150 Bricks for 2014!

When I took a pause from blogging in July, I thought I might not return to it. The last four months have been focused on rehabing my knee, raising a new puppy, and juggling three jobs. However, I knew if I did not return to this space that holds me personally accountable, I might lose focus for too long. In Mid-October, I was cleared to do more exercises and activities with my knee--so I signed up for the local gym in our town and met with my crossfit coach to plan my return to crossfit in November. I start Monday and can't wait to get back to those high intensity workouts!

Somehow, throughout this hectic summer and fall, I managed to fit in the remaining perfect brick days--whew! A perfect brick (for me) is cutting carbs by 2PM, waking up the next day to a fasted cardio workout, drinking a gallon of water in the day, and completing my frequency pushups. These are all good things, but leave a bit of grey in terms of good food during the time after morning cardio and before 2PM. For 2015, I intend to make the parameters for the brick a bit more rigid for improved results. Nonetheless, my 150th brick happened yesterday on the last day of October! Back in April, when my knee flared up, I was not optimistic about hitting this goal. But I perservered and made it happen. The fall mornings were cool and unmotivating, so I bought a daylight lamp and pushed forward.

Knowing I'd be returning to crossfit eventually, I decided I better face the Burpee movement again. The Lorna Jane October Instagram Burpee Challenge met that need perfectly! As you can see from the graphic above, it started small and ended with 70 burpees on Halloween. In order to complete some of the higher numbers, I broke them into sets of 10. I dislike Burpees, but I think they get a bad reputation sometimes for being too difficult. Certainly, they are not easy; however, breaking them up into manageable sets helps. I'm glad I finished, so we'll see if it helped me with my transition back to crossfit movements.

Next, my running is progressing. It is slow, but that is the point. I was just cleared in October to begin a return to running training program prescribed by my physical therapist. It has 17 levels that build on the previous level--I'm now at 11! To assist with some arch issues (that could factor into the tendonitis), I was fitted for orthodics. At first I was apprehensive because I thought it seemed like something only old people would do. However, my very fit physical therapist (who is in her 20s) uses them as well, so I gave them a chance. I am glad I did as they prevent a lot of forceful pounding during the run. Also, I have spent a lot more time foam rolling, doing core work, stretching, and icing. Running is now a lengthier process than it once was, but if I want to continue, these steps are necessary. Very few things compare to a runner's high and the energy you have after a great run! I have one small running goal for this season and that is to complete one road race before the year ends. It looks like a Turkey Trot will be happening this month. I'm still deciding which one, but will probably go with the Bishop Brady run that I have done in the past. It will not be a run for time, but a run for completion.

Finally, I just want to write that I am thrilled to be blogging once again here at I Tri Training. I decided to start my resolutions early to pave the way for 2015. I'm aiming for some snowshoe races, spinning, and crossfit this winter. When the spring approaches, I'll consider options for summer/fall races. The few that stand out as goal races are the Covered Bridge 1/2 marathon, Mini Musselman in Geneva, NY, Sprint Timberman, and Sprint Pumpkinman. Oh, and did you notice my awesome new logo? This gem was designed by Ashley over at AE Designs. Take a look at her amazing work on her website: www.ae-invitations.com. Thank you Ashley for designing the perfect logo for my blog!

~Laura

Recovery Week

Last week was all about recovering from the half marathon. I took 3 full rest days on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday. Thursday was not an intentional rest, but I came down with a cold and just could not bring myself to go to the gym. It is OK though as a bit of extra rest can't hurt after Smuttynose.

Coincidentally, it also was the deload week in my new strength training program. I am following the 5-3-1 Wendler plan in 4 week cycles--so far, I've enjoyed the plan. It focuses on 4 lifts: military press, deadlift, bench press, and back squat. In addition, I do many sets of "accessory" movements such as banded chins, dumbell lifts, abs, etc. Finally, I still do a conditioning element but it is usually a bit shorter because my primary focus is lifting. In the first four weeks, I have seen some positive changes, but the main thing is that I am enjoying the program so I feel motivated to go to the gym.

Also, I continue to get in about 4 fasted cardio workouts a week but that volume needs to go up. I'm shooting for 5-6 days this week if possible. 2 of those workouts will be morning spin classes. Walks are harder to bring myself to do as the temps drop--I REALLY dislike the cold. I am probably the wimpiest midwesterner ever! The one thing I like about fall/winter though is TEA. I am a huge fan of all things tea (loose leaf, bags, decaf, caffeinated, chai, etc). It is such a calming ritual to sip on a cup of tea. I enjoy reading Corinne's blog (especially when she talks about tea!) as she has such a peaceful view of life in general. I love her use of words to describe settings.

