2011 - The year of breakthroughs

Well, another year has come and gone.  Almost at least.  As I'm writing this, it's 10:10 in my time zone.  I probably won't make it till midnight.  I'm old like that.  When you have kids, and you give up sleep on one end of the clock, you don't get it back on the other (by sleeping in).  (Edited to say that I did not finish this post last night, so it's getting published this morning.)

So, one more year.  What do I have to show for it?  Well, when I look at then and now, I start to realize it's lots.

As 2011 rang in, I had just completed my second 5K race, with the frustration of only "kind of" beating the 30 minute mark I had been aiming for.  Having said that, I was entering the year as a runner and a triathlete-in-training.  My longest runs had reached distances of about 12 km (7.5mi) and I could swim a non-stop 1500 metres in the pool (albeit very slowly), a measly 7 months after learning to swim.

At the beginning of the year, I started a swim program that changed not only my swimming, but my outlook on my abilities.  Most importantly, I started to question the limits I had unconsciously set for myself - something that became a theme moving forward through the year.

In March, I did my first race of the year - my second 10K race.  I went into it with a goal of beating 1:02, but found myself running faster then I'd expected and finished in a surprising 1:00:12.  It gave me a 6 minute PR over my first 10k, but it gave me a taste for more.  It showed me that the sub-60 minute 10K wasn't quite as out of reach as I'd previously believed.  I also changed my blog name in March, from DebShrinks to DebTris, recognizing what my blog had become and the person I was becoming with it.

In April, I did a race that I will always remember, my first half marathon, and probably the most brutal weather I will ever experience on a race course.  And, when I say that I mean it.  I doubt I will ever again hit the highways when I read the words "travel is treacherous and not recommended" on the road report.  That race was a lesson in dealing with what you are dealt - in that case a blizzard.  I fell near the start, and made some mistakes with pacing and nutrition.  In the end, I did make it to the finish line, in 2:40:08.  A learning experience.  No regrets.  Even if I wouldn't repeat it (because I'm not keen on getting injured at the beginning of race season, or getting into an accident on the highway).

Around this time, Bella, my road bike made her outdoor debut.  Along with the debut came a right of passage - the clipless pedal fall.

This happened about 5 seconds after I told my husband I wouldn't be falling over for a picture.  What's that saying about pride and falling?

Along with the clipless pedal fall was the reminder of the lesson my son learned recently in skating: You might fall down, but you just have to get up and try, try again.

Don't look too closely at my bike position or fit.  I've had a better fitting done since this.

Meanwhile, some of my biking continued on my hybrid, pulling a little extra weight behind...

 

When June rolled around, it meant one big thing: triathlon season.  It was hitting the one year mark since the day I'd pledged to do a triathlon, and the time was drawing near.  At the beginning of June, I did my first sprint triathlon.  It was exhilarating.  I had the bug.  No doubt.  No argument.  What I'd once thought was a "one and done" thing had become anything but a bucket list item.  I was dreaming bigger.  I was dreaming iron.

In the swim session after that first tri, Angie asked me to say four simple words.  "I am a triathlete."  I'd hesitated to claim that title so soon, but as I drove home that evening, I repeated it to myself over and over again.  During those 10 minutes in the car, I went from just saying it to believing it.  I am a triathlete.

The summer moved on and I swam in open water while on vacation with my family.  I also panicked in open water, at my second triathlon, and the first one with an open water swim.  Then, I swam in open water  again.  And a few more times.  Remembering that lesson about falling and getting back up.  Or, I suppose in this case, drowning and getting back out.  (Okay, I didn't really drown.)

I didn't do any running races over the summer.  I didn't need to.  Triathlon was my focus and I did a race every month from June - Sept.  August was Strathmore, and then the time approached to do my big race of the year, the Banff Olympic distance triathlon.

