I'm Tri'ing

The past 3 weeks I have been very consistent with my workout routine and have worked out at least 4 days a week primarily increasing my running and a bit on the stationary bike.  But I have been working out at home.  We have a great home gym but we don't have an indoor pool.  Every Sunday I prepare for going to the gym on Monday morning but when the alarm goes off I have been shutting it off and rolling over. The good is that I can sleep another hour and still have an hour for a workout before I have to start getting ready; the bad is that I don't have an indoor pool.  I looked at my workout spreadsheet and can't believe I haven't swam since August.  So once again it's Sunday and I've packed for the gym but this time I need to get up.  I have to get back to that pool for many reasons: 1.  I have to swim 1.2 miles next September. 2.  I have to continue to improve my swimming. 3.  It does wonders for my leg. When I had back surgery in 201...

Earlier in the year I set December 1st as the date I would decide if I was going to do a 1/2 Ironman during my 2014 triathlon season........and earlier this week I made my decision and signed up for the Kerrville Half Distance Triathlon , which is the 1/2 Ironman distance - 1.2 mile swim / 56 mile bike / 13.1 mile run.  WOW, did I just say that - YES I DID!  I am excited and scared at the same time.  September 2014 is a long ways away but there is still a lot of work to do in order to be ready for this event. 1.  Select a training plan - I'm going to go with a box training plan from my good friends at School of Tri .  The plan I am going to select is 24 weeks long and will give me access to Krista Schultz an amazing trainer that I know from She Does Tri . 2.  Goal weight - I'm still working on this but I know that training will be much easier if I can get to my goal weight so I would like to achieve this by the end of March 2014. 3.  Stick to my ...

10/21/2013 - 10/27/2013 Swimming - 0 Biking - 2 Running - 3 Strength Training - 0 Weekly weight loss - 2 lbs Total weight loss - 35 Happy that I was able to workout 5 days this week.  Struggled a bit with my run but that is really because of the few extra pounds that I gained and the bronchitis continues to linger a bit with some asthmatic wheezing and coughing at times.  But I'm working through it.  The next few weeks I'll only be able to workout at home in the mornings since I'm on full time doggie duty but that just means focusing on the strength training in addition to the running and biking.  I think when our exercise bike starts to give out I want to get a spin bike.  A spin bike is a bit more true to road biking as it relates to form and the way you can add resistance is more real to a road then the stationary bike that we have.  Since the bike has a few more years in it, I think I'll get a new rear wheel so I can set my bike up on th...

I knew I was goal oriented but didn't know that meant I always had to be living by some sort of plan. Anyone reading sees that I have been off my game and have turned into a big slacker.  This has happened before.  I have lost weight in the past and come close to achieving my goal and then started slacking and end up right back where I started, or worse and then it's an uphill climb.  I'm not disciplined, yet, to live a healthy life without having some sort of goal and plan for achieving that goal. So I have established 2 goals for the remainder of the year: 1.  Get to my goal weight - I achieved my original goal weight but then set a new goal and sadly I have gone over my original goal weight.  So I have 20 lbs to lose! 2.  Figure out my 2014 triathlon schedule - I was so proud of myself for finally completing an Olympic distance triathlon and I have always said that I wanted to go for the further distances.  I have set a goal of December 1 to ...

Has it really been 4 weeks since I last updated this blog?????? The last time I posted I was still recovering from being sick - well I actually went to the Dr and found out I had bronchitis - glad I decided to sit out my races.  A z-pack, nasal spray, inhaler and cough syrup later I'm feeling better.  Still have the wheezing when exercising but it's getting better. This was the first week in the past 4 weeks that I have done any significant amount of working out - I worked out 4 times.  So once again, I'm working to get back on track.  I gained a few pounds during why hiatus but no worries I'll work it back off. It's rough when you are so goal oriented and then you get off track.  I often go down hill quickly and in the past haven't gotten back on track but I won't let myself get that far off track this time.  I've thought about if I want to train for some sort of race but I don't want to get back on track that way.  I want to workout without t...

