Next Big Goal

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Tori @ In Love and Peanut Butter

I always like to have a goal set when I start training for a race. Big or small, it helps me set my sights on something and remember why I’m up at 5am on a Sunday to exercise for hours and hours.

After achieving my 2013 running goal I decided to set another goal for myself — triathlon style.

So what’s it going to be?

There are two:

Get stronger on the bike
PR on the bike split at Ironman 70.3 Miami

August 18, 2012. Roy McConnell Olympic Triathlon at Moss Park near Orlando, F.

I know that goal 1 will help me achieve goal 2. I finished the bike course at Augusta 70.3 last year in 3 hours and 44 minutes with an average speed of 15mph. I know I can do better.

One thing I definitely need to work on is getting more comfortable on the bike. It’s not that I’m scared of my bike. It’s that I’m scared of everyone else while I’m on my bike. Last year I did almost all of my rides by myself and I’m pretty sure that didn’t help my anxiety about riding in crowds.

The last few weekends I’ve rode with friends and have already noticed an dramatic difference in my comfort level.

I wrote a very similar post about overcoming my fear of the swim last year. I put a lot of focus on swimming during my Augusta training and ended up with a good (for me) swim leg. This year, I hope to put the same effort into each event.

I’m not putting any time goals on this one, but I would like to see a faster split. I’d also like to get off the bike feeling stronger to start the run.

Looks like the old Felt and I will be spending some quality time out on the Suncoast Parkway.

Do you have a favorite event in the triathlon? Any cycling tips for me?

Mixing it Up

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Tori @ In Love and Peanut Butter

To continue my super-awesome week in review, I’ll share my workouts from last week.

I’ve been enjoying mixing up workouts the last few months. While I love swimming, biking and running, it’s been nice to get more into strength training. I am still meeting my personal trainer two mornings a week and plan to conitnue that for… well, forever?

DailyMile

Monday:

30 Lift / 30 Spin – This is becoming one of my favorite types of workouts. I spend 30 minutes in the spin class and 30 minutes lifting. It’s the perfect combination when I’m feeling distracted and bored easy. Which is highly likely to happen after a Monday at work.

Tuesday:

Body Pump – I met Meg for Pump again this week. I really like that class. The shoulder track was a little bit cray-cray for me and my shoulders were burning afterword. But, it was a ‘hurts-so-good’ kind of burn.
Run – I got some extra motivation from somewhere on Tuesday night and decided to head out for a run. I decided to do my normal 3-mile loop, leave the Garmin at home, and wear my heart rate monitor instead. I tried to keep my heart rate around 160. I ended up running it in 27:45 (9:18 pace) and really enjoyed the run. I should do that more often.

Wednesday:

Personal Training – I started out with a little 30-minute Tour de Cardio (stairs, arc trainer, treadmill). My trainer showed no mercy for my sad shoulders at our workout. I set a new record for assisted pull-ups in a 1 minute so she said she’s dropping my weight moving forward. She also decided to up the weight to a 35-lbs plate on my back during my planks. Then followed it up with Arnold’s, dumbbell chest press, reverse lunges with dumbbells, v-sits, upright row, and squats with high knees. It was a great workout!
Open Water Swim – I decided to give my shoulders a little bit of a break and opted for the half mile swim on Wednesday night instead of the full mile. Once I got out to Pass-a-Grille Beach I was glad I made that decision. The water was pretty rough. It felt pretty washing-machiney at the end in the fact that I was getting hit with waves from both directions. That’s why we train open water though, right?

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Thursday:

Spin- Took a spin class on Thursday morning with Meg. The class was pretty good. I was really sleepy though.

Friday:

REST! Much needed.

Saturday:

Bike - Saturday morning I met Meghan for a bike ride. She wanted to do 40 miles and that sounded good to me. I haven’t ridden more than 30 since last October and I was kind of excited to get back into longer rides. We met at the Suncoast parkway and knocked out (almost) 40-miles. The sun stayed behind the clouds and the ride was enjoyable. My legs felt better than I ever remember them feeling at the distance. I had a Cliff bar at mile 20 and I think that may have had something to do with having enough energy to power through it.

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Sunday:

Run - Patrick and I decided to run 6-ish miles on Sunday. After 40 miles on the bike the day before it started out rough. The first two miles were tough and my legs felt like lead (10:26, 10:25). Decided to suck it up and finish out 5 miles rather than heading home (9:48, 9:52, 9:47). Glad we made that decision.

