Training buddies are the Best!

I finally got a training group! This is all thanks to my friend's super outgoing husband. Apparently, he coerced talked all of us into signing up for a triathlon. We registered for the Esprit de She Sprint Triathlon in San Diego. I had the best results that I have ever had. I was confident going into the competition and finished strong. This felt so much better after my DNF at the Encinitas Triathlon this year.

Pre-race happy and dry picture

Every race has its own story, in this one I lost a contact in the swim portion of the race and completed the triathlon with basically one eye.  I am practically blind and can only see blocks of color without glasses.  During the swim, I had to stop at each buoy and sight the next buoy in order to get to the end. Thank goodness the swim was cut to only 400m due to foggy weather.

Post Race Celebration!!!! (notice my mimosa in hand)

So, back to the point. I have three training partners, each with their own skills and talents. I wouldn't trade them for anything. I started working out with them right after Labor Day 2013. We trained together for about 6 weeks. I think that 3 of the 4 of us were nervous to train with other people. I know that I was very nervous. It was the first triathlon for two of the four of us. One of us has had athletic sponsorships in the past. I just work out for fun, but I secretly want to do well. Our schedules coordinated perfectly so that we could work out together a few times a week. We swam in Mission Bay on Fridays and Sundays and we would bike during the week. We would run on our own and cross train with Yoga when we had time. We would also bring our husbands when they were all around. One weekend we did some stand up paddle boarding after the swim instead of biking. It was a lot of fun!

I usually take a break after a big race, so I took about 4 weeks off after the triathlon and enjoyed Thanksgiving, while waiting for a contact lens replacement.  We have been biking sporadically and going to yoga together since then.  We plan to start strength training in late January and start the swimming and biking in earnest in the next few weeks.  We bike on Fridays with the wonderful women at HERevolution. We are registered for the Desert Triathlon in March.

We'll see what 2014 brings.  My goal is to stick to a training plan.

What keeps you from working out with friends?  What suggestions do you have for sticking to a training plan?

2013 Here We Come!!!!

I don't normally do resolutions.  I am not doing resolutions this year either.

I have already started my work outs, gone into the ocean with my boogyboard and wetsuit and done a little bit of work.  2012 was a year of transition for me.  Lots of new things happened for me, both good and bad, but it was definitely a year of growth.  I lost a pet (for the first time at age 41), got engaged (for the first time), quit my job, lost my mom, completed a triathlon with an ocean swim, and ran my first 15k.

2013 will be about maintaining new routines and moving forward.  I am already planning to participate in a 5k in early February with the Firefighter, the Encinitas Triathlon in May and I'll be getting married in between.  I'll need to make sure that I have scheduled time for workouts while I am traveling and I need to make sure that I have time to grow my business so that I can support myself and my family.  The goal is to maintain momentum, stay positive, and learn every day.

I have a new friend that will help me regularly go to the Y and do spinning workouts and we may even try swimming, I normally swim with the Firefighter, but we don't go on a regular basis because of his schedule.  I will have to try the Master's work out again, that was really tough.  I need to contact my other friend and see if she will go road biking with me.  My real goal will be to improve on the bike.  Swimming is my real weakness, but that might be a goal for 2014.  I bought the bike, I need to make it a good investment.  At the beginning, I knew I was better on the bike without doing anything on the first ride, but I want to find a way to substantially improve on my bike technique because I don't have any technique now.  The spinning classes should help with that.

So here's to 2013.  Let's make it the best year yet!!!!!

And, I joined a reading challenge.  I have only read 2 or 3 books out of 100 recommended.  I have a long way to go....

2013 Clutch Reading Challenge
66 members A place to discuss Clutch Magazine's crowd-sourced 2013 list of 100 books by black women writers ...

Books we've read

Krik? Krak!
by Edwidge Danticat

Caucasia
by Danzy Senna

View this group on Goodreads »

How to Motivate Yourself

Why a picture of a shoe?  I always say, "Just put the shoes on".  That's the easiest motivational tool that I have, it's a good pair of running shoes.  I wear Brooks Ariel shoes, they help with my flat feet.   Once the shoes are on, I can head out the door and have a good workout. If I look at the shoes, or think about the shoes in the closet and don't put them on or touch them, I won't work out.

It sounds so simple, but we all know when it comes to working out that it never is that simple.  There is always something else to do, whether it is actually important or not.  I need to eat dinner, I want to play with the evil dogs, I need to make 5 phone calls or I need to check my email and oops, now it's dark outside.  I know all the excuses, it's amazing that I have ever completed a race.  When I was in high school, I was not good at cross country and my old stand by excuse was that my shoelaces were untied, it was a great opportunity to stop and rest.  Terrible.

Encinitas Sunset, much like the one I saw tonight

What is motivational?  I am so fortunate, because I can walk out of my house and go for a run on the beach at low tide, or I can run along the road and still hear the waves crashing and usually see a beautiful sunset, like I did tonight.  That's motivational, especially when you see people taking pictures of the sunset.  I don't do that, I want to keep it exciting to see and I need to see it live, that is what gets me out of the house most evenings.  When I didn't live near the ocean, I would find nice places to run that were in parks.  I would look for wildlife, like deer or rabbits, that kept it exciting.  I would also notice the changes in the plant life from run to run.  It's nice to pay attention to the change of seasons on the runs.  Spring to summer to fall, one of my favorite runs that I could extend as far as I wanted to was from the Pennsylvania border into Delaware, in White Clay Creek Park.  Finding several good running routes to keep the workouts different is so important.  A good tool to use is mapmyrun.com, you can find popular running routes in your area and even add your own. 

What do you do to stay motivated?