One Step Closer...

As I pushed through another testing week on my training schedule, I also had some time to reflect and think, which can be a dangerous combination.  I've been reminded, a few times, to never take a single breath for granted - both in sport and in life.  I have a love-hate relationship with testing week.  Love it because I get to see concrete improvements and it's a bit of a 'rest' week.  Hate it - because if you're doing it right, it hurts!  Case in point, the below pictures of my FTP bike test from this past week.  Even while I'm pushing through the most painful times of that 20 minute test, I try to remind myself that I chose to do this, I am grateful for the opportunity, and thankful for a healthy body that allows me to perform, adapt, and improve.

#1 Pre FTP Test - Warm Up

#2 Post 3-Min FTP Test

#3 Post 20 Min FTP Test - More Watts!

I won't settle for the path of least resistance, maybe a character attribute or a character flaw.  It's probably both depending on the situation.  Definitely an attribute when it comes to more watts, faster paces, and improved performance.  Perhaps a flaw in other scenarios.  I want to take chances that are worth taking this year, make mistakes that are worth making and see what happens, give faith a fighting chance.  They say when one door closes, another opens.  What if one doesn't have to close and you can open another all the while still doing what you love and building upon your passions.

Over the course of 2015 I'm going to keep crushing dreams and dreaming big with Snapple Tri Team, getting patients at RosePT back on the road, in the saddle, in the pool, and work diligently towards making this life all that I want it to be.  If you're a regular blog follower you might see some changes coming down the line and a new tab across the top coming your way.  Just as our athletic potential is a constantly moving target so are our life goals, ambitions, and potentials.

Snow covered sidewalks by the time I
 made it home from run test!

I'll keep doing my best to show the world the warmth of my smile - even if it means running in the biggest snow storm of the year for a threshold run test.  I think the combination of pushing the limits physically this week and reading some wise words (thanks @ChitoandKgo) recently has motivated me to start building a foundation and plan to tackle another dream.  I used to have a hand made sign (by yours truly) hanging over my bedroom door that read 'Dream Big' while growing up.  Sure the dreams then were of soccer championships, Olympic medals, and World Cups.  Just because those dreams have changed, just as I've changed, doesn't mean I should ever stop dreaming big.  Working up the courage and laying down plans to be one step closer...

For when you dream, dream big, as big as the ocean, blue.  Cause when you dream, it might come true, for when you dream, dream big.

Best custom stem-cap ever!

The Tears Were Worth It...

Just short of a year ago, I started on a new venture in triathlon - working with a coach.  Not just having a coach give me a training plan and leave me to my own devices, but really committing myself to her plan, communicating regularly, and putting all my trust into her that I would come out a better athlete for it.  The truth is, it wasn't easy - mentally, physically, emotionally, any and all of it.

Scared and frustrated....

We started with a couple preliminary phone calls to get to know each other.  I knew I liked her, I was confident I had someone who knew what she was doing, passionate about the sport and her clients, and willing to take this journey with me.   Not only that but they say the best people to learn from are people who have made it to where you want to be.  Done and Done.

One of the first things we did was establish preliminary HR zones.  She gave me zones and each bike and run were to be done in said zone.  I had never really used my HR monitor before - it just laid around and occasionally I'd put it on for a run just to see what my heart was doing.  After less than 2 weeks I had had it with these 'zones'!  I was running slower than I'd ever run before (11-12 minute miles), I was having to walk uphill.  I was confident that these zones were drastically off.  I had spent the fall prior to starting with my coach working on my running and setting a shiny 2 minute PR in the 10-mile run.  I had my heart set on a nice new PR for a half-marathon in March and I was running so slowly I began to doubt whether or not I'd even be able to finish.

