Getting Ready for Galena

 

Galena, here we come!

I’m ready for my first outdoor triathlon of the season.

Here’s why:

1. Awesome Tri Club kick-off party last Friday.

2. Kick-Ass ride with my bud Christina. We’re road-tripping it up to no-man’s land Illinois, and she & her hubby both offered to carpool me & my bike there… and I didn’t even know it! :) We also complete successful rides. Success = no crashes.

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Love the neon helmet!

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3. New outfit for Galena – tri club kit. Don’t mind the chub.

4. ROAD TRIP!!! I enjoy getting away for the weekend to do races, so I’m looking forward not only to Galena, but my mini trips later this summer for Pleasant Prairie and RACINE!!!

5. Getting my own online poster!  I got this from Tri Creative, a graphic design firm based in Couer D’Alene, Idaho.

I am TRI

Who’s racing this weekend?  What are you looking forward to most about your event? 

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How can I be my Most Successful at HIM Racine?

I want to go out at Racine 70.3 with as much ferociousness as possible.

 

How can I be my most successful?

  • Get my workouts in.
  • Don’t accept “tired” as an excuse to skip a workout.
  • Go at each workout with it’s purpose – recovery, stretching, endurance, intensity, speed.
  • Eat healthy.  Don’t carry unnecessary weight on you.
  • Snack healthy.
  • Manage stress in other parts of my life.  Work stress, it’s not worth it.
  • Get things done at home.
  • Get out on the bike. Outside.
  • Get in the water regularly.
  • Make workouts social.
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Triathlon Tuesday: Time Management

As I get further into triathlon training, I have been struggling with time management.  That or energy. Kelly & I were also chatting about fitting in all of our training around other things in life:  work, family time, friends, blogging (!), other pursuits.

Triathlon training, or any athletic training really, can take up quite a bit of time.  I thought I’d share some of my tricks, and also query the community toward other tips to try.

About me, my lifestyle, & time:

  • I have a semi-flexible work schedule, but generally stick to a routine. 
  • I need some “me time” (or alone time) every day. At least a few minutes.
  • I am on the higher end of sleep needs.  I can’t get by on just 4-5 hours/nite.
  • I am a morning person.
  • No children. Just my hubby & cat.
  • My goal race that I’m training for is Half Ironman Racine on July 21.

I understand other people (parents, night owls, work-from-home) may have other tricks to fit it in.

My tricks:

  • Map out my schedule weekly.  I’ve found the most success the past 2-3 weeks when I print a weekly calendar out, make sure all “social” commitments are listed, and add my workouts in that are on my training plan. This weekend I actually went through and added my long ride/runs to each weekend on my calendar so I can make informed decisions on whether to accept or decline social commitments based on my training needs as we get deeper into training. 
  • Fit in “sneaky training”. Cycling is my weakness, and I know I need to work on it. I ride to work when possible (a few times a week starting in April), which helps me to get low key cycling fitness even though I’m on a commuter bike, and also practice some of my bike handling skills.  It’s helpful even though I’m not getting an intense workout in. I don’t count this toward official training time.
  • Other “sneaky training”:  Consider every opportunity for some additional movement.  Can you run home from work? Ride to do certain errands?  Walk to a further bus stop? Yoga or stretches while you’re microwaving lunch? Calf raises in line at the store? Every little bit counts!
  • Get to bed early! If I don’t get to bed early enough, I don’t have the proper energy for tomorrow’s workout – regardless of the time of that workout!
  • Think about your mental training. Plan for this too!  Visualization of your successful race, maybe while you’re on the bus.  Mindful breathing. Reading more about your sport.
  • Plan your meals, & have extra snacks. If I don’t have to worry as much about eating, or I have portable meals ready to go (Salads or Oatmeal in a Jar are my go-to’s right now!) then it’s harder to wiggle out of a planned workout.  Keep enough snacks around in case you didn’t have enough food.  I wouldn’t have had the energy to run home this afternoon had I not had an energy bar in addition to my planned lunch.

For me, the biggest things are to manage stress.  If I get too stressed, I revert back to needing my “me time,” so I have found that keeping my stress in check helps me to fit in the optimal amount of workouts.

 

Other fun things going on:

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