This past weekend I completed my first Olympic Distance Triathlon. And although certain areas were impressive, others were not. As a competitive athlete, part of my processing of information to figure out where and how to improve is figuring out what held me back.
When I got back into racing 5 years ago, I weighed an Athenic 165 pounds. Not my heaviest. I did morning power walks and swam with my kid and we road our bikes everywhere. This is where I began.
The next year I raced pregnant. I trained and covered miles with an increasing weight that eventually started to irritate my right knee, so after the last race, I switched back to walking and still swam, right up to the day before my son was born (he was born in the morning). This extra weight, watching what I ate and drank (including lots of water), helped keep and actually get my weight down. Thank you Lord for the gift of nursing. When I started working again a year and a half ago, my weight was down to a healthy 150 racing weight, and still going down.
Until sitting in a chair took its toll. I held my own and ended last year's season at 155. By-the-way, I'm not 6' tall, but I'm not short either. When calculated, my ideal racing weight is 145. I had it back under control, but then Life happened.
Now for the Excuses: We have had a long winter with less than ideal conditions to train outdoors. Even people I ride with admitted to having missed their first Thanksgiving Road Ride because of the slippery roads.
Okay, so January came along. Time to start training. I started running at the track at the local Y. I swam Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I ran Tuesday, Thursday and one Weekend Day. I spun on my bike any chance I got. The scale had creaped up to 164. Time to get serious. Obviously there was an imbalance of calories consumed versus calories burned. I added more evenings of cycling. One Pound Gone. That's it, increase the training. I need to for a longer race anyway.
But than we lost our house and we spent 4 weeks living with my in-laws again. An extra 30 minute commute in the morning and evening. No chance to go to the Y for workouts. So, I got up and spun in the morning. I could at least do that. I was back to starting over in my training.
I basically had 2 months to train for an Olympic Distance Triathlon. I was confident that I could finish, but how well would I do? Based on how I did last year, I should have done well. Unfortunately, my training, and my weight are not where I was a year ago. For the first time since mid February I stepped on a scale. 171 pounds. I was carrying an extra 15 pounds for the distance. In a wetsuit, floating in the water, it didn't make much difference (except for being uncomfortable and the in ability to breath for the first few minutes of the race). On the bike, still, I wasn't carrying my weight.
On the run, I barely did better than a 10 minute mile pace. This is where I felt it the most. This is where last year I was running an 8.5 minute mile pace. The difference of over 9 minutes. (I lost 3rd place by 15 minutes.) Even if it doesn't guarantee placing next year, it's easier to say "I can drop 4 minutes with smoother transitions, a little extra push up the hill, or just getting a better rest before the race." To see 15 minutes, you question if you really can do it. Is it an easier answer is drop 15 pounds within a year? For the sake of how I will feel and reduce the risk of injury, yes. This is where monitoring comes in.
Today, I establish my game plan:
1) replace my bathroom scale. Not for daily use, but to track progress and reduce the risk of sliding backwards.
2) focus on quality fueling and timing of that fueling. After all, it is fuel. "Garbage in, garbage out." And timing, no more eating after 7:30. Allow time for the system to shut down for the night.
3) Get enough rest. I usually get 7 hours of sleep a night. This is what I am used to. However, there are times I need more.
4) And quality training. Balance and consistency.
Let's see how I do in 3 weeks at Esprit de She...
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