Planning a Race Schedule

It's that time of year again. It's time to investigate races and set goals for the coming season. Many of my fellow bloggers will be attempting their first Ironman (I can tell you for sure that I will not be doing the iron distance this year).

Before we can look forward we need to look back a bit. In 2010 I competed in 9 events between May and September. Six triathlons (3 Sprint & 3 Olympic), two open water swims (a 2 miler and a 3 miler) and a swim/run relay. That averages out to one event every other weekend! I also had two fall running races on my schedule (a half and a full marathon) but I had to scratch those due to my foot pain. Plus, I worked as part of the race management team for six events for NY Triathlon and volunteered at the NYC Marathon. I can tell you without a doubt that this was too many races. I was so fired up from my first tri season that I over committed myself. Now that I'm looking back at it all I'm wondering how I had time to actual train?!

I'm going to take a much more relaxed approach to planning the season this year. Right now my schedule looks something like this:

April 3, 2011: NYRR More Magazine / Fitness Magazine Women's Half-Marathon
June 5, 2011: Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon  (I qualified in the Westchester Tri last September)
Late Summer: My first half ironman - which one?
Fall: Marathon

On average, how many races/triathlons do you do each season? How far in advance do you plan your schedule?

I'm a Brooks Girl!

I was a big fan of New Balance 1224's. However they had to go and 'upgrade' and I've not been happy with the 1226's that I bought last summer. Since I've started running again I'm actually running in my old 1224's. I knew it was time to ditch those so I went in for a pro shoe fit and I'm now a Brooks girl! I tried on 7+ pairs of shoes and decided on the Books Adrenaline GTS 11. 

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11

This is the top selling shoe for Brooks. They use DNA cushioning which is adaptable to the weight of the runner and the speed of the runner. This new cushioning technology prompted Runner’s World to award the Adrenaline GTS 11 "Best Update" in their Winter 2010 Shoe Guide in their December 2010 issue. Runner's World describes it as:

Brooks made a lot of improvements to this lightweight stability shoe, adding a heel cradle to securely hold the back of the foot in place and more gel underfoot to soften impact. The result is a well-padded and supportive landing that doesn't feel squishy. The company also tinkered with the upper, incorporating adjustable straps into the eye-row to allow for a secure, foot-hugging squeeze. Recommended for normal to low-arched runners looking for a soft stability shoe with a great ride.

I've done a few runs with my new shoes and I think they are going to be a really good fit! What a relief! Finding good running shoes can be stressful and challenging! My only disappointment about switching from New Balance to Brooks is that New Balance shoes seem to be the only running shoes still made in the USA.

Three-a-Days

Yesterday was a busy day and I managed to fit in three workouts and a shoe fitting! In the morning I braved the dark and the cold and went for an easy three mile run. All of my runs right now would fall into the ‘easy’ category as I try to regain my running base after nearly 3 months with no running. I’m also fighting off a case of shin splints. Last year I received a very helpful tip to treat shin splints with 10 minutes of ice and then 10 minutes of heat. I’ve been doing this twice a day this week and it is already helping.

After my run I was off to the running shoe store for a special shoe fitting. A good friend works at my favorite running store and he agreed to come in and meet me at 8:30am, well before opening, since it was the only time our schedules worked. After 45 minutes and at least 7 pairs of shoes I think/hope I’ve found the right shoe for me – more on this later.

Since this week was the start of the Asphalt Green Tri Club winter workout schedule I was excited to start back with my favorite cycling workout. But, it doesn’t start until 8:30pm! I don’t know about you but I usually go to bed at 9:30! I couldn’t sit around for hours waiting for cycling (I’d probably fall asleep at Starbucks and get my Kindle stolen) so I decided to join the first part of the Wednesday swim. I managed to squeeze in 1000 yards before I needed to head to the cycling studio. Then I spent the next hour sweating and spinning like crazy. I love that workout!

Finally the day was over and we arrived home at 10:45. A quick bowl of oatmeal and I happily collapsed into bed. I finished off the week of training with another short run this morning and then 30 minutes of Rodney Yee’s Yoga Conditioning for Athletes.

It feels great to be working every day again. I hope that I'm finally refreshed after a lax month of training in December. I've worked hard this week and I'm really looking forward to a rest day tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

I'm back! Did you miss me? Did you notice I was gone ;) A few of you asked why we exchanged gifts early, well because we were heading out of town for the holiday! We went to visit my family in Northern Minnesota for Christmas! We had a fabulous time and it was wonderful to spend quality time with my family!

Last year at Christmas we were stuck inside for three days due to a major snowstorm. This year we lucked out and missed the NYC blizzard while enjoying relatively mild weather in MN. Go figure!

We took advantage of all the snow and did a lot of snowshoeing:

Plus I got to spend some time with this cutie pie! Isn't she adorable?!

My 3-month old Niece

My family Santa was more than generous! He checked my triathlon wish list and I returned home with a pair of Louis Garneau Women's Tri Speed Shoes, 3 pairs of Eurobike Socks, a Buff Wool neck band to keep my face warmer while running outside, a Smart Wool long sleeve running shirt, Swim Workouts in a Binder, and a Valeo Yoga Kit. I feel like one lucky lady!

As for most this week has marked a renewed commitment to health and fitness. After a regular diet of cookies for breakfast and drinks with dinner I'm getting back to clean eating and drinking lots of water. I've started the week of well with a tough swim and a run in Central Park on Sunday, a 3 mile run Monday morning and strength training class Monday night, and an hour trainer ride this morning. I'm looking forward to Wednesday night when my favorite winter cycling workouts with Asphalt Green start again!

I hope 2011 is starting off great for you!