So, after debating a name change for months, I've finally done it. For the time being, I'm keeping my url. After all, I just topped the 100 follower mark, and I don't want anyone misdirected and going to the wrong place.
It's been a long time since the primary focus of my blog has been shrinking, so "Deb Shrinks" just wasn't working anymore. I've changed the name to "Deb Tris". If you do triathlons, you probably have figured it out, but if anyone is confused, the "tris" rhymes with "buys". It does not rhyme with "kiss".
I say it's the same focus, because I think that's been my real focus for close to half a year. Truthfully, I've even noticed my readership changing. Some of you know me in real life and love me and read my blog because of that. The online community I belong to isn't the same one it was when I started. I used to be immersed in the weight loss blogosphere, but I've largely moved over to the running and tri blogospheres.
Yesterday, my husband came home from work and I headed out the door for a run. Just a short 3km jaunt. I've heard lots of complaining about the time change. I have kids who haven't totally adjusted to it, so I get it. Having said that, I love the fact that there is now daylight in the evening that I can make use of. This time of the year, it's dark at the time in the morning when I could run regardless, so I'm taking advantage of some of this evening light.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Happy Birthday Spud!
It has been over 4 years now since I became a mother to my first born, Spud. This weekend we had a small party to celebrate as well as an afternoon out in the mountains.
Happy Birthday my big boy!
(Truthfully, the birthday was over a week ago, but we just had our celebration this weekend due to Sweetpea being sick last weekend.)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Quick results
So, the quick and dirty account of today's 10k race.
1. I rolled with the punches and and didn't get worked up about things out of my control. Truthfully, this was a well organized race, and there weren't too many things to get worked up about. Parking was a bit of a gong show, but I still found a spot only 2 blocks away. I got there 15 minutes early and spent 10 minutes waiting for the bathroom, but I knew I had the time. Fortunately, some 5k racers let me go ahead of them in line, so I got through quickly (their race started 15 minutes later.)
2. I succeeded in pacing myself well. I did line up far too close to the front, so I was tested right away when everyone around me was going much faster. I kept to my pace though, which was slightly faster then I had planned but was still a pace that I basically stayed at for the whole race - up until the last couple kilometers.
3. I pushed myself hard and finished strong. I ran that 10k faster then I have ever run before. My final km was the fastest I have ever run a full kilometer. I felt like I was going to puke when I crossed the finish line and I had almost nothing left in my tank. A few minutes later though, I felt amazing.
My time? As I mentioned before, I wasn't setting a specific goal. However, thinking optimistically, I expected that I'd likely be able to complete it in 1:02. I finished in:
1. I rolled with the punches and and didn't get worked up about things out of my control. Truthfully, this was a well organized race, and there weren't too many things to get worked up about. Parking was a bit of a gong show, but I still found a spot only 2 blocks away. I got there 15 minutes early and spent 10 minutes waiting for the bathroom, but I knew I had the time. Fortunately, some 5k racers let me go ahead of them in line, so I got through quickly (their race started 15 minutes later.)
2. I succeeded in pacing myself well. I did line up far too close to the front, so I was tested right away when everyone around me was going much faster. I kept to my pace though, which was slightly faster then I had planned but was still a pace that I basically stayed at for the whole race - up until the last couple kilometers.
3. I pushed myself hard and finished strong. I ran that 10k faster then I have ever run before. My final km was the fastest I have ever run a full kilometer. I felt like I was going to puke when I crossed the finish line and I had almost nothing left in my tank. A few minutes later though, I felt amazing.
My time? As I mentioned before, I wasn't setting a specific goal. However, thinking optimistically, I expected that I'd likely be able to complete it in 1:02. I finished in:
1:00:12
This is my chip time
This is my chip time
Now, I'm going to admit that there is a little bit of bittersweetness to this time. Like the fact that I was TWELVE SECONDS away from breaking the 1 hour mark. Yet, if I consider the race as a whole, I can't think of a single kilometer I ran that I could have run harder. I will break that one hour mark; it just wasn't on this race.
