Oh thank you so much holidays, turkey and pie, bread, rolls, cookies and candies, ham, potatoes, more cookies. Dear God in Heaven! Uncle! I cry Uncle! Its funny, being in shape is a lifestyle, slide downhill headfirst on eating well, and all of a sudden I don't have enough energy for my workout and I feel like garbage. I explored this a little bit months ago when I realized bread and pasta hated me, You can get a little reminder here.
So the on the downhill slide I found myself sliding into week 10 of my training and not anywhere close to where I should be, and skipping almost as many workouts as I finished. Oh boy, we're in trouble now! So, back to good habits I go. A lifestyle is just that! You can do and have anything but it all needs to be in balance. Have that dinner/dessert, but know that the next morning getting out of bed won't be as easy- but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it!
A good friend was good enough to start a running group (something I am convinced we all need from time to time for motivation). I was lucky enough to be able to make a run with the lovely ladies! Goodness knows we chattered away, about one thing in particular that triggered all of our brains, and most women's: that crafty elusive pain in the ass thing- METABOLISM.
So I have spent my day doing a little bit of research. Here's what I have:
Metabolism is the process of converting calories into energy. Most people when they think of metabolism, they are actually talking about basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is the number of calories that your body needs just to run (sitting still, doing nothing, just breathing, moving blood around, repairing cells that we have broken down). This accounts for the greatest amount of calorie usage. Lots of things play a part in the BMR. The bigger you are or the more muscle you have, the faster this process is. Sex also plays a part, going back to the first factor- men tend to have more muscle mass, and therefore BMR goes up. Age! This also goes back to the first factor- as age increases, muscle mass decreases and fat stores increase.
Other things that play a role, food digestion- this is the smallest piece, and it can be changed in small little ways, but not really enough to notice a big difference. This is in contrast to physical activity- the more you do, the more you burn! Cardio is great, a few hundred extra steps a day makes a huge difference. Weight lifting builds muscle mass which increases your BMR. Makes sense right? Now, the curveball, want to starve yourself skinny? Nope try again, your Metabolism actually protects you when you try to do this. It slows down the processes of the body, and your BMR actually goes down, so when you fall off the wagon and eat like a normal person, it is actually now too many calories according to your BMR.
Now, how does this work in real life? The best example I can think of is that first week on the Biggest Loser. I know you have all seen the show. These people who are morbidly obese, and are used to eating lets say 4500 calories per day (I imagine it is probably higher, but don't have data to back that up). Their BMR's are very high already because of the fact that they are obese and it takes more energy to make their body run. Now, you cut the calories down to an appropriate amount and bam! Weight loss! Even small changes in caloric intake can make a big difference when you are overweight- take advantage of that high BMR! On top of this, Jillian and Bob lock them in the gym for hours a day- something that they never did before. More calories!
Does this apply to everyone? Absolutely. Now there are some studies that have shown that for women who weigh the same amount, eat the same types of food, and have the same level of activity, they have varying metabolisms- but all right around the same range.
So, summary, weight loss happens in the kitchen- calories in, calories out. Feed your body what it needs, don't starve, but back off a bit on the indulgences and the huge portions. Build your muscle mass, it will help you burn. And tuck in as many extra steps as you can during the course of the day.
So ladies, I guess we can't blame it on the metabolism any more :)
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Madison Turkey Trot
On my run today my brain wandered in about 8000 directions, but the intermittent vibration from my heartrate monitor dragged me back to the task at hand, not too fast, not too hard, get your heart ready to race for what may be 17 hours.... It reminded me of my Thanksgiving day run, and how much that it confirmed for me that the heartrate training is 100% the way to go.
Wednesday, full day of work, dinner, then off to a night shift in the ER, home in the morning to change and drink another cup of coffee, off to Madison to freeze my kootukas off and run 5.1 miles. Hubby was good enough to freeze with me as I certainly was in no position to drive at that point. I committed to myself that despite the race atmosphere, I was not going to get caught up with the crazy nuts trying to run 8 min miles (something that seems reasonable to many of you, but to me is nowhere near inside my realm of possibility- especially for five miles.) Instead, I would pay attention to my heartrate and keep it as close to Zone 2 (75-85% of Max HR). I knew that this would mean a slow pace as so many things were impacting even my resting heartrate that morning: cold, fatigue, dehydration and caffeination- it was a miracle my resting heartrate wasn't in Zone 2.
