2015: The Year in Review @ I Tri Training

2015 has been one for the books! I started the year getting back on track with the Sweat Pink #NoExcuses tagline. I could go into a lengthy post about everything, but I am using bullet points for an efficient closure to the year.

Highs of 2015:

§  Running BAA 5K in April at my second fastest historical pace

§  Mini Musselman triathlon in July with hubby

§  Wine tasting in Finger Lakes region in July with hubby

§  Travel to Spain in July with hubby

§  Girls trip to Cancun in October

§  Galloping Gobbler 4 miler in November at 18 weeks pregnant

§  Completing a Whole 45

§  Crushing 150 perfect bricks by August (food, lifestyle, exercise)

§  Spending the summer with Mark’s sister and kids visiting from New Mexico

§  Little brother visiting in March

§  Mom visited in October

§  Begin selected a Nuun Ambassador

§  Catching up with Live Free and Run after the BAA 5K

§  Keeping up with my blogging moderately well

§  Finding out my husband and I are expecting a baby boy (April 2016)

  Connecting with more friends throughout the year 
Total Frequency Push ups for 2015 = 15,600!

What’s on the Agenda for 2016?

§  Have a healthy last 18 weeks of pregnancy

§  Get the nursery and office squared away

§  Remain active as long as possible during the pregnancy

§  Complete prenatal yoga and pilates

§  Add in swimming if possible

§  Clean up my food choices (Whole 30 if baby will relinquish the carb cravings!)

§  Lose the baby weight in a reasonable amount of time after he is born

§  Run at least one 5K

§  Resume crossfit once daycare in place

§  Make my workouts count

§  Get a Fitbit for post-baby walking

§  Incorporate more yoga classes

§  Run Thanksgiving Galloping Gobbler faster than in 2015

§  Work towards career advancement

§  Focus on family, friends, and fun!

Workout wrap up and bump photos for December 2015:

Week 19-

Sunday- Yoga / Walk w/Penny

Monday- AM Fasted Cardio /AM Crossfit

Tuesday- AM Spinning

Wednesday- PM Cardio Mix class

Thursday- AM Crossfit / PM Walk w/Penny

Friday- AM Crossfit

Saturday- AM Spinning

Week 20-

Sunday- Walk w/Penny

Monday- AM Crossfit/ Walk w/Penny/ PM Prenatal Yoga

Tuesday- AM Spinning / PM Yoga

Wednesday- AM Walk / PM Cardio Mix class

Thursday- AM Crossfit

Friday- AM Crossfit

Saturday- AM Spinning

Week 21-

Sunday- Walk w/Penny

Monday- AM Crossfit / PM Prenatal Yoga

Tuesday- PM Elliptical

Wednesday- Walk w/Penny

Thursday- AM Crossfit

Friday- AM Crossfit

Saturday- AM Spinning

Week 22-

Sunday- Rest

Monday- Walk w/Penny / PM Prenatal Yoga

Tuesday- AM Spinning

Wednesday- Cardio Mix class

Thursday- AM Crossfit (12 days of Christmas workout)

Friday- Hike w/Penny and Mark

Saturday- Hike w/Penny and Mark

Week 23 (In Progress)-

Sunday- Walk w/Penny

Monday- AM Crossfit / PM Prenatal Yoga

Tuesday- Prenatal Pilates

Wednesday- AM Crossfit / PM Cardio Mix

Thursday- Walk w/Penny/ Elliptical/ Prenatal Pilates

Cheers to all that 2015 has been and all that 2016 will bring!

Laura

Race Report: Mini Musselman Sprint Triathlon, Geneva, New York

Post-race, rocking my Storms Fitness tank top

Here it is-- I am finally doing my race report on the Mini Musselman Sprint Triathlon which took place on 7.11.15 in Geneva, NY. Normally, I'd write about the experience quickly after the race; however, Mark and I had one day turnaround between the race and our trip to Spain! This left me with plenty of time to consider what to write on our red-eye flight to Barcelona.