Finally, I've been focusing on cooking more appealing and healthy meal options. I am well aware that my food intake continues to be the area most in need of improvement. Today, I spent much of the day preparing a variety of paleo foods for the week. By 1:30PM I made spinach quiche, roasted savory sweet potato, roasted summer squash/zucchini, apple cinnamon pork loin with gravy, fajita chicken bake, and roasted lemon pepper chicken legs. With the protein taken care of, it should be easy to whip up a few veggie sides during the evenings after the gym. I also have some carrots, nuts, and other paleo snacks to get me through the day. This week, my supply of Vega Pre-Workout energy drink will run out...I'm going to try to phase this out for awhile as I tend to rely on it as a caffeine type substitute far too frequently. It also has too much natural sugar, which I'd like to cut down on over the next few months. I did grab some tea to fill in, but that should be a better substitute.

Week of October 7th- October 13th

Monday- Rest
Tuesday- AM Spin/ PM Xfit
Wednesday- AM Walk / PM Xfit
Thursday- Rest
Friday- AM Yoga/Boot Camp / PM Xfit
Saturday- AM Walk
Sunday- Rest

*Pushups 5X 20 for 6 days
*4 Perfect Bricks

Smuttynose Half Marathon Recap

My race season has officially come to an end for 2013 with the completion of the Smuttynose Half Marathon today. It was a light season with a few 5Ks, the Seacoast Century bike ride and of course the half marathon. As I have discussed a bit in some of my other blog entries, I found it a challenge to find the time to balance training for the century and the half marathon. Ultimately, I did a very abbreviated version of Hal Higdon's intermediate training program paired with cycling and crossfit. I was curious to see how my results this time would compare to my 1:58 at the Half at Hampton (same course just colder!)in February of 2012. I was optimistic given some decent training runs throughout the summer and fall, but knew I did not do a ton of prep miles during the week.

In the beginning of the race, everything was a bit hectic. I thought I gave myself enough time, but got stuck in some serious traffic trying to get into Hampton Beach for the race start. I grabbed my bib at about 7:40 and went straight to the porta potties to get a spot in line...this of course is always the slowest process in any race. I then had to jet back to my car to get rid of my warmer clothes (the wind was gusting very heavily at this point), luckily, with the large crowds, I did not miss the start (I just got stuck in a slower wave in the beginning). My Runkeeper app was a bit delayed but I finally got that working and set Pandora up for some tunes.

Overall, the first 6 miles felt very good. I was keeping the pace below 9 min miles and fueling at the appropriate times. Somewhere around mile 8 or 9 my Pandora stopped working which definitely caused me to lose some serious speed and momentum. I find the music really pushes me along. In retrospect, this was the point in the run where I lost the opportunity to PR. I was shooting for under 1:58, but without my music to pace, I lost valuable minutes. This combined with possibly being over aggressive in my early miles put me behind my goal. When I heard Runkeeper chip in that I was over 9 min miles, my morale started to slip. Then, I saw this super ripped girl chugging past me just doing tiny shuffle steps and really swinging her arms fast. I thought, hmmm, she seems to be pushing forward, I'll try her strategy. Sure enough, I began to pass people in front of me. Unfortunately, I had lost too many minutes during the Pandora debacle, but at least I finished with my second fastest time to date. Around mile 12, my friend from crossfit, Chandler, helped me push through the final stretch as he had just parted with his sister, Alaka, who was continuing on for the full marathon. It was great to have someone I knew at the end, but even with his help, I did have a feeling it was not going to be a PR day.

I was glad to finally finish though because that was when the rain/wind really started to pick up. I don't think it has rained for almost 3 weeks, but today it rained. It is not so bad when running but makes the after party not so enjoyable. I was thrilled to get a chance to meet up with my friend from college, Colleen. I often turn to her blog Live Free and Run for running inspiration. I knew I'd see her at the finish but not during the run! She and her husband were toughing out the bad weather to enjoy a cool beer after the race. It was so great to catch up and talk shop about running and teaching. Hopefully I can get down to DC for a race at some point--I'm sure it will be much warmer than this run was!

