When life takes over

Christmas. It always feels like life goes from normal to insane or, as I like to say, from "mix well" to "beat until light and fluffy". If you've ever read a baking recipe you'll know the difference.

I actually like Christmas. I like the festiveness of the season. It is so much fun to turn the bakery into Santa's little workshop. I like getting together with friends and loved ones. Most of all, I love what Christmas stands for - not the commercialism, but the Saviour-come-to-earth part. Taking part in the Christmas program at my church, squeezing rehearsals in despite the craziness, is a highlight.

This year, however, is a little different. This year, I added all this "crazy athlete stuff". Winter training. Let me sum it up: STOPS and STARTS. Trying to get workouts done when you are exhausted and it's gross outside and you don't feel like it because it is dark and all you want to do is sit in your PJ's. Add in some niggling injuries, fighting off viruses, and the pressure of "not getting it done", and you get an athlete who feels like a wimp. Clearly I was wrong to think that the energy and fitness I had in the summer was enough to carry me through the winter months.

But, I have tried to keep a positive attitude through it all. Today, 3 days before Christmas Eve, I feel like I'm on the homestretch. I have baked enough Christmas goodies, the Christmas program is shaping up beautifully, and my energy levels are pretty good. I am eating well, trying to get enough sleep, getting my workouts in, and keeping the stress at bay.

The best news? I have a new coach! I am thrilled to have Coach Jeff Kline at PRS Fitness assist me in achieving my fitness goals. I "met" Coach Jeff on Twitter. He is awesome and I am very excited to have him on board. He is going to kick my butt, keep me on the straight and narrow, and most of all, provide structure and direction to my workouts. I am so looking forward to the next year.

My 2010 goals:
2 sprint distance triathlons
1 half marathon
3 10k's
5 5k's
This is what I want to do at the minimum. Anything more will be a bonus. I know it's nothing too crazy, but for a non-athlete, I would be thrilled to have this done next year.

I think a New Year's toast is in order. Here's to health, fun, and achieving goals in 2010!

Finding Nemo

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." 

This scene has been playing in my head over the last month. The swim may be my weak spot but I am determined to find some mojo in the pool. I WILL conquer the swim. But it's going to take a lot of hard work. 

YMCA Downtown Pool

Elevating the swim from "bane of my existence" to "swim? no problem!" meant fine-tuning my technique so that I become one with the water. This November, I devoted my training energies to SENSATIONAL FREESTYLE - a month-long Total Immersion course offered by SEAHIKER, run by Peter Scott and Tyler Zetterstrom. Awesome guys, by the way. They know their stuff and teach flawless technique mixed in with a lot of humor. I had taken some private lessons with them over the summer, and I am still amazed at how they were able to get me to comfortably swim lengths after just 2 sessions. Prior to meeting them, I couldn't even make half a length without gasping for air. I was at my wits' end and thought I would never be able to do a triathlon. That changed really quickly, thanks to these guys.

Sensational Freestyle is a program meant to work on all those little details that can make or break your swim stroke and ultimately, your efficiency in the water. Technique-heavy with LOTS of drills, it teaches you to master the sensations of proper form (hence Sensational Freestyle). When you know how your body feels while swimming with perfect balance and minimum effort, you can then correct yourself when these details fall off in practice. 

Drills. We did lots of drills. Drills are boring, but very, very essential to achieving proper swimming form. You do them over and over and over. And then you do them some more until the muscle movements are imprinted and become second nature. We were not allowed to swim full stroke throughout the course, even in practice. This was hard, but worth it in the end. 

A Classmate Doing Drills 

The very last thing we worked on was breathing. Breathing is one of those things that will take a lot of work and pool time to master. The human need to breathe in water really tends to mess with technique. So we worked first on mastering basic form before being allowed to breathe. I think we were starting to grow gills. Towards the end, with only 2 sessions left, the whole class was beginning to feel like were would never be allowed to breathe.  But by the time we added the breathing in, we were so comfortable with our balance and form that we could focus on breathing without thinking about the other stuff. Immensely helpful. 

This course was crucial to my training. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will take everything I have learned into my swim workouts going forward. Now I have the tools I need to take my swimming to the next level.

What's next?
Swim time. Lots of swim time. Also, training for the half-marathon has started, woot! I'm doing the Vancouver BMO half-marathon in May 2010 to achieve a personal milestone BUT, more importantly, to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - running for a cure for blood cancers. Please visit my fundraising page to learn all about this cause. I would really appreciate your support. Every little bit helps!

Ode to Running

Oh running, how I've missed you!

Three weeks ago an old overuse injury came back that meant taking a complete break from running. For the past 2 weeks I have stretched, rolled, iced, and patiently waited for my body to heal. Today, I excitedly laced up my Newtons for a small, easy run to see if my body can handle it. It was pouring out and windy, but I didn't care. I went to the track where I usually run and went through the familiar routine: iPod in, GPS on, walk, warm up, stretch, run! As my legs took those first few strides, I felt so happy! Almost giddy. I think only another runner would understand.

