Find your Motivation

With the Covid virus entering our lives in March of 2020, we've seen both local and national races postponed and eventually cancelled. What is an athlete to do without a finish line in sight?!?

Personally, I had two Ironman races that I chose to postone to fall races. As of today, both races, IMTX at Waco and IMFL have NOT been cancelled. As an athlete, I can choose to 

1. Continue training at a high level of intensity to achieve my goal of a personal best finish, 
2. Modify training load and intensity while remaining consistent in all three disciplines,
3. Assume cancellation is eminent and forego training.

If your races have all been cancelled/postponed for 2020, you will have similar choices to make. This could be a good time to work on body composition and strength training because you will not require time and recovery for those longer endurance sessions. 

Most importantly, stay consistent. Exercise benefits your overall health, including mental clarity and balanced hormone levels. Choose to remain consistent in your workout regimen and improve your weaknesses. 

A New Approach

Insanity - doing the same thing but expecting a different outcome

After more than 10 years of triathlon, I have decided to take my training to a new level. I want to achieve new goals, and to achieve them, I need to make some changes to the way I approach training.

Starting in August 2019, I began using TriDot to design my training plan. I started slowly but quickly became engaged in earning higher scores on each workout. TriDot uses data to reflect, predict, and prescribe intensities to improve performance while continuing to allow balance and time for recovery. Initially I struggled with slower, zone 2 heart rate efforts but because of the scoring system, remained invested. I have noticed continued progress on SBR assessments and look forward to seeing what I can achieve this year!

I was accepted as an ambassador for the 2020 season and look forward to attending the triathlon camp in Austin in February.

Great things to come

 We've made the team official with some great gear. Our first order was placed and we look forward to wearing it together at Waco 70.3! Many of us are in dire need of some new training gear, it cant't arrive soon enough.

 As a lead up to the big show in October, I raced in the Cypress Triathlon, known to locals at the Cypress Championship Triathlon. All the fast folks show up and make it a great race! Missed the podium, but finished as expected. Swam as expected, biked stronger than predicted, and ran my best for that day. Always room to improve.

Transition set up

Ironman #6 - IMTX

Six months after IMFL, I completed my 6th Ironman at IMTX! It was a training experiment to complete two endurance events, 6 months apart. I enjoyed training with lots of friends, making the hours more bearable.

It wasn't my best race preparation but I planned to have a good day. The morning started with wind and heat, normal for Texas. The swim was uneventful and steady. I started the bike strong. We had a 2-loop course that would take you directly into a headwind, just to return with a tailwind. I started taking water at the handups to pour over my head to cool down. In hindsight, I was not consuming enough water and gatorade to keep up my hydration. By mile, 80-ish I was struggling to keep the wheels up and needed to stop a couple of times to vomit. I knew that I had time in the tank to finish the race, if I could just finish the bike. On the run, I started to experience vertigo when running. It was important to me to finish the course, so I walked.....7 long hours! I'm proud to say that I finished the race, my longest time yet, but one more notch in the belt!

All the miles...

Winter in Houston brings opportunities for road races! 

The year started with the Chevron/Aramco Half Marathon supporting Team Beef. Although I didn't PR, it was a great day for a great day!  A small hiccup in the morning, the corrals were over-filled restricting us from getting in the right corral. As a result, we started at the VERY BACK of the pack and had a lot of people to weave through to get to a decent pace group. I started with friends until they split for the full marathon then pushed to the finish. The morning was a reminder to keep your spirits high and don't stress over the things that are out of your control. The best part is the ice cream from HEB after the run!

Family and friends got together to run the Hot Chocolate 5k. It was a chance to run a short race, eat lots of chocolate, and have lots of FUN!

We finished our streak at the Blue Bell Fun Run 5k. Thomas placed 3rd in his age group. I missed the podium again by one spot...some day. As usual, we enjoyed some pre-race ice cream, ran those hills, and ate lots more ice cream at the finish. 

Ironman Florida (Haines City) Race Report 2018

 

1. TriBikeTransport was painless, convenient, and worth it
2. Flying, instead of driving 15 hours, was our best decision
3. The venue change from Panama City Beach to Haines City meant that I "GET" to race and celebrate all this training
4. AWA status pays off with easy packet pickup (no lines) and priority bike racks near the entry/exit
5. Celebrating my 40th birthday was awesome because the volunteers sang to me
6. My Sherpa is the BEST Sherpa
7. Being short at the swim starts means that all you can see is a sea of tall wetsuit wearing dudes
8. That floating platform on the swim is tied to a jet ski...wish I knew that before getting caught in the rope and losing my goggles
9. When you swim through a rope, you feel like your face was peeled off of your skull
10. Eleven turns on the swim equals constant bottle necking and lots of contact with other athletes
11. Swimming through a timing mat tunnel is worse than around a buoy
12. There are hills in central Florida
13. Two-loop bike course means you KNOW what is coming...again
14. Just because you ride by lots of orange orchards doesn't mean you actually get to smell that amazing citrus scent
15. Six bike lengths is really far to drop back after some dude passes you and slows down
16. My Sherpa is the BEST Sherpa
17. There are hills in central Florida
18. Don't let your pity party on the run last 11 miles
19. Lots of turns on the run are super annoying
20. Rainbows on the run course are awesome signs that God keeps his promises

*Special thanks to my support crew. Carra Walker Thomas for watching the kids. Pablo Jimenez for getting our flights. Jason Turner for being the BEST sherpa ever! My Infinity Endurance Team for continuing to be my inspiration! Northwest Cycles and Jim Osbon for keeping my bike in great condition.

Avoid Burnout

Here are some simple things you can do to avoid over-training and burnout: 

Use common sense! When your body is not responding to the workout or you can feel yourself getting sick, work out less. Schedule at least one or two rest days per week. Resting might mean no exercise at all, or active recovery like yoga or a walk. Rest days should give you the feeling that you’re storing up energy.

Fatigue and injury occur when you don't allow your body to recover from harder workouts. As you push through intense workouts, your muscles develop small tears. Those muscles heal during rest and grow back stronger! With a balance between intense exercise and recovery,  your body will become a machine that can power through your hardest workouts with less recovery time. 

Incorporate a variety of activities into your exercise program. Participating in triathlon is a great way to cross train but if there is one thing you really enjoy, consider mixing it up. You can play with speed or inclines on a treadmill, change the route that you walk or cycle or even find a new class or group to meet. As you vary your routine, you will help prevent injury, improve fitness gains, and stay motivated to keep going. Trying different workouts can help push you over a plateau and help you ignite the fire that got you started on your fitness journey.    

Don’t do too much, too soon. When motivation is high, it can be easy to slip into the "all or nothing" approach. Participating in a routine without preparing your body can be a recipe for disaster, starting with extremely sore muscles. Instead, gradually add time and frequency to your workouts to allow for recovery. 

Take care of yourself. Eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, and stay hydrated to make sure that you are providing a foundation for your body to grow stronger. Allow yourself flexibility so that you don't feel discouraged when "life happens". Fitness is meant to make you feel good, not guilty. A healthy lifestyle will domino from a fit body, to a healthy mind, to stronger relationships. 

Exercise should make you feel refreshed and energized—not exhausted. If it’s causing fatigue, soreness, or a feeling of utter dread, listen to your body! It may be time to make a change.