From Fat to Triathlete

Tag: marathon training

2

I am the Michelin Man

January 4, 2010
It is not supposed to be this cold in Wilmington, NC.  I don’t like reading that it is 30 degrees out.  I much prefer the 90-100 degree days!  I am counting down the days until summer.

Yesterday I went out to run and seriously underestimated the effect of the cold weather.  I wore my usual long pants and long sleeve shirt.  And it was not enough!  Wrigley and I gave up on the running after only a few minutes, did a quick stroll around the block and headed back inside where the hot coffee was waiting.  (I know, if we had kept running we would have warmed up quickly, but it was so cold, I just wanted to cry.)  This morning. I did a much better job at preparing…..which translates to layer upon layer upon layer.  After four layers of tops, three layers of bottoms, nice socks, gloves and a toboggan I was ready to brave the elements.  My friend said I probably looked like the Michelin Man

And we did much better.  After about 3/4 of a mile I was ready to lose the gloves, and before we were finished, the toboggan had to go too.  I felt much better about things.

 I read up on some tips about running in the cold, and I thought I’d share a few……most are common sense, but in this supposed to be warm climate, I usually don’t think of them.

  • layers – a wicking layer close to the skin, a windbreaking layer farthest out and, if needed a warm insulating layer in between is best
  • keep your head covered – most body heat is lost out the top of your body, so keeping a hat on keeps that heat in longer, and if it covers the ears…even better
  • make sure you stay hydrated – it might seem like drinking water is the last thing you want to do, but it is very important to keep from getting dehydrated
  • mittens are better than gloves  – let your fingers share the warmth with each other
  • it will hopefully never get this cold in Wilmington, but if you are in a colder climate, make sure you are close to warm shelter at all times during your run; a long 10 mile run away from civilization might sound nice, but could be very dangerous

With that last one in mind, never ever leave on a run without some form of identification.  A Road ID or just a dog tag with identifying and contact information on it can be a lifesaver.

Here is my schedule for the week, as the marathon in March is fast approching.

Monday – 4 miles

Tuesday – rest

Wednesday – 4 miles

Thursday – crosstrain ~ 30 min (might pull out the bike)

Friday – 4 miles

Saturday – crosstrain ~ 30 min

Sunday – 6 miles

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36 Miles-What Keeps me Going

November 18, 2009

I have logged 36 miles since I really started training on November 1st.  That might not seem like a lot, but to me it’s amazing!  It’s difficult for me to stick to a training program day in and day out for a long time, but this seems easy now.  I can point to a few things that I think have helped me get started in my journey.

The first is the support of family and friends.  Gayle has been very supportive and she pushes me to keep going.  Wrigley is always ready to go for our morning runs and some days his questioning eager face is the only thing that gets me up and out the door. 

The second is this blog.  Knowing that I will be putting it all out there for others to see keeps me honest, and keeps me up and moving.  I can’t share that I’ve done nothing and feel good about it.  Feel free to leave comments or give me  nudge if I ever start slacking off.

The third thing that has kept me running for 36 miles is a goal.  I have some short term goals and long term goals.  The countdown to the Wrightsville Beach marathon that I see every time I sign on to the blog doesn’t hurt either.  It helps keep me focused.

Since I seem to be on a good track with my training and am having success, I am going to start researching and working on getting my eating and nutrition correct.  I think that the fuel my body takes in will go a long way to helping me lose weight, get faster, and meet my goals.  Be on the lookout for posts where I share what I am learning.

What are some things that keep you going?  I’d love to hear.

Still tri-in

Jenn

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God Did It, So Should You – The Importance of a Rest Day

November 15, 2009

If you are anything like me, when you first start an exercise program and you are still excited about it, it’s sometimes hard to remember to rest.  You feel good, you are ready to get fit, things are all moving in a positive direction.  Why waste a day resting.  But resting is critical to your improvement.  How, you ask, can I gain fitness when all I do is walk a few minutes.  I should be running and sweating.

Well, it is just as important to rest as it is to run.  Resting gives your body time to recover and repair any damage caused by the work you have done.  My marathon training plan calls for two rest days a week.  One is the day before the scheduled long run to give my body a chance to prepare and be the best it can be.  The other rest day, for me, is on Monday.  Hopefully I have gotten in a long run and some cross training on Saturday and Sunday (it might vary which is which depending on what I have going on).

So, even though it seems counter productive, don’t forget to rest.  Your body will thank you.

In other exciting news, I have added a countdown timer to the marathon on March 21st.  As if I weren’t thinking about it enough, now I will know down to the minute how much time I have left to train.

Here is my training schedule for the upcoming week

Sunday:  2 mile run

Monday: rest day

Tuesday: 3 mile run

Wednesday: 3 mile run

Thursday: 3 mile run

Friday: rest day

Saturday: 6 mile run

You can now subscribe to my podcast on iTunes.  Just click the microphone on the right and it will set you up.  Thanks for listening.

Still tri-in

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2

Beach2Battleship Triathlon

November 9, 2009

This weekend we were able to volunteer at the 2nd annual Beach2Battleship Triathlon here in Wilmington.  The tri has both a half and a full Ironman distance race.  If you ever get the chance to volunteer at any race of any distance, I would highly reccommend it!  The athletes are so inspiring and they are working so hard.  And I know from racing that the little bit of encouragement received from the volunteers is always appreciated and sometimes desperately needed.  It’s also a great way to see just how things work. You can watch the participants and pick up tips on things they are doing that you might not have even thought of.  And you can see things that you thought would work that seem to bomb.

All in all, we had a great day directing cyclists, watching finishers, and cheering for all!  Congratulations to everyone that finished both the half iron and full iron distance!  Next year I will be among the half ironman finishers.  We were even able to pick up 4 participants leaving the battleship and give them and their bikes a ride to their hotel in Wrightsville Beach.  They did not need to try and get across town after finishing a half ironman!  We really enjoyed talking with them and getting to know them a bit during the 30 minute drive.

Speaking of next year, I am still training.  Saturday was a scheduled rest day so Wrigley and I walked 2 miles in the morning.  Sunday we ran 3 miles disappointingly slow.  My average for each mile was 19:29.  And boy was I consistant, the first mile was 19:28, the second was 19:30 and the final mile was 19:29. 

Today we ran 2 miles and the pace was a bit better, an average of 18:45 min/mile.

I do have sort of a goal change for the next 5 months.  On Friday we were at Bike Cycles, a local bike shop, picking up our volunteer t-shirts and I noticed a flier for the inagural Wrightsville Beach marathon to be held in March of 2010.  Well, I decided if I’m going to train, I might as well run a marathon!  So, I found an 18 week marathon training plan online and counted 19 weeks until the marathon and figured it was fate!

With all that said, here is my training plan for the rest of the week.

Tuesday (11/10) 3 mile run with speed work

Wednesday (11/11) rest day

Thursday (11/12) 6 mile run

Friday (11/13) 2 mile run

Saturday (11/14) rest day

The six miles on Thursday kind of scares me, but I’ll make it through.  I’ll let you know how it goes…..

Still Tri-ing!

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