Having said that, I achieved a personal best with a margin of 6 minutes, 16 seconds. That's pretty darn sweet.
A full race report will come later!
Having said that, I achieved a personal best with a margin of 6 minutes, 16 seconds. That's pretty darn sweet.
A full race report will come later!
Race day - dreaming...
It's race day today. As I mentioned in my last post, I have set goals that I hope will carry me through the race. It doesn't include a time goal, but I'd be lying if I didn't have something in mind. I'm just trying not to get too tied to it.
I checked out the race map and elevation profile yesterday evening. It looks like the first 4.5 km is a gradual downhill followed by about a km of up and down; then the last 4.5 km is a gradual uphill.
I'm glad I checked it, because now I know what to expect. It means that my thought of negative splitting seems less likely, and I'll likely let my pace be quicker then I otherwise intended for the first half. It's mostly a gradual slope though, so I'm not too worried about it, and I'll take it as it comes.
I had a pre-race dream last night. In it somebody stole my bike pedals and cleats (not the entire bike shoe, just the cleats). When I got to transition, I wasn't able to carry on, and after wandering around looking for them, I had to DNF (did not finish).
Now, since this is a running race rather then a triathlon, I'm all good. But, I just want to let any nefarious people know: stay away from my bike!
My number for this race is 230. I've tried to find some meaning in that, but I'm having trouble. If this was 2 weeks ago, I could have said that it represents that I'm mother to a two year old and a three year old, but the three year old is now four. Regardless, it's a nice low number.
I tried to get a good picture with my race shirt and number, but I looked like a dork in all of them. I considered just not posting it, but I've kind of made it a tradition, so here it is:
See you on the other side of the race!
I checked out the race map and elevation profile yesterday evening. It looks like the first 4.5 km is a gradual downhill followed by about a km of up and down; then the last 4.5 km is a gradual uphill.
I'm glad I checked it, because now I know what to expect. It means that my thought of negative splitting seems less likely, and I'll likely let my pace be quicker then I otherwise intended for the first half. It's mostly a gradual slope though, so I'm not too worried about it, and I'll take it as it comes.
I had a pre-race dream last night. In it somebody stole my bike pedals and cleats (not the entire bike shoe, just the cleats). When I got to transition, I wasn't able to carry on, and after wandering around looking for them, I had to DNF (did not finish).
Now, since this is a running race rather then a triathlon, I'm all good. But, I just want to let any nefarious people know: stay away from my bike!
My number for this race is 230. I've tried to find some meaning in that, but I'm having trouble. If this was 2 weeks ago, I could have said that it represents that I'm mother to a two year old and a three year old, but the three year old is now four. Regardless, it's a nice low number.
I tried to get a good picture with my race shirt and number, but I looked like a dork in all of them. I considered just not posting it, but I've kind of made it a tradition, so here it is:
See you on the other side of the race!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Setting goals, without setting yourself up for disappointment
My next race is coming up on Saturday. This will be my fourth race. So far, I've done 2 5k races and 1 10k race. This will be my second 10k race.
My first and second race were amazing. It was my first time for each distance and my main goal for each of them was to finish. The experiences were full of victory and accomplishment, the overcoming of barriers and achieving something that I never thought possible.
My third race was frustrating and disappointing. I don't look back on it with good feelings. The reasons? The congestion at the start line, my poor pacing, the confusion of where the start line actually was, the short course. Looking at those reasons though, there was only one of those items that was in my control. Yet, at the time, I let myself get worked up and stressed about it all, which surely didn't help my performance.
So, looking at my goals for this next race there's a few criteria I need to consider. I need to keep my goals realistic. I also need to keep them flexible. If race day logistics aren't what are expected, I'll adjust my goals.