So I popped my earbuds in and went for a jog. Trudging along and letting other people run past me, I just kept moving. My heartrate would drift up, and I would back off. Hubby asked me afterwards where the course went, and honestly I told him- I'm not sure. All I could focus on was one foot in front of the other, and am I going too fast? At 3.5 miles I knew I could pick it up a bit, and I did, a little bit with each half mile, and was actually able to sprint the last little bit. By the time I reached the finish line, I was whooped! But I finished, and I didn't have to walk at all. It had nothing to do with conditioning or race strategy, but instead, to listening to my body and my heart!
This is working, and I am loving every minute! Despite feeling crummy today, I got my run in and am one long run closer to my goal. Its coming together, slowly but surely!
Wednesday, full day of work, dinner, then off to a night shift in the ER, home in the morning to change and drink another cup of coffee, off to Madison to freeze my kootukas off and run 5.1 miles. Hubby was good enough to freeze with me as I certainly was in no position to drive at that point. I committed to myself that despite the race atmosphere, I was not going to get caught up with the crazy nuts trying to run 8 min miles (something that seems reasonable to many of you, but to me is nowhere near inside my realm of possibility- especially for five miles.) Instead, I would pay attention to my heartrate and keep it as close to Zone 2 (75-85% of Max HR). I knew that this would mean a slow pace as so many things were impacting even my resting heartrate that morning: cold, fatigue, dehydration and caffeination- it was a miracle my resting heartrate wasn't in Zone 2.
So I popped my earbuds in and went for a jog. Trudging along and letting other people run past me, I just kept moving. My heartrate would drift up, and I would back off. Hubby asked me afterwards where the course went, and honestly I told him- I'm not sure. All I could focus on was one foot in front of the other, and am I going too fast? At 3.5 miles I knew I could pick it up a bit, and I did, a little bit with each half mile, and was actually able to sprint the last little bit. By the time I reached the finish line, I was whooped! But I finished, and I didn't have to walk at all. It had nothing to do with conditioning or race strategy, but instead, to listening to my body and my heart!
This is working, and I am loving every minute! Despite feeling crummy today, I got my run in and am one long run closer to my goal. Its coming together, slowly but surely!
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Inspiration
Some days are better than others. Some you wake with a fire under your you know what, and some days you are lucky to have a passing thought of your goal throughout the course of the day. Myself, I have found there have been far more of the latter than the former. Not good. Most early wake up calls have been nixed by the thought of another two hours in bed. Most afternoons have been sucked up by the couch and a bad tv show. Every part of my day in between those two moments is no more dedicated to my race and myself than the beginning or the end. From a crummy lunch, to a lazy attitude, I'm not on the glorious road to Ironman that I imagined. Instead I am on a rocky side road and am stuck in some sort of pothole I think.
This leads me to wonder, why do this? It isn't just the goal, it is the journey, who it makes me, who I become during this.... wait.... I'm going to change? There are two camps on this, one that says that you will never be the same after an Ironman, one that says that the race doesn't change you at all. Which is it? My take is that I have this need to do the race because of who I am deep down inside, and that this drive has always been there (just ask my family and my husband, I'm confident they will confirm.) The journey to the race though- I think that is what truly changes you, or maybe just molds you into the person that you are meant to be.
This starts with getting out of bed for that early morning workout. I suppose there are some people that just pop out of bed with the race in their head being enough. Then there are the pros who are just getting up and going to work (JEALOUS!) Meanwhile, I have the alarm go off and think, why?! So many mornings I have no answer, or I ignore it.
In the beginning of all of this I said I would race for St. Jude's kids, and I am set up to do that! Check out my website. www.heroes.stjude.org/krisironmantexas This certainly adds a bit of fuel to the fire, to know how hard kids are fighting, I certainly can do that little work out.
Then I have books, multitudes of them, that I keep reading, crying, and reading some more. Written by pro's, written about average Joes, telling their stories, their journey. Well, sheesh, if they can do it, so can I right?
Finally, today I stumbled upon perhaps my most important inspiration and motivation... Me! Already on this journey I have learned so much about myself, about eating, working out, my job, my marriage, my temper, and the balance of it all. So, as I balance myself, my chi, my something, tell me: What is your inspiration? What gets you rolling?
