MBE: Fitting in Training

Monday Brain Exchange is brought to you by Jill.


This Weeks Question: Regardless of the distance you train for, or whether it be road racing or triathlon, training is time consuming. What are your tricks for fitting all your training into your schedule? How do you balance family, friends, work and training?

Fitting in training for a half marathon or triathlon is hard enough, but the challenge is compounded when you opt to live without a car (mosts of the time) and bike or bus everywhere. While I love this lifestyle change, it does cut into my training time, so I have to get creative:

• I do my long runs on the weekends, usually Saturday mornings, when I can get up early to run with my group and still have time to have a life afterwards. 
• For my mid-week runs, I usually get off the bus early on my way to work or home and run the rest of the way. 
• I bike 15 miles to work (each way) 1-2 times a week, so those double as cross training or even a long ride if I am training for a sprint triathlon. 
• I get up super early most days during the week to do other cross training before heading out to work, such as yoga and core/strength using fitdecks. 
• On days when I take the bus to work, I walk a total of 2-3 miles to and from the bus stop, so I'm always active. While waiting for the bus, I take the chance to sneak in some stretching and have even been known to do yoga on the bus :) 
• I also sneak in stretches while waiting for my lunch to heat up.

As far as balance, it helps that Jason trains just as hard as me, and that my parents also run, so we understand when the other is busy or tired. We still try to make time for each other to have some fun outside of training, and sometime we can combine the too :)

MBW: Race Reports

The Monday Brain Exchange is brought to you by Jill.

This Weeks Question: Do you enjoy writing your race reports? Do you use them later for reference?

I enjoy writing race reports, but sometimes when I race a lot they can seem like a chore or repetitive to me. It's often hard to put into words an amazing experience, but I like to capture what I can remember from each race, what worked, what didn't work, and stats on my performance. 

I reference them often for inspiration and when formulating my strategy for an upcoming race. I like to read then to relive the moment, such as my first half or a PR or first marathon, when I am feeling down or when I haven't raced in a while. If I feel like I'm not making any progress in my running, I look back through all my reports and remind myself how far I've come. This almost always makes me realize the plateau is temporary and not as bad as it seems in my head. To help with that, I put together a spreadsheet so I can easily see at a glance all my race finish times, and their corresponding paces color coded. You can see it under my Racing History Tab.

This blog is mainly for me to document my journey and reflect on it, but I do hope that my race reports  help someone researching an upcoming race or inspire them to train for a new distance. Now I have some questions for you:

• what do you look for in a race report when researching and upcoming race? 
• do you follow a format/formula when posting your race reports, or just wing it?
• what do you always include in every race report you write?

MBE on Tuesday: The Athletic Family

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is The Athletic Family.

Question: Do you come from an athletic family? Are your parents/siblings/spouses/children also involved in your sport(s)?

Dad, Mom, Me, Jason, Bob (Jason's Dad)
Breast Cancer Marathon Relay

When I was growing up, my dad was the only athlete in the family. I remember going to watch him race and there always being a spread of food to entertain us while we waited. I was there when he ran the NYC marathon, his first, and he was there when I ran my first marathon. Running those last 2 miles with him was priceless. I can't even begin to tell you how awesome it is that I too found the joy of running and can finally share this with him.

The closest my sister and I got to a sport was color guard/dance team, which is not really a sport. After I started running, my dad started again after a 7 year hiatus, and my mom started too to lose weight and get in shape. Now all 3 of us race together often, and it is awesome. We even did a marathon relay, and it's one of my most memorable races. We'll be running the Watermelon 5K on July 4th as a family with matching shirts.

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Dad and I at the Corporate 5K

Dad
Last week it occurred to me that I didn't know how or why my dad started running, so I interviewed him about his running on father's day. He started running in 1987, when he was 37, to lose weight. He was already married with kids (me! and my sis Karen, and half sister Lisa). Him and his cousin ran together, but his cousin didn't keep running; my dad did. He trained and ran a 10K with his company, his first race, and got the running bug.

