Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Rev'd Up!

It's Official! I am Rev'd Up for the Rev3 Iron Distance Triathlon race at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH!


If you want to race with me, don't forget to use code Trakkers102 when registering to save $10 off the entry fees at any of the Rev3 races.

Trakkers News

Ok, I will admit it. If you haven't gathered already, I am a bit of a nerd. With that in mind, I was pretty excited when a training partner was looking for my blog and searched my name on Google and found this. Check out the first link - it takes you to my page on the new and improved Trakkers website.

A couple of other exciting things to report on the Trakkers front (ok, so maybe my page on the Trakkers site is only exciting to me!) include ...

1. My teammate and super mom and athlete extraordinaire Sonja was the 1st place woman and 2nd overall at the Moab 100 mile ultra run. She is an inspiration - if you don't read her blog, you should. Go check it out.

2. This week's live interview is with the one and only Craig Alexander! Don't forget if you miss the live interview, you can download the podcasts later. These are great to listen to on a run or the trainer. Tune in tonight at 8 pm EST.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Priorities

One of the top questions that I get as an endurance athlete and working mother of 2 young boys is “How do you find time to train?”

My standard answer is simple …

You make time for what is important to you.

It’s as simple as that.

Sometimes it is things you NEED, like sleep. Other times it is something you WANT, like a date night or a relaxing evening with friends.

Notice I never said that sacrifices are not involved, but to quote Kris Allen’s “Live like we’re dying”:

“Yeah, we gotta start lookin’ at the hands of the time we’ve been given
If this is all we got, then we gotta start thinkin’
If every second counts on a clock that’s tickin;
Gotta live like we’re dying.

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away …”

I think that we all fall victim to wanting to make something a priority, but our actions (or inactions) clearly indicate that that something is not really a priority because we are not treating it as such, like my diet for example! No matter how much you want something to be a priority, if you don’t make time for it and commit to it, it’s not a priority.

That’s not to say that training is my top priority – it’s not – but it is on my short list, way above clean dishes and usually above a night out drinking, well to excess at least!

I often get follow up questions to my “simple” answer – specifically, “No, really WHERE do you find the time in your day?”

As in, give me the how to.

So, here is a typical week in the life of a triathlete, working mother of 2:

Of note - I work 8:30 - 5:30 Monday - Friday with about an hour commute each way and have access to a gym at my office.

Mon – Recovery Spin (high cadence) and/or strength work at lunch
Tues – Mid-long distance run in AM w/ tempo work; strength/recovery spin at lunch
Wed – Masters Swim in AM; run at lunch
Thurs – Long Slow Run in AM; Spin at lunch with intervals
Fri– Masters Swim in AM; Brick at lunch
Sat – OFF (Family Day!) or short AM workout (swing day if I miss something during the week)
Sun – Long Ride/Brick starting at Dawn:30

You’ll see that I end up having to do doubles at least 4 times a week to fit in the hours. Honestly, I try to flexible with my training schedule, knowing that I often have to move things around in a given week, depending on what is happening at work. I always plan ahead for the week though, so I know what my scheduling challenges will be.

I recognize that I am very lucky to have a gym available at my office, but there are weeks, like last week, where my job requires me to attend lunches with customers or other events in the evenings (leaving me very tired for morning workouts). That is when I have to get creative. So last week, for example, I hopped on the trainer for an hour to spin while I watched the CBS Monday night comedy line-up because my lunch workouts were all scheduled over with meetings. It is not ideal for me because I much prefer to be relaxing on the couch at that time of night, but alas, training is one of my priorities.

What works for me, is getting in most of my workouts before my kids even wake up and doing some of my high intensity work on my lunch hour. I find that this leaves me ample time for my #1 priority – my family.

Finally, an encouraging word I try to share with people who come to me for advice on getting into endurance sports is to take baby steps. For someone who is dreaming of going long (as I was), looking at an iron distance training plan can be overwhelming. I suggest starting with reasonable hours and work from there.

I remember a day when thinking 8 – 10 hours of training was literally the maximum I could do in any given week, but with time I slowly ramped up my hours and found that I could do just a bit more, and then a bit more, and then a bit more ...

Here are what my training hours have looked like over the past 2 years (baby steps):

Starting April 2008:
Apr - Jun 2008: averaged 6 hrs/wk training for my first Sprint triathlon (or first in a long time!)
Jul - Aug 2008: averaged 8 hr/wk training for my first Oly
Sept – Oct 2008: averaged 10 hrs/wk training for my first HIM
Nov – Jan 2009: averaged 7 hrs/wk training for a marathon and still swimming
Feb – May 2009: averaged 10 hrs/wk, building to an Oly and second HIM

Leading up to IMFL:
Jun – Jul 2009: averaged 12 hrs/wk
Aug – Sept 2009: averaged 16 hrs/wk
Oct – Nov 2009 - averaged 17 hrs/wk (peaked at 20 hours)

With baby steps, I was able to gradually move from 6 hours to 8, then to 10, then 12 and finally 17 hours a week of training, on average. I have to mention that the book, Be Iron Fit was quite inspirational in terms of time efficient training.

