LV Resolutions

A couple weeks ago I mentioned to a friend that I was giving up Diet Coke (again) after the first of the year. She asked me if it was a New Year’s resolution, and I immediately responded, “no, an LV resolution.” I am wont to make New Year’s resolutions every year, so what better route but to combine the New Year with all the good habits I need to adopt to be at peak condition for IM Louisville? It just so happens, that my LV Resolutions fall very closely in line with good habits I need to adopt for life in general.

1)      I’ve already mentioned Diet Coke. I actually had given it up earlier this year. I don’t think I had a single one for at least two months. I can’t say that I felt any different physically, but I did feel a bit virtuous as I had a 3-4 cans a day habit for quite some time. Since it is nothing but chemical upon chemical, it is definitely a habit that is long overdue. I shouldn’t have let it creep back into my diet, but it is insidious. An occasional can easily became a daily habit once again.

2)      Related to diet in general, another resolution is to eat better and really, really get this excess 15 pounds off. It will only make me ride and run better (though the blubber may be helping what seems to be my zero buoyancy in the water). And, it will also help my self-esteem which takes a beating every time I see my waistline rolls in race photos.

I picked up a copy of Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman. While I won’t say that I’m completely inspired, nor do I desire to become a vegetarian, I do believe that what he writes is true. I am going to try his six-week kick start. Well, I’m going to try it for a week and see how that goes. Hopefully, I will be able to stick it out for the six weeks. Again, I don’t want really want to be vegetarian, but I don’t mind cutting back on meat and other animal products, and I’d really love to FEEL better in general.

3)      The next resolution is also a combo one, as there is much cause and effect in these two. I am going to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. This is going to happen because I am going to stop watching so much TV. So many people will say that their DVR actually reduces the number of hours they watch TV because an hour long show is really just 40 minutes when they fast forward through commercials. This is true, however, I also end up watching more TV because there those shows are queued up in my DVR, where I can easily watch two or three in a row (equating to 2-2.5 hours of couch time vegging out.) 

I learned from experience this past year that it was so easy to “excuse” my couch time because of the time I had worked out. I would get home at 8:00 p.m., fix some dinner and eat it in front of the TV. Then, I would end up not getting up from the couch, but instead watch two shows. I complained that I didn’t have time to clean or read or catch up on other chores while I was training for Redman. Hmmmm, I wonder why…

So, once I stop watching so much TV, I should be able to get to bed at a decent hour. Training for a full IM is going to require more morning workouts, and the only way I’m going to accomplish those is to get in bed before 11:00 p.m.

4)      Lastly, I do not want training for Louisville to completely consume my life the way triathlon training did this year. I am taking the training very seriously, as I want to be successful on August 26, but I want to also have some balance. There’s got to be a way to fit it all in (again, see resolution #3…less TV!!!)

I am excited about the adventures that 2012 will bring.

Enjoying the Last of the "Off Season"

December 20th. Less than two more weeks to be able to "slack off" relatively guilt free. I've tried not to totally backslide on my training this past three months, though getting on the scale right now would prove that I have been slacking on my eating. But, it has been a nice swim, run and ride the trainer in the amounts that I choose and because I enjoy those activities. (Though, I still cannot say that I enjoy riding on the trainer!).

I've been debating what to do regarding coaching this season. I thought I'd made up my mind to go with a guy that I'd met earlier in the summer. However, we've had such a hard time connecting and communicating that I've just about decided that I might just go coachless. I found a couple of plans on the Internet that seem to be fairly sound and more detailed than the first month's plan I received from the coach. Those and the experience I can draw from the folks I've become acquainted with the past couple of seasons, may be enough. I asked a friend if she thought it was too risky to do my first full IM without a coach and she told me that she thought the majority of the age groupers didn't use a coach. That most people didn't spend the money that we evidently have. I laughed out loud when I heard that. Duh. How true that statement is!

I spent a fortune on this sport this year. My last big purchase was for a new wheelset that I'm SURE will make me go at least 2 mph faster (ha!). I think I would like to get some different aerobars, but I should be set for gear going into the '12 season. I think I will spend my dollars on the specific areas where I need assistance: spin classes, strength classes and swimming instruction.

So, in the spirit of enjoying being a slacker, I may just skip my spin class tonight. The weather outside is frightful and the couch sounds so delightful...

Thankful

It's Thanksgiving and a good time to stop and reflect on the things that I'm grateful for. It's so easy to get caught up in improving my performance that I can forget how lucky I am that I simply have the ability to move my arms and legs in a way that equate to swimming, biking and running. The mere fact that I'm able is something to never take for granted.  One of my goals for the coming season is to be much more mindful. I tend to look beyond the moment instead of experiencing what is going on at hand. Sometimes, blanking out the pain and the boredom is preferable, but the pain and the boredom is part and parcel to endurance sports training. Embrace the moments and embrace the experience!

Beware of the Koolade

It's official. I've lost my freakin' mind.

I signed up for a full Ironman, IM Louisville to be exact.

And, the best aspects of this decision: it's in late August. In sweltering Louisville, Kentucky. I do so LOVE hot weather races. Not.

How did this happen, you ask? It was a simple case of drinking the Koolade. Or, perhaps it was more like taking a bath in it. It all started when a couple of the Reds decided to sign up for their first full IM before they had even completed their first half. Then, they started whispering in our ears, "Do it with me! C'mon, it will be fun. I need someone to train with..." Like the call of the Pied Piper, I, too fell into step. I could blame it on Hannah, Liz and Casey triple teaming Bea and me, but I had been quizzing Liz about it prior to that night, so I guess that isn't really valid.

There were actually several logical, if not completely rational, reasons I decided to take the plunge in '12.

And, it's official!

1) I want to do a full distance someday. I'm 50 now, so I don't really see myself continuing to train at this level of intensity for very many more years.
2) A really awesome crew would be doing it this year: Casey, Hannah, Julie, Greg, Kim, Dave ...
3) It's the same weekend as Canada, which Ray and Becky are doing, so we would be on the same training schedule.
4) The swim is usually NOT wetsuit legal, which is probably okay since I have not had a successful wetsuit swim yet.
So, I, along with Bea and Jen signed up that night. Took a bath in the Koolade? Well, we will soon be doing a 2.4 mile swim in the Koolade. Woo hoo!