From Fat to Triathlete

Watch out Speedy Gonzales

jenn@fat2triathlete.com (Jenn) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:46:26 +0000

Although I must admit, I’m not ready to make any land speed records, I have been able to increase my speed over the last few workouts. During both Sunday’s run and today’s I threw in a few fartleks – running all out for a sort distance, then dropping my pace to recover. I also tried to keep my recovery pace a bit faster than the norm.

I was very pleased with the outcome both days. On Sunday I shaved over three minutes off my average time for the two mile distance. That’s more than a 1.5 minute decrease in my pace. Today I was able to shave another 10 seconds from Sunday’s pace (which granted is only 20 seconds off my total time for the two miles, but still…..it’s faster!)

I keep telling myself not to get too excited, because there will be days where I am slower for whatever reason. But I am still going to take a few minutes to be proud of my efforts.

On a somewhat related note – yesterday I was able to wear a pair of jeans that were a size smaller than my usual size. They had been in the bottom of my drawer for about 2 years, and I decided “What the heck, I’ll give them a try!” and they fit! A big tighter than I usually wear my pants, but definitely wearable.

So, those are my two brags of the day. If you are worried that you are too slow or too fat to do anything, just get out there and start. Do a little something everyday and I think you will be surprised at how you progress without even realizing it.

Pick Up The Pace

jenn@fat2triathlete.com (Jenn) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:20:01 +0000

I am very proud of myself for keeping up my training through my cold. Now it’s time to pick up the pace.

I did some research on how to get faster, and here are a few tips I’ve learned:

One of the best ways to gain speed is with fartleks. A fartlek is a workout where you run faster for a certain length of time, and then go at a slower pace to recover and then pick up the pace again. The most common method is to pick a landmark in the distance, race to that landmark, and then run at recovery pace for a while, then pick another landmark and repeat. It’s a fun training method because it can be varied throughout the workout which reduces the risk of boredom.
Stay hydrated. An easy way to get cramps is to work your muscles while dehydrated. This will sidetrack any workout.
Stretch. Not much to be said about this one, it’s vital to keep muscles loose.
Hill workouts. This is a difficult one here at the beach where there aren’t many hills, but a good hill workout can increase your speed.
Beach workout. Now this one would be easier for me. Running in soft sand will increase muscle strength and speed.

I definitely want to start with the fartleks first, because that can be incorporated into my daily workout right away. I know I need to start drinking more water and stretching. I would love to get to the beach to run, and might have to try and plan something for the near future. And to round it out, maybe I should start planning a vacation to a hilly destination……

You said that you would do it. And indeed you did.

jenn@fat2triathlete.com (Jenn) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:53:05 +0000

It’s probably bad that a training accomplishment makes me think of a song from a musical. But it did! Yesterday, I was able to run the entire two miles with no walking breaks, which hasn’t happened for quite a few years. And the entire time, all I could think of was the song from “My Fair Lady” entitled “You Did It”

Of course, they are chauvinistic pigs and I’m training for a triathlon, but I made the connection nevertheless. It’s a great feeling to know you have accomplished your goal, even if it’s just a small step on the way to a larger goal.

One of the big things I’ve learned in the past month is that even though it may seem difficult, or that I just wasn’t getting any faster or stronger, when I look back I’ve really come a long way. Just by putting one foot in front of the other and not quitting. I know I have a long way to go, but I also have the confidence that I can get there one step at a time.

A Marathon + 19.3

jenn@fat2triathlete.com (Jenn) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:21:21 +0000

January has come to a close, and I am proud to say that I did something (ran or walked) every day! My mileage total for the month was 45.5 miles (which is equal to a marathon plus 19.3 miles). I’m sure that’s a new high for me – EVER!

I’m still extremely excited about the Beach2Battleship. I keep up with my countdown and even though 262 days seems like an eternity – it will be here before I know it!

My goals for February are to keep up with the running and to add in cycling and swimming. I have to get new tubes for my bike tires and a swimming pass, which should happen next week.

Here are some January highlights (and lowlights)

Longest (distance) workout – 2.13 miles at a 19.4 min/mile pace

Fastest pace – 2.11 miles at a 19.0 min/mile pace

Longest (time) workout – 42 minutes

Slowest pace – 0.8 miles at a 37.3 min/mile pace – In my defense, this was my worst sick day and I just wanted to be in bed! But I walked – slowly and not very far….but done!

I run, I ran, I am running

jenn@fat2triathlete.com (Jenn) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:44:05 +0000

After fighting a cold for the last week, and not getting any running done, (I did walk every day….even when I didn’t want to) I decided that I had to get back into my training or I would be way behind. So today, I ran.

I could have used this today

I didn’t go as far as I had been before I got sick, nor did I go as fast, but I did more running (and less walking) than I thought I would. That’s why I’m choosing to call this workout a big success!

The temperature was in the high 30’s, but after I get moving it’s not too cold, except for my feet. These “toe shoes” are not built for warmth. That said, I wouldn’t trade them for anything…even in the cold. My long pants and sweatshirt are just perfect.

The numbers – I ran/walked 1.8 miles in 38 minutes which is a 21 minute mile. I really want to get that pace down to a 10 minute mile by the Ironman, but will be happy with a 12 minute mile.

I have been doing some calculating in my head and am coming up with times that I would like to finish each leg of the triathlon in. I’m even formulating my A, B and C goals. I don’t think it’s too soon to start that, do you? It keeps me motivated to keep going and pushing myself, so I doubt I’ll stop just yet. Although, what does it say about me that I like doing math calculations in my head while I’m running? I’m sure there is some deep psychological meaning to it all. We’ll save that analysis for another day.

Rest Day

jenn@fat2triathlete.com (Jenn) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:01:58 +0000

Since it is still early in my training, every other day is a rest day. This will change in about 2 weeks, and I will only have 2 rest days a week, then as training progresses, that will drop to one. On my rest days I don’t fully rest, I walk. There are two reasons for this;

It’s important for Wrigley and Marshall to go on a walk each day, so I go for them. Plus, I like spending time with them to start my day.
I feel like if I don’t do something it will be easy for me to lose my momentum and I will quit all together.

So, on rest days I walk. Somewhere between 1.2 and 1.5 miles. And I don’t walk fast. Although, some days I wrestle with that decision. I wonder if I should turn it into a “power walk” and really expend the energy. But then I think that defeats the purpose of a rest day. And I know I get faster as I get more in shape, but for now, I’m not pushing the fast on rest days.

What do you think? Should I turn my walk into more of a workout? Or should i continue with my slower less taxing walks? I’d be interested to hear different opinions.

Today’s walk was 1.23 miles in 30 minutes.

Swimming in Caramel

jenn@fat2triathlete.com (Jenn) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:18:49 +0000

Remember that commercial where everyone was swimming in caramel? I don”t remember what it was for, but I do remember the noise made when the swimmers landed in the pool. (As an aside, i hate loud food noises…..) ANYWAY, I did not go swimming today, but the second mile of my run did feel like I was running in caramel. Everything felt slow and required way more effort than the first mile. I did slog through it, walking more than I should have, but I got those two miles finished.

I am still on my streak. I’ve walked or run at least a mile every day in 2012. My focus now is on getting faster, I’m trying not to stay at the same pace, but push myself to pick it up!

Today’s workout was a 2.12 mile run/walk in 42 minutes. My pace was a 19.5 min/mile.

Observations

jenn@fat2triathlete.com (Jenn) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:46:42 +0000

Over the past few days I have made some observations regarding my training. I think they are things that also spill over to life in general as well.

1. The most difficult training days are the rest days. I am early in my training, and also still very excited about it. And I see improvements almost every day. My natural instinct is to want to build on those improvements quickly by pushing myself harder and harder. I know in my head that this is not a good way to train, that it will cause burnout and injury; slowing down my improvements. So, I rest. I still get out and walk on these days, but it’s a slower, less-strenuous walk. And it’s good for me and my training, I know it is.

2. I walk and run with my head down, looking at the ground. It’s bad posture, and probably slows me down, but I spend a lot of time looking at my feet. The other day I made a conscious effort to look up – at the world around me. The first thing I noticed was that the moon was beautiful! It also just improves my mood in general.

3. I have to give myself permission to have a bad training day. I can’t have a ton of bad days, but it’s not going to kill me if I have a day where I’m not faster than the day before, or if I just don’t feel up to finishing my entire workout. I can’t let one bad day ruin my entire week, or month. I have to give myself permission to let it slide, and realize that tomorrow is another day to start fresh.

4. I don’t need my iPod to run anymore. In fact, it’s more of a distraction then an aid. It had been needing a battery change for some time now, and I finally found the charger and got it going again. I used it twice, but just didn’t feel the same need to have it that I once did. Which is a good thing! I think it means that I am more comfortable with my thoughts and don’t need the distraction of some other noise.

I’m not sure yet what can be concluded from these things, other than I can’t just go out on auto-pilot, do the mileage that I’m supposed to and come home. There needs to be thought and effort in everything I do. And I know that this is true for my life in general. In fact, I have started another blog that will be focused on the changes I want to make in my life, including paying more attention to the world around me and not just shuffling through on automatic. You can follow along with this blog at The Science Nerd

So Far, So Good

jenn@fat2triathlete.com (Jenn) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:41:42 +0000

OK, so when I first typed the title of this blog, I typed “So Fat, So Good”. Probably not the best title, although it does go along with what I’m trying to accomplish.

I can honestly say I’ve been out running or walking every day this year. Even yesterday, when the temperature was in the 20’s. I also have my training schedule mapped out from now until October 20th, which is exciting to me. I know things will come up and workouts will have to be moved or modified, but it’s nice to have a firm plan in place instead of just taking it as it goes.

I still need to get to UNCW and get my swim pass. I also need new tubes for my bike, but I built that into my training plan and am sticking with just running until Feb 15th. That gives me time to build up a fitness base and also time to get things together to start biking and swimming.

Now it’s time to get to work. Don’t you wish we all could be like Wrigley after every workout?

Wrigley after a run

It’s the Little Things

jenn@fat2triathlete.com (Jenn) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:54:48 +0000

Today I did my first workout using Map My Fitness. Map My Fitness is an app that I downloaded to my phone (for free) that keeps track of my workout while I am running or cycling or whatever. It kept track of my distance, speed, time and route. I can even see the elevation changes that occurred. It’s very cool. When i was done I just hit the stop button, saved my workout and even posted an update to my Twitter account.

I had to laugh at myself while I was running though because the workout I did was not much different from many I’ve done in the past. I ran up and down our street, my pace was average, there really was nothing new or exciting. Except this little gadget on my phone giving me all sorts of information. I almost couldn’t stop looking at it. Even though I knew approximately how far I’d run or how long I’d been going, it was exciting to look on the screen and see real time data.

My fascination was funny to me, it’s not like I’ve never seen GPS or a timer before. I knew all these things existed – had even used them in the past. But here I was, riveted. My hope is that I will keep up the excitement and turn it in to a challenge to go faster and farther.

If you are also a member of Map My Fitness look me up – my username is 3athlete_nc. Happy Mapping!