It's so nice having a training plan again, especially one this strict that totally holds me accountable. If I skip a workout, not only will I know, Coach will too. So, no slacking off for me! (Not that I usually did, but this makes sure that I can't slack off during a workout either- not when heart rate monitor data gets sent to him too!) It's also nice to not really worry about if I'm training right or enough or correctly. Obviously coaching doesn't guarantee a perfect training plan or schedule, but I think this one is pretty solid, and definitely better than what I would make up.
I've also been keeping a very detailed food diary on training peaks and it's a huge hassle. But, it's just for a week or two so Keith can look at my intake and make suggestions. I'm hoping to drop a few pounds early on in training, since the intensity and volume aren't crazy just yet. I think I dropped a few pounds over my off season because I didn't have much of an appetite, which is good but annoying when it came to trying on and testing out my newest swim suit. I bought a 32 because reviews said it ran small, but it turns out I could have used a 30 or a 28, because it was practically falling off once I got in the pool! It fit ok dry, just a teensy bit loose, and I hadn't tried it on until now (I bought it 2 months ago though). Otherwise I would have returned it immediately after trying it on and realizing it wasn't very tight. But, it was past the return period, so I went in the pool. Now I don't know what to do with it! Is there any way to shrink a swimsuit?
Anyway, all this time spent on training peaks has been detracting from my desire to blog... But I'm sure I'll get used to it and have more time, especially once I don't need to record food.
In other news, I went mountain biking in the snow with Vlad this weekend and had a blast! It was freezing cold but so much fun. I'd never mountain biked before, so this was all new. There was snow, and under the snow was ice, and under that was rocks. It was definitely a challenge. We were out for 3 hours, trying all different kinds of trails (loooong uphills, loooong downhills, rocky mountain bike specific trails with obstacles, walking trails that were just sheets of ice in some places, and one really steep hill that we had to walk up in order to attempt to ride down.) I was so proud of myself when slogging up a super long steady hill, I outlasted Vlad!
This has also led to me getting really psyched about the King of the Hill off road triathlon at Round Valley Reservoir in May. First, because I love trail running. Second, I liked mountain biking a lot. Third, Vlad may come home to race. Fourth, my friend Cristian is a mountain bike lover, so he's going to ride with me a lot more, so I can get better. Fifth, because Cristian is convinced he can kick my ass in an off road triathlon based on his bike skills alone. So it's a challenge in a lot of different ways. And of course, Cristian is going down...
My other friend- and diet/training partner- Matt and I finally started our training now that he's home. Yay! We had a very exciting day yesterday- we went to the gym for his first weight set (I "coached" and did some light sets even though it wasn't a weight set day... oops.) Then, we went to Efingers so I could get some sweet winter riding gloves. Finally, no cold hands! I hate spending copious amounts of money on bike gear, but it seemed worth the $40 to not be miserable the next few months. After that, grocery store! There's nothing like shopping with a vegan who's on a diet with you to keep your grocery cart super healthy...
So, by the end of the trip, I was proud to fill my fridge with carrots, hummus, fresh salsa, whole wheat tortillas, frozen veggies, yogurt, tofu, blueberries, granola, and about a million other things. This whole eating healthy thing seems to be working fairly well. Matt and I cooked with a few of our friends and made a huge stir fry with tofu, kale, water chestnuts, snap peas, broccoli and a bunch of other veggies for dinner last night and my fridge is well stocked with leftovers from that too. Very exciting...
My winter weather gear pile has been growing too, thanks to the gift card to Eastern Mountain Sports my boss gave me. I now have:
- Gator tip toe covers! (little neoprene toe booties that go over socks and under bike shoes. Surprisingly great for $8.)
- EMS Skull Cap: finally, I have something that fits under a helmet for winter riding...
- Face Mask: neoprene, so I can wear it when riding and not have my face freeze.
- Yak Trax: they attach to the bottom of your shoes so you can run on the ice. I can't wait to try them out!
So I'm pretty stocked up, now that I have all my great Christmas presents and this new stuff. Perfect way to start training!!
(Of course, I still need 2 new sets of pedals and clips, maybe new road shoes, and most definitely new running shoes, and pretty soon it's going to be time to start browsing for new tri shorts and tops for the summer... It's always something when you're a triathlete.)
Last but not least, my pseudo-mohawk hair cut:
(it's not super easy to see in pictures, and it looks even funnier when it's actually blowdried so it's up, but here's the general idea. Robbie and I buzzed it on the sides and then he did some serious trimming for me.)
I promise I'll get better at posting again... Winter break brings out the lazy in me- I finally have time to veg on the couch with Robbie, or hang out with other friends at night (shocking people who haven't seen me in 2-3 years when I show up to hang out with friends...) So it's been a very healthy off season break for me. But now it's back to training and frankly, I feel better (if a little bit more sore) than I have in weeks now that I'm back to training!
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1 comment:
The time you spend on Training Peaks will help you dial in your diet...spend your time there! It was tough for me to face the fact that I was eating crap about 25% of the time. That small percentage was what was holding me back from getting to my goal weight. I didn't even know that I was eating poorly so much!
Good work!
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