At the Alcazar in Seville, Spain

Traveling over five hours to New York for a sprint triathlon might seem a bit cumbersome for most. We were two of four NH participants, so that is probably a fair assumption. Nonetheless, we made this trip for a variety of reasons. First, the race is well-organized, has fabulous goodies bags, and it is a relatively flat course. For those seeking an extremely challenging/hilly race--this is not the right race--but it is a great race if you have been a bit shaky with training throughout the year. While I did stick to my training plan, it was not as aggressive as previous years, so I was curious as to how that would all play out on race day. One thing I did differently with training is I spent more time inside attending spin classes vs. logging cycling miles outside. This was mainly due to time constraints, but I also find it is much harder to find workout buddies for my rides. 

The afternoon before the race, we arrived at the Hobart & William Smith recreation center to pick up our packets and goodie bags (my husband is a Hobart alum). One thing I was unprepared for was having to weigh myself and record that information (for re hydrating purposes in case of medical emergency)--this made me a bit irritated, but surprisingly, the lingering effects of my June Arbonne cleanse paid off and this was not a self-esteem destroying experience. The t-shirt in our goodie packet was a nice wicking material, but ran very small--so that went into the donate pile when I returned home. Otherwise, there were some great items from sponsors.

After getting situated for the race, we checked into our hotel, grabbed a bite to eat in Geneva, and headed down to the race area to check things out. We caught a portion of the Musselfest activities (which were a bit bizzare, but very entertaining). It is a family friendly weekend, so I recommend this as a great destination race for triathletes with kids. We went to bed early to allow for pre-race fueling, and preparation in the morning. Mini Mussel starts at 9:00 AM, which is much better than those early starts, but then it heats up fast in July.

Our race morning was very smooth for the most part. I woke up and promptly had my Arbonne smoothie and gathered together my race fuel including Arbonne Fizz sticks, Huma gels, and Nuun hydration tabs. Sprints are great because you really don't need a lot of fuel items to sustain unlike the olympic and half iron distances. Parking was messy as the field was muddy and wet. Hopefully this feedback was provided for next year because several cars did get stuck. Fortunately, we were not one of those cars, but with a little Honda Civic, we were concerned.  Mark and I were pleasantly surprised to find our bike racks near each other (this never happens!), so we were relaxed as we set up our stations. I made a last minute decision to wear my wet suit (glad I did) and then we plodded over to the swim start. The cobblestone/grass combo in the transition area was rather unpleasant, but we managed to get through the painful walk.

A little Gogi Berry Green Tea Nuun for the bike portion

Transition area

Mark was in the first swim wave and I was just 5 minutes behind in the second wave. I had a goal of catching him, but Mark's swim has improved considerably over the last few years. Also, my swim training seriously lacked effort for this triathlon, so his 50 sec faster swim was not surprising. I'll have to step up swimming if I want to seriously improve in that portion of the triathlong. Nonetheless, for not having done any open waters, I did OK with a 15:07 swim time. This was still 52 seconds faster than my time back in 2009 (no wet suit though).

For T1, I had a slightly faster transition than in 2009 (about 10 seconds). I think this could have been better if we had not had to hobble over the cobblestones. Now I know how those Tour de France riders feel! 

The bike ride started out very strong. I felt like I was on track to crush my previous time, but I lost my chain during one of the hills so that lost me a few minutes. I continued to push on over the rolling hill course. I was happy to find myself passing other racers on the hills (those who know me know that I loathe hill training), so my spin classes paid off big time in this section. I was fine on the flats and overall, it was a good ride. One area where I was a bit confused is I thought we had to turn around and go back up a hill, so I conserved some energy where I otherwise would have pushed harder (it was the course with riders just starting, not a turnaround). The final bike time was nearly 2 minutes faster than 2009 (would have been about 4 without the chain incident!) and my pace was 17:29 mph, which is very fast for me.