I nailed Banff.  I was incredibly happy with my execution, and the race itself was spectacular.  Something pivotal happened to me during that race.  Prior to the race, I'd estimated how fast I thought I could do it, and considered how I should pace.  One thing I'd hoped was I could do the run at a 7:00/km pace or better.  I thought that I should hold myself to no faster then a 6:30/km to keep from blowing up.  Once on the run though, my garmin didn't work properly (perhaps the mountains messed up the satellite signal?).

I was left to run by feel and ended up doing the run in 1:01:05, a 6:06/km pace.  If I had realized how fast I was going, I would have slowed down. That taught me one of the most important lessons I learned that year: it was my mind holding me back, rather then my body.

After that race, I placed a renewed importance on losing weight, and shifted the focus largely back to running.  I entered an Autumn full of growth and discovery.  Every time I broke through a barrier, I found another one and shoved it out of my way, while passing through.  I destroyed my 10K pr, finishing it in 56:33, proving that the 60 minute barrier was simply a line in the sand, easy to step over.

I reached new distances while training for my last race of the year, topping out at 25km (15.5 mi), giving me huge amounts of confidence going into that race - another one where I destroyed a previous record, beating my time from the Police half by over 30 minutes.

In the midst of all of this, I made other breakthroughs in swimming and biking.  Things started to click for me in the pool.  I could finally really feel the water and my swimming improved by leaps and bounds.  Meanwhile, I did my first spin classes and got taught just how easy I'd taken it on the bike in the past, and how much harder I was capable of going, setting the groundwork for some serious improvement in the coming season.

I tried a running streak, and abandoned it in less then a week - learning another lesson.  Balance works for me.  As much as I love to run, running every single day doesn't bring me balance - at least not at this point in my life.

Then I entered a down time.  I took it a bit easy, letting my run mileage drop (but not stop).  I gained a few of those hard lost pounds back and started to feel a bit down about my progress.  Then, a few days ago at the pool, I ran into Angie again and commented on my recent slacking.  "That's okay.  Everyone needs a rest sometimes," she casually commented.

She's right.  I did need a bit of a break in the intensity.  I'm getting ready to gear up again, but the downtime is part of what has got me ready to do that.  It's been one hell of a year.

My Yak Trax Pro review

So, if you live in a similar climate to me, there's two choices when it comes to winter running. Spend the entire winter running indoors (on a track or treadmill) or run outside. Given the boredom factor of indoor running, the choice is obvious: run outside. It certainly requires more thought and preparation, but if you dress for the weather, you can run in just about any temperature.

Where things get tricky is when it gets slippery. As a new runner going into this winter, I got kind of freaked out when it started snowing. At first, I did a bunch of my runs at the track, but like I said, BORING! So, finally I sucked it up and started running outside.

Along with winter clothing, one of my purchases was a pair of yak trax pro.

They're made of rubber and have little coils wound around the segments which cut into the ice. They're unisex and come in three sizes: small, medium and large. According to my shoe size of women's 10, I should have worn a small, but the medium started at a 10.5 and fit my shoe a lot better, so I got that.

The first time I wore them, I was thrilled. There was a layer of snow on all the paths and I could feel that my traction was great. I even tested it on some icy spots, and my footing felt totally secure. It gave me the confidence to run even though the conditions weren't great, and I was very happy about that.

One thing I didn't like at all was running on bare concrete. They make a kind of clicky noise when you do and you can feel them on the bottom of your feet. They don't hurt, but they're uncomfortable. For this reason, I rarely wore them for my long runs. I actually found myself avoiding the bare patches in favour of running on snow covered spots. Of course, if I ran on long stretches of shoveled sidewalks, I didn't have a choice; I just had to put up with the feel on the bottom of my feet.

I also started to realize that I didn't need them as much as I thought I did. As I ran more, I learned that you can almost always see the icy patches. Yes, you have to pay attention, but that's a good habit anyways. I sometimes left the yak trax at home when it was mostly clear, and I didn't have any problems with running on the spots that still had snow and ice.

Having said that, I did enjoy having them as an option. They let me run at times I was otherwise a bit unsure of the sidewalks, and they always made my footing feel secure.