It sure was a busy week, but a good one!

Swim, Bike, Run, Repeat

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Tori @ In Love and Peanut Butter

Even though I’m running my last half marathon of the season this Sunday, this past week made it pretty obvious that I’ve officially switched gears to triathlon training.

I suppose this was technically supposed to be some sort of a ‘recovery/taper’ week. Does that even exist? I mean, really, running 2 half marathons in 3 weeks does not exactly warrant any type of traditional rules.

Either way, I definitely failed on the taper part. My week was jam packed with fitness and I loved every minute of it.

Daily Mile

On Wednesday night I made it to my third open water swim in as many weeks.

I met my friend Caroline, who is training for St. Anthony’s Triathlon relay this weeTriathlon relay this weekend, at the Mad Dogs open water swim at Pass-a-Grill Beach.

It was also the third (and probably last) time I was able to wear my wetsuit this month. The water temperature was 75 and probably a little warm for it, but since I rarely get to use it I figured it would be good training.

I finished the one mile swim in 36:47. About a minute better than last week!

I wanted to get a good run in on Saturday. My friend Meg met me for 8 miles. My legs were still heavy from last weekend’s half marathon and the humidity is definitely kicking up here in Florida. Needless to say, it wasn’t the easiest 8-miles I’ve ever done. But it always goes by quicker with a buddy!

On Sunday, I met the Meghan’s for a bike ride on the Suncoast trail.

The forecast called for rain all weekend but we ended up with a near perfect morning for a ride. It was cool and overcast. The wind made it a little more challenging but also kept it cool.

We covered just over 30 miles with an average pace of 15.3. Not too shabby.

Here’s what my week looked like:

Monday

Personal training

Tuesday

Rest

Wednesday

Personal training
1-mile open water swim

Thursday

4-mile run (9:56 pace)

Friday

Spin
Body Combat

Saturday

8 mile run (9:35 pace)

Sunday

33 mile bike ride (15.3mph)

On Sunday, I’m running the Nike Women’s DC Half Marathon. My goal for this weekend is to enjoy my time in DC and run the best race I can.

Source: facebook.com/RunNikeWomenSeries

Oh, and to earn another NWM Tiffany’s necklace

Open Water

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Tori @ In Love and Peanut Butter

I picked up my packet yesterday afternoon for this weekend’s Iron Girl Clearwater Half Marathon. How awesome are these shirts?

They’re a super soft material. I’m really excited about that.

After packet pickup, Patrick and I decided it was time we get back to the Mad Dogs Wednesday night swim.

I got in the habit of going a couple times a month last year throughout the summer while training for Augusta. The water is never the same so I feel like it prepared me for all conditions and really gave me the confidence I needed to swim open water.

I remember how scared I used to be to go. I was intimidated by the idea of a group swim and I was terrified of open water. I waited until I thought there would be “perfect” conditions to go to my first one — which of course ended up being one of the choppiest and windiest times I’ve ever been.

It’s funny how different I look at it now. I love this swim and everything about open water. Swimming has become my way to calm down and unwind after a long day. It’s my happy place. I may not be the fastest, but I can make it through the 1-mile swim with no breaks and no breast stroking. I feel like I’ve really made a lot of progress in the last year.

Last night was exceptionally perfect conditions.

The sky was blue and the water was calm. There was a huge group gathered, a lot of them training for St. Anthony’s at the end of the month. The water was still cool enough at 68 degrees to get some wet suit training in. I also got use the open water feature on my new Garmin.

At the sound of the 6pm church bell we started our 1 mile walk down Pass-a-Grille Beach to the Don Cesar and got in the water there.

The water felt cold but comfortable in a wet suit. When I got in I was super surprised that I could see the ocean floor. That almost never happens out there. I’d almost rather not be able to see it. Seeing the sea creatures swimming beneath me always makes me a little uneasy.

The water stayed calm the whole swim. I found myself pushed out by the current and swimming diagonally to get back a few times. Siting is one of the things I need to work on the most. There are no buoys or anything to site with so it’s usually a little tricky out there for me.

My Garmin worked perfect in the water. It measured 1766 yards, which means (according to Garmin) the swim is pretty much exactly a mile (1760 yards).