Monthly Archives: August 2014

A Lazy Weekend. Sorta.

It is the weekend.  It is a holiday weekend.  And I have managed to schedule my work so that I actually have four whole days off.  I cannot explain to you how excited I am about this.

So I’m sure you’re wondering what sort of amazing plans I have in place.  Labor Day weekend is usually a big time for that “last bash” of summer, right?

I have nothing planned.  NOTHING.

(Well, okay, that’s a lie, I do actually have a training plan I need to stick to.)

For the first weekend since sometime in mid-July, I don’t have any plans.  I’m not going anywhere.  I’m not racing.  I’m not doing a 24 hour bike ride.  I’m staying home and I could not be more excited.

Admittedly, I have a huge list of things that I need to get done around the house.  Let’s just say that my busy schedule has had a negative impact on my housekeeping skills.  No critters have moved in yet, but the dust bunnies may become sentient if I don’t take care of things soon.

But I also plan to sleep in (except for my long run day – gotta beat the heat!) and take the time to cook meals I will actually enjoy and just enjoy the freedom of doing what I want when I want.  Plus I’m looking forward to actually having an uncluttered house again.  I painted the closet the first weekend of July.  It’s high time the ladder gets put away.

Sprint Triathlon PR

When I posted about my most recent triathlon, I mentioned that it was a course PR.   Someone asked me if it was my sprint PR as well.  And the answer is… well, not really.  Triathlon PRs, primarily at the sprint distance, are a different animal and hard to compare.

Obviously, courses are different.  You can have hilly and flat sprint triathlons.  You can have pool swims, swims in a calm lake, swims in a moving river, or swims in the ocean.  But the terrain of the course of a running race varies too.

The big difference that a lot of people miss is that the sprint distance isn’t always standardized.  From what I understand, the “standard” sprint distance is approximately a 750m swim, 12.4 mile bike, and 5k run.

How does that compare to my triathlons this year?

Dragonfly Heart – 400m swim, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run

Fort Ritchie – 750m swim, 15 mile bike, 5k run

Iron Girl Columbia – 1000m swim, 16 mile bike, 3.3 mile run

So none of them fall into the standard distance (though Fort Ritchie is close).  And because of the variations in distances, I can’t really compare them.  Each race is distinctly different, not only because of terrain but because of distance.  It’s like comparing a 5k race and a 5 mile race and saying which one is your PR.

Therefore, if you ask me today what my sprint triathlon PR is, I will just shrug.

The difference in distances is also important to note when you’re signing up for a race.  Make sure you check out those distances before you sign up for a sprint.  Iron Girl Columbia had a swim that was more than twice the distance of Dragonfly Heart, and both are billed as sprint races.  A number of women during Iron Girl Columbia seemed shocked at how far the swim really was and some complained that it was mismeasured.  Based on my swim time, I’d say it was just fine.  They just hadn’t realized that sprint distance swims aren’t all the same.

I like the variation in distances.  Each race is challenging in a different way.  But it’s good to know what I’m up against when I reach the start line.

Wednesday Workout Recap

Well… I got the workout recap done on time, so I should get points for that, right?

Monday – Rest Day

Tuesday – 6 miles of speedwork.  I was very motivated for this run due to all the people who passed me on the run during Iron Girl Columbia.  I’m never going to be fast, but I can always get a little bit faster.

Wednesday – Dentist. Crown prep.  Headache.  Sleep.

Thursday – With Team Fight swim cancelled for the week, I did Wednesday’s bike workout.  Some light speedwork.

Friday – Rest

Saturday – 24 Hours of Booty!  Got in 70 miles.

Sunday – More Booty!  Additional 43 miles.

In number of miles, it was a victory.  In number of workouts… eh.

Busy Schedule = Weight Gain

My schedule this month has been insane, as you may have noticed.  I’ve not had a weekend off since sometime in July.  Unfortunately, when my schedule gets crazy, two things happen.  One, my house becomes a complete disaster.  I keep up with what I have to (dishes, laundry), and everything else falls apart.  And two, I end up making poor eating choices and my diet falls apart.  And I start to gain weight.

While I’m hoping that some of the weight I’m holding onto is still water weight from my ride this weekend, as the days pass, that becomes less and less likely.

It’s not like this is a new issue for me.  And it’s not as if I don’t plan for it.  I have gotten fairly good at making sure I have healthy foods around.  But the problem is that when I’m tired and busy, I don’t make the choice to eat those healthy foods.  Or I eat too much of them.  Even things that are good for me must be consumed in moderation.

For me, another big part of the problem is that once I’m off the wagon, it’s like my brain says “Well, we’re down here, might as well enjoy it for a while.  That wagon will be there later.”  So if I travel for a weekend and race and eat out, when I get home, I don’t immediately go back to healthy eating.  Instead, I continue to add in things I don’t need to be eating.  I don’t know if it’s because my body is craving them or if I’m just being lazy.

But it’s something that I definitely need to remember going forward.  One off meal or one off weekend is fine, but I need to immediately return to healthy eating.   I need to make sure that I let myself have fun and relax without completely ignoring the need to be healthy and watch what I’m eating.