How quickly two weeks can pass.  My cold / allergies has been lingering and I have been away from the gym / training for far too long.  But I went to the Dr today and got several different drugs that will hopefully get me back on track.  He thinks I had a cold that has started to turn into bronchitis.  Hopefully I will be feeling better in a few days. Unfortunately this has caused me to change my plans for my last race of the year.  The race is 3 weeks away and with no working out for the past week or so and probably for the next day or 2 I know that my body is not going to be ready for this.  I'm disappointed but ok with my decision not to participate.  As I last wrote I completed my top goal for the year, so I will rethink and re plan and get back on track soon. No worries!

This week did not go as planned, it started out great with spin class on Monday and then when down here from there.  I thought I had a caught the summer cold that everyone has had and started my routine of drugs that typically have me back on track in 3-4 days.  To my surprise this morning I was still feeling bad and this has me wondering if it's a summer cold or allergies.....so I changed up my drug routine to try some allergy medicine to see if that works and I will plan to do today's missed workout of run / swim tomorrow. This week I decided that I will not be participating in the Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon in November.  I have my last triathlon coming up in 5 weeks and I have already started my 1/2 marathon training plan.  I have been experiencing lots of back pain and have decided to rethink my plan.  The 1/2 marathon was just something added that I wanted to accomplish but was not an ultimate goal this year, that was finishing my first Olympic distance tri...

I just realized I haven't posted an update since my race summary.  Sadly I have been a bit unmotivated and have taken a few too many days off.  But since my next race is 7 weeks from today I guess it's time to get my butt back in gear. So starting next week I'll get back on track with posting my training sessions and weight loss.  The good news is my weight is holding steady at my original goal weight.  I do still want to drop another 10 lbs and will get refocused on that.  If I stay focused I think I can be at the 2nd goal weight by the next race and carrying 10 less pounds will make a huge difference. I did have a decent run and a short swim to start off this morning.  Bad news is that my Garmin 405 has finally bit the dust.  I have been having lots of problems with it whenever I actually attempt to use it and go on long runs.  The hubby ok'd this purchase as my birthday gift: http://sites.garmin.com/forerunner910xt/ I"m so excited abo...

Small Texan Triathlon 2013 - 7/29/2013 - 8:05 a.m. start time Boerne City Lake, Boerne, TX Distance - Swim -.93, Bike -28 miles, Run-6.2 miles Swim - 43:05 Bike - 1:54:30 Run - 1:31:01 Overall - 4:13:20 The best way to describe this event - hot, bumpy and hilly! Pre-Race  The Boerne City Lake park and transition opened at 630 a.m. so we left around 545 and arrived around 645.  Parking was about .25 miles from transition site and we took all my gear up in the 1st trip, got body marking done, and set up my area (open racks) and then headed back to the truck to get my drinks.  All of that was finished up around 715, so we have about 30 min to kill before the pre race meeting.  Rob found a good spot to sit for the swim and we just kind of relaxed. Swim I have NEVER swam freestyle in a race and have worked very hard since last October to get my freestyle down so I was actually excited about the swim.  When I saw the buoys I realized 1500 meters / .93 m...

7/1/2013 - 7/7/2013 Swimming - 2 Biking - 1 Running - 2  Strength Training - 1 Weekly weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 7/8/2013 - 7/14/2013 Swimming - 2 Biking - 2 Running - 2  Strength Training - 2 Weekly weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 7/15/2013 - 7/21/2013 Swimming - 1 Biking - 2 Running - 0  Strength Training - 0 Weekly weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 Similar to my last post my workouts have stunk and similar to when I was racing before I would get in this rut and my workouts would be less than lackluster.  But not similar to before I am confident in what I plan to accomplish next Sunday.  With Rob out of town I was really hoping that last week I would hit the training hard but that clearly did not happen.  But I also know I have trained hard for this day and while I'm not confident in how fast I will be I'm confident that I will complete this next step in my triathlon career. ...