In T2, I took way too long. And I knew it at the time. I stopped to dry my feet, blow my nose, put on my watch, and change into a running skirt because I could not stand my biking/tri shorts. This was a costly series of choices time-wise as I might have been able to catch Mark on the run. T2 was nearly 1 minute slower than 2009. I knew better and I am kicking myself for a few of those choices (but not the running skirt).

The run was nothing exciting. It is a flat run along the lake, so it is easy to be complacent. It was also very hot. I used my Inov8 sneakers instead of my heavier Asics and I was glad that I did. My run was 30 seconds faster than in 2009, but it should have been quicker. My average pace was 9:10, so not bad, but I did not put forth everything I had. I think I was enjoying looking at the people and the dogs while running. I smiled a lot, so that is important.

My overall time was 1:46:55 which was 3:28 faster than in 2009! While, I missed beating my husband by two minutes (and it was only my 2nd fastest sprint triathlon), I do think it was a successful race to show that my 34 year old body is stronger and faster than I was when I was 28. I owe the time improvement to my crossfit training at Crossfit Ironborn in Concord, NH and my spinning instructors at Storms Fitness in Hopkinton, NH.

Recommendation: I strongly recommend this race to beginners and those looking for a fun race with plenty to do post-race. Mark and I spent a fabulous day in the Finger Lakes region tasting wines and enjoying a top-notch meal at Stonecat Cafe.

Stonecat Cafe, Hector, NY

Wine Tasting

34 for 34 on the 4th of July!

Once again, somehow a month went by without a blog post. I'm not sure where the time goes, but it certainly was a productive month!

As I write this, I have just hit the exciting age of 34. Honestly, everything after 29 starts to blur together. I sometimes don't remember how old I am because it does not seem to matter. You are as old as you want yourself to be. If I take care of myself and continue making good choices, I'll continue to feel young. I'm healthier now than I was in much of my 20s.

I face a challenge having a birthday on the 4th of July. The only way to get a workout in is to either sign up for a road race or create my own workout. None of the three gyms that I belong to are open on the 4th. This year, to avoid the hassle of a race (so we could fit in a tubing trip up north), I developed a 34 for 34 workout. This consisted of the following: 34 minutes of yoga (on my awesome new Lululemon mat), 34 abs, 34 push ups, 34 sec plank, 34 jumping jacks, 34 high knees, 34 jump rope, 34 minutes of running with hill climb, and 34 sec of stretching on each leg. I was pleased with this workout as it gave a solid overall workout in a short period of time. Then, we could focus on 4th of July fun with friends! It certainly was not a glamorous or exciting workout, but it did the job. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have available. By the time my husband woke up and my friends arrived, I'd already completed a workout which took away any guilt of indulging for my birthday--that was a great way to start the day!

To date, I've now completed 125 perfect bricks and have worked up to five sets of 20 push ups for six days per week. Due to our triathlon tapering and vacations in July, I've had to postpone crossfit until August. I'm bummed about this because I have been making great progress at Crossfit Ironborn; however, I'll be back to complete the 31 Heroes workout on August 1st. In the meantime, the focus will be on preparing for the Mini Musselman triathlon (coming up on 7/11!) and our fabulous vacation to Spain right after the triathlon. July has always been my favorite month and this one looks to be an exciting one! In past years we got engaged in July, bought our house, brought home our puppy Penny, and traveled many places. I'm not sure how this always works out, but July is just that month when life-changing events seem to happen.

Stay tuned for a race recap from the Mini Mussel and our Spain trip. After this month, I'll need to set some new goals.

Laura

2014: It's A Wrap!

Penny at 7 months!

It's been pretty quiet on the blog throughout 2014. Part of this was due to my tendinitis (not a lot of races to write about when you are injured!) and part was just a focus on other things in my life, I squeaked in a few posts here and there, but I have a definite goal of tracking more on the blog in 2015. When I was first thinking about my year, I felt like it was uneventful and one that I'd like to just move on from. However, in reviewing the things that happened in 2014 (courtesy of a great chart in my Move Nourish Believe journal), it turned out to be a great year!

What Did I Make Happen in 2014?