Also, seriously, check out my fundraising website, donate what you can, even a couple bucks can make a difference in medicine and in a child's life! Thank you!
This leads me to wonder, why do this? It isn't just the goal, it is the journey, who it makes me, who I become during this.... wait.... I'm going to change? There are two camps on this, one that says that you will never be the same after an Ironman, one that says that the race doesn't change you at all. Which is it? My take is that I have this need to do the race because of who I am deep down inside, and that this drive has always been there (just ask my family and my husband, I'm confident they will confirm.) The journey to the race though- I think that is what truly changes you, or maybe just molds you into the person that you are meant to be.
This starts with getting out of bed for that early morning workout. I suppose there are some people that just pop out of bed with the race in their head being enough. Then there are the pros who are just getting up and going to work (JEALOUS!) Meanwhile, I have the alarm go off and think, why?! So many mornings I have no answer, or I ignore it.
In the beginning of all of this I said I would race for St. Jude's kids, and I am set up to do that! Check out my website. www.heroes.stjude.org/krisironmantexas This certainly adds a bit of fuel to the fire, to know how hard kids are fighting, I certainly can do that little work out.
Then I have books, multitudes of them, that I keep reading, crying, and reading some more. Written by pro's, written about average Joes, telling their stories, their journey. Well, sheesh, if they can do it, so can I right?
Finally, today I stumbled upon perhaps my most important inspiration and motivation... Me! Already on this journey I have learned so much about myself, about eating, working out, my job, my marriage, my temper, and the balance of it all. So, as I balance myself, my chi, my something, tell me: What is your inspiration? What gets you rolling?
Also, seriously, check out my fundraising website, donate what you can, even a couple bucks can make a difference in medicine and in a child's life! Thank you!
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Settling in to a pattern
Working out 6 days a week requires a certain amount of organization. You would think this would work incredibly well for me, but the truth is that at 4am it is easy to convince yourself that you can reschedule your day and get a couple extra hours of sleep while still sneaking the workout in before the end of the day.
A headache put me back to bed this morning and at four I thought to myself, I'll do today's double workout tomorrow and do tomorrow's single tonight after the softball game. It wasn't until I was dragging the trainer out and double checking my cycle heart rate zones that I peaked at my workout duration and saw.... a transition workout- grrrrrreat- nothing like a trainer ride and then a run in 35 degree weather in the pitch black.
I got it done, but it reinforced that there is a reason why I need to stick to a schedule and get the workouts done. I got lucky this time, but next time I may end up losing an entire workout because of a crappy 4am decision. We'll see if I can do better tomorrow.... a short 5 hours from now- yee-haw! :)
A headache put me back to bed this morning and at four I thought to myself, I'll do today's double workout tomorrow and do tomorrow's single tonight after the softball game. It wasn't until I was dragging the trainer out and double checking my cycle heart rate zones that I peaked at my workout duration and saw.... a transition workout- grrrrrreat- nothing like a trainer ride and then a run in 35 degree weather in the pitch black.
I got it done, but it reinforced that there is a reason why I need to stick to a schedule and get the workouts done. I got lucky this time, but next time I may end up losing an entire workout because of a crappy 4am decision. We'll see if I can do better tomorrow.... a short 5 hours from now- yee-haw! :)
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Horrific Realization
I love bread and pasta- who doesn't? Slowly I have been noticing that I don't feel as good, more tired, run-down, and sometimes down-right sick after eating these foods. Until this point I have been in denial though, squeezing in the foods a little less often. Today, however, was my breaking point. I felt like garbage after my workout having not eaten breakfast or anything beforehand, so I snagged a muffin quickly with hopes to keep the pace going for the day. No dice. I changed back into my PJ's and spent the day on the couch. Thinking perhaps I had a stomach bug, I had a small bowl of pasta for lunch- cue day getting worse.
It wasn't until I opened my mouth to complain to my very patient husband about how crummy I had felt all day, when it smacked me in the face: of course I felt like garbage, I hadn't fed my body what it needed. So instead of skipping dinner altogether and hoping to feel better in the morning, I whipped up sliced marinated steak and sauteed veggies with cheese and a little sour cream- ditch the wrap.
It was wonderful, and now, finally, at 630 at night I feel like a normal person, still slight headache, but overall feeling much better. This is a sad moment, when I realize that for a while, breads and pastas need to go by the wayside for me. I think that overall this is going to be a great move for me, my body will thank me and I will get into better shape quicker feeding my body for my training. Still, it will be hard passing on stuffing etc with Thanksgiving right around the corner.