Let me just stop right here to say that running and I, we only met in late January of this year. I took up running only as a consequence of wanting to do a triathlon. Prior to this, I had never run a mile in my life. The Couch to 5k training plan I followed was supposed to only get me through the run portion of a sprint distance tri - no more, no less. I thought if I could only run 5k, however slowly, then I could do a tri and I'd be completely happy. Fast forward 10 months, four 5ks, one 8k, and one 10k later, I am loving running! I am signed up to do a half-marathon in May 2010 and I believe there is a full marathon in my future - a thought that, only 10 months ago I would have dismissed as being "crazy".

So what changed? How did I get from being a non-runner struggling to run 5k, to someone contemplating a full marathon? What is it about running that gets so many people hooked? Your reasons may be different from mine. Let me count the ways...

I love the rush. What can I say? I'm an endorphin junkie just like the rest of ya! Let's get one thing straight: running is painful - for me, anyway. Yet nothing makes me feel more alive and aware of my body. I feel like a well-tuned machine capable of so much more than what my brain thinks I can handle. I love that I can push past the mental barriers and my body delivers. The high that lasts all day? Nice bonus!

The hunger, oh the hunger! There is nothing more satisfying than feeling your body burn calories like nobody's business. Yes, swimming and cycling burn major calories, too. But it's a different kind of hunger with running - the kind that makes you want to empty the contents of your fridge and feel totally justified doing it. My food bill has gone up quite significantly as a result. Not that I mind.

Long, lean muscles. I have not lost any weight since I started training. Although I have leaned out noticeably and gone down one dress size I have, in fact, gained a few pounds. All muscle. Mostly from running. Hamstrings, quads, calves. I have to attribute the back and arm muscles to swimming, and my quads partly to cycling. But those first few months on the Couch to 5k built up strength and muscle mass in my legs that I never had before.

I love the solitude. Hearing the sound of my breathing, the rhythm of my feet hitting the ground, looking at the stretch of road before me. Every run is different, but it's my run. Even when I run with somebody else, it's still my run. I make of it what I put into it. I can be alone with my thoughts, get clarity, gain perspective.

Lastly, I love being hard core. When I run in bad weather, it makes me feel like a bad@#s :) I used to pass these runners on the early morning drive to work. They're out there at 430am in the winter when it's wet, and cold and dark, and I used to say, "Crazy runner!" I never thought I would become that person. Life is funny. Today I looked at the soggy pile of clothes on the floor, smiled, and said, "Yeah, I'm a bad@#s!"

What do you love about running?

Going on record

So I caved and finally started a triathlon training blog. I set up this blog 10 months ago when I first started training, but at the time I remembered just being overwhelmed at the prospect of training AND having to record it all. I felt I couldn't do it justice. I have barely had time to update my main food blog this year although I did write a couple of entries there about triathlon training.

So why do it now? Here's why:


COMMUNITY
There is an incredible, supportive, awesome group of folks out there from whom I have learned and gained inspiration this past year.  These are athletes of all abilities who know what it's like to wake up when it's dark and gloomy outside and drag your butt to the pool or the track. People who have lived through injuries and setbacks and still keep doing what they do because it's worth it. There are no egos. No competition, even (which is why I don't like clubs because everything turns into a contest). Mostly we just encourage one another to do the best we can, whether it's for a 5k race or an Ultra marathon.

This is a big one for me. Most of my friends do not understand why I have turned into this person who "exercises too much". They are supportive but they also think I'm crazy. It helps to know that I'm actually NOT crazy :)

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
There is no shortage of information available on the Internet for a novice triathlete. I have barely scratched the surface. I LOVE that there is always something new to learn. New technology, clothing, nutrition, interesting race venues, on and on it goes. The folks on Twitter, Beginner Triathlete message boards, the bloggers, the podcasters, the coaches who are all willing to share their knowledge - you guys are awesome and a tremendous help! Perhaps, a few seasons from now, I might be able to help someone who is just starting out. That would be cool.

INSPIRATION and ACCOUNTABILITY
When I hear about what workouts you're doing and how you did, it fuels my own workouts and makes me want to do my best. Each morning, there's a running theme (ha, literally) on my Twitter feed: "I did this. What are you doing?" It makes me want to get out there and do my bit, sometimes even when I don't feel like it. And when you have a couple hundred people who know you have a race coming up, you better get your workouts done because you know they're going to ask how it went!

LOOKING BACK
Lastly, I feel there is value in recording where you've been. While I have kept a training log of all my workouts over the last 10 months, I have learned so much about myself that the log doesn't even begin to capture. I want to be able to look back and see the emotion, the highs and lows, the "Aha!" moments.

So now more procrastinating. It starts now. Going on record.