He kept running consistently for years, mostly racing 10Ks while we were still living in Puerto Rico. He says he rarely raced 5Ks until recently; they were just not as common as the 10K in Puerto Rico. When we moved to the US, he wasn't running as much, but finally got into the New York City Marathon in 1993. He did not get in at first and was put on a waiting list, so he stopped training, but then got in at the last minute and was not as prepared.

His most memorable race is running the NYC Marathon again in 2001, two months after 9-11. Listening to him talk about running the NYC marathon (where he grew up) with such passion is motivation enough for me to want follow in his footsteps. The 2001 marathon, which I did not witness, was an incredible experience because cops and firefighters were running in memory of those lost when the towers fell. The support and energy was unlike any other.

He also ran the Disney Marathon once, but he didn't like it -- maybe this is where I get it from =) Then again, how can any race compete with the NYC Marathon? His favorite race distance is the 10k, but he has now run 2 half marathons (I got to share with him his first half marathon in Melbourne in 2009) and loves that distance since he isn't running marathons anymore. I see many more races together in our future -- by together I mean that we run the same race because he is much faster than me :) On the schedule so far is the Miami Halloween Half, and he'll be running the Space Coast Half while I run the full marathon.

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Mon and I at Disney's Royal Family 5K

Mom
My mom hasn't been running as long or as consistently, but she has caught the running bug too. Unfortunately, she has class on Saturdays when most races are held, so she's limited until August. She loves to race though, and has improved a lot in a very short amount of time. I was so proud of her for running 5 miles when we did the relay, and think she should train for a 10k but she likes the 5k distance. I'll have to work on her some more ;) We've run a few races together, as in side by side until the end, and I plan to stick with her during the Watermelon 5K.

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Jason and I, team Alice in Muddyland,
at Muddy Buddy Orlando

Jason
Jason has been athletic all his life and has probably tried every sport out there. He started running after I did, mostly running 5Ks when I did without any training (yes, I hate him too =P). Although he still claims he doesn't like it, he runs regularly and is currently training for a Half Ironman Triathlon.

We used to run together occasionally at the beginning, but having an athletic background and being a boy, his speed has increased faster than mine and is no longer feasible for us to run together. We've done a couple of races together -- UCF Adventure Race and Muddy Buddy Orlando -- and are plotting a duathlon soon (he'll bike and I'll run). We're also doing the Urban Dare in November.

So that's my running family. I can't wait to see what adventures we share next :)

MBE: Lessons Learned

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is Lessons Learned.

Question: It goes without saying that anytime you challenge yourself, you learn something. What are some of the things you have learned on your own personal journey through fitness, whether it be from triathlon, running or just simply training?

I've had a long day, and I'm too sore to blog because I ran 7.5 miles without any walking this morning, then spent the day at Typhoon Lagoon where we had to climb more stairs than I should have, so I'm going to keep this short and in top 10 bullet form. I'm sure this list is not exhaustive, and in random order.

1. Nobody knows my body as well as I do, and what works for them may not work for me, so take their advice with a grain of salt.
2. I like running alone more than I think I do.
3. Don't start a race too fast or a possible PR will quickly turned into a PW.
4. There are no easy fixes; to see results you have to put in the work and it takes time. Lasting results take longer, but they are much more rewarding.
5. My body is capable of way more than I know, but I have to push my limits my own way and in my own time (because my brain is not always on the same page as my body).
6. I've run through heat, humidity, rain, and freezing temps. If I miss a run, I obviously didn't want it bad enough =P
7. Through trial and error, I've learned to tell when I'm being lazy vs when my body needs a rest day.
8. Setting goals (e.g. registering for a race) helps keep me motivated to not skip workouts.
9. Running is addictive :)
10. Always run your own race -- see #1

MBE: Summer Racing and Week 20 Recap

Week 20 Recap

Not much to report this week, so I'm combining my weekly recap with my MBE post. I've been on vacation for the past 2 weeks, and that seems to have extended to exercise too as the only thing I did last week was run a half marathon yesterday. I guess we could say I really mastered tapering =P I did walk about 2 miles yesterday to the farmer's market and Publix, but I couldn't be bothered to do much else. I'm hoping to get back to my workout routine this week, and maybe get in the pool at least once before my first triathlon on less than 3 weeks. Yikes!