6/17/2013 - 6/23/2013 Swimming - 1 Biking - 1 Running -1 Strength Training - 0 Weekly Weight loss -0 Total Weight loss - 45.5 6/24/2013 - 6/30/2013 Swimming - 0 Biking - 1 Running -1 Strength Training - 0 Weekly Weight loss - 0 Total Weight loss - 45.5 You wouldn't know it by my training the past 2 weeks but I do feel ready for my first International distance triathlon.  I think of this has my nemesis, although a different race, this is the distance I was training for a couple of years and experienced back problems that prevented me from competing.  This year I feel stronger, mentally and physically.  Don't get me wrong I'm still nervous about a lot of things but more confident with my overall abilities. First my swimming has improved and I'm comfortable calling myself a swimmer.  My longest distance yet has been 2200 yds which is beyond what is needed for my race (1636 yds).  This will be my first race that I will swim freestyle the entire d...

6/3/2013 - 6/9/2013 Swimming - 1 Biking - 1 Running -1 Strength training -0 Weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 6/10/2013 - 6/16/2013 Swimming - 3 Biking - 2 Running - 1 Strength training -0 Weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 WHAT - 6 weeks till the International tri - sigh.  I'm a bit surprised at myself the past couple of weeks, thought that I had done better than what is listed above.  So what has happened?  I will not dwell I will focus on the future.  Yep 6 weeks - I'm excited, funny how my weakness is no longer my weakness and my strength has become my weakness. Swimming is coming along great. This past week I had some great swim sessions and I swam 2000 yds on Saturday which is over the distance I need to do for the tri.  Rob watched me on Saturday and was amazed at my progress.  He says I have good form but I need to figure out the bi-lateral breathing.  He thinks that will definitely be needed when swimming in a ...

5/13/2013 - 5/19/2012 Swimming - 2 Biking - 2 Running - 2 Strength Training - 0 Weekly weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 5/20/2013 - 5/26/2012 Swimming - 0 Biking - 2 Running - 0 Strength Training - 0 Weekly weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 5/27/2013 - 6/2/2012 Swimming - 2 Biking - 2 Running - 1 Strength Training - 0 Weekly weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 Wow, it's been 3 weeks since my last update, a bit hard to believe that it's been that long and then when I look at my training schedule and realize I have been slacking for awhile and I have my 1st International distance race in 8 weeks - holy crap! Guess I need to get my butt in gear.....to my defense I have been a bit busy....no actually I'm not making excuses this time.  Yes we have been moving into our new house the past couple of weeks but I still could have made the time to train and I made a choice not to! Today I had a friend participate in her first 1/2 Mara...

4/29/2013 - 5/5/2013 Swimming - 2 Biking - 2 Running - 2 Strength Training - 0 Weight loss this week - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 5/6/2013 - 5/12/2013 Swimming - 2 Biking - 1 Running - 2 Strength Training - 0 Weight loss this week - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 Well the first week was a recovery week for me but I took it a bit to the extreme and this week, I don't know what happened.  Life has been a bit crazy with the completion of the house in the near future and our closing date getting push backed, now for the 4th time.  So that might have something to do with it, or maybe it's just laziness.....either way the past 2 weeks haven't been that productive. But my philosophy these days is this too shall pass.  I'm not upset, more disappointed in myself for not getting out of bed and pushing myself to get to the gym.  I must remember that gym time helps me reduce stress so it actually is a great way to start my day.  So I'll plan on ge...

4/22/2013 - 4/28/2013 Swimming - 3 Biking - 3 Running - 3 Strength Training - 0 Weight loss this week - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 This was a solid week of training, especially after last weeks "mental issues."  I ran outside twice this week, trying to get use to the terrain and and not having a treadmill in front of me telling me how fast I'm going. I finished the week yesterday with a simulated tri.  I wanted to see how close I was to my distances for an my 1st Olympic distance tri in July.  So I was scheduled to swim 58, bike 117, run 58.  I ended up doing 58 min swim - 1500 yds (slower than I would like but I had to swim in the leisure pool), bike 77 min - 20 miles (shorter than planned but my back was getting a bit sore and I didn't want to push myself to not being able to walk) and 58 min run - 5 miles (I went out too fast and had to do some walking but still very happy with my time). Yesterday  was also my first time outside on my road bike s...

