TandemHearts

Back in January I wrote about wanting to get my body fat percentage lower before I started training for my Half Ironman.  Last Monday was weigh and measure day with Shawna.  I’ve lost nine pounds since November, gained nearly six pounds of muscle and dropped my body fat percentage to….   YES! 18.3 percent!  I have twenty-two  weeks before my race and I’m looking for 15% now.    It took me two months to lose the last two pounds so I expect it will be a slow process.  However, beginning March 5th I’ll be ramping up my workout time.  I’d love to say I was starting March 1, but I have conferences this week…

This is the 5th month in a row that I have made my monthly running goal.  I was a little more consistent weekly than previous months so I didn’t have to stress over it as the end of the month drew near.  I had some awesome weekday runs with Thom and was able to post some pretty decent interval times.  I ended up doing two of my long weekend runs on the treadmill while Thom worked out with Shawna.  The weather just wasn’t always cooperative.

Thom bought me a new Spinervals DVD to use when I ride my bike in the trainer – Dropping the Hammer.  It’s 60 minutes of intense intervals designed for building speed and anaerobic power.  It’s easy to see why I need speed, but anaerobic power?  Think short, steep hills or the burst of speed needed to get by a competitor quickly.  I love it!   Be sure to notice the pool of sweat of underneath me. 

February did have some gorgeous, sunny days.  We hiked up Diablo again, this time to the snow!  We rode our bikes up to the Junction, a benchmark ride for us.  I was within in 4 minutes of my best time EVER!  Not bad considering we have not ridden our bikes outside since September.   We also hiked out at Round Valley Regional Preserve.

My training goals for March are pretty simple – run 32 miles, ride the trainer for 180 minutes and get to the pool at least once.  I’ll be continuing my weight and plyometrics workouts with Shawna  twice  a week and getting some time in on my yoga mat as well.

I’m pretty excited.  This is probably the best fitness I have had at the start of a training cycle and it should get even better.

January 30 and I needed 9.33 more miles to make my running goal for the month and it was windy and raining.  I headed out to try a new a new longer loop which I estimated to be somewhere between 8 and 9 miles;  knowing that whatever mileage I don’t get today, I’ll get tomorrow.  This new loop goes through a housing area where all the streets have been laid out, but the houses are on hold.  It seemed like a good place to run with no traffic.    Well… it did not go as planned.  The trail that I thought connected with another trail didn’t.  Many of the streets were blocked off with large fences.    While I could see where I wanted to be, the only way to get to it was across a muddy  field.  I hoofed across it as the skies really opened up and I was deluged with a cold, driving rain in the face.    At this point I was so demoralized that I decided to just head for home – only to be balked by yet another fence across the road.   I considered calling Thom to come get me, but I knew that would take him at least 15 minutes and I could home be by then.   I was cold, wet, and muddy; and I had only run two miles.   Well, I reasoned, to get home would be at least one more mile and there’s always tomorrow.  I exited the housing area and got back on a road I knew, which did wonders for my mood.  Maybe having the wind at my back and no more rain in the face helped too.  As I warmed up I decided instead of heading straight for home,  I could put in two more miles.  When I got to that turn off,  I was still feeling good and continued on a route that would add another 1.5 miles to my total.   I finished up with 6.35 miles for the day.  Not bad given the conditions.  I can put in an easy three miles tomorrow and have my goal for the month.

February’s goal is to be more disciplined about doing my work day runs.   Darn job gets in the way.    All the weekend runs got done, but those work day ones are hard.   Now if I were to  count my hiking miles. ..  I’d be right on track.  Thom and I  did a hard 8+ mile hike up Diablo to Eagle’s Peak two weekends ago.   It was beautiful and got us out of the drizmal fog we have for days on end here in the Delta.    BUT they don’t count.

I got in all my spinning for the month. Woohoo for me!    The first few rides I was really feeling the lack of time in the saddle.  I think it’s probably time for some new bike shorts too since I have not  bought bike shorts in three or four years.  Some of the pairs I have are now downright baggy – for lycra.