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MBE: Summer Racing

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at  Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is  Summer Racing.

Question: What are your summer race plans? Are you trying anything new this year? What race are you looking most forward to?


May is my month to try new things, and so far it's gone great. I played paintball, did Muddy Buddy with Jason, and ran my first out-of-state race, the Bay to Breakers 12K, in costume. I'm going rock climbing on Wednesday, which I've done once or twice before but it was many years ago, and then on Saturday I'll be tackling the Firefighter Challenge.

I'll spend the rest of the summer ramping up millage for my next marathon in November and doing a few sprint triathlons for fun and cross training. My heart is still not into swimming or biking, but I'm hoping that I'll catch the triathlon bug after the first one in June. It won't be pretty, but I'll finish. If it all goes well, maybe I'll train for an olympic triathlon in September, but that will be a last minute decision.

This will be the first time I train for a fall marathon, so it will be interesting to see how I do with the long runs in the heat -- in previous years I didn't start running long until Sept/Oct -- but we usually start as early as 3 a.m. so it should be ok. I'll probably also do a few shorter races if I can fit them into my training schedule, and try to run that sub-30 5K. You can see my planned racing schedule so far at the top of the sidebar on the right.

How about you? What's in store for you this summer?

MBE: Summer Running Tips

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at  Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is  Summer Running Tips

Question: The heat is on its way (and for some has already made its arrival) and the summer is getting close. What are some of your tried and true summer running tips for staying safe and cool in the heat?

Like Jill, I too prefer running in the summer than the winter because it is not very motivating getting up early and spending longer bundling up in layers than it takes to complete a short run in freezing temps. Running in the heat has it's own challenges, so here is how I dealing with them.

• run in the morning before it gets too hot, or run indoors. I cannot stand the treadmill, so getting up early is my only option. I actually prefer to exercise in the mornings, so this works out well. Besides, I'm not going to be racing indoors or at night, so I need to acclimate to the heat.
• hydrate! During the winter, I can easily run 4-5 miles with no water. In the summer, I need water after 2-3 miles. Even though I hate carrying anything while I run, I use a handheld water bottle for short runs and a hydration belt for longer runs.
• wear appropriate gear aka wicking fabrics. I never run in cotton; it doesn't breath well and takes forever to dry, so it will weigh you down and make you feel hotter. You don't need to spend a lot of money on tech shirts; C9 by Champion has a nice selection available at Target for as little as $10. You can also find other brands heavily discounted at places like Ross or outlet stores. I also wear bondi bands to keep the sweat out of my eyes, and usually a hat and sunglasses to keep shield me from the sun.
• wear sunscreen. I'm really bad about remembering this one, mainly because my darker complexion means I don't get sunburnt easily. However, that doesn't preclude me from getting sun skin damage so I need to be more diligent. Not all sunscreens are created equal, so take a look this guide to help you find one that works for you.

MBE: Music

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at  Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is Music.

Question: Do you listen to music when you work out? When you race? What are you top ten favorite songs to get pumped up to?


I started running using the Couch to 5K Program, so I used my ipod shuffle loaded with podcasts to help me track the intervals. Once the intervals were over, I used my own music to keep me occupied. One day  after finishing the program, I was running on a very hot day and could hear/feel my earbuds moving around in my ear. It irritated me so much that I yanked them out and ran without music, and it didn't suck.

At first I worried about how I would be able to get through my first 4 mile run without music, but I did fine. I found the lack of music helped me focus on my breathing and stride better, and enjoy my surroundings, so I've been running without music ever since. Every now and then, I'll run with my ipod for a little variety, or if I am running on the treadmill, but both are very rare. I think music alters my stride/pace because it sets the tempo, which is ever changing, and I can't ever find the perfect playlist.

I never race with music anymore -- I did for my first few 5Ks when I was still using the podcasts -- but most races discourage it. With the addition of triathlons to my race schedule where the use of headphones is cause for disqualification (and the logistics of using an mp3 player are not worth the trouble), it's not even something I consider anymore. I brought my ipod to use during my first marathon, since I'd be running by myself, but I opted to run without it (left it in my hotel room) and I'm glad I did. I never needed it and I think I enjoyed the experience more because I didn't tune out my surroundings.