On that note, I am having fun with the heartrate training, and think it will be interesting to see how my body and my heart adjust! Last workout of week one is tomorrow, then on to week two! All a process, and I'm along for the ride!
It wasn't until I opened my mouth to complain to my very patient husband about how crummy I had felt all day, when it smacked me in the face: of course I felt like garbage, I hadn't fed my body what it needed. So instead of skipping dinner altogether and hoping to feel better in the morning, I whipped up sliced marinated steak and sauteed veggies with cheese and a little sour cream- ditch the wrap.
It was wonderful, and now, finally, at 630 at night I feel like a normal person, still slight headache, but overall feeling much better. This is a sad moment, when I realize that for a while, breads and pastas need to go by the wayside for me. I think that overall this is going to be a great move for me, my body will thank me and I will get into better shape quicker feeding my body for my training. Still, it will be hard passing on stuffing etc with Thanksgiving right around the corner.
On that note, I am having fun with the heartrate training, and think it will be interesting to see how my body and my heart adjust! Last workout of week one is tomorrow, then on to week two! All a process, and I'm along for the ride!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Venturing into Ironman Training
Well, after an incredibly long blog absence, I figured an apropos time to return to the blog was when I start my journey to Texas.
Here is a summary of the past few months. I trained for a half ironman, and then in one fell swoop, had this pain in my knee. I backed off a bit, but anytime I tried to run, it would swell like crazy and stopped me from training on the run (not a great thing given the fact that my run has always been my weak leg despite learning how to cycle a mere year ago.) I kept chugging along on the bike and the swim though, uncertain of what would happen, and whether I would even be able to race. I ended up finding out that I had a strain of a ligament in my knee (a small tear, but no full-thickness). Two weeks before my race, I got clearance to "give it a try." And since that is kind of my motto, I figured I might as well. I treated the huge decrease in my training like a massive taper, and went to the race. (I was out the money anyways- might as well go get my t-shirt, right?) Right up until the morning of, I didn't know if I would just finish the swim and drop out, or the swim and the bike, or if I was really going to do this thing.
Let me tell you, once you wake up at 3 am to get ready and get the the park, the air is absolutely infectious- there was no way I was not going to try to do the whole thing- mind made up just by getting out of the car.
I set up transition and then wandered around for a bit, updating facebook, jamming out to Pandora, and trying to keep my nerves under control. That is the funny thing about walking around with 2500 people about to partake in a 70.3 mile race- there are different variations of emotion/panic on everyone's face- very entertaining to observe- until of course you realize your face must have the same look of, "holy shit, what did I get myself into?"
Race time- my wave started an hour after the pros, so I got to watch Andy Potts et al come flying out of the water and into transition (running faster than I would the entire course of the race). If that doesn't get you psyched to race, I don't know what will.
Swim start is always so much fun, so much nervous energy and so many people just standing around ends up leading to making lots of new friends (one guy from Toronto originally whose father was training for Whistler and was quite literally training across Canada- took a leave of absence from work, hooked a trailer behind his bike and started riding to Whistler, swimming and running and camping along the way- how cool is that?)
By the time my wave was in the water, I was ready to get this thing going, knowing that once I fell into my stroke there would be no stopping me- and there wasn't. I just kept turning over my arms and I think I smiled the entire time. I was incredibly inspired at one point and had some space, so I flipped over and took a few backstrokes to stretch out my shoulder, and staring at those clouds was one of the best parts of my day- how fricking awesome is this??
Out of the water, onto the bike and wolfing down food. Clipped in and off we go. Bike was strong, girl in my age group three bikes away from me in the rack would later tell me (great bike! I had to work my ass off to catch you the whole race!- What an awesome compliment for a completely mediocre triathlete and cyclist) The truth is, the bike wasn't hard, I probably could have pushed a little harder, my fluids were good, I probably didn't have enough calories though- all little tweaks for the future.
Off the bike and on to the run. Well... we knew this was going to be bad- and well, maybe it wasn't bad, but it also wasn't pretty. I ran 2, walked 30 sec for a while, then ran 5 walked 2 for a while, and then any semblance of organization fell apart, I forgot to keep eating, I hit a wall, and just kept trucking. By this point I knew I was going to finish, and finish well within the time limit, and so really, that was all I wanted, and that kept me going.