My February running mileage goal and spinning time goal are the same as January’s.  However,  I want to focus on getting out consistently three times a week to run.  I’ve also come to the conclusion that I have to get leaner if I want my running pace to improve substantially.  I am really close to a ten minute average pace now, but I want more.    To that end I’m working on eliminating more of the sugar in my diet.  Two years ago I switched out my dessert cookie at lunch for a flavored  yogurt.  Now I’ve given up the yogurt too.  Shawna would like me to cut out the tablespoon of maple syrup from my breakfast oatmeal, but that’s a harder sell.  Oatmeal needs something on it.   I’ve tried peanut butter and I’ve tried it plain… it’s hard to choke down that way.  I may end up giving up on oatmeal and making my breakfast something with Greek yogurt, which is like the perfect food.  It’s creamy, but has very little taste which means you can add interesting things to it.  A 1 cup serving size has 150 calories , 4.5 grams of fat, almost no sodium, 9 grams of sugar and 19 grams of protein.  I still believe food should taste good and be enjoyable, so I’ll continue experimenting until I find something with less sugar that I like.

If Tucker ever gets out of my lap, I’ll head out for my last run of 2010.  This will make my third month in a row of actually making my monthly running  mileage goal.   I’ve discovered that keeping my goal reasonable means I actually do it.  I’ve run more in these three months than I ever have since I started training for triathlon.   December’s runs have mainly been on the treadmill although we did get in a nice three mile run outside on Christmas Day in Maine.  Running in the cold (27 degrees)  must make you faster because I had my best average pace EVER.

Since I’ve had such success with my running,  I’m going to add a spinning goal – 180 minutes per month.  That translates to one 45 minute video each week and  should give me a pretty good base when I start serious training in March to prepare for Barb’s Race at the end of July.

Weight management is going well.  Somehow I lost a pound while on vacation.  We did walk about 25 miles while in DC, did three upper body workouts and I ran 16 miles.  The goal is to be at 18% body fat (or less) when I start training in March.

Tucker is still sprawled across my lap and left arm.  Poor baby missed us while we were gone.

Part of every Monday training session includes some plyometrics. They are exercises designed to produce fast, powerful movements.    I think they are a lot of fun and I can feel the increased power when I run up hills.  This week’s session involved standing jumps up onto a step – 15 jumps at a time alternating with various other exercises.  We started with nine steps and moved up one step each successive rep.  A couple of weeks ago I had set a record for myself of eleven steps.  Eleven steps is pretty high and I was fairly nervous about each jump.  Santi, the other trainer at the gym, gave me some advice.  Basically it boiled down to, “You’re strong enough to do this.  Your fear is holding you back.”  I don’t like having fears, so I jumped.

We got to eleven steps this week and  I just kept that in my head.  “Don’t be afraid.”  For the next set, Shawna asked me if I wanted to go up to twelve.  “Do you think I can do it? “  I asked her.

“You did 15 clean jumps at at eleven steps.  I think you can do it.”  We went to twelve steps and I did 15 clean jumps.

Final set, Shawna just looks at me.  I nodded my head and we went to 13 steps.

Thirteen steps is 26 inches high and comes to about my mid thigh.  I finished up with 15 clean jumps.  I guess next time I’ll be looking for fourteen steps.

Thom did get a few good pictures.

This is my favorite as  I had  such fun on the bike.

This is coming in to the transition to the run.

The run in to the finish,  thankfully, he did not get any pictures of me nearly barfing.

My quad injury seems to have finally healed and I am settling into a groove with my weekly runs.  I have the lofty goal of 8 miles a week through December.  I’ve been doing a five mile run on Saturdays, while Thom works with our trainer, Shawna.  Thursday mornings at 4:30  Thom and I have been doing intervals.  Those kick my butt, but intervals are how you get stronger.  Tuesday mornings I do a short run by myself that I don’t always get in,  sometimes work gets in the way.  I’m still working with Shawna Monday and Wednesday mornings.  Those workouts never get easier.

It looks like we’re going to do a bit of traveling in 2011, so I don’t know how many races I’ll sign up for.  For sure I’ll be doing Barb’s again.  We’ll see what others I can fit in.