I began to doubt the plan, the coach, the thought that I even had a chance of doing decently well at IMLP.  I went out for a run one morning, wearing HR monitor and watch, and said 'screw it'.  I
wanted to run, and so I ran - with a skyrocketing HR and positive splits.  Later that day, I got a nice little email reminding me that I needed to stick with the zones we'd set forth or this would be a waste of time.  Ok, ok - another week went by.  I stuck to the zones, but I was upset.  I no longer looked forward to working out.  Runs became a source of stress and confidence crushers.

If you don't have one, get one.

I came back from a run feeling completely frustrated and upset.  I sunk into my comfy sack (bean-bag type chair) and sulked.  Adam was over and said, 'why don't you make a list and tell Kim you want to talk?'  I pulled out my phone and started making a list.  While I was deep in concentration working on my list, Kim texted me.  She wanted to talk, and wanted to know if I was available then or that afternoon.  I'm still skeptical that Adam wasn't secretly communicating with her, but he denies it, and I've always been told I wear my emotions on my sleeve.  Not to mention Kim is pretty in-tune with her athletes, I just didn't know it...until that day.

After a couple minutes of hesitating on whether or not I was available.  I was available, but was I ready to enter this conversation?  I didn't know, because I was truly thinking I might give up on the coaching thing and just do this on my own.  Afterall, IM Louisville 2012 didn't go too horribly awful.  I decided to be honest and tell her that I was available.  Five minutes later, my phone was ringing.  It was during that phone call that I realized and decided I was letting go.  I was going to stick to the HR zone training and give this method an honest and dedicated try.  I had one of the best female athletes in the sport guiding me, and giving up after just a few weeks wasn't what I really wanted.

After we chatted for a good while and went over what purpose of this HR training was, where we were headed and how this works.  She put me in touch with one of her athletes that'd she been working with.  Emailing back and forth with the athlete was helpful but ultimately I was still on edge about staying with my coach.  I had drafted up an entire email to another coach and was skeptical that running 11-12 minute miles was somehow really going to lead to faster times and a better aerobic engine.  As I had decided though, I was going to give this whole thing a true and honest try.  I was putting my training, my fitness, my control in her hands.

******

Well news flash, if you're going to adjust your zones and do true heart rate based training you have to check your ego at the door and drink a big glass of patience.  You'll probably have to walk up hills to stay in some zones, you'll have to run 10-12 minute miles at the beginning.  I thought my coach was crazy when we started this process.  I trained mostly by myself for the first few months, getting used to staying in a zone and nailing the middle of the zone as my average while speeding up as I worked toward the top of the zone throughout the workout.  It took me a good bit of time to really be able to 'run' and start at the bottom (or even below!) of the intended zone and work towards the top throughout the workout.

For me, heart rate training was all about developing the aerobic system.  Sure, I was a collegiate soccer player - an aerobic sport, right?  Not so much, I was well trained to go hard and fast for short bursts with slow jogging and some resting in between.  Sustained running (Half-marathons) meant I was running with a very high heart rate the entire time.  Probably one of the reasons my 10 mile time/pace was much better than my half-marathon time/pace.  It was difficult and is difficult to do any anaerobic activity for much longer than 90 minutes.

PR's, World's, Podiums...

With a sincere try and effort your aerobic system will develop.  You'll get faster in lower zones.  Over time the zone that you were running 10:30/min miles in will become 8:30/min miles.  I explained this to one of my friends as moving the floor down instead of trying to push the ceiling up as she struggled with the same thing just this past fall.  If we think of the ceiling as our max heart rate there is really no way we can push that up.  With age our max heart rate will even begin to decrease, so it is in our best interest to move the floor down and teach our bodies to run at lower heart rates, thereby creating a more efficient aerobic system.

Almost a year ago my coach asked me to trust her and give her just a few months.  I did, I went all in (I was nervous as heck I'd come out slower than molasses)....and it's all been completely worth it.  In 2014 I made more improvements than I ever thought possible.  I PR'd every distance that I raced.  My race results were better than I had thought possible at the beginning of the year.  As difficult as the first couple months were, the results and the fitness gains made were completely worth the struggle at the beginning of the year.