And finish I did- what an incredibly feeling having people screaming and yelling your name starting a half a mile out from the chute. You may have only been running 12 min/miles up until that point, but after that, you're dropping below 10's, I guarantee it- or at least you feel like you are :) Coming across that finish line, there were so many emotions, so much feeling, and really, just pride. And my first thought? I can't wait to do it again! That thought quickly followed by, yes, I can absolutely do a full Ironman.
And here we are, after the race I did very little training, or even working out. There was 26 days between my race and our wedding... the only working out I did was for the sake of stress relief. Then the wedding came, honeymoon followed, and married life commenced, followed closely by a new job. Crazy few weeks with very little working out, but one thing was for sure, I was doing an Ironman. I signed up before the wedding, I wanted to commit, I was in it. I didn't want to wait, I wanted to do one as soon as reasonably possible, so Texas it was.
After some recommendations and reviews, I picked up Be IronFit, and am currently working my way through it. But today I started week one of thirty. Thats right, less than 30 weeks now until the race.
Reading this book really changes your training. When you train for a shorter event it makes sense to push hard all of the time, working to the max and getting your heartrate up, for an Ironman, that won't work.
I feel good after a double workout today, and am ready for tomorrow. I am so grateful for my new job which makes this training possible (or at least easier to fit in.) I am grateful for my husband who not only doesn't think that I am crazy, but gets excited for me, and does what he can to help get me going. (He seems to be the only one who can fix the cadence sensor on my bike.)
For now, I am excited, not hurting too much, and simply ready to get going. Hopefully you will follow along with me as I stumble my way along this path- it should be fun :)
Here is a summary of the past few months. I trained for a half ironman, and then in one fell swoop, had this pain in my knee. I backed off a bit, but anytime I tried to run, it would swell like crazy and stopped me from training on the run (not a great thing given the fact that my run has always been my weak leg despite learning how to cycle a mere year ago.) I kept chugging along on the bike and the swim though, uncertain of what would happen, and whether I would even be able to race. I ended up finding out that I had a strain of a ligament in my knee (a small tear, but no full-thickness). Two weeks before my race, I got clearance to "give it a try." And since that is kind of my motto, I figured I might as well. I treated the huge decrease in my training like a massive taper, and went to the race. (I was out the money anyways- might as well go get my t-shirt, right?) Right up until the morning of, I didn't know if I would just finish the swim and drop out, or the swim and the bike, or if I was really going to do this thing.
Let me tell you, once you wake up at 3 am to get ready and get the the park, the air is absolutely infectious- there was no way I was not going to try to do the whole thing- mind made up just by getting out of the car.
I set up transition and then wandered around for a bit, updating facebook, jamming out to Pandora, and trying to keep my nerves under control. That is the funny thing about walking around with 2500 people about to partake in a 70.3 mile race- there are different variations of emotion/panic on everyone's face- very entertaining to observe- until of course you realize your face must have the same look of, "holy shit, what did I get myself into?"
Race time- my wave started an hour after the pros, so I got to watch Andy Potts et al come flying out of the water and into transition (running faster than I would the entire course of the race). If that doesn't get you psyched to race, I don't know what will.
Swim start is always so much fun, so much nervous energy and so many people just standing around ends up leading to making lots of new friends (one guy from Toronto originally whose father was training for Whistler and was quite literally training across Canada- took a leave of absence from work, hooked a trailer behind his bike and started riding to Whistler, swimming and running and camping along the way- how cool is that?)
By the time my wave was in the water, I was ready to get this thing going, knowing that once I fell into my stroke there would be no stopping me- and there wasn't. I just kept turning over my arms and I think I smiled the entire time. I was incredibly inspired at one point and had some space, so I flipped over and took a few backstrokes to stretch out my shoulder, and staring at those clouds was one of the best parts of my day- how fricking awesome is this??
Out of the water, onto the bike and wolfing down food. Clipped in and off we go. Bike was strong, girl in my age group three bikes away from me in the rack would later tell me (great bike! I had to work my ass off to catch you the whole race!- What an awesome compliment for a completely mediocre triathlete and cyclist) The truth is, the bike wasn't hard, I probably could have pushed a little harder, my fluids were good, I probably didn't have enough calories though- all little tweaks for the future.
