From Fat to Triathlete

Tag: speed

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I’m a Tortoise

March 5, 2012

The other night, Gayle and I were having dinner (Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings – super easy, super good), and the talk turned to my training. Gayle made the observation that I am the tortoise from the fairy tale “The Tortoise and the Hare”.  I plod along at a slow and steady pace and eventually get to the end, but without any sense of urgency or speed.  And while that did help the tortoise beat the hare, he did so in his own sweet time.  The race I’m training for, on the other hand, has a time limit, and while it might seem that 17 hours is plenty of time I know from my half ironman experience and reading others race reports that it might not be enough.

So, while starting out at warp speed and burning myself out is not recommended, I do need to develop a sense of urgency with my training.  I need to pick up the pace and not be satisfied with my slow times.

I do have numbers in mind for the times and speed at which I need to finish each section of the race.  And to my math loving brain it has been quite fun working those out.  In fact (true confession time) while I am running I like to do the math in my head (If I keep up a 12 min/mile pace on the run, how long will it take me?  What about a 12.5 min/mile pace?  And so on…)  It’s nerdy, I know.  But it makes me happy.

So, I have given myself a deadline.  I would like to be at my goal pace with both the bike and the run by June.  Then from June – October I will work on keeping that pace for extended periods of time until I am at the amount of mileage that I need to be to complete an IronMan.  That means that I want to be able to sustain a 10 min/mile pace while running for at least 5 miles and I would also like to be able to sustain a bike speed of 15 mph for at least 15 miles by June 1st.  Currently I can hold a 17 min/mile pace for three miles (which is better than where I was at the start of the year) and my average bike speed is around 10 mph for a 15 mile stretch.  So, I have my work cut out for me over the next few months.

Too bad I can’t strap on a rocket like this tortoise!

 

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: Encouragement, Training
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Watch out Speedy Gonzales

February 7, 2012

speedyAlthough I must admit, I’m not ready to make any land speed records, I have been able to increase my speed over the last few workouts. During both Sunday’s run and today’s I threw in a few fartleks – running all out for a sort distance, then dropping my pace to recover. I also tried to keep my recovery pace a bit faster than the norm.

I was very pleased with the outcome both days. On Sunday I shaved over three minutes off my average time for the two mile distance. That’s more than a 1.5 minute decrease in my pace. Today I was able to shave another 10 seconds from Sunday’s pace (which granted is only 20 seconds off my total time for the two miles, but still…..it’s faster!)

I keep telling myself not to get too excited, because there will be days where I am slower for whatever reason. But I am still going to take a few minutes to be proud of my efforts.

On a somewhat related note – yesterday I was able to wear a pair of jeans that were a size smaller than my usual size. They had been in the bottom of my drawer for about 2 years, and I decided “What the heck, I’ll give them a try!” and they fit! A big tighter than I usually wear my pants, but definitely wearable.

So, those are my two brags of the day.  If you are worried that you are too slow or too fat to do anything, just get out there and start.  Do a little something everyday and I think you will be surprised at how you progress without even realizing it.

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: Running
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Pick Up The Pace

February 3, 2012

I am very proud of myself for keeping up my training through my cold.  Now it’s time to pick up the pace.

I did some research on how to get faster, and here are a few tips I’ve learned:

  1. One of the best ways to gain speed is with fartleks.  A fartlek is a workout where you run faster for a certain length of time, and then go at a slower pace to recover and then pick up the pace again.  The most common method is to pick a landmark in the distance, race to that landmark, and then run at recovery pace for a while, then pick another landmark and repeat.  It’s a fun training method because it can be varied throughout the workout which reduces the risk of boredom.
  2. Stay hydrated.  An easy way to get cramps is to work your muscles while dehydrated.  This will sidetrack any workout.
  3. Stretch.  Not much to be said about this one, it’s vital to keep muscles loose.
  4. Hill workouts.  This is a difficult one here at the beach where there aren’t many hills, but a good hill workout can increase your speed.
  5. Beach workout.  Now this one would be easier for me.  Running in soft sand will increase muscle strength and speed.

I definitely want to start with the fartleks first, because that can be incorporated into my daily workout right away. I know I need to start drinking more water and stretching. I would love to get to the beach to run, and might have to try and plan something for the near future. And to round it out, maybe I should start planning a vacation to a hilly destination……

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: Running
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Better Than Nothin

June 3, 2010

100812Tuesday’s run was 1.75 miles in 30 minutes.  I’m trying not to let the lack of speed frustrate me.  At least not now…

Today’s run was preempted by large amounts of rain….I want to do some swim training, but not up and down the street.

Tomorrow’s plan is for a 2.5 mile run, then my long run of 5 miles will be Friday.  I’ll probably try to take Wrigley for at least part of both of them.

I try to do a lot more running than walking.  I know walking is a perfectly good form of exercise, however it will not help me in my quest for a 10 minute mile.  Sometimes however, walking is all that I can muster the energy for.  It’s times like those when I have to just accept that at least I am out there and not on the couch eating chocolate.  ”It’s better than nothing”, so the saying goes.

And I am still tri-in!

Jenn

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: Training
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