October in Review, November Goals

Can you believe it is November already?  Where has this year gone?  It seems to be flying by in the blink of an eye.

My goals for October were to:

• Continue to get comfortable with running again.  I signed up for two 10Ks in October to keep me motivated.
• Create a training plan that incorporated three days of running, up to three days of spinning and two strength workouts per week.  Attempt to follow that plan!

I did a pretty good job of following the plan I laid out for myself and I felt great along the way.  I wasn't sure if that many workouts would be asking too much of my body but I feel like every single one of my workouts has been a quality one.  The spinning and strength training is definitely helping my running.  I can tell that slowly but surely my legs are starting want to go a bit faster.

In October I:

• Ran 57.82 mi in 11 hours, 33 minutes
• Cycled 9 hours, 9 minutes
• Went to 7 early morning strength classes

My hopes and plans for November are to:

• Start building the mileage on the long runs.  It is time to start building to the Disney Half Marathon in January!
• Keep on doing what I'm doing with spinning and strength training.
• Focus on what I'm eating a bit more.  I'm eating out more often than I'd like.  I'd really like to start doing a better job at meal planning and having things on hand so I don't have to resort to eating out as an easy fix.
• Drink more water!
• Monitor my health and wellness.  I've been using the Sleep Cycle app on my iPhone to monitor how much sleep I'm getting and its quality.  I definitely notice a difference between getting 6 hours and 7 hours of sleep and the alarm system on the app means that I'm waking up at just the right time.  I'm jumping out of bed instead of hitting snooze.  I also recently ordered the Withings wi-fi body scale (awesomely reviewed by DC Rainmaker) to help monitor my weight.  Of course all of the sleep and weight data then goes in to Training Peaks so I can see what happens with that and my training.

What are your goals for November?  Do you have any tips or tricks to help me with my trickiest goal of all - focusing on eating better and not eating out as much?

What’s Next?

Ah…so the triathlon season for the year is over.  What now?  It is a little early to start training for Ironman, so…what is on deck for the next little bit?  After the Goofy Challenge in 2008 and the Disney Marathon in 2009 I’m not really up for another marathon in January 2010.  My heart just isn’t in to the distance training right now.  So instead:

• Discover my inner domestic goddess: It is time to get back in the kitchen.  Taking the time to create delicious meals between all of my training this summer was really tough.  But I do love to cook, so it is time to get my nutrition back on track.
• Raid the wine cellar: If you have been reading this blog for any length of time then you know I love wine!  I had a few cases just sitting in my basement thanks to a lack of storage.  It was time to organize so I picked up a new (larger) wine rack from IKEA yesterday.  Going through my collection was fun as I filled up the new wine rack…but it made me realize that I need to start drinking some of it!
• Become one with the paint chips: Um…I’ve lived in my home for almost three years and I still haven’t repainted at all?  Maybe this fall I’ll have some time to put into that.
• Declutter: I still have moving boxes in my garage…that were packed up in July 2006.  Time to finally go through them!  (Although I think I’ve been saying this for awhile…)
• Say hello to a little speed: Endurance training is not conducive to getting faster.  So expect to see a lot of speed work on the run in the next little bit!  And some 10K racing (that Angie says will help me get faster)!
• Set a goal: Don’t mistake all of this cooking, wine consuming and decorating to mean that I won’t be training…  I am setting my sights on the Austin 3M Half Marathon on January 24th.  Why this race?  I have several friends in Texas that I need to visit.  A half marathon in January is a manageable distance to train for – less commitment than a marathon!  If you check out the elevation profile for the race you’ll notice that it is a whole lotta downhill…  So my goal?  To see if I can train to go sub-2:00 on a half marathon.  I still have to register and get a flight down to Texas…so it isn’t a sure thing (I normally wait to make an announcement until the cash is committed) but it is most definitely the plan.

I’ll still be swimming and biking of course too, not to worry!

Finding Out My Max

So really not a whole lot to report from the camp of Runner Leana. I swam Thursday morning and there wasn't anything really noteworthy about it. This weekend I'm running and biking, but both workouts are short and high intensity. After that, the hard work preparing for the WDW Marathon starts. This is definitely going to be the most intensely I will have trained for a marathon, including when I was training for the Goofy Challenge last year! My running days will increase from three to four (although the fourth run will be optional), I'll be dialing back the strength training slightly, but I'll be adding in a few more spins on the bike (like some short recovery stuff after a long run on Saturday), and I'll be moving from hill training to speed work. I think I'm up for the challenge! I'm not sure when the mental shift happened for me - that racing wasn't going to be just about finishing, but on improvement and goal setting. It is definitely going to make for some interesting times ahead!

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So where is all this high intensity stuff coming from? You may have noticed that I've started paying attention to my heart rate during workouts. My mom had a Garmin 305 and since she wasn't using her heart rate monitor I swapped my 205 with her so I could start keeping track. When I started with coach we talked about me going for VO2 Max testing, just so I could see where my strengths were and where I needed to improve. Since I'm an engineer I find the science behind sport and performance pretty interesting stuff, so I was game to see where I was at. If you haven't had your VO2 Max tested, you put a mask on so that what you exhale can be analyzed to determine how the chemical composition changes as you start to work harder. You strap a heart rate monitor on as well. My test was done on a treadmill. The speed was kept constant at a 10:00/mi pace, but every minute the incline was increased by 2%. You kept running until you just couldn't do it anymore. I think the test typically lasts anywhere between 10 and 15 minutes for most people.

What I wound up finding out is that I am super efficient at low heart rate, low intensity stuff. As soon as it gets to the point where I need to push myself in the anaerobic zone things fall apart as I have pretty little capacity there (you can see my zone 1 and 2 are pretty large, but 3 and 4 are pretty thin). So running a long time at a really slow pace isn't going to help me anymore. If I want to improve I need to push things into the uncomfortable zone and that is where I have the most gains to make. So that explains some of the shift in my training!

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And oh yeah...it was time to say bye-bye to blonde again and I'm officially back to brunette. No photographic evidence yet though!

Great White North Triathlon 2009

Alternate title for this post: Why I Am So Tired This Monday Morning...

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When I decided that I wanted to focus more on triathlons next year I wasn't necessarily interested in shooting for an Olympic distance as my goal. I wanted to do a half Iron and I found my goal race. When I first met with coach to discuss my plan she encouraged me to think about entering the Great White North half iron distance event in Stony Plain, Alberta. Stony Plain is about 40 minutes west of Edmonton, or about 3.5 hours north of Calgary. Apparently the course is flat and fast, and perfect as a first half Iron distance event. The small town really turns out to support the race, much in the way that the town of Penticton supports Ironman Canada. She felt that I could race GWN and have enough time to recover and still race my goal 70.3 event (which is not flat). This is also a big event for the team, and if I was going to have a bunch of teammates racing GWN I didn't want to be left out. Registration was supposed to go live at midnight and is expected to sell out right away. Since I didn't want to miss my chance at a spot I was going to stay up until midnight... This was a pretty big feat for me because I am pretty bad for falling asleep on the couch well before my bed time. Somehow or other I powered through and at midnight I ran to my computer...and registration was not live... I waited about 20 minutes to see if I'd be able to register, but no luck. So I fell in to bed at about 12:30 and when my alarm went off at 5 am it sure was a rude awakening. The website was up and running this morning though, and so it is official...I am signed up for my first half Iron distance event! The race is on July 5, 2009.

A New Chapter

So...exciting times are ahead my friends. One of the reasons why I didn't want to continue with boot camp was because I wanted to leave more time for cycling and swimming, plus leave me some more free time in the evenings to unwind. I figure with being home a bit more I can focus on my nutrition which I still know is one of my downfalls. Because I was always running in and out the door it was far too easy to call it an Edo night for dinner this summer. I'm surprised that the girls in the restaurant didn't see me and immediately spit out "combo number one with extra veggies and extra sauce, right?" as soon as I walked into the place.

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Anyhow, this fall I want to focus on swimming and cycling more (and still running). Plus I have some big goals for next year's racing season so I thought it was time to stop trying to do everything on my own and look for some support. One of my coworkers is a triathlon coach for the YMCA in a different part of town and he's pretty familiar with all the coaches and teams out there in Calgary. He gave me the name of someone who would push me hard in a supportive team atmosphere. I wanted supportive, not competitive, and someone who cared about technique in their athletes. Last night I finally a chance to sit down and chat with coach about where I've been and where I want to go and I'm really excited. When we talked about my marathon time at Quebec versus my PRs for a 5K/10K/half marathon she got really excited about how much room I have to improve my marathon time come January. I spend most of my runs at the same easy pace and I'm pretty bad for trying to push myself hard on my own. With a little direction and a group setting I know I'll be able to push to run faster and to train at a higher intensity rate to see results. Let's be honest, I've been running for awhile now so I think it is time to strive for some improvement. Where this is all going, well, we'll see. But I'm looking forward to being a part of a group and taking my training to a new level.