• New job with flexible remote working schedule
• Dedicated time and effort to PT to achieve 90% recovery from patellar tendinitis
• Successfully trained (a work in progress) a Goldendoodle puppy
• Completed 150 Perfect Bricks 
• Purchased a car for the first time since 2003
• Cooked many healthy and delicious paleo and Whole 30 recipes
• Participated in my first Crossfit Games (local level)
• Joined the Hopkinton Rotary
• Visited family in Tennessee and Minnesota
• New blog logo (AE Designs)

What Didn't Work in 2014?

• Food choice consistency
• Not enough time dedicated to fasted morning cardio
• Gym schedule consistency
• Too little time spent with friends and loved ones
• Did not complete any races

How Will I Change Things in 2015?

• Blogging/Journaling
• Focus early on choices: Whole 30 in January
• Commit to 6-7 mornings of fasted cardio
• Outreach friends and family--make plans!
• Register for at least one 5K and sprint triathlon

There were several other useful charts in the MNB journal, so I highly encourage you to check it out on the Lorna Jane website. While I was not as active on the blog this year, I maintained an active social media presence through Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. I will continue to utilize those mediums as they are quick and effective.

Check Out My Vision Board for 2015 on Pinterest:

Follow Laura's board Vision Board 2015 on Pinterest.

Goodbye 2014... Hello 2015!

~Laura

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

Milestones

This week I hit a milestone of 200,000 miles on my Honda Civic which I purchased new in 2003. In 10 and a half years, I have traveled up and down New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Most of the miles were from work commutes from NH to MA, but I also tacked a lot of miles visiting Mark up at Vermont Law while he was studying there. In the wake of this milestone, it seemed useful to reflect on some of my major workout milestones since it was not until about ten years ago that I started to seriously train and workout beyond some brief phases in college. During my senior year of college I dabbled briefly in lifting with machines and some light free weights, so it is hard to believe at 32 that I am more fit than I was at 21.

Highlights from 2004- 2013:

5 Half Marathons with a PR of 1:58:33 at Half at Hampton in 2012
6 Recorded (but several not listed in Athlinks) 5Ks with PR of 26:37 at Concord Rock N'Race in 2012
3 10Ks
7 Snowshoe Races
2 Olympic distance triathlon
4 Sprint distance triathlons
1 Half Ironman

Crossfit Gains from 2011-2013

Deadlift 130lbs --> 215lbs
Military Press 45lbs -->85lbs
Back Squat 90lbs --> 150lbs
Front Squat 65lbs --> 105lbs
Split Jerk 55lbs --> 100lbs
Power Clean 65lbs --> 95lbs
Push Press 55lbs --> 100lbs
Bench Press 67.5lbs -->105lbs


Being a Type A and an overachiever, I tend to think anything less than perfect is not good enough. Consequently, this past year has been a challenge because I focused on certain areas in my life more than others. We had a tremendous loss in our family, and I became a homeowner. Despite all of these changes, I still made huge gains in terms of my strength and conditioning. Last year, I hurt myself deadlifting and stopped doing that for about 6 months, yet now I am up to 215lbs for my one rep and am looking to top that in the next 4 week cycle. So, instead of reprimanding myself for failing at my 150 perfect bricks and nutrition, I think I should acknowledge that it has been a successful year in many ways. The failures are just opportunities to crush goals next year. I did hit #100 for perfect bricks in November and will focus on trying to clean up a bit on food for December before doing a Whole 30 reset in January.

Last weekend I participated in a partner workout(Erica and I pictured below) as a fundraiser for the Movember foundation. It is rewarding to give back while getting your butt kicked! I am so proud to belong to a crossfit gym committed to the clients and philanthropic causes.

Timberman Sprint Summary

Timberman Sprint 2011 is in the books. This was my first time participating in this particular event (last year I watched Mark complete the grueling 70.3 course) and I have to say that it was a really fun race! This was also my first triathlon that I got to race in with my friend Melissa! Melissa has been my awesome training buddy for about two years now and I owe much of my triathlon success to her. She has been willing to get up early and go for long rides or early morning swims. In fact, I think this race went very well because of our 60 mile bike ride last week. That course was so hilly and challenging that Timberman felt like a mild jog in comparison. Melissa also had a great race with a very strong swim early on. Great job, Melissa!