The difference this season as compared to last is that I am far more relaxed about the training – it reminds me of yet another way that Ironman training is like pregnancy.

During the training for your first Ironman you read every book you can find on the subject and follow your plan to the letter, just like your first pregnancy. In your second Ironman training season, similar to your second pregnancy, you remember most of what you read the first time and you do all the major things you are supposed to do, but you know what to obsess over and what to let go (missing one workout is not going to sabotage your race!) and not to beat yourself up over. Can it still be stressful? Sure, but the fear of the unknown is behind you.

Best lesson I learned this week? Laughing is the best core workout ever!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Want to Know the Secrets of the Pros?

Just ask - tonight!

Rev3 is launching a weekly radio chat show starting tonight at 8 p.m.

Simply Stu and Heather Gollnick are hosting the show tonight with Julie Dibens (check out her hamstrings!!), Ironman 70.3 World Champion, as the guest of honor. Simply follow this link to listen and call in with questions.

I am going to the Houston Rodeo tonight (yes, we actually do that here in Texas! :) ), so I am going to download the interview in podcast form from iTunes and listen to it on my long run this week. I can't wait to see who is up next! If you listen tonight, be sure to drop me a comment with your feedback.

Happy training!

And the Winner Is …

The winner of the TriSwim Shots and Foggle towelettes is …

Aimee (I Tri To Be Me)

Congrats, Aimee! Leave me a comment on how to contact you so that I can get you your prizes!

I hope that you enjoy the products as much as I have. I have decided I definitely need a second set of the TriSwim products (one for the gym that stays at the gym and one for the house). Also, I am happy to report that the Foggle towelettes work wonders! No spitting in my goggles needed. Erin – I will bring some to the pool for you to try.

Everyone else, thanks for playing!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Let Them Eat Cake

February was a busy month in the Moore house. Between Valentine’s Day, my husband’s birthday and my youngest son’s birthday, there are lots of reasons to celebrate and eat cake. And cupcakes. And brownies. And sweet tarts. And more cake. And even more cake. You get the drift… I should have given up sweets for Lent and my problem would have gone away, or at least I would not be eating it away! With February behind me, I will am excited to start March without so much dessert in the house. One thing is for certain, if I eat just a third of the dessert that I have been eating I should be all set!

My volume ramped back up in February and I had some great workouts, especially on the running front. For every great day, however, there seems to be those not so stellar days, like last Friday. It amazes me how one day I can run 4 miles at a 7:36 pace with effort but still at ease (if that makes sense) and then struggle to pick my feet up to run 2 miles at a 9:15 pace later that same week. It is a major reminder for me that nutrition and rest are key components to training.
February by the Numbers
Bike: 19h 53m - 324 Mi
Run: 17h 21m - 108 Mi
Swim: 12h 00m - 27,550 Yd
Other/Strength: 1h 43m
Total Active Time - 50h 57m

Goal Tracking
1. Reading the Bible cover to cover -- can I change my goal for the year? I am so far behind in this goal, but I have been going to Mass weekly, which is another goal that I started working on late in 2009, the Sunday after Ironman, in fact. I just feel like I am so far behind that I will never catch up, so I don't even try.

2. Photography -- I took Tyler's 3 year old photos and bought a new lens! Looking forward to playing with my new toy this month.


3. Weekly stretching -- I am moving this to an as needed basis. I have found that lunges, squats and core work do a lot more for my hip pain (which is basically gone now!) My new custom orthotics, which by the way, were covered at 100% by my insurance, are helping as well.

4. Nutrition -- I am doing slightly better on drinking water and I ordered and received my first order from First Endurance. I love the EFS Fruit Punch sport drink and I am looking forward to seeing how all of the electrolytes help me hold up to the Texas heat this summer. With my workouts getting longer, I also ordered Ultragen and I am looking forward to putting it to good use.

5. Strength Training -- Push ups, planks, lunges, squats and sit-ups have become my friends. I am still looking for a good ab workout that I can watch and follow along -- would love your suggestions.

6. Swim Technique -- Progress! I think I am at least back to where I was during peak training last season, so now it is time to fine tune this month.

7. Fun goals -- Races are coming up next month - stay tuned!