How often do you really stop and take the time to think about yourself, who you are at this moment and where you’d like to go? I know I don’t often do that, but way back in the day when I was an undergrad college student I did. One of our assignments was setting 5 and 10 year professional goals.
I randomly came across those goals I’d listed about 10 years later. Surprisingly I met every single one of the goals I’d laid out for myself! I hadn’t thought about that assignment since I turned it in,done and dusted, all those years ago. But I wonder… did that exercise unknowingly set me up for success??
Fast forward to now, where I think more about athletic and fitness goals. So, when I received a prompt from Honey Stinger to complete a couple goal setting activities at the beginning of this year, I figured I’d give it a go!
‘Understanding yourself’ worksheet
So, let’s see where I end up at the end of 2023. Will I meet and/or exceed these goals? I’d certainly like to think so! And, I’ve been back to running, building that base for a successful season ahead. Week 2 and feeling strong…
Time for a catch up post! It’s already almost mid-May. Where has the time gone?!? Since my last post we’ve celebrated Easter and Mother’s Day, 2 of springs biggest events. Through it all I’ve still been running the miles and making memories with runner friends!
Mother’s Day ‘Momosas’ with Moms Run This Town
Last month I was dealing with a pesky calf and hamstring strain, so my mileage did go down and my speed work had to go on hold. I put in some more time on the bike to give the legs some no impact training, as I’m prepping for 2 triathlons in June anyway. I’m happy to report the legs are feeling stronger now, and I was even able to complete an interval tempo run this morning!
This morning’s sunrise during my tempo run
Today’s workout was 3x 7 minutes at 8:45-9:30 pace with a 3 minute jog between each set. My legs definitely took longer to warm up, but I was able to stay between 9-9:30 for all 3 intervals. It’s funny how quickly the speed fades when one is not able to keep practicing the turnover, but I do know it will come back quick when my body is ready.
I had a less than stellar 5k last month, on April 9 to be exact. It was a small local race, so I did place 2nd in my age group with a meager 27 minute finish time. I attempted a 5k time trial last weekend, and while my legs were pain free my pace was still not where I wanted it to be. This time I blame the increasing Florida summer heat at 9 am, but I know the other part of the equation is the effect of detraining. So, back to work I will go!
Chick Fil A 5k, 4/9/22
I’ve also been running some trails with a local trail running group. That has been so much fun! One week we even did a run then paddle-boarded down the Wekiva River to Wekiva Island for lunch. I love this group and the opportunities they’ve given me to explore areas I would otherwise not be able to see as a solo female runner!
The O-Town Blazers Wekiva River
I am looking forward to the June triathlons and then more training for the Georgia Sky to Summit race in the fall. Big things ahead, and I’m super excited to blaze even more trails! Stay tuned and follow my journey 🤗
Track Tuesday. It’s a thing. I mean, certainly you can run a track workout any day of the week, but #trackTuesday just has a special ring to it! So, I like to partake as much as possible.
But, then there are mom responsibilities and work and all the other things that try to push my workouts aside. Try as they might, I always remember what my grandma would say. “If there’s a will, there’s a way!”. So, I’m working on making these mornings (or evenings) happen.
Speed work is my absolute favorite of all running workouts! Short intervals, such as 200 or 400 meter repeats really help keep the leg turnover strong and boost our VO2 max. There are many ways to incorporate this into your running, and you don’t even have to use a track if you can program your watch for the distance or have a way to measure out those splits. For me, the track helps me focus, and I don’t have to worry about cars, curbs, or other people so much.
My track at sunrise 😍
I’ve been building back the speed workouts lately after a hiatus of long (read: slow) distance triathlon training last year. I started with 4x 400, then 5x 400; today’s workout is listed below:
1 mile easy pace up w/ dynamic drills 6x 400m with 1’ jog in between sets 1 mile easy cool down
Speed, much like everything else, is a work in progress. My goal was to hit a 7:40 pace each interval, and I managed to go a little faster than planned at 7:33/:30/:21/:17/:26/:19. The most important part here is that I did not slow down on each interval – I actually picked up speed on all but #5. This tells me I was ok going faster than the my planned effort. If I had gotten progressively slower, or needed longer rest breaks in between, then the effort would’ve been too intense.
I’ve been working on a speed block for about the last 8 weeks. I really don’t want this to come to an end! I have some mid- and long-distance events planned later this year, but I plan to keep my track Tuesday workouts as long a I can. Consistency over time is the key to anything we do. My 5k times are gradually dropping, and while they are not quite back to where they were in years past, I am hopeful for the future!
1st place AG finisher Most recent 5k time. A 16 sec/mile drop since February with limited speed work due to a hilly half marathon in March and a trail half at the beginning of April.
Another race in the books! Don’t snicker, I really did want s’more bling! 🏅 I didn’t have any fancy Twix up my sleeves tho, so today I took my sweet time crossing that finish line in 27:47. Not a bad Skor for racing 2 days in a row!
My left quad felt like I was running on a Rocky Road in the last mile. Maybe I bit off more than I could chew racing again, but it sure was choc full of fun! 🤷🏻♀️😁🍫❤️
It’s been a while since I raced back to back, but it sure did feel great! Another successful practice of those pre-race rituals – a decent bedtime, proper hydration and fueling, and execution of a race day warm up. You know what they say…practice makes perfect! And, while I’m far from perfect, I am one step closer to reaching my goals today than I was yesterday.
Later this afternoon I attended a ladies only bike skills workout with my local triathlon club. It was mainly focused on beginners, but it was nice to spin out the lactic acid in my legs with some easy brick (bike/run) sets. In between the morning 5k and this afternoon’s workout, there was just enough time to rest, live-stream church, refuel, and caffeinate on this Super Bowl Sunday.
Now, off for some pre-game gluten-free snack prep and weekly Sunday meal prep. I will also be planning out the week with my Happy Planner (love!) and packing tomorrow’s gym bag. Preparation is the key to success because when one fails to plan, they are really just planning to fail! Oh yes, and let’s go Bengals! 🏈
This morning was the 7th annual Purple Pride 5k to kick off the Orlando City Soccer season. I must say, I am proud of the girl who showed up today!
This opportunity made me feel closer to where I used to be and helped me see that my goals are coming into focus. I need to stay patient, give it some time, and keep putting in the work.
On December 29th, I clocked a disappointing 30:33 5k, when doing an unofficial time trial assessment. With a 5k PR of 25:06, never have I ever run that slow 😞 After a full year of 70.3 triathlon training, I knew something had to give, and I was beyond ready for a change.
I crave speedy sessions and the feeling of leaving it all on the pavement! That kind of training does not go hand-in-hand with 50+ mile bike rides and hour-plus long swims. So, I decided it was time to focus on developing that quick turnover again with a 5k training block to kick off 2022. A running coach wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
For some reason I seem to be ‘uncoachable’. In my attempts to reach out to local triathlon coaches, I have either been dismissed, ignored, or put in the beginner level groups. After 7 years of racing triathlon and 30 years of running, that’s just not what I’m looking for. While a bit frustrating, I channeled that energy into getting my own run coaching certification.
It’s been about 6 weeks of dedicated 5k training and 3 weeks of coaching myself. The gains are starting to appear! I shaved about 3 minutes off my time, but still need to work on not going out too fast in the first mile. I did execute a proper pre-race warm up today, went to bed on time last night, and hydrated well ahead of this event. I have a few more races lined up over the coming weeks and plan to keep making, and sharing, forward progress! 💜
Determined to Tri AND Run 