Turning Weaknesses into Strengths

We generally know what we're good at and what we're not-so-good at.  And, being humans, we tend to gravitate towards our strengths because they make us feel confident and good about ourselves.  We avoid our weaknesses because, let's face it, it's no fun doing something you suck at.

I'm taking this opportunity training for the Half-Ironman to critically assess my past triathlon performances.  In comparison to my fellow competitors, they pretty much boil down like this:

• Swim:  Mediocre
• Bike:  Weak
• Run:  Strong

My thoughts going into a sprint-distance triathlon (generally a 500-800 yard swim, 10-20 mile bike, and 5K run) are that I'll smoke anyone who passes me on the bike during the run.  However, in a longer-distance race -- and especially a Half-Ironman -- it is nearly impossible to make up the time you will lose over a 56-mile bike ride during a 13.1-mile run.

So, I needed to turn towards my weak points and come up with a plan to bring them up.  For my bike (my weakest area), in addition to my training rides, I've made it a 2012 goal to bike anywhere I possibly can, including work, errands, and school.  With the following guidelines, of course:

1. I need to be able to get there in a reasonable amount of time (i.e. if I am rushed or the distance is just too far, I'll drive).
2. The weather has to be safe.
3. It has to make sense in terms of my training for that day (i.e. no 3-hour training rides right after a 1-hour ride into town).

Not only is this strategy proving effective, but I'm experiencing the added benefit of cutting my gas costs down by an obscene amount.  Saving money AND getting faster on my bike each week rocks!

As for the swim, since it's not my priority, I've taken a slightly less aggressive approach by turning one of my swim workouts into a shorter interval workout.  This lets me practice going at faster speeds.  And again, I'm noticing changes in my long, easy swim workouts too.

It looks like focusing on my weaknesses, rather than avoiding them or trying to compensate for them, is paying off.  What about you?  What are your weaknesses?  How can you turn them into strengths?  Think about this and make it a goal.  It'll take some hard work, but trust me, the rewards feel so much better than when things come easily.

Happy training.

BIG Training Day!!! Some Wins, Some Losses.

So today was a doozy... weights and an interval swim this morning, and this afternoon a long bike ride followed immediately by a run (also called a "brick workout" in triathlon speak).  I'm finding that I do better having hard days and easy days rather than several moderate-intensity days.  When I rest, I rest.  And when it's a training day -- it's ON!

So my goal today was a 30-mile bike ride followed by a 4-mile run.  And I have everything planned out on an Excel spreadsheet for progressing towards the Big George distance of a 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run.  My bike ride felt AMAZING.  I have been eating super, DUPER healthy lately (mostly vegan, in fact) to make sure I can train my best, and it is paying off.  I had loads of energy and felt like I could go forever.  That and I have a new "secret" recipe recovery drink that I've developed after lots of experimentation (I am like a mad nutritional scientist) and I feel great after it.  I usually make a huge blender-full in the morning and split it out to drink after my morning and afternoon workouts, respectively.

Anyway, back to the bike ride.  A HUGE accomplishment today (for me atleast) was I finally felt confident getting out of the saddle on hills.  I have been having lots of balance issues on the bike and this was a great milestone today.  I think alot of it had to due with just getting brave enough to try it.  Then it "clicked" and I was out of the saddle like crazy, tearing up the hills and feeling unstoppable.  I felt so good that I went an extra three miles, making a 33-mile ride total.

The one thing I noticed was that my stomach wanted some solid food about halfway through the bike.  My nutritional strategy so far has been to eat a solid meal about two hours before my workout, an energy gel right before my workout, and then another energy gel each hour on the bike...then one more before my run -- with Gatorade in my waterbottle to sip throughout.  My energy levels were okay, but I had that unpleasant empty-tummy feeling at the beginning of hour two.  So next week I am going to try a Powerbar instead of gels on the bike and see if that helps.

So, the run was where everything fell apart.  And it was my own doing.  The runner in me was like "Oh, four-mile run.  Cake."  So I headed out without water or Gatorade.  Big mistake.  I started out strong and felt good -- was clocking a 7:45 pace with it feeling EASY.  Around mile 1.5, I felt overheated in the sun and slowed my pace.  By mile 2, I was at an 8:45 pace.  By mile 3, I was doing walk/run intervals.  By mile 4, I was walking.  I still finished the four miles with an average pace of 9:00/mile, but I KNOW I can do better if I handle my hydration better on the run.  I keep forgetting it's not just a run -- it's a run AFTER hours on the bike.  Needless to say, I walked in the house and polished off most of a gallon jug of water (no lie).

Overall, I'm feeling good about my workout today.  The problems I had were my own fault and can be easily solved with better planning.  Off to cook up some whole grain pasta, veggies, and beans (YUM!).  Hope you're enjoying the day too!

Technology Dependence Issues

Ugh, well today was a rocky start... was getting ready for my AM bike (on my new tri bike that I am in total love with now that I can actually balance on the thing lol) and my Garmin GPS watch was DEAD.  Not uncharged.  Not on the fritz.  D-E-A-D dead. 

The blank screen of death stared back at me as I jammed the Power button.  Puzzled, I went through the standard technology troubleshooting steps:

1. Push Power button.
2. Push Power button harder.
3. Push and hold Power button while swearing.
4. Swear some more.
5. Give it a rest, as though it needs a break or something.
6. Push Power button.
7. Push any button on the friggin thing.
8. Remember how much it cost and how much it will cost to replace it.  Swear some more.
9. Decision tree:  Either throw it across the room or come up with a backup plan.

Lucky for me I decided to go with my backup plan and worry about it later.  So I used my "old school" wristwatch and just looked up my route on MapMyRun.com when I came home.  My wrist felt naked without the bulky GPS watch on my wrist, and my workout lacked the freedom to make last-minute changes to the route based on the feedback on my watch.  Watching those miles build in real-time is a thrill that I didn't experience this time around.  And it made me reflect on how dependent I am on the little watch.

Back in the day, people just got on their bikes and pedaled.  They didn't check their time, distance, pace, etc.  They just went.  So I took a deep breath about mid-ride and just "went."  And I felt a new kind of freedom -- avoiding getting wrapped up in the numbers and just enjoying the ride.  I came back home, did a 1-mile post-ride run, and then started my day with a better attitude.

The GPS gods must've smiled too, because with a calm mind, I googled my GPS issue and found that a simple reboot gave my Garmin watch new life.  And to think I almost threw it across the room.