my 2014 schedule

I don't usually plan this, but most years end up having kind of a theme for me. 2013 was the Year of Running - first marathon, first time getting into trail running and a subsequent trail half marathon, joining a running club, first time winning a race, etc. 2012 was the Year of Hiking (obvs), 2011 the Year of Eventing (when I was leasing an event horse and showing regularly), and so on. Of course I still had running achievements during 2012 and good hikes in 2013, but there tends to be a standout theme for each year.

So what will 2014 be? I would be smart to devote my time and hard earned race entry money into one thing. But I am not smart and I want to do ALL THE THINGS. But here's my tentative schedule, introducing TWO firsts in Mackenzie history.... a relay and a triathlon!

April 19 - Flannery Pub Run HM
April 25 & 26 - the American Odyssey Relay
June- a week on the John Muir Trail in California (!)
August 2 - Culpeper Sprint Triathlon
September 13th - VHTRC Women's Trail HM (if I get in!)
October 18th, 25th and/or Nov 1st - Fall Foliage 10k Trail Series

I feel like each one of these events could cover an entire blog post. And I guess they probably will!

I look at these events and picture each one being really fun in a unique way. The April half will be Beau's first. The relay will be tiring and crazy. The JMT is the freaking JMT. The baby tri will be scary and awesome. And the trail races in the fall because I heart trail running, and there is no better time for trails than in the fall.

There are also no real cycling events on the calendar. Each year, Beau and I usually do one or two centuries together. As the years go on, we still really love the time on our bikes, but feel less of a need to do a paid cycling event. It is just as fun to do one on our own or with friends, and obviously cheaper. There is talk of repeating the Skyline Sufferfest, and maybe by the fall I will have forgotten how terrible it was.

I'm crossing my fingers that all of these events will work out. Some of the events have lotteries or deadlines far enough away that I haven't registered yet. The JMT won't be finalized until we hear back about permits and buy plane tickets.

 I'm excited for this year! I normally don't have everything planned out this far in advance, but just writing this blog post is getting me so antsy for spring!

A Frosty 10k Plan

Northern Virginia skipped the normal winter temperatures and went straight to the 20s this morning. Last Friday, I ran in shorts and a long sleeve. Today, full winter gear!

So. For the first time, I'm actually training for speed. Weird, right? Thanks to the running club I just joined, I have a little help. Here's my plan, running my usual three times per week.

- 6 miles (+ 1 mile warm and and +1 mile cooldown) tempo pace
- interval track workout with AARC
- weekend long run with AARC, ranging from 10-14 miles at whatever pace I want (Let's be honest, whatever pace my running partners want. I just want the company!)

I went to my first track workout last week and it was super fun! We did 8 x 400s and 4 x 200s. I feel really cool about learning the lingo. I pretty much just followed the pack on the 400s, and this was the perfect challenge without being too hard.

My goal for the New Year's Eve 10k is to come in under 50 minutes. That's just under 8 minutes per mile. It feels like that will be a stretch for me, since my normal pace is anywhere from 8:30 to 9:30. But that's for longer distances. There's no reason I can't bump that up for 6 miles.

I actually like running in the cold weather, so I'm excited to have a training schedule for the next month!

Tomorrow, We Run [and we make training schedules. and we stick to them]

This picture makes me want to race real bad.

Is this Lance Armstrong? Kinda looks like Lance Armstrong. Does he (or did he- ha!) do ads for Asics?

So a couple weeks a joined a local running club. So fun! Everyone has been really friendly and I have so much fun on my runs with them. The only race I have coming up is a little New Year's Eve 10k. I am itching to do a half marathon - I want a new PR - but there aren't any during the winter around here. But I haven't done a 10k in a couple years so I'm excited to properly train for it. One of the more experienced runners I was running with on Saturday gave me some tips to get to my goal of under 50 minutes.

Maybe I could do something uncharacteristic for this blog and post a training schedule. My usual MO is to do longer distance races, so training is just about upping mileage gradually. And if I'm doing a random shorter race, I don't really do anything different except for maybe do a couple shorter runs to see what time I should expect. But this time, I'm going to do interval training, track workouts, and have a PLAN.