In the end, I'm glad I dragged myself out of bed this morning for the half marathon, but am disappointed that I did not PR after having a strong start. Nonetheless, I was not nearly as disciplined in my training regimen and I probably was 5-10lbs heavier compared to February 2012 when I was getting in wedding shape. 2:02.25 is not too shabby for a 32 year old who only had time for runs on the weekend--I guess I'll have to settle for the satisfaction of getting in a tough workout when I otherwise might have been sleeping or vegging in the apartment on this rainy October Sunday.

Week of September 30th- October 6th

Monday- AM Yoga/Boot Camp & PM Crossfit
Tuesday- AM Walk & PM Crossfit
Wednesday- AM Yoga/Boot Camp & Lunch Jog
Thursday- PM Crossfit
Friday- AM Yoga/Boot Camp
Saturday- Rest
Sunday- Smuttynose Half Marathon

*5 sets of 20 pushups for 6 days
*4 perfect bricks for a total of 77

Colleen & I post race. I think I have about 3 layers on. Poor Colleen, she needed more warm clothes! Though I paired my warm clothes with flip flops which was not the best choice.

Half Marathon Training Week 1 Recap

Per my previous entry, I am dedicating more time to training and blogging. For the Smuttynose Half Marathon (which is on October 6th), I am using Hal Higdon's Intermediate 12 week training plan as a guideline for my run workouts. I might have to adjust by adding a few miles on run days to take a necessary rest day. Additionally, I will be balancing the WMCFStrong 6 week challenge and a century ride 8 week plan. I know it is a lot but usually I am more effective when my time is filled. In week 1, I had limited time due to travel for the funeral in Minnesota and our house closing on Wednesday. Therefore, I had to get creative and doubled up on some workouts over a few days. Today I had to finish all remaining workouts for the week so I ended up running 4 miles early in the morning followed by a 41 mile bike ride. This was my longest ride in awhile, but it was generally a flatter ride so that made it manageable. My workout buddy, Melissa, and I tackled the ride at 7:30 to avoid the heat. It seems we do have some relief from what has been a very humid and uncomfortable week. I am soooo excited it will be in the 60s tomorrow morning as those are great running temps.

Half Marathon Week 1 Wrap Up:

Monday- 4 mile run in MN
Tuesday- Rest (travel day)
Wednesday- Early morning run, Shuttle Sprints @ crossfit in evening, conditioning/strength evening
Thursday- Rest
Friday-Crossfit in AM
Saturday- 4 mile run + crossfit conditioning workout
Sunday- 4 mile run followed by 41 mile bike ride

Total Run Miles = 16
Pushups 6 days of 5 sets of 20

Big Lake Half Marathon Week

Week 8 culminated in the Big Lake Half Marathon on Saturday, May 7th. That meant that most of the week was TAPER and I thoroughly enjoyed the taper. However, I was very nervous going into the race because I was so sick last week, and I still had a bit of the sniffles. Race day I felt ready though; Mark and I headed up the Alton Bay around 6am to do a quick warmup jog and registration. I started the race right next to him, but knew he would be out of my sight pretty fast! I always tell him that I will see him at the finish line! Anyway, throughout the first 7-8 miles of the race I felt pretty good with the exception of a minor blister that formed on the side of my inner arch. My breathing felt normal and my legs seemed to have a good rhythm. I actually applied some of Kara Goucher's technique suggestions that I really felt benefitted me. I actually thought I had a chance of beating my time from last year--2:03:46, average of 9:27 and place #504! I'm not sure if I started too slow or if I lost a ton of time from mile 8-10, but by mile 10 I realized I would have to do 7 min miles for the rest of the race to PR and that just wasn't going to happen...I might have been able to push out 8 min miles, but 7 was not realistic. I think this really bummed me out and I just didn't put very much effort in at this point until the last 1/4 mile. I ended up finishing with a time of 2:08, average of 9:47, and placed 507. I guess I am happy that I beat my time from 2 previous half marathons (Seacoast Half in 2006, and Big Lake in 2004), but I definitely am disappointed that I did not PR or reach my goal of under 2 hours. I will try to see if I can find another half in the fall to see if I can beat the 2:03 time. Nevertheless, considering how sick I was last week, I don't think it was a total disaster.

Next on the agenda is the Mooseman International Triathlon on June 4th! I will be picking up the training again this week to prepare for that event.

Week 8 workouts:

Monday-30 minute swim / 10 mile bike ride/ 35 min P90X yoga
Tuesday- 3 mile run
Wednesday- Pilates video
Thursday- 20 minute run
Friday- OFF
Saturday- Big Lake Half Marathon!
Sunday- 20 minute recovery swim