From Fat to Triathlete

Tag: Wrightsville Beach marathon

The Sin of Envy

July 8, 2010

I must admit – I am lusting after something.  My strong Baptist background causes me to cringe with guilt, but it doesn’t last long.  The item that I desire so strongly is a pair of Vibram 5 Fingers shoes (affiliate link).  5fingershoesThe first time I saw a pair was at the Wrightsville Beach marathon.  They fit your feet like socks, but are made with materials that allow you to run, hike, kayak, play without injury to your feet.  They simulate being barefoot which is the most natural way to be.  It is much healthier for you and helps keep your body in alignment so you have less risk of injury.

My preferred method of being is barefoot.  I hate wearing shoes.  I will take them off as soon as I can and if it’s possible not to wear them, I won’t.  When I saw the Vibram 5 Fingers I was extremely interested.  After hearing how much people love them, I can’t wait to get a pair.  I’ve been reading up and the benefits of exercising barefoot and it just makes sense.

Here are links with more information

Health Benefits of Barefooting

Barefoot Running Laced with Health Benefits

Barefoot and Grounded

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Time Keeps on Slippin

April 10, 2010

gear_clockThings have been really busy lately.  And my focus got off track.  I’m working now on bringing it back to where it should be.  I heard something in a podcast this morning that I thought was very interesting. It was that time management doesn’t work.  Time is not something you can control or manage or affect in any way.  As the Steve Miller Band says – “Time keeps on slippin…..into the future”.  But what you can manage is you and what you are doing with the time you are given.  He also said, and I’ve heard this before, that if something is important, you should do it everyday.  Along that line, Gayle is always saying that it’s not that you don’t have time to do something, it’s that you choose to do other things with your time.  All that to say that I have been making some very bad time choices lately and I need to start choosing to do what’s important.  That means exercising, fixing healthy meals, spending quality time working and having fun.

We were talking with a friend at the Wrightsville Beach Marathon a few weeks ago about her experiences with Crossfit Endurance training.  She is very excited about the possibilities and has been certified as a trainer.  So, I came home and started doing some research on Crossfit Endurance training.  What I have learned so far is that it is an anaerobic based training program where you perform interval training at high intensity for shorter periods of time which allows your body to train anaerobically.  The benefits of this anaerobic training include increased strength, decreased fat, increased endurance and increased cardiovascular output.  Another benefit is that the training sessions are not incredibly long.  So, I have been following the workout program for about a week now and will continue to for a few more weeks and then evaluate my progress.  Already I feel faster and like I have more endurance, so that is a good thing.

Soap on the Run

Soap on the Run

I wasn’t able to participate in the marathon this year as I had hoped.  Instead, Glynne’s Soaps, the all natural body product company that Gayle and I own, was a sponsor for the event.  We did this because it seemed like the perfect opportunity to unveil our new product called “Soap on the Run“.  Soap on the Run is an all natural soap in an easy to transport container.  So, you can toss it in your gym bag or travel bag, use it in the shower, replace the cap and toss it back in your bag.  No muss, no fuss, no slimy soap in a Ziploc bag.  It has the added bonus of being all natural, so there are no worries about what is in the chemical detergent available in the gym showers.  It contains therapeutic grade eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils which are beneficial for muscle recovery.   We are very excited about it and it seemed to get a great reception.

My workout for tomorrow is

Sprint/Recover:  3 rounds of (20sec/60sec off, 20sec/50sec off, 20sec/40sec off, 20sec/30sec off, 20sec/20sec off, 20sec/10sec off) Start next round after 10 sec rest

Hopefully I will be able to keep it all straight!

Still tri’n

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I am baaaaaack!

January 25, 2010

This morning was my first official “run” after being sick for way too long!  I didn’t go far, only about 1.5 miles and I certainly didn’t go fast.  But it really was the first time I felt interested in running in a few weeks.  Which is a very good thing.  (Wrigley thinks so too, he has not been sick and has missed the daily running.) 

I want to make sure that I don’t jump back in too fast.  I still have a slight cough and a runny nose (wish I could run that fast!).  So I will be easing my way back in, not trying to do too much.  I wanted to try and eek out that extra 0.5 miles this morning to get to 2 miles, but even though my mind said “Yes” my body was saying, “Well….”  I decided to err on the side of caution.  Which is totally my personallity, and I hope won’t get me in trouble and make me lazy.  But I have every intention of getting back to the level I was at and then increasing my fitness.   Hopefully all while staying healthy. 

I think my marathon plans will have to be put on hold.  I haven’t run longer than 4 miles since before Christmas.  I might go searching for a shorter run or a marathon that is later in the season.  I want to do something in the spring….besides just training.  I will have to see what’s out there.  Any suggestions?

Still tri-in! 

Jenn

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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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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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