******

I just finished my first week of lactate threshold testing for 2015.   It's amazing looking back and comparing the results to my first tests of 2014.  There's still plenty of room for improvement but it's nice seeing things come along in a concrete sort of way.  I spent the first few weeks of the year slowing down, getting back into the zones, and getting prepared for an exciting year ahead.

I've also had the privilege of helping or at least attempting to help a few friends, patients, training buddies along that have recently started with heart rate training.  The first few months of 2014 there were plenty of doubts, plenty of tears, and more than enough frustrations on my end.  There were even some doubts as I started back to it this year and some disbelief that my body would come back around.  Once again, I was reminded, it truly is amazing what this incredible machine (aka the human body) is capable of.

Double the Fun in 2015

2014 was a better year than I ever would have expected.  I started working with a coach, I raced/trained with the DC Tri/Snapple Elite team, started working at a new clinic (Rose Physical Therapy Group), raced my 2^nd Ironman, qualified for 70.3 World Championships and…set a new PR in every distance I raced.  The start to 2014 wasn’t really all that glamorous and had its fair share of tears, frustration and 2^nd thoughts.  All in all 2014 was a great year and you can read all the race reports here.  How could I have even more fun lined up in 2015 you ask?

To start MR. is getting a bit of a makeover.  A new cockpit and a new crank – Quarq Power Meter – will be ready to go when I’m ready to kick off my 2015 training.  I’ve gone back and forth on the decision to put money in to MR. or sell the bike and put all the money into a new bike.  I love this bike and right now the biggest improvements will come from improving the engine not the machine.  MR. and I are together for another year!

The 2015 race schedule will look a bit different than previous years.  Much less racing, more focus on A races, and minimal short course racing.  Racing is fun and I think a couple of years ago it was good for me to go out and race (almost every weekend) just having fun and landing a spot on the podium at local races.  I currently don’t have a single local race on my schedule for 2015.  2015 will be my first double Ironman year.  I’ll race my first foreign race at the 70.3 World Championships in Zell Am See, Austria.  It will also mark a complete year working with my coach – which means she’s seeing me through my off season and the beginning of my 2015 training (unlike last year where I got some crazy rides/runs out of my system in January before beginning with her). 

The 2015 races involve flying…with my bike!  I’ve flown to triathlons before, but I’ve always lucked out in that MR. has been privileged enough to get a ride in one piece.  I’ll be getting a bike case, learning some more about MR. and practicing packing him up and getting him back together – race ready part.  I know this is doable, as I have many friends who have done this successfully, multiple times, but it still makes me nervous.

Zell Am See 

In 2015 I’ll be racing on the Snapple/DC Tri Elite team (yes, I did this in 2014)…alongside Adam!  I’m pretty excited about some training weekends, race weekends and team events in 2015.  This will also be the first year where I won't be transitioning from school to work or old job to new job.  I'm looking forward to some consistency (even if it means I won't have a random couple weeks off during peak training).

2015 will be the first year that I start a training cycle after taking a couple complete weeks off of training.  I honestly don’t know the last time I had  ‘real’ off-season.  In college I always used the off-season to improve my fitness.  Past years in triathlon I’ve gotten caught up in the USAT National Club Challenge competition and in 2012 probably logged some of my biggest months in the ‘off-season’.  I’m all for off-season fun but some people take that thing way to seriously – it doesn’t do any good to be a January champion.

For now, I’ll keep enjoying my time off and working on some non-triathlon related projects.  Here’s a peak at what the 2015 race schedule is lining up to look like.

4/18/15 – TryCharleston ½ Iron Race

5/16/15 – IRONMAN TEXAS

7/19/15 – New Jersey State Triathlon (Regional Club Championships)

8/30/15 – 70.3 IM World Championships – Zell Am See, Austria
9/28/15 – IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA