The timing of my friend Tom’s blog post the other week couldn’t have been better. Tom wrote a post entitled “Racing without Competing” and after the week of training I had, I really needed to be reminded of a few things.
It is now less than one week until my first triathlon of the 2012 season. This will be the earliest in the season I have participated in a triathlon, and I’m now realizing why I never competed any earlier than mid June in my 2 previous triathlon seasons: preparedness. It’s hard for me to get much (or any, as the case has been thus far in my still relatively novice bike life) outdoor biking in over the winter, due to the cold and/ or lack of day light hours after I get home from work. I thought I did a pretty good job this past winter of riding my trainer and doing spin classes at the gym, but it’s just not the same as riding on road. Running: I kept that up decently over the winter, but spent more time on the treadmill than I did on roads. And swimming, well, I swam once over the winter and that was in November! I love swimming outdoors, and it is hard for me to get motivated to swim indoors.
With the realization that it is ‘offically tri season’, I decided to get my butt in gear a couple weeks ago. While I know this re-found work ethic will probably not benefit my upcoming race, at least I’ve finally accepted the fact that I’ve been ‘lazy’ for too long, and it’s time to train like a triathlete for the next several months! My first week of ‘training like a triathlete, version 2012’ hit me hard (physically and mentally).
Sunday: rode my commuter bike 5 miles to Transy, Swam 2500 yards, rode 5 miles home.
I think I was tired from my BRICK workout (30 minute trainer ride + 4 mile run at 8:07 pace) the day before, and the culmination of my entire week of workouts before (which included one 24 hour period of: running intervals in the morning, bike hill repeats that afternoon, and a run the following morning).
Monday: Running Intervals~ which left my quads sore for the following four days.
2 super fast people joined us for Monday morning intervals that week. I am a sprinter by nature, so I am not use to being the one doing the 'chasing' during interval runs. They really pushed me, which was great, but it was a bit mentally tough on me to get beat so badly by another female, at what I consider my 'best event'.
Tuesday: BRICK Workout: 30 minutes on the bike trainer + 2 mile run at 7:45 pace.
Wednesday: Bike Time Trial: 6.8 mile warm up + 12.75 mile Time Trial. = 19.5 mile ride.
We line up slowest to fastest for these Time Trials. A very strong/ athletic female was next behind me. I knew I had a 30 second head start on her, but figured she would pass me at some point during the race.. That 'some point' came at MILE 3!! Holy Moly it scared the bejesus out of me when she passed me, because I was expecting 'some point' to be closer to mile 10. My immediate reaction was a playful 'Boooooooo', but I remembered my manners a said "Good job girl, you are awesome." I was disappointed in myself though.
Thursday: 6 mile ' tempo' run at 8:36 pace (that's a slow 6 mile tempo run for me)
Splits: 8:01; 8:08; 8:49; 9:14; 8:58; 8:23. I started off fine, but after a couple miles my legs felt so heavy and tired that I couldn't even more them fast enough to be breathing hard.
Friday: 4.5 mile run at 7:51 pace, + 2.7 mile run at 8:35 pace (with 3 beer stops... helping my friend 'train' for a Tap N Run)
Here's why I needed to be reminded that week, that I am NOT a professional athlete, and the ONLY person I'm REALLY 'competing against' is myself:
Tuesday: BRICK Workout: 30 minutes on the bike trainer + 2 mile run at 7:45 pace.
Wednesday: Bike Time Trial: 6.8 mile warm up + 12.75 mile Time Trial. = 19.5 mile ride.
We line up slowest to fastest for these Time Trials. A very strong/ athletic female was next behind me. I knew I had a 30 second head start on her, but figured she would pass me at some point during the race.. That 'some point' came at MILE 3!! Holy Moly it scared the bejesus out of me when she passed me, because I was expecting 'some point' to be closer to mile 10. My immediate reaction was a playful 'Boooooooo', but I remembered my manners a said "Good job girl, you are awesome." I was disappointed in myself though.
Thursday: 6 mile ' tempo' run at 8:36 pace (that's a slow 6 mile tempo run for me)
Splits: 8:01; 8:08; 8:49; 9:14; 8:58; 8:23. I started off fine, but after a couple miles my legs felt so heavy and tired that I couldn't even more them fast enough to be breathing hard.
Friday: 4.5 mile run at 7:51 pace, + 2.7 mile run at 8:35 pace (with 3 beer stops... helping my friend 'train' for a Tap N Run)
Here's why I needed to be reminded that week, that I am NOT a professional athlete, and the ONLY person I'm REALLY 'competing against' is myself:
Judging on how sore my quads were from Monday's interval run, it is very likely that I ran faster than I ever have that morning, but was I happy about that, No: because I got my butt kicked by another female.
At the Bike Time Trial on Wednesday, I had my fastest time/ pace on that course, ever, but was I happy? No: because I got my butt kicked by another female.
On Thursday, I got left in the dust by the running group I started out with, and near the end of the run, when one of the very sweet females in the group said to me "Looking good Jenn!" I replied "Thanks for lying to my face!" I was being sarcastic (kind of) but I shouldn't have responded that way. In reality, I SHOULD have considered a 6 mile run at 8:36 pace on very tired legs a good run, but I didn't ~ because I was the slowest runner in that group that morning. I even knew that none of them had done the Bike Time Trial the night before and had legs as tired as mine, but I didn't give myself that credit.
I need to make a more conscious effort to think about how far I've come, and not worry about the world (athletes) around me so much. I need to put things in perspective more often than I do:
Like the fact that I weigh 15 pounds less than I did 4 years ago before I started running;
Like the fact that 3 years ago, I was thrilled to do a 6 mile training run at 9 minute pace (on fresh legs);
Like the fact that I am improving on the bike, and if I keep working hard and not getting frustrated, I have so much more room to improve!
And, last but not least: the fact that I AM a good athlete.. because what defines 'good' anyway? Anyone who dedicates themselves, their time, their energy, their life to exercising, and being healthy is a 'good athlete' in comparison to the majority of the population. Like my parents always told me growing up: "There will always be someone faster than you, and there will always be someone slower than you." They had to tell me that a lot, because I have had this problem of 'not being able to put things in perspective/ being too hard on myself' my entire life!
On Thursday, I got left in the dust by the running group I started out with, and near the end of the run, when one of the very sweet females in the group said to me "Looking good Jenn!" I replied "Thanks for lying to my face!" I was being sarcastic (kind of) but I shouldn't have responded that way. In reality, I SHOULD have considered a 6 mile run at 8:36 pace on very tired legs a good run, but I didn't ~ because I was the slowest runner in that group that morning. I even knew that none of them had done the Bike Time Trial the night before and had legs as tired as mine, but I didn't give myself that credit.
I need to make a more conscious effort to think about how far I've come, and not worry about the world (athletes) around me so much. I need to put things in perspective more often than I do:
Like the fact that I weigh 15 pounds less than I did 4 years ago before I started running;
Like the fact that 3 years ago, I was thrilled to do a 6 mile training run at 9 minute pace (on fresh legs);
Like the fact that I am improving on the bike, and if I keep working hard and not getting frustrated, I have so much more room to improve!
And, last but not least: the fact that I AM a good athlete.. because what defines 'good' anyway? Anyone who dedicates themselves, their time, their energy, their life to exercising, and being healthy is a 'good athlete' in comparison to the majority of the population. Like my parents always told me growing up: "There will always be someone faster than you, and there will always be someone slower than you." They had to tell me that a lot, because I have had this problem of 'not being able to put things in perspective/ being too hard on myself' my entire life!
We live and we learn. Athletes get the opportunity to learn a lot about themselves: as an athlete, and a person. I'm still living (and Thank God, exercising) therefore, I'm still learning.
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