Until they broke.

I had them for about 3 months, and probably only used them about 12 times. I was preparing to put them on for a run and realized that one of the little rubber straps had broken. Then I looked and saw that one of the other coils also seemed to have detached itself.

Fortunately, I had bought them at Mountain Equipment Co-op, and they have amazing customer service. When I brought them back to the store, I was given my money back without any question. I didn't buy another pair. I question whether they're really designed well for running. Reading other reviews, it doesn't seem like my experience is unique. While they might be a good option for shoveling the sidewalk, I don't know that they can handle the additional load running puts on them.

I must admit that I miss having them, but I can't really recommend them. I'm on the look out for another traction device, although I don't think it's as vital as I used to. If you do buy them, I strongly recommend buying them somewhere that has good customer service and a good return policy...

How do you deal with icy sidewalks?

A review of the C25K program

Me, after finishing my first 5k run.

So, as many of you know, I am a recent graduate of the couch to 5K program, otherwise known as C25K. I thought I'd take a minute and put together a little review on it.

Doing C25K was honestly one of the best things I've ever done for myself. It really did take me from being a non-runner to being able to run a non-stop 5km.

Having said that, I'm going to be quite honest and blunt. This program is not an appropriate one for a true couch potato. Despite the claim that it takes you from couch to 5k in 9 weeks, it starts you off with running intervals of 1 minute. That's 60 seconds of non-stop running. It may not seem like that much, but if you don't run, 1 minutes is a really long time when you start.

If you are obese and inactive, I would not suggest you start with this program. Prior to starting c25k, I was already doing 60 minutes of cardio at least 5 times a week, and I still found it challenging. Doable, but challenging. I don't think I could have managed it without already working out.

If you are at a healthy weight and inactive, this might work fine for you. That was not my experience, so I can't really speak to it.

While I don't think this is actually a program for couch potatoes, I do think it is superbly well designed to bring someone from being able to run 1 minute non-stop to being able to run 30 minutes non-stop.

The program can be done anywhere, indoors on a treadmill or track, or outside. I love running outside and think there's no real comparison. If you decide to start on a treadmill or track, be aware that it is more difficult to run outside. You probably won't run as fast and it will be more work. Completely worth it, but more of a challenge.

One thing to keep in mind is that you need to have a way to time your intervals. I'm sure there's some of you with fancy watches that you can set to beep at the appropriate times. Alternatively, you can use music. There's a bunch of links on the c25k page for podcasts. I used podrunner, but to be honest I didn't love it. Nothing wrong with it; just not my style of music. There's also apps that you can use with your own music that give you cues when it's time to switch between running and walking. Probably a good bet if you like choosing your own music.

There are a few weeks when the change in the amount of running seems intimidating. For me, week 3 when the running doubled to 3 minutes seemed huge. Week 5 is the biggest step for most people, since it's the first week that you run for a 20 minute stretch. I suggest going with it and giving yourself the benefit of doubt. I honestly did not know if I was going to be able to do some of the workouts but I tried and surprised myself when I could do it.

If a week does prove to be too challenging for you, you can always redo the previous week, which will prepare you to move forward.

After finishing week 6, you no longer do intervals and are instead doing a steady run. At this point, I found it worked better for me to run based on distance instead of time. When I was running based on time, I'd either stop running early and have a longer cool down walk, or I'd find myself having to throw in extra loops to finish the time. You can map out your distance on Map My Run beforehand and then you just have to follow your route. The program has both time and distance listed, so it works well.

I do think the program should be followed pretty closely. Three days a week is the perfect amount when you start running. More then that and the risk of injury becomes too great. Less then that and your body isn't getting the conditioning it needs to build stamina. Even if you are in great shape, keep in mind that running is hard on your body and you need to get it used to the movement before doing too much.

I absolutely recommend this program to somebody that wants to learn how to run. A couple weeks after finishing the program I ran my first 5km race and I felt strong and capable.