4/15/2013 - 4/21/2012 Swimming - 3 Biking - 1 Running -3 Strength Training - 0 Weekly weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 45.5 What started out to be a good week turned into 3 days of "skipping the gym."  I had a great workout on Monday and started out Tuesday with a great swim and thought that I would run outside since most of my running has been on the treadmill.  About 25 minutes into my run the pain in my hip / thigh area became unbearable so I decided to walk a bit.  After that it went downhill.  I ended up doing 50 minutes but most of the 2nd half of that run ended up being a walk.  Of course this started the conversation with myself "how do you expect to be able to do a marathon if you can't run 45 minutes..."  This has always been my biggest battle - negative self talk. I have significantly changed my life - I left a life of crazy stress and no life / work balance, I have lost 45 lbs, I have made my goal weight, I have moved 1/2 way acros...

4/1/2013 - 4/7/2013 Swimming - 1 Biking - 3 Running -2 Strength Training - 0 Weekly weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 45 4/8/2013 - 4/14/2013 Swimming - 3 Biking - 2 Running -3 Strength Training - 1 Weekly weight loss - .5 Total weight loss - 45.5 Well I fell off track a bit after meeting my goal and didn't have any weight loss but I'm still holding steady.  I'm still focusing on maintaining my goal weight but really would like to drop another 7 lbs.  But I'm trying not to focus on that right now, I'm more focused on my training. Last week was a recovery week, I build for 3 weeks and recover for 1 week.  So it was very weird to run for 17 min or swim for 17 min.  But I do realize it's important for my body to recover and it gave me time to work on speed and form.  This week started out wonderful but I'm slacking a bit on weekends, something that has always been a struggle for me.  I skipped my workout today but will hit my swim an...

Swimming - 3 Biking - 3 Running - 3 Strength Training - 0 Weekly weight loss - 4 Total weight loss - 45 lbs Damn, this has been a great week.  Usually I write on Sunday but tomorrow is my day off from working out and today was weigh in.  I have met my goal, actually I blew it out of the water this week.  Rob kept telling me he thought when I got to my goal I would probably keep going.  I thought I would be happy with maybe 5 more pounds but now I'm only 2 lbs away from that.  At this point we will see.  I'm not going to actively try to lose weight.  However I know that with all the training I did this week that is what helped put my weight loss over the top.  I also know that with all the training that I'll be doing (more than this week) I will probably drop a few pounds. I have learned how to manage my food intake and my body has really adapted to less food and definitely prefers healthier no processed food.  I will continue to use ...

3/18/2013 - 3/24/2013 Swimming - 3 Biking - 3 Running - 3 Strength Training - 0 Weekly weight loss - 1 lbs Total weigh loss - 41 Feeling much better - took 5 days off and headed back to the gym on Monday.  Since I was scheduled to start my triathlon training plan last week and I'm still in the lower numbers I felt that I could just pick up this week and not really work about last week.  Monday's workout wasn't bad, Wednesday was a bit rough but by Thursday I was good to go. We took a 20 mile bike ride yesterday and have found a really nice paved trail, Leon Creek Greenway .  We rode our mountain bikes but I will definitely be spending some time on this trail with my road bike and its close to my office so I can get a ride in after work some nights. My swimming is going well but I think I might be allergic to chlorine.  The Lifetime Fitness I go to has a leisure pool and a lap pool.  The lap pool can be packed in the morning so I often have to swim i...

3/11/2013- 3/17/2013 Swimming - 1 Biking - 1 Running - 1 Strength Training - 1 Weekly weight loss - 1.5 lbs Total weight loss - 40 lbs This has been a crappy week.  It started off well - I attended an amazing spin class on Monday, got my swim and run in on Tuesday and then Tuesday afternoon started getting a sore throat.  By the time I got home I was feeling pretty bad.  Very few times in my life have I stayed home or left early from work because I wasn't feeling well.  Thursday was one of those few days.  I went to work and quickly realized I shouldn't have done that.  I left early, came home and slept.  I am now starting to feel human again.  The down side of being sick is missing the gym for 5 days!  I'll be heading back to the gym tomorrow (to attend that amazing spin class). Before getting sick, I was reviewing my training schedule and quickly realized I may have bitten off more than I can chew.  I have established my goa...