How to Prepare for your First Century

Husband and I have a century coming up next month. I'm excited to be training on my bike again, and I started to think back to when I first got into cycling a few years ago. I had decided I wanted to get a road bike, even though I hadn't ridden a bicycle in many many years. I bought a road bike in the spring, and in August we completed our first century. We had no idea what we were doing. But it was fun! I still am no cycling expert, but have done enough races and tours to know what I'm getting into.

What is a century?
It's not uncommon, when I mention that Husband and I have an upcoming century ride, that people need clarification for what exactly it is. If you talk about a marathon or triathlon, people know what's up. But for some reason, cycling events don't get the same attention. A century is a 100+ mile bike race or organized ride. Just like running events, they often support a charity or cause, and are a fun goal to set and a good way to have fun doing something hard.

How long does it take? How do you carry enough food and water?

rest stop during the Civil War Century

100 miles is a long way. The total time depends on a lot of things (fitness level, difficulty of course, how long you take at rest stops), but you should plan on anywhere from 5 to 8 hours. There are a lot of  serious cyclists out there that go for a sub 5 hour century, but I've never been one of those people. :) Because of the amount of time a century takes, most events will be fully supported. There will be several rest stops, stocked with an assortment of snacks and water. Most will have a lunch stop as well, with anything from PB&Js to Subway or pizza. Many also have a finish line celebration with more food and supplies. In one, there was even ice cream! Read the website thoroughly or check with the organizer to get an idea of what kind of food they will have.

What do you need to have with you on the day of the event?
Your bike, obviously, and basic stuff to take care of a flat along the way. There are usually SAG support vehicles for major incidents, but you should be able to take care of a simple flat on your own. You'll want to bring a couple favorite bars or energy gels, in case you need something in between stops or they don't have something you're used to eating. You might want some sort of electrolyte powder (I like Heed and Gu Brew) to add to your water.

As for clothing, think about the changes in the weather throughout the entire day. Will it be chilly for the first 20 miles? Sleeves are a wonderful thing and can be easily stored in a back pocket. Some events that expect temperature changers offer gear bags at the rest stops, and they'll bring it back to the finish for you.

How do you train for riding 100 miles?
Just like with a marathon, you probably won't ride a full 100 miles until the day of the race. There is no magic number that will get you "close enough", but personally I make sure I'm comfortable on a 60 mile ride and ideally, have done a 70+ beforehand. In the months preceding the event, go on a long bike ride every weekend, and supplement with one or two shorter rides mid week. Start out with 20-30 miles on flat terrain, then gradually add 10 miles as you feel comfortable. Make sure you are riding hills that will be similar to those in your event. Plan as many 60+ rides as you can to get used to time in the saddle and how your body reacts to pedaling for several hours. You'll get really hungry, so make sure you pack enough snacks! If you're unsure of how much time your ride will take or how hungry you'll be, plan to pass grocery stores or gas stations on your route.

While time in the saddle is crucial, cross traning the other days of the week will really help your fitness level. I'm only on my bike once or twice a week, but running, weights, and spin class keep my cardio and strength at a great level.

Train your Brain
One of the biggest challenges to tackling your first 100 miler is the mental aspect of being exhausted at mile 75, but knowing you still have 25 more to do. Having a riding buddy with a similar pace to yours will help with the mental monotony. I also favor cheesy pep talks in my head and picturing a really awesome reward afterwards that involves a lot of ice cream.

The atmosphere in a century is unique. Unlike in foot races, people are a little more social and relaxed. We've met some fun people during races and can't wait for out next one in just a few weeks!

Iron Christmas 70.3- SUCCESS!

Well friends, not only did I complete the Iron Christmas challenge, I WON!

I stuck to my aforementioned schedule, with my only complaint being that I ran really slow those last couple days. We were in Colorado with Husband's family, and I didn't have a treadmill to force me to keep a decent pace. I did, however, have a nice Labrador and a great lake trail to keep me company.