When I first signed up for this race, it was with the thought that I might be able to achieve a sub-60 minute time. I am now reconsidering that.
I am still a very new runner. I've been running for less then a year, and have only done a few races. I do very little speed work, focusing instead on building my running volume.
I also haven't really trained for this race. That's not to say that I haven't been running. I have. But, I've been training for a half marathon. My long runs are up to 16-18km and are long and slow. I usually do three shorter runs a week in the 6-8km range. As I get close to this 10km race, I'm realizing it isn't really a distance I feel prepared for. I know I can go faster then I run at almost twice the distance, yet it's not such a short distance that I can get away with going too fast and pacing poorly.
For all of these reasons, my goals for this race are not really time based. My goals are:
1. Control what I can and let go of what I can't.
This means that I'll arrive early to find parking, but I won't start freaking out if it's really busy. I'll try to line up in an appropriate spot for the speed I plan to run, but if I get stuck in a crowd and have to go slower at first, I'll accept that and pick up the speed when I can. If the course is long or short, that's life. I'll run it and finish it.
2. Pace myself well
It's easy to let race day adrenaline carry you away at the starting line. In my last race, I also got caught up in trying to "make up time" after a congested first kilometer. This time, I intend to find a pace that pushes me, but is sustainable, and then hold that pace when I can. I do have an approximate pace in mind, but I'm going to play it partly by ear as well, depending on how I am feeling.
3. Push myself and finish strong
While I'm looking to find a sustainable pace, I'm also shooting for one that challenges me. I want to finish this race feeling like I gave it my all and I pushed myself as hard as I can.
Right now, my races should be about the execution, not the time. Once I have more experience, and I consistently execute well, I can start shooting for time goals and personal bests. I truly believe that this approach will yield some personal bests regardless, but I want to finish races feeling good about how I ran the race, rather then then just the time I get.
My first and second race were amazing. It was my first time for each distance and my main goal for each of them was to finish. The experiences were full of victory and accomplishment, the overcoming of barriers and achieving something that I never thought possible.
My third race was frustrating and disappointing. I don't look back on it with good feelings. The reasons? The congestion at the start line, my poor pacing, the confusion of where the start line actually was, the short course. Looking at those reasons though, there was only one of those items that was in my control. Yet, at the time, I let myself get worked up and stressed about it all, which surely didn't help my performance.
So, looking at my goals for this next race there's a few criteria I need to consider. I need to keep my goals realistic. I also need to keep them flexible. If race day logistics aren't what are expected, I'll adjust my goals.
When I first signed up for this race, it was with the thought that I might be able to achieve a sub-60 minute time. I am now reconsidering that.
I am still a very new runner. I've been running for less then a year, and have only done a few races. I do very little speed work, focusing instead on building my running volume.
I also haven't really trained for this race. That's not to say that I haven't been running. I have. But, I've been training for a half marathon. My long runs are up to 16-18km and are long and slow. I usually do three shorter runs a week in the 6-8km range. As I get close to this 10km race, I'm realizing it isn't really a distance I feel prepared for. I know I can go faster then I run at almost twice the distance, yet it's not such a short distance that I can get away with going too fast and pacing poorly.
For all of these reasons, my goals for this race are not really time based. My goals are:
1. Control what I can and let go of what I can't.
This means that I'll arrive early to find parking, but I won't start freaking out if it's really busy. I'll try to line up in an appropriate spot for the speed I plan to run, but if I get stuck in a crowd and have to go slower at first, I'll accept that and pick up the speed when I can. If the course is long or short, that's life. I'll run it and finish it.
2. Pace myself well
It's easy to let race day adrenaline carry you away at the starting line. In my last race, I also got caught up in trying to "make up time" after a congested first kilometer. This time, I intend to find a pace that pushes me, but is sustainable, and then hold that pace when I can. I do have an approximate pace in mind, but I'm going to play it partly by ear as well, depending on how I am feeling.