MBE: Motivation

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at  Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is Motivation.

Question: What/Who motivates you? What do you tell yourself when you are struggling? How do you keep going when it is too cold, too windy, too hot, too humid, too early, too late, etc…?

This is a very timely question because I almost didn’t get out of bed for this morning's run. I was achy and tired, but I had a feeling it wasn't a cry for help from my body but a case of laziness. I knew I would regret it if I didn't run (because I would either have to skip it or run in 90º temps after work), so I dragged myself out of bed, got out there in the 75º temps with 90% and humidity, and pushed myself to ran 3 miles -- even though I had convinced myself that I could quit after 2.5 miles.

I've blogged about some of this before in Why I Didn't Stop, but that was more about how I build my exercise habit.  This post is more about what keeps me going from day to day.

The main thing that keeps me motivated is having a training schedule with a target race that I can't fake my way through. Right now I am just maintaining my base, but I know that come June I'll begin marathon training. Since my target race is at the end of November, I have to be able to run 12 miles pretty soon after the start of the season, so I can't slack off too much during the "off season."

The other thing that keeps me going is motivating others. Several people I know, and others I do not, have begun running or made a change to a healthier lifestyle because what I've been able to accomplish has inspired them. I know I have people out there rooting for me, and I do not want to let them down or stop inspiring others to be the best version of themselves they can be. It truly brings me joy to help develop a new runner, if they end up being faster than me LOL I am seriously considering becoming a certified running coach or personal training so I can keep paying it forward. For sure I will be a Galloway pace leader next year.

When it is too cold, too windy, too hot, too humid, too early, too late, etc ... I just remind myself of how awesome it feels to cross that finish line. If I don't do the work now, it will hurt much more then if I finish at all. And failure is just not an option for me! Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of mornings when I wake up and I skip a workout, but those have become rare and are usually due to much needed rest. I wrote all about that on a recent post, Needed Rest Day or Lazyness?, so I won't repeat myself here.

While writing this post, I found a Memo from My Future Self that I forgot that I wrote back in October 2008, before I even completed my first half marathon, as a way to motivate myself to keep up with my running. Even then I knew I would someday complete a marathon, and reading it again today I was amazed at how accurate it was. In hopes that it will motivate others to keep going or write their own, I'm reposting it below:

Dear Kitzzy,

This is Kitzzy from the not-so-distant future--I can't tell you the exact date because then I may alter the space-time continuum, and no one wants that :) Of course, just writing this later may cause that, but that is a risk I am willing to take to share this amazing moment with you.

Today, I ran my first marathon!

It was amazing, and it was awful, but then it was really amazing. Of course, I could not have done it without all the hard work you are doing right now. I know it sometimes feels like you can't do this anymore or you think to yourself that you must be crazy for thinking you can ever run a marathon (and you are), but I just wanted to tell you to keep at it because all this hard work you are doing now is totally worth it and will really pay off soon. I won't lie to you, it was not easy. It was grueling, yes, but I just knew I had to keep going because I didn't want to let you down.

I remember when you started this journey to a better you with just 10 minutes of cardio kickboxing 3 times a week in February 2008 weighing over 150 lbs. You quickly graduated to 30 minutes and before long it was the end of March and you were walking that 2 mile race--with some tiny jogging thrown in--that ignited something in you to want to become a runner. You always said "I'm not a runner" or "I can't run." Boy were you wrong ;) You know how you felt when you crossed the finish line at that 2 mile race? That is nothing compared to what you will feel when you cross the finish line at your first marathon. I don't want to say too much and spoil it, but you will love it.

So whenever you feel discouraged and like you are making a big mistake, read this letter and know you CAN and WILL do this! Anything is possible given enough determination, and you have that in spades! I am so proud of your efforts so far and look forward to you reaching the next milestones in your journey.

Love,

Kitzzy

MBE: My Blog

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at  Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is Your Blog.

Question: Do your family and friends know about your blog? If so, what do they think of it? If not, why haven’t you told them?