Off the bike and on to the run. Well... we knew this was going to be bad- and well, maybe it wasn't bad, but it also wasn't pretty. I ran 2, walked 30 sec for a while, then ran 5 walked 2 for a while, and then any semblance of organization fell apart, I forgot to keep eating, I hit a wall, and just kept trucking. By this point I knew I was going to finish, and finish well within the time limit, and so really, that was all I wanted, and that kept me going.
And finish I did- what an incredibly feeling having people screaming and yelling your name starting a half a mile out from the chute. You may have only been running 12 min/miles up until that point, but after that, you're dropping below 10's, I guarantee it- or at least you feel like you are :) Coming across that finish line, there were so many emotions, so much feeling, and really, just pride. And my first thought? I can't wait to do it again! That thought quickly followed by, yes, I can absolutely do a full Ironman.
And here we are, after the race I did very little training, or even working out. There was 26 days between my race and our wedding... the only working out I did was for the sake of stress relief. Then the wedding came, honeymoon followed, and married life commenced, followed closely by a new job. Crazy few weeks with very little working out, but one thing was for sure, I was doing an Ironman. I signed up before the wedding, I wanted to commit, I was in it. I didn't want to wait, I wanted to do one as soon as reasonably possible, so Texas it was.
After some recommendations and reviews, I picked up Be IronFit, and am currently working my way through it. But today I started week one of thirty. Thats right, less than 30 weeks now until the race.
Reading this book really changes your training. When you train for a shorter event it makes sense to push hard all of the time, working to the max and getting your heartrate up, for an Ironman, that won't work.
I feel good after a double workout today, and am ready for tomorrow. I am so grateful for my new job which makes this training possible (or at least easier to fit in.) I am grateful for my husband who not only doesn't think that I am crazy, but gets excited for me, and does what he can to help get me going. (He seems to be the only one who can fix the cadence sensor on my bike.)
For now, I am excited, not hurting too much, and simply ready to get going. Hopefully you will follow along with me as I stumble my way along this path- it should be fun :)
Monday, March 25, 2013
Two months to the start of the season
That is right the start of the season is only two months away. My dad plans to (and has been training his brains out) complete not only his first triathlon but an Olympic distance! I really want to be there alongside him, but am not even close to ready. Today marked the day where I kick things off.
Off to the pool at 430, I swam a mile before jumping on into spin class and riding for 45 minutes. I was exhausted by the end, but it was a good workout and started off the day right. I took a nap earlier today, and so of course now I am up far too late (I'm starting to feel a little old).
I went grocery shopping and for the first time in a while, was proud of the look of my food on the belt as I checked out. Lots of produce, greek yogurt, shrimp, and the makings for a few side dishes. I am jumping in with both feet.
I learned a few things post-op that I am determined to guide this season and my training.
#1 LISTEN TO YOUR BODY-
If I'm tired, I need to sleep. If I'm hungry, I need to feed myself- but only real food(more to come in later numbers). More of this, etc etc. Seems common sense, I'm a little crazy, and busy, and well, crazy, so I don't listen. This season will be different. I will slow down and listen. I have done a lot of reading into heartrate training, and it really makes sense. So I am going to slow down, listen to my heart (and my monitor), and try to be the best athlete I can be.
#2 FEED YOUR BODY
With real food. Lots of it. Produce, produce produce. Protein. Less Process. Post-op, I lay around and did nothing and ate whatever was here. The problem was, not much of it was good... and when I ate crap, I felt like crap. I had worse days, I had more pain, I recovered slower. When I finally ventured out and did a little grocery shopping and brought home veggies and fruit, I felt better. I have every intention of letting myself have the good stuff I crave too (neat, very good burger place by us that has all organic, and grass fed ingredients). Everything needs to be in balance, but I plan to try and give my body and my training the fuel it needs, not just insert shovel when hungry.
#3 DON'T LET YOURSELF GET THIRSTY
Thirst is bad, thirst means your behind, don't let yourself get behind. This is simple, I know this. There was no earth-shattering moment that told me this one, just one I need to verbalize in order to get myself to pay attention.
#4 TRAIN HARD- YOU CAN HANDLE IT
I have done incredible things, I am capable of amazing things. With the right training plan, the right training partners, I can do anything. I am so excited about this season. It starts today.
So the caveat to all of this is of course that I won't just be training this season, I will also be planning a fall wedding, trying to fit into a dress, and perhaps taking some new steps in my career. So with the best of intentions, day one has passed. Day two looms after a big glass of water and a good night's sleep. Hoping for the first outdoor ride of the year tomorrow, finger crossed for a little bit more spring-like weather.
Off to the pool at 430, I swam a mile before jumping on into spin class and riding for 45 minutes. I was exhausted by the end, but it was a good workout and started off the day right. I took a nap earlier today, and so of course now I am up far too late (I'm starting to feel a little old).
I went grocery shopping and for the first time in a while, was proud of the look of my food on the belt as I checked out. Lots of produce, greek yogurt, shrimp, and the makings for a few side dishes. I am jumping in with both feet.
I learned a few things post-op that I am determined to guide this season and my training.
#1 LISTEN TO YOUR BODY-
If I'm tired, I need to sleep. If I'm hungry, I need to feed myself- but only real food(more to come in later numbers). More of this, etc etc. Seems common sense, I'm a little crazy, and busy, and well, crazy, so I don't listen. This season will be different. I will slow down and listen. I have done a lot of reading into heartrate training, and it really makes sense. So I am going to slow down, listen to my heart (and my monitor), and try to be the best athlete I can be.
#2 FEED YOUR BODY
With real food. Lots of it. Produce, produce produce. Protein. Less Process. Post-op, I lay around and did nothing and ate whatever was here. The problem was, not much of it was good... and when I ate crap, I felt like crap. I had worse days, I had more pain, I recovered slower. When I finally ventured out and did a little grocery shopping and brought home veggies and fruit, I felt better. I have every intention of letting myself have the good stuff I crave too (neat, very good burger place by us that has all organic, and grass fed ingredients). Everything needs to be in balance, but I plan to try and give my body and my training the fuel it needs, not just insert shovel when hungry.
#3 DON'T LET YOURSELF GET THIRSTY
Thirst is bad, thirst means your behind, don't let yourself get behind. This is simple, I know this. There was no earth-shattering moment that told me this one, just one I need to verbalize in order to get myself to pay attention.
#4 TRAIN HARD- YOU CAN HANDLE IT
I have done incredible things, I am capable of amazing things. With the right training plan, the right training partners, I can do anything. I am so excited about this season. It starts today.
So the caveat to all of this is of course that I won't just be training this season, I will also be planning a fall wedding, trying to fit into a dress, and perhaps taking some new steps in my career. So with the best of intentions, day one has passed. Day two looms after a big glass of water and a good night's sleep. Hoping for the first outdoor ride of the year tomorrow, finger crossed for a little bit more spring-like weather.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Recooperation
Recovery is never easy. The race, thats the easy part, thats the fun part. Working your butt off, beating your times, feeling that adrenaline coursing through your veins, yep, thats the easy part. The recovery, well it seems easy in the beginning, sitting around, icing your calves, watching tv, loading up on calories, what a cake walk! Then the adrenaline wears off, the aches start, sitting around becomes boring, and you start with cabin fever. Before you know it, you're watching reruns of Prison Break on Netflix, eating ice cream, and then you slowly start to lose your mind. :) Well, maybe it doesn't happen quite that quickly, but it sure does seem like it.
I have been going through a little semi-planned extended recovery of my own. I started with a week of no activity, again, easy in the first days, but at the one week mark, I was ready to lose my mind. Now, I have been okay-ed to return to activity slowly, and if it hurts don't do it. Ok, that seems reasonable, except... no use of your arms. Great...
I can walk around the block, I can be expected to be able to run in 2 months, to swim in 3-4 months. The good news is, I can start biking now. Bike is on the trainer, ready to go, on I jump, and 10 minutes later I have had quite enough workout for today. Yeah, recovery and recooperation is a bitch, but at least its a start.
I have been going through a little semi-planned extended recovery of my own. I started with a week of no activity, again, easy in the first days, but at the one week mark, I was ready to lose my mind. Now, I have been okay-ed to return to activity slowly, and if it hurts don't do it. Ok, that seems reasonable, except... no use of your arms. Great...
I can walk around the block, I can be expected to be able to run in 2 months, to swim in 3-4 months. The good news is, I can start biking now. Bike is on the trainer, ready to go, on I jump, and 10 minutes later I have had quite enough workout for today. Yeah, recovery and recooperation is a bitch, but at least its a start.
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