Sunday, May 31, 2015

100 Bricks Complete!


In looking at my last post on 4/20, it would seem I am slacking a bit on the blog. However, the good news is that I have been dedicated to my workout routine and for the most part, to my dietary habits. My major accomplishment since the last post was hitting 100 perfect bricks for 2015! This means that for 100 days I woke up and did my fasted cardio, completed frequency push ups, and ate clean for those days. This is not an easy task, so I am thrilled to have hit the 100 mark prior to the summer. I have ambitions of completing the entire 150 by the end of the summer. June will be fairly easy as I am doing another round of the 28 day Arbonne detox and completing my third month of triathlon training. I already know that July will probably not add many bricks as we are traveling to New York for the triathlon and then heading to Spain for a week right after New York. Knowing these 10 days will be relaxed, I can prepare to eat as clean as possible before and after the trips. Vacation and relaxation are as essential as routine days--it is important to identify these necessities and move on.

Triathlon training has been going fairly well. I've just wrapped up month 2 of a 3 month training plan. The spinning and Thursday night rides have made a huge difference in my cycling this year. It could potentially be a better leg of the triathlon than the swim in the July race. My swim is fine, but I use the swim sessions as recovery from crossfit, running, and some of the cycling. The time I will be looking to beat is my 2009 time of 1:49:27. The 2009 Mini Musselman was my first triathlon ever and I was 23 years at the time. When I complete the race in July, I will be a youthful 34 years old ;) It will be interesting to see if crossfit, clean eating, and the training schedule make a difference. I still have some nagging pain in my left knee due to the patellar tendinitis. Unfortunately, it is something I have to manage and will probably never disappear. With stretching, rolling, and icing, I am able to keep it to a minimal amount. I do not expect that to be a factor until the last portion of the run. Hopefully, with a strong swim and bike, I'll have a few extra minutes to spare to take it easy on the knee. And, if it is a little sore after, no worries...it is the Finger Lakes wine region!

On another note, I've been quietly seeing gains in my crossfit training. In May, I hit PRs for several of my lifts. I completed the 1RM power clean @ 100lbs and the 1RM split jerk @ 100lbs. My strict press was 75lbs--not sure if this was a PR or not as I cannot find my old book! I am pleased with these numbers. While I try to get to crossfit 3 times a week, it sometimes ends up being just 2. Despite that inconsistency on my part, I am still making progress due to the incredible coaching and motivation of the coaches at Crossfit IronBorn. If you are in the Concord, NH area, this is a top-notch facility with friendly people and a no-drama atmosphere. We have fun, we workout, we support each other, and I always leave feeling a zillion times better than when I walked through the door at the beginning of class. Strength training is an absolute must in my training program and with crossfit, it is woven into my week in a way that best meets my goals.

Laura