I was talking on Twitter the other day about running strategy. I've come across an absolute treasure-trove of runners, from the truly competitive to the "just doing this to get myself into shape." Some people run a mile at a time, and some run one-hundred miles in a day. Why some of these people look to me for running advice, well, I haven't a clue (though I kind of think whenever anybody decides to do a LOT of something, they become a bit of an expert).
Staying motivated is, easily, the biggest hurdle to any plan - especially when you don't have an endgame in sight. My goal is to be healthy, which is entirely undefined...yet, I've been paving this road for awhile.
In a conversation with a person who could easily run circles around me as she trains for a March marathon (and, oh how I'd love to be in an area right now that you could actually schedule a marathon in March...too much of a risk for snow/ice here), she asked what I was training for. And, I was able to spit out a whole list of things..this runner came back to me, applauding me for working ahead. I realized, at that moment, that it's how I stay motivated. I like to think I'm not like the Mad Woman's Ex Fiance, ignoring those things that are important to me for the next event . . . but I need something to look forward to, lest I grow stagnant.
So far, I have:
- Gettysburg North/South Marathon, which is the very first running, and I think it's pretty damn cool to know that I'll run the very first running of this event.
- The Central Pennsylvania Tour de Cure which is my big charity event every year. It's a 100km bike ride to benefit diabetes research, and just a very beautiful ride that I look forward to each & every year.
- The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), which (as the name might lead you to believe) is a bike ride across the great state of Iowa (is Iowa a great state? I don't know . . . my sole memory is of a very, very cold afternoon in downtown Des Moines, a stinky & obese cab driver, and a walk through the woods).
- The Boiling Springs Sprint Triathlon, which will be my first ever triathlon (though it shouldn't be a surprise to any of you that I plan to run an iron man at home point)
- The Hershey Half-Marathon, which is the single event that I'd expect other runners with. The Tour de Cure is an absolutely LOVELY bike ride, through some of the prettiest scenery . . . but a 13 mile stroll through the chocolate capital of the world? Well, let's just say that I'm not anticipating doing this by myself.
- The Three Creek Century, which is one of the most understated bike rides - it's absolutely beautiful, usually occurs in the very peak of fall (my favorite time of year)...a one-hundred mile bike ride benefiting a domestic-abuse shelter. Really, this event should be much larger than it is.
- The Harrisburg Marathon, where I'll tackle the course for the second time . . . hopefully, with all of the good and none of the bad from the last running.
Of course, I'll have some 5k/10k runs in there, just to ensure that I keep my eyes looking forward. And, there is the Cannonman Half-Ironman in the back of m mind. I'd need to train, and train seriously for it. Even now, while I'm not in the best shape, I'm confident that I can complete each of the branches: 1.2 mile swim, 55 mile bike ride, 13.1 mile run. Well, the swim I'm not entirely sure about, but I'm pretty sure I could . . . the issue is, would I be done for the day? I think I need to sign up at a pool, and quickly, if I want to manage. I can just see my training, though:
- 4:00 am: wake up, walk & feed dogs
- 4:30 am: out the door to the pool
- 4:45 am: swim swim swim
- 6:00 am: change into bike gear, bike to work
- 7:15 am: arrive at Planet Fitness & shower
- 7:30 am: work
- noon: change & run
- 12:45 pm: back to Planet Fitness to shower the run stink off of me
- 1:00 pm: back to work
- 4:30 pm: bike back home
- 6:00 pm: assume daddy duties
- 8:30 pm: hope that I can outlast the kids for bedtime
What scares me about that schedule? I'm tired thinking about it . . . and, I'm seriously considering trying to live it. Hold me?
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5 comments:
your forgot to mention our friendly little competition....
Thats okay, your scared... I get it...
I think you're schedule sounds perfectly feasible and quite familiar.
BTW: biking across Iowa? Weird I hadn't heard of that one...being a midwest girl myself and you know, in the know.
You'll love the sprint triathlon as long as you see it as a training event. I can't wait to do my first.
You're my workout/daddy hero.
Your race schedule is certainly ambitious, but after you conquer a marathon you feel like you can do anything (after the mile 20 I'm never doing this again I say every single time). Event partcipation keeps me motivated too and being in good shape is an excellent side effect. Have fun with the triathlons.
I know someone who has done the Iowa race. I think it must be the same one--can there be more than one big bike race in Iowa? What makes it famous is the pies. I guess the locals bake a lot of good pies that the bikers get to eat. I'll see if I can find out more about this aspect...
I haven't yet gotten the bug for a tri - let alone an ironman of any fraction...
It's the swimming that gets me.
Oh, yeah. And the biking.
I am in awe of people who want to combine THREE forms of exercise at a time.
I prefer to run until I fall over. And then be done with it.
Good luck in your training. Especially the part where you start at 4:00 AM. You DO need a hug...
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