A cure for cabin fever

Last night I had the best intentions to go to Fit Ball, but I didn't make it home until 6 pm which is precisely when class starts. Oops. The cold snap took a bit of a leave of absence and since it was 0 deg C at lunch time I thought a run would be in order. Apparently a big chunk of the runners in this city must have been suffering from some serious cabin fever because the pathways were packed today. I saw one crazy guy layered up on top but only wearing shorts on the bottom. Then he didn't look so crazy when I saw a guy running in just a short sleeve shirt and shorts a ways on. Yikes, I didn't think it was that warm yet... The run felt pretty good - not bad considering last week I was huffing and puffing after climbing one flight of stairs. Chalk up three miles for my second post-Goofy run.

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As I was lying in bed this morning, contemplating waking up and thinking about what running gear I needed to pack, I realized that this is the least active I have been in probably a year. Granted, I can attribute my lack of activity to resting post-Goofy then recovering from bronchitis but it brought about some interesting thoughts. Everyone says it takes 21 days to create a habit, but after a year of running regularly I'm not sure I've completely conquered my inner couch potato. I love being outside, feet pounding the pavement and the feel of my heart beating in my chest while I am out running. On some level I think I still need that Excel spreadsheet mapping out my training program, carrying me from one race to another, advising me how far to run and when because otherwise it is too easy to say - "let me see what is on TV tonight." Then again, maybe it is just my engineering, type A personality that likes a little structure.

Goals and goal races for 2008 and beyond...

In an attempt to avoid the post-marathon slump I'm determined to keep looking forward. I have a few goals I would like to aim for over the next 12 months:

1. Run a sub-60:00 10K in Alberta. I managed one near sea level in Seattle, now I want to know that I can do it at altitude.
2. Run a sub-30:00 5K. First I have to find a 5K to race though. Most of them around here seem to conflict with other races I want to do.
3. Keep my fitness level at the point where I could run a half marathon at the drop of a hat. It might not be easy, or it might not be a PR, but this is what I'm hoping for. I figure if I aim to average 20 miles/week unless I'm specifically training for something, then this should be doable. Don't worry, I'm giving myself some time off before I start in on this 20 miles/week plan though.
4. Keep some variety in my workouts. I'm sticking with Fit Ball over the winter, then it is back to Bikini Boot Camp in the spring. I'll be looking out for the unlimited pass to the yoga studio this summer again too.

As for goal races, here is what I have on my radar:

1. St. Patrick's Day 10K Road Race in Calgary on March 16th. This race marks the full circle of my racing year, plus the post race stew is terrific.
2. Vancouver Sun Run on April 20th (10K). This was my first ever race and I love running Vancouver, plus it is the second largest 10K in all of North America.
3. Minnie Marathon Weekend May 3-4 at Walt Disney World. I'll be running the 5K and the 15K again this year. This is rumoured to be the final ever Minnie Marathon, so this is your last chance for a Minnie medal. I need mine to go with my Donald, Mickey and Goofy medals from this year.
4. Footstock Half Marathon in Cochrane on June 14th. I ran the 10K there last year, but this time I'm going back for the half. You get a nice tech shirt and a nifty medal at this one, plus I love the post race pancake breakfast.
5. If I find a great airfare deal I may want to run the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon on June 22. But we'll see about that...
6. Marathon Des Deux Rives in Quebec City on August 24th. I really want to see more of eastern Canada and Quebec is top of my list. I hear this is an amazingly well organized race that is very scenic. I'm leaning towards the option of running a full here. Apparently the kilometer markers count down, not up!
7. Melissa's 10K Road Race in Banff on September 27th. This is providing I'm able to register as the entries for this go like hot cakes in this town. There is a half marathon option here too, but number one choice is the 10K.
8. Walt Disney World Marathon on January 11, 2009. I have to admit that I am enviously watching Maddy, Ovens2Betsy, Angry and Claire sign up to run the Goofy next year. I would really like to *run* this marathon and run it well so I think I'm going to stick with the option to run the full on its own. One day I want to go back and run the Goofy again, but 2009 won't be the year.