2/25/2013 - 3/3/0213 Swimming - 2 Biking - 1 Running - 3 Strength Training - 2 Weekly weight loss -  2.5 Total weight loss - 38.5 3/4/2013 - 3/10/0213 Swimming - 2 Biking - 1 Running - 3 Strength Training - 2 Weekly weight loss -  0 Total weight loss - 38.5 Last week turned out to be a good week.  I started the 16 week Chi Running 1/2 Marathon training.  It starts out with 30-40 minute runs so I've been focusing on improving my speed.  I've been maintaining a 11 - 1130 minute pace with my ultimate goal to be at a 10 minute mile.  I had a good weight loss week......then came this week. This has been a rough week, really low motivation and struggling to get up in the mornings.  I know some of it has to be due to lack of sleep.  Since moving we have both struggled with sleeping and we are hoping that when we get to the new house with a new bed that will all change.  I'm probably averaging 4-5 hours of sleep a night.  I ...

2/11/2013 - 2/17/2013 Swimming - 1 Biking - 2 Running - 3 Strength Training - 2 Weekly Weight loss - 1.5 Total weight loss - 36 2/18/2013 - 2/24/2013 Swimming - 3 Biking - 1 Running - 4 Strength Training - 2 Weekly Weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 36 Included stats for last week.  It's been a great 2 weeks of training for me.  I have completed 2 more goals for the year: ChiRunning 10K program - I completed this yesterday with a 10K treadmill run.  I was able to maintain a pace of 11.01.  I was so happy because I originally wanted to maintain a 12 minute pace and actually beat it by 1 minute. Lifetime Fitness Indoor Tri - I completed this today.  This was a mini tri event consisting of 10 minute swim, 30 minute bike and a 20 minute run.  Results have not come out yet but I think I swam 350 yds, biked 8.5 miles and ran 1.91 miles.  I was hoping to do a 10 mile pace on the run and was just shy of that.  I really enjoyed the ...

2/4/2013 - 2/10/13 Swimming - 2 Biking - 0 Running -3 Strength Training - 2 Weekly weight loss -3 lbs Total weight loss - 34.5 Pretty good week, except for that goose egg on the bike. I know, I know need to work on that.  I'm heading into the final 2 weeks of my ChiRunning 10K program.  Yesterday I ran longer than I have ever run, 60 minutes, and it felt great.  I'm still a long way away from a 1/2 marathon or marathon but I'm actually believing that it's possible. This week I was able to get into the lap pool, which gave me a drastic improvement in my time compared to the leisure pool.  A huge motivator, since I realized I can swim at least 1000 yds in 30 minutes and if I can maintain that pace and continue to improve then I can definitely swim at over a mile in an hour. I'm starting to think big picture and think about 1/2 Ironman and Ironman distances and the time limits associated with each. Great weight loss week - I'm 8 lbs away from my goal...

1/28/2013 - 2/3/2013 Swimming - 1 Biking - 2 Running - 2 Strength Training - 2 Weekly weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 31.5 This was an ok week, missed a few sessions but not fretting.  It was another no weight loss week for me but this has become typical for me - I lose some weight then don't lose for a couple weeks but still no worries your body needs time to adjust to all the changes.  I'm still very happy with my results to this point. This was my 20th week of my weight loss commitment and being down 31.5 lbs is awesome! Today marks 7 months since I made a drastic change to regain control of my life! Today marks 5 year 11 month anniversary that we decided to stop smoking (3/3/2007)! Tuesday marks 7 months since I had my back surgery! Everyone needs rewards for hard work.  I use to reward myself with food, well that isn't very healthy and totally messes up the weight loss plan so yesterday we rewarded ourselves with new running shoes.  These ...