The final rundown can be found here at the Super Fatlete. I kind of feel like I cheated being on a spin bike and watching a movie, but there were no rules against it.

I ended up doing the 1.2 mile swim in three sessions in 56 minutes. The 56 mile bike I did in two sessions in 2 hours 45 minutes. The 13.1 mile run was broken into four or five sessions and took me 2:27 (which is funny to me, because I did the halloween half in 2:05. Why was I going so slow?)

Can't wait to get the prize in the mail!

Things I learned:
- I can swim. And it's kind of fun.
- I can find time to work out for multiple hours a day if I am motivated enough.
- If you act like you know what you're doing, the gym staff will not question you (case in point- wheeling the spin bike all the way across the gym to the cardio cinema room).
- I am not scared to do my first real triathlon anymore.

Huge thanks to Luke for putting all this together!

Iron Christmas 70.3- or "Why I Spent 2.5 Hours on a Spin Bike"

Want to hear something funny?

This guy, whose blog I have never viewed until the other day, put out a challenge to complete a half Ironman in a 4 day time period- December 20th to the 24th. The legs can be done in as many segments and in any order, and recorded on a spreadsheet. The one to complete the full 70.3 miles in the best total time wins! Prizes are TBD, something about a gift basket or something with a value of $70.30. But prizes are not important! What is important is that somebody challenged me to do something, and I can't say no to that. Even if I have never really swam before.

Here is my strategy:

Swimming- Get through the best I can. I had never done a pool workout until this challenge. I did take a few lessons with a friend who is a swim coach and triathlete, so relying on the few things I learned from her and basic instincts of not drowning, I think I'm doing okay.

Cycling- Spin bike, low tension, and watch a movie. 20 mph pace easily. Wish I had rollers...

Running- I can hold a 8:30 minute mile, but only for 1 or 2 miles. Because I can break up the running in however many segments I need, it is beneficial to do fewer miles per session to achieve a faster time.

So, to complete this challenge, I must swim for 1.2 miles, bike for 56, run 13.1. Over 5 days. Actually, 4 and a half because I started it midway through day 1.

Day 1 (Mon): 2 mile run, 800 meter swim
Day 2 (Tues): 56 mile bike (in two sessions), 2 mile run
Day 3 (Wed): 2 mile run, 1129 meter swim (in two sessions)
Day 4 (today): 3.1 run
Day 5 (Christmas Eve): 4 mile run (in two sessions)

Not too bad, huh? Finishing in plenty of time.

While we're speaking of accomplishments, I stepped out of the pool at 8:30am and was at my desk fully showered, clothed and makeupped at 9:00am. Boo yah.

first brick training: success

Brick training is "training on two disciplines during the same workout, one after the other with minimal or no interruption in between, just as you would do in a race" (definition from beginnertriathlete.com). This may not seem like a big deal, but your muscles work so differently for the different legs of a triathlon, it is difficult to jump off the bike and go straight to running. So I heard- I hadn't tried it till last weekend.

Husband and I had some time last Saturday afternoon, and didn't feel like going on a long ride, so we tried our first brick training. We don't have a specific triathlon in mind, but I imagine we'll do our first in the spring. Anyway, we headed out to do a 14 mile out and back (destination: Canyon Bicycles to pick up some lube to clean my chain). Generally flat, with one hill (well, the same hill twice) up to the Oquirrh temple. Our average speed was 17.5 mph. Considering a) I am generally slow at everything and b) there were stoplights along the way, I felt pretty good about that. As soon as we got home we jumped off, put on running shoes and headed back out.

Note: it is a good idea to switch to a low gear the last couple minutes on the bike to get your legs used to a higher cadence.

Once I got used to the switch from cycling to running, I got to a comfortable pace and felt pretty good. Would have stayed that way if Husband actually enjoyed running a tiny bit and didn't want to stop a mile in. Oh well. Something to work on.

Also, how intense is Kona??? There was a cool documentary on this weekend.

photo from here