I am an open book and this is a public blog, so yeah they know about it. I have the link to it on facebook and twitter, and every post gets syndicated there. My mom has mentioned reading my blog, and some friends comment on it either here or via facebook.  My boyfriend never comments, but he tells me he reads it via rss (or at least skims it because I tell him what I blog about anyway so it's redundant to him -- at least, that's the story he's sticking with).

Before I started this blog, I had a blog on livejournal. That one was and still is private, but I rarely post to it anymore. I do read some communities there, and it was an invaluable resource when I was completing the c25k program. When I embarked on my lifestyle change to lose weight and become a runner, I began this blog to document the entire process publicly. I think making the process transparent helped keep me accountable, and inspired others to embark in their own similar journey. Inspiring others is one of the biggest motivations for me to keep going.

I love documenting my training as I set higher and higher goals, as well as recapping all my races so I have a historical account of how far I've come. While I always hoped I'd have readers follow along, I blog more for me because I love having the data to look back on. I am thrilled to have met so many wonderful people through this blog, both online and in person. So if you are out there lurking, come on out and say hi! :)

MBE: Boston

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is Boston.

Question: Do you get excited about the Boston Marathon? Have you ever ran or do you hope to one day run in the race? Will you watch today and if so will it be watching in person, on TV, on the computer? Do you have anyone special running this year? Any great Boston stories to tell?

I got a little excited about it today. Last year, I didn't even know when it was taking place; this year I followed the live results on the website. I am in awe that runners can finish a marathon faster than I can do a half marathon. LOL. More astonishing was that there were only seconds separating the top 10-20 elite men.

The only way I'll ever run Boston is if I'm still running and don't get any slower when I'm 80 :) I know I could run it for charity, but I wouldn't want to run it unless I qualified, and that's a hell of a long shot for me in my lifetime. I did find out this year that they have a 5k the day before, so maybe I'll take a little vacation to Boston next year, explore the Expo, run the 5K, and watch the marathon.

Congratulations to everyone who qualified for and ran Boston today. You are all an inspiration!

Monday Brain Exchange: Training

This week's Monday Brain Exchange topic is Training.

Question: How do you train? Do you use a schedule, have a coach or go with the flow? Do you train alone or with group?

For half and full marathons, I train with Track Shack's Galloway Group. The group technically meets three times a week on Tuesdays (tempo/hills/etc), Thursdays (track), and Saturdays (long runs). I usually only join them for the long runs on Saturday mornings (3 - 6 am start depending on distance) because it's easier and quicker for me to run on my own during the week, and then I get to sleep in a little :) I plan to join them at the track on Thursdays at 5 am starting in June to get in some structured speed work (maybe sooner so I can get used to it before I commit to being there weekly to set up the water cooler). We use Jeff Galloway's run/walk/run method for the long runs, but I typically run without walk breaks during the week for a little variety and to build up my endurance for short distances. However, I rarely race without walk breaks because I am always slower when I run non-stop.

For triathlons, I trained on my own and informally with some meetup groups (see my Orlando Groups page) and friends last year. Jason and I do some of our training together -- meaning at the same time -- but our paces are so different (read he is faster than me in all 3 sports =P) that we can rarely actually do it together. We did go on a nice bike ride this Sunday where we stayed mostly together. We'd sprint for a bit at our own pace then regroup and do it again. It was fun. I was going to join the Central Florida Tri Club at the Downtown Orlando YMCA this year for a bit more structure and coaching, but their training schedule is a bit ambitious for me. I don't mind getting up early once a week, but a 5 am start every single day is a bit much. Now that the Cady Way pool is open again, I may try swimming with the Winter Park YMCA Trimaniacs on Saturday morning if I can make it work after my long runs with the Galloway Group.

I enjoy running with a group for long runs, but the Galloway Group is the only one where I've really been able to click. Every other group I try, I am too slow or too fast (rarely), and no one else really runs the way I do. But that is ok because I enjoy running alone for shorter distances (3-6 miles, up to 10 if I have to). Running is a great way to clear my head, and is nice being able to do my own thing and not have to speed up/slow down for others.

