2014 fitness goals (so far)

Although I have deliberately not been actively training for any goals as of late, I do in fact have several lined up for later in the year.

1. SPRINT TRIATHLON WITH KARIN

Karin has been wanting to train for and complete a sprint tri for a while now.  A typical sprint tri is usually about a half-mile swim, a 12-15 mile bike, and a 5k run.  We were planning to do one in Wisconsin last September (which, by the way, brings up a whole mess of logistical issues involving the cost and trouble of transporting or otherwise procuring a bicycle for a race thousands of miles from home.)  It didn't happen because of scheduling conflicts, but we still want to do one, so we are planning to do one within driving distance later in the year.  We are considering one in Flagstaff (http://www.mountainmanevents.com/mountainmantriathlon.htm), which would be beautiful and fun, but the altitude is a bit daunting.  Or perhaps San Diego, which is also beautiful and fun, but, I feel, also a bit daunting, due to the fact that San Diego is kind of the birthplace of triathlon and as such has a huge, serious, competitive triathlon community.

2.OLYMPIC TRIATHLON
 
This would be so fun to train for!  It is long enough to be a serious challenge (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6 mile run), and it would involve the same types of workouts as Ironman training, but it wouldn't take over my life.  I love the idea of working harder in a shorter time for a change, rather than going easier for longer.  Although I repeatedly thought during Ironman training about how "easy" training for any running event would seem in comparison (All I have to do is RUN?!), the truth is I love the variety of triathlon training and I know the cross training is really good for correcting muscle imbalances and having well-rounded strength and fitness.

3. HALF MARATHONS

Yep, that is plural!  I love half marathons!  It is a great distance to train for and race!  I want to do at least 2 this year.  I would love to do one just to get back into it, and also do one to try and PR (beat my Personal Record).  I may do another one as part of my marathon training...which leads me to...

4. MARATHON

In all honesty I truly believed my marathon at the end of Ironman would be faster than my first marathon last February.  I was so under-trained for the first marathon, and had no idea what to expect (what to expect, it turns out, is a lot of pain.)  I felt so much more fit going into the Ironman (duh!).  But alas, apparently the 9 hours of exercise prior to the marathon that day wore me out a bit, and I did not beat my stand-alone marathon time.  But I know for a fact that with proper training I can blow that first 5 hour marathon out of the water, and I fully intend to do that.  So I am planning to do a fall marathon (www.portlandmarathon.org), which allows me plenty of time to get into decent general shape, and then plenty of time to do a full marathon-specific training program.

I will begin training for all of these when we get back from Laos in March, and I am very excited about it.  Clearly I am the kind of person who needs concrete goals to stay in shape.

For now, I am still just training to fit into my pants.

Lightening my load

It's ironic that, just when I start posting again, I will be leaving in a week for a month-long trip to Laos.  The timing of the trip actually affects my recent unhealthy lifestyle in a couple of ways.

First of all, Karin and I started planning this trip before Ironman, so I knew we would be gone for the month of February.  Because of that, all of my upcoming fitness goals--triathlons, half-marathons and marathons--are in the fairly distant future; so I had nothing pressing to compel me to jump back into a training regimen anytime soon after Ironman.

Secondly, The closer we get to our departure for Laos the more imperative it becomes for me to shed some pounds and regain some fitness.  For one thing, our plans in Laos include some very challenging hiking.  But more importantly, when Karin and I travel long-term, we live out of a backpack.  That means we pack about 3 shirts, a pair of shorts or capris, and maybe a pair of pants.  What that means is: My clothes have to fit!  I don't have a lot of options on the road, so I have to be comfortable in the few clothes I bring.

When Karin and I went to Nepal in 2012 I gained some weight before the trip.  I wasn't too concerned because we would be hiking 5-8 hours a day in Nepal, so I knew the extra weight would come off fairly quickly.  The problem is, since we were carrying everything on our backs for those hours of hiking, I brought 1 pair of hiking pants.  I tried them on in the hotel in Kathmandu the night before we started our hike, and I could barely button them!  And when I did get them buttoned there were love handles flopping over the waistband, the crotch of the pants was all up in my business, and the butt was like one of those food-saver bags after all the air has been sucked out of it.  I was up half the night, stressed and near tears wondering how on earth I was going to wear those pants, much less hike in them!

Fortunately, they did loosen up within a couple days, and by the end of the trip they were a bit baggy!  But man the first couple days sucked!

(Day 1) Holy tight pants, Batman!

(Day 20-something) Aaaahhhh, a little breathing room!

I actually had the reverse happen on a trip to Burma and Thailand in 2009.  When I left for Burma I was in great shape.  The one pair of capris I brought on that trip were a size 6, and they fit.  But after about a week in Thailand, with my days full of spring rolls, pad thai and Thai pancakes, I could not even button the capris on the plane ride home!  (The 18 HOUR plane ride home!)

So, having experienced the discomfort of limited-wardrobe-travel when that limited wardrobe does not quite fit, I am determined to lose at least a few pounds so I will be comfortable in the few things I bring with me to Laos.  To this end, I have put Karin and myself on a diet-and-exercise plan for the next week.

I have actually been exercising very consistently since the beginning of the year.  I exercise at least 4 days a week.  But of course, that is exercise like a regular person--40 minutes or so of running or intervals, or the occasional 2 hour hike.  Nothing compared to Ironman training.  Which means I can no longer consume Ironman calories!  So far the diet has been the missing link.  I have been eating a decent amount of fruits and veggies, but that is in addition to, rather than instead of an obscene amount of junk.

So far we have both been very successful on our "diet" (diet is a dirty word--really it is just mindful, very healthy eating).