1/21/2013 - 1/27/2013 Swimming - 2 Biking - 0 Running -3 Strength Training - 1 Weekly weight loss - 0 Total weight loss - 31.5 lbs What a way to end the week.  Rob and I participated in the Graffiti Run  in San Antonio.  It was a great time.  It was a 5K race and my goal was to do 11 min mile and we accomplished that. As you can see from my workouts above I'm still struggling to get everything completed.  But I'll do better this week. I've decided that I'll need to head to the gym a bit early on certain days so I can do my strength training. I had a great swim this week, 1300 yds, the longest I have ever swam freestyle.  A mile is 1760 yds.  The good news is that I could have swam longer I just ran out of time, the cons of working out before work. So the next event will be the Lifetime Fitness Indoor Tri on Feb 24th.  I'm looking forward to it because I'm sure it will be low key but I'll push myself as hard as I can for the time...

Week of 1/14/2012 - 1/20/2012 Swimming - 2 Biking - 0 Running - 3 Strength Training - 1 Weekly Weight loss - 4 lbs Total weight loss - 31.5 I still have a left over cough from the cold but I was able to get to the gym all 6 days that I had scheduled.  Based on my summary I need to work on a few things, especially biking and strength training.  I did my longest run today, 55 minutes.  I was able to run the entire time at 5 mph or higher.  I want to work on increasing my speed on the shorter runs as my end goal is to run 6 mp for long distances / times. I added another event to my calendar.  Lifetime Fitness is doing an indoor triathlon.  The event will be how far you go within the below times. • 10-minute swim in the lap pool (laps are tracked by volunteers) • 30-minute cycle in the cycle studio (distance measured by computer) • 20-minute run on a treadmill (distance measured by treadmill) Clearly a short event but something fun to do...

Week of 1/6/2013 - 1/13/2013 Swimming - 2 Biking - 0 Running - 1 Strength training - 2 Weekly weight loss - 0 Overall weight loss - 27.5 The week started off so well, was getting back on track from the holidays and then bam Wednesday afternoon my throat started feeling scratchy and my body was a bit achy.  Now I didn't know if the ache was from working out or that I was getting sick.  Then I got home and was feeling even worse, cold sweats, ugh. I'm getting sick.  Since the flu is crazy I thought please just let this be a cold I can't afford the flu (since I just started my job in October).  So Thursday I set my alarm planning on going to the gym, nope, hit the snooze and stayed in bed until I needed to get up to go to work.  The next few days was more of the same.  Now it's Sunday and I'm starting to feel human but I have been away from the gym for 4 days, ugh. Start over, again.  It could have been worse, I could have had the flu and I cou...

Week of 12/31/2012 - 1/6/2013 Swimming - 2 Biking - 0 Running -2 Strength Training - 1 Weight loss for week - 0 Total weight loss - 27.5 As reported in the last post the past couple of weeks haven't been great workout weeks and no weight loss. But it happens right, no worries.  I'll get it back on track this week.  My back is feeling MUCH better so I'm going to do some strength training tomorrow and clearly I need to get back to biking.  My road bike is set up on the trainer between the living room and kitchen I just need to spend some time on it.  I've been very focused on swimming and running but need to make sure that I'm giving proper attention to the bike.  Plus with my back being sore I didn't want to make even more sore by getting on the bike. Along with this post you will see I have updated my race schedule.  Races fill up quick around here so I built in a back up race in case one of the races is full.  I've also been working on my 2...

Week of 12/24/2012 - 12/30/2012 Swimming - 1 Biking - 0 Running - 2 Strength training - 1 Weight loss for week - 0 Total weight loss - 27.5 The last two weeks of the year are a bit messed up.  Not sure what happened but my excel spreadsheet that I keep my training / workouts got all discombobulated and I lost some data.  Although since the last 2 weeks were really bad workout and eating weeks I guess maybe that is a sign! But out with the old and in with the new.  It's a new year and a new you....me! We have signed up for the Graffiti Run , which is a fun 5K run.  That will be my first official race event since my back surgery.  Hopefully the weather will warm up! I have been working on my training and race schedule for 2013 and am close to having the race schedule completed which will help me finish up my training schedule.  I plan to complete at least 1 Olympic distance triathlon and a 1/2 marathon, I tentatively have my eyes...