Ok, so the race report. Melissa and I headed up to Gunstock for a 5:00am arrival. We gathered our gear, had our bikes jammed into the school bus shuttle, and hopped into the shuttle for our short ride to Ellacoya State Park in Gilford, NH. We arrived with plenty of time to spare--which was good because I had a snag in the beginning. In trying to get my bike into transition, I was stopped because the handlebar plugs had both fallen out. The volunteers couldn't get those to stay in, so I had to go over to the MC Cyclery tent for a quick tape fix. Crisis averted thanks to the helpful crew from MC--thanks guys! I was then able to get into transition and started to set up my little area. I didn't take any pictures this year, but it was definitely a tight squeeze with well over 1000 participants (I am still trying to find the exact # and figure out my overall rank). I waited in line for the bathroom for awhile, but decided it was not worth the wait and maneuvered into my wetsuit. Melissa and I had plenty of time to acclimate in the water as we were both in later swim waves. I think this really helped to calm my nerves. If you have been reading my blog, or know what happened to me in June, then you would know I have had some serious issues with the swim this year. However, this was not going to be one of those days! We observed the earlier swim waves and watched a lot of people running or dolphin diving because the water was very shallow. Luckily, I am short and can swim in super shallow water. When it was time for my swim wave, I stayed to the edge of the inside and started swimming early on. This really helped conserve my energy. I also breathed only on the right side as another strategy to calm my nerves. All of these seemed to work! I noticed I was ahead of most of my other age group swimmers, and then the passing began! I passed people of all different age groups and this really boosted my confidence. I had one little glitch in that I ended up veering way to the left (probably as a result of the one side breathing/lack of sighting) and had to quickly make up some time and return to the inside of the course. Once I did that, I pushed really hard to the finish. I noticed another white cap trying to catch me, so I pushed it even harder. I ended up 5th out of the water for my age group! This was my best swim to date! I am still waiting for the final rank on my swim, but I definitely was in the top 100 on this swim (men and women)! Considering where I was in June, this was a huge success. My total swim time for .33 miles was 9:50.

Next, the bike ride. As I mentioned earlier, Melissa and I have been doing some pretty intense bike rides over the last three weeks (including the 70.3 course), so this 15 mile ride was nothing to worry about. I did have another mechanical glitch in the beginning, before I was able to get on my bike, I noticed my chain had fallen off. I do know how to put it back on, but since I was in front of people and filled with adrenaline, I ran over to MC again and they quickly helped me out. After I jumped on my bike, I easily passed many riders on the hills because I've been training on huge hills lately. I knew where to gain speed and momentum. Overall, the ride was not overly eventful--I felt like it just kind of flew by. I completed the bike ride in 53:05 and averaged 17mph. I still was in pretty good shape in my age group on the bike.

Finally, the run. Oh running, how I loathe you. Ok, I don't totally dislike running, but I prefer a nice 2 mile decompressing jog vs. a fast run after swimming and biking, But it had to be done. I started out fairly slow, but as I noticed many of my age groupers (30-35) passing me, I knew I was going to have to step it up a bit. I am really not a fast runner. I do try, but I just never seem to get the results I want in the run. Anyway, I did pick up my pace and finished in 25:31 for a pace of 8:31. I actually consider this to be relatively fast, but it is definitely an area where I lose time to the other athletes.

My overall race time was 1:35:31, so I am pretty pleased with how the race went. I will add my overall age group rank when they post the results.

There is only one more race for the 2011 season and it is a big one--Pumpkinman 70.3!!!

Week 23 Workouts:
Monday-REST
Tuesday- 15 min swim/40 minute bike ride
Wednesday- 20 minute run
Thursday- 10 minute swim/20 minute bike ride
Friday-REST
Saturday- Timberman Sprint Triathlon!
Sunday-REST