If you live in the Orlando area and train with a group for any or all of the 3 triathlon sports, I'd love to hear your recommendations and experiences training with them.

Monday Brain Exchange: Favorite Races!

This week's Monday Brain Exchange topic is Favorite Races. The question: Name your top 3 favorite events to date. When were they and why are they your favorite?

This was a tough choice -- like choosing your favorite child. LOL. Ok, maybe not. Anyway, I narrowed it down and here they are in order of occurrence. Click on the race name to read the race report.

Run for the Trees 5K - April 25, 2009 in Winter Park, FL

I've run this race every year since I began running, which is only 2 times lol, but I'm going back this year. Last year I ran it in 33:12, my current 5K PR, and had a blast because I had my mom and friends there. One of the things I love most about this race is the focus on the environment. Everyone that finishes the race receives a young tree, and the race awards are also (bigger) trees. It's close enough to home that I can bike there. The course is gorgeous and unique, ending on in the tree-canopied, wilderness dirt road of Genius Drive, a privately owned glimpse of old Florida opened to the public only once a year, for this event.


26.2 with Donna Marathon Relay - February 21, 2010 in Jacksonville, FL

The big selling point for this race is that 100% of the proceeds go towards breast cancer research and care. With such a great cause, it's not surprise that the support from the local community is amazing. I was impressed with the level of organization, support, and spectators in this race. The water stops were ample, as were the GUs and other food items. This being their first year of the relay, the logistics could be improved, but it wasn't a big enough issue to deter from my enjoyment or wanting to do it again. The weather was perfect, I ran a great race, and got to share a marathon with my family. What more could I have asked for? I'm already planning to return next year to run the full marathon by myself.

Gasparilla Marathon - February 28, 2010 in Tampa, FL

This was my first marathon, so of course it makes the top 3. The goodie bags were reusable tote bags, the post race food was great; I loved the pirate theme; and my heavy duty maiden voyage medal is gorgeous and can double as a weapon if someone breaks into my apartment lol I don't think the support and spectators were as good as BCM, and I prefer GU to PowerBar Gels, but it was an amazing experience that I will cherish forever, especially running the last 2 miles with my Dad! :)

Honorable Mentions: Corporate 5K for it's cheer size and running with co-workers; Central Florida Sprint Triathlon for the great goodie bag, course, and post-race food; OUC Triathlon Relay for a killer run leg with the best relay team ever!

As you can see, I don't venture too far from home, but that is all about to change in 2010 :)

Monday Brain Exchange: All About Blogs!

Jillian, from Finishing is Winning, is starting a weekly Q&A called Monday Brain Exchange for bloggers to play along in an attempt to fill the void left by the Runner's Lounge TiaRT. Today is the kick-off with this great question:

What/Who influenced you to start a blog? Where did you get your blog title? How long have you been blogging?

I am not really sure who influenced me to start this blog, other than probably all the other great running/fitness/weight loss blogs out there. I've had a blog on livejournal for a long time, but that was more for silly stuff. When I finally realized I was overweight and was ready to do something about it, I started this public blog to document my journey. That was over 2 years ago, on February 10, 2008.

My blog was originally named "Road to Fitness" because I wanted to focus on improving my fitness instead of just losing weight (shedding the pounds was a nice side effect, but also a big driving force). I eventually changed the name to "Lifestyle Change" because I wanted the blog to be about more than just fitness, and because I wanted to change my entire lifestyle not just be on a fad diet until the weight came off.

I still struggle with maintaining my weight at whatever magic number I deem appropriate in my head, but there is no doubt I've changed my lifestyle. I eat far better than I used to, even if I can't kick my chocolate and ice cream habit; I eat out way less and cook at home more; and exercise is no longer a means to an end; it is now a way of life and I can't imagine my life without it.

So that's the story of my blog's birth :) I can't believe I'm still blogging 2 years later, and I am forever grateful to everyone out there who reads and comments on my entries -- whether here or on facebook or on twitter -- and continues to encourage me in my never ending quest for the next challenge.

I want to continue blogging regularly, not just race reports, so I may start doing more weekly theme posts like this but perhaps I should start others of my own. Any ideas?