This and That

I pay a coach to write a monthly training plan for me.  I have been doing this for about eight months now. While having my month's training all planned out for me is nice, I don't get feedback and all the other good stuff that people who have coaches get. So, I have recently joined a triathlon club. There are always coaches available at the workouts and there will be six workouts a week that I can pick and choose from once the weather changes. One of my biggest hopes is that I can get together with some of the others who are doing the 70.3 race and not only learn from those who have done the race but ride the course a time or two with them. I am also going to have to figure out the whole nutrition thing with a race of this distance so having coaches available to me will be very helpful. Not bad for $75.00 a year.
I have been having a hard time sticking to my training schedule but am determined to follow it as close as possible this week. So far I have followed almost 100%.  As one friend said to me "that is an accomplishment  by itself"
Speaking of accomplishments, I swam 2000 yards today. My longest distance to date. Thank goodness I have a Swimp3 to keep me in music as I am a slow swimmer and all the back and forth can easily  become a form of torture :)

Please spring, arrive soon!

I am struggling to get my much needed runs in. The thought of running lap after lap of a tiny indoor track or get on a treadmill has led me to my basement and the trainer numerous times this week.  While riding is certainly a plus, it is my strongest event of the three. I should be working on my weakness (s). I did make it to the gym today for a six mile run on the dreaded treadmill and hit the pool for a swim. I have also signed up for another half marathon which takes place in April. Hopefully that will be my motivation. It is a local race so I will be able to train on the course. The weather reports calls for temps in the 40's by Wednesday. A practical heatwave, I can't wait!

Sunday Spin

There was a time when I would scramble to the gym an hour before spin class just so that I could secure a bike. Now I just head to my basement for my own spin class. The one thing missing from my now solo rides have been my "tri buds". Today however that all changed!

































Meg and Annegret shoveled their driveways, loaded their bikes, trainers, towels etc etc in their cars and joined me in my basement for our first Sunday spin. It was a nice way to spend part of the afternoon. Our friend Tanya couldn't join us due to some medical issues but we have a spot waiting for her when she is ready.

The joy of logging in the miles

I swear, sometimes I think I train just so I can log in the miles. It is my reward. I love to map the run I have just done to see the mileage, figure out the pace I ran and then note it in my training "calendar".   One of the best things about it is that I have nothing to compare it to. I am not trying to beat last years miles/hours as I never recorded them. I now however, have posted my progress to date on my blog as I have one follower who is very interested in this data. What does that mean to me?  I will let you know after I get my ride in.  No time to slack off, I have people watching now! :)

Motivation

I am sitting here dodging my afternoon training session while telling myself I have the whole evening ahead to get motivated and do what I need to do. Yesterday I got home from work and stood in the kitchen for a minute or two having a tug of war with myself about whether or not to skip my scheduled run and take the evening off. The fighter in me won the battle yesterday. Not unlike a transition, I quickly changed clothes, found my sneakers and MP3 player and headed out the door. I knew I had to move quickly or I would detour to the couch. As usual once I was outside and a good twenty minutes into the run I felt better and when  finished I was very glad that I had done it. That sense of accomplishment is a powerful one. It is the reason I continue to take on these new athletic challenges. Crossing that finish line after working so hard to get there feels great.  But, so does sitting on the couch :)