It has been 14 hours.

The exact same weight

Yesterday I went to the doctor.  Karin and I are going to Southeast Asia for a month and I need anti-malarial meds.  So, naturally, they weighed me at the doctor's office.  I weighed 150 pounds. Sad? Yes. Shocking? Well, no; I have a scale at home.

When the physician's assistant went over my vitals and my chart, she said, "Well, your weight has not changed at all since you were here last year!  It's exactly the same."  (The last time I was there was last February, to get the stitches removed from my upper lip.)  But she said it like it was a good thing.  After all, I am 35; that age when one's metabolism slows down and women naturally lose muscle and gain fat if they are not careful.  And 150 pounds, at my height (5 ft. 8 in.) is actually a perfectly healthy weight.  So to someone who doesn't know me and sees me once a year, I am sure I seem healthy and consistent and should be downright proud to maintain the exact same weight year after year.

But the fact is that a few months ago I was in the best shape of my life!  I was 139 pounds of mostly muscle; just a few short months ago!  But they don't know that!  They see me at 150 in February of 2013.  And 150 in January of 2014.  And they see someone who is pretty healthy and, clearly, very consistent!  But in between those two weigh-ins, I DID AN IRONMAN!

But as far as my medical records and my pants are concerned, it's as if it never happened.

Still talking about Running Shoes

Karin is confounded.  And not happy.  Once I found my "perfect shoe" last spring (in fact, two perfect pairs, which I alternated during training) she assumed she would be free of the constant chatter and internet browsing relating to running shoes.  Especially since I barely ran in the month and a half following Ironman, she assumed the deluge of repetitive running shoe discussion was a thing of the past.  So imagine her despair to discover that, 2 months post-Ironman, with no real training going on, and what passes for recreational running barely playing a role in my daily life, the constant shopping, comparing, selecting, purchasing, returning and analysis of my next running shoe is still happening!

Most recently, on a lark, I tried on a pair of Brooks Pure Cadence from a clearance rack.  They were a half size too small, but the Brooks website had them on end-of-the-year clearance for a killer deal, so I ordered them in my size.

I loved them for a minute, but after a few miles they turned out to be a bit narrow and have too much arch support.

So back they went and the search began anew.  Which led me to the Men's version of the Brook's Pure Flow.

They are WAY BRIGHTER in real life than in this picture!

On the website they looked like the color of pumpkin.  When I got them in the mail they were neon orange.  And because I wear a size 10 (8 1/2 men's), between the giant size and the crazy color they seriously resembled clown shoes!  Thus began the multi-day should-I-keep-them-or-return-them debate.  A debate that, surprisingly, does not fascinate innocent bystanders as it does me. Though I am less than thrilled with the color, the shoes are so comfy, so, mostly to save my relationship, I decided to shut up and keep them.  (My relationship survived Ironman training; I will not destroy it with running shoe obsession!)

These new shoes should last me at least 4-5 months; so Karin, and the world at large, should be safe from my running-shoe-obsession till then.

(Just a note...When Karin met me, I owned 1 pair of athletic shoes.  They were  a $25 pair of Spalding "running" shoes.  I wore them for everything.  Running, going to the gym, hiking.  Today I have 3 pairs of road running shoes, 2 pairs of trail running shoes, and 2 pairs of hiking shoes!)

My current line-up of athletic shoes!

Back to Basics

For those of you who occasionally still check this blog in the hopes of finding more stories of botched training attempts or the brilliant insights that only come after mile 18 of a run or mile 60 of a bike ride, you may be in luck.

It turns out that, even after a year of training and the completion of an Ironman, it remains very, very true that IF YOU DON'T USE IT, YOU LOSE IT!  (To be clear: what you lose is fitness. What you do not lose is weight.)

Several months ago I was the kind of person who sent actual texts like this: "I may be a few minutes late for our 4 mile hike because I have to finish my 13 mile run first."

Now I am the kind of person who eats this

after work and then, shockingly, finds it difficult to get off the couch and work out.  (Full disclosure: I ate several of the donuts on the 10 minute drive home from Panda Express!!!)

The new me feels like a magician's assistant during the trick where the magician saws me in half, but instead of a saw he is using the waistband of my pants to cut me in half.

Yes, I have gained a few pounds.  For reference, "a few" means 10.  When I did the Ironman I weighed 139 pounds.  When I did the marathon last February I weighed 148.  So I actually weigh about the same as I did at this time last year.  But once you have been Iron Fit, going back to how you used to be feels worse than it did the first time around.  Not that that fact gets me off the couch or pries the 2nd king size candy bar out of my hand.

In the weeks leading up to Ironman I was very healthy.  I ate very few sweets, drank very, very little alcohol, and the week prior I cut way back on caffeine.  It wasn't hard to motivate myself because I knew how much it would matter come race day; and I had been training for a year so I wasn't going to blow it in the last few weeks!  But I told myself that after Ironman I would let myself indulge without guilt.  I imagined that would be for a week or so.

It has been 2 months.

I was also looking forward to working out "however and whenever" I want.  For the first month and a half after Ironman, that turned out to be "not at all."

I remember in the beginning of my Ironman base training it was hard to make myself do all my scheduled workouts, but I managed to get in most of them, because I had a 140.6 mile day hanging over my head.  It turns out, without that hanging over my head...I just don't get out the door.  I think I will.  I plan to.  I eat like I am going to work out a lot.  But it just wasn't actually happening.

At least now I am back on the workout wagon (though in an extremely abbreviated form thus far) but it has been harder to get off the junk food wagon.

For example, this is a sneak peak at my backpack right now

Really that sums it up perfectly! An Ironman full of candy!