a new Cervelo P3 in November and hired a new coach, Scott DeFilippis. My old tri bike was from 2009 and there have been numerous aero improvements in the years since. I also haven't been coached 1:1 since 2012 when I was training for IMLou. Thus, I figured a good way to get myself back on track was to go back to 1:1 coaching to get me a bit more focused (pot committed and personal responsibility motivations).
I'm also planning to cut back to 2, maybe 3 once in awhile, sessions at Atomic. Their 16-week strength cycle based on Juggernaut just ended, and think I made some structural gains that will help prevent injury this coming season. Also, my shoulder hates bench press.
The races I have lined up for 2015 so far are:
- 3M Half Marathon (Jan 25)
- Austin Half Marathon (Feb 15)
- Burnet Tri Olympic (Apr 12)
- Challenge Knoxville Half (May 17)
The second half of the season is still up in the air. Probably Redman Half in OKC in September since it is USAT Long Course Nationals and a qualifer for Worlds 2016... also in OKC.
There is also Jocelyn's wedding in September to be planned and attended. That's my biggest non-triathlon event so far.
My other 2015 goal to work on is to eat more carbs. In non-sugar form. This will always be a work in progress; I've been a disordered eater since I was 16 and old habits die hard. Pump and Shred in 2013 taught me the importance of protein and this past year I've been reading a lot more on carbs and trying to get it through my brain that carbs will enhance my performance and not just make me fat. So as in 2014 where I structured my meals around a protein source, I will go into 2015 still making sure to get adequate protein while also putting an emphasis on eating carbs around workouts and during workouts - anything to help optimize performance on the road, in the water, and at the gym.
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