3. Push myself and finish strong
While I'm looking to find a sustainable pace, I'm also shooting for one that challenges me. I want to finish this race feeling like I gave it my all and I pushed myself as hard as I can.
Right now, my races should be about the execution, not the time. Once I have more experience, and I consistently execute well, I can start shooting for time goals and personal bests. I truly believe that this approach will yield some personal bests regardless, but I want to finish races feeling good about how I ran the race, rather then then just the time I get.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Three Things Thursday
1. In like a lion...
So far, March has not started off nicely in the weather department. All the other Calgary area bloggers are whining about it too, so I'm not alone. Somehow, I find it much harder to deal with now then I did at the beginning of winter. Back then I had an attitude that I better suck it up. Now, I am so done with it and I just want warmer temperatures to start coming. I'd settle for -10 (including windchill). That's a nice comfortable temperature to run in. But, by April, I expect a chance to take my bike off the trainer and on to the roads...
2. I reported the dog that harassed me on Sunday
Initially I wasn't going to. I'm not trying to get somebody in trouble. But, this is a public road and an extremely popular running route in town. Even if I may never be brave enough to run it alone again, other people surely will. The owners of the property need to know what their dog is doing and they need to make sure it doesn't again. I'm told that they generally just give people a warning unless they act aggressively or are rude to the bylaw officers.
3. I know I'm swimming better...
...but I'm not going much faster. I timed myself on 500 metres last night and it took me 14 minutes. That's the same speed I've been able to do it for the last couple months. My body position is better; my roll is better; my catch is better; I know my technique is better. Why isn't it translating into speed?
So far, March has not started off nicely in the weather department. All the other Calgary area bloggers are whining about it too, so I'm not alone. Somehow, I find it much harder to deal with now then I did at the beginning of winter. Back then I had an attitude that I better suck it up. Now, I am so done with it and I just want warmer temperatures to start coming. I'd settle for -10 (including windchill). That's a nice comfortable temperature to run in. But, by April, I expect a chance to take my bike off the trainer and on to the roads...
2. I reported the dog that harassed me on Sunday
Initially I wasn't going to. I'm not trying to get somebody in trouble. But, this is a public road and an extremely popular running route in town. Even if I may never be brave enough to run it alone again, other people surely will. The owners of the property need to know what their dog is doing and they need to make sure it doesn't again. I'm told that they generally just give people a warning unless they act aggressively or are rude to the bylaw officers.
3. I know I'm swimming better...
...but I'm not going much faster. I timed myself on 500 metres last night and it took me 14 minutes. That's the same speed I've been able to do it for the last couple months. My body position is better; my roll is better; my catch is better; I know my technique is better. Why isn't it translating into speed?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Relax...
I can't say enough good things about the swim program I'm currently in. I am learning so much and can really feel the difference in my technique.
I can't say that I always enjoy it. I think I complain (at least in my head) pretty much every time Angie makes us do kick sets. Even if I feel like I actually know how to kick now, I still hate just kicking. I move so slowly I feel like I'm going backwards. But, I do them, and I even do them when I swim on my own because I'm convinced that it is good for me.
Another thing I don't like much: skulling. It was taught to me in my last adult swim class and I had an even more negative attitude to it then kicking. Not only do I feel like I'm not moving, but from my perspective, it was a completely unnecessary skill to learn in order to swim in triathlons.
The first thing I asked was "why?" What's the purpose of it? It's a question that made teachers in high school love or hate me. I always needed to know why and some teachers hated that. Others appreciated my curiosity. In this case, I wanted the why even moreso because I needed some motivation to actually do this activity. Fortunately, Angie is the type of coach that is happy to answer the why.
To get a feel for the water.
I started doing the skulling. Now, if a length of the pool seemed a long ways when kicking, it seemed that much longer while skulling. It's something I didn't really *get* when I took the last swimming lesson and so I never bothered to do again. I moved my hands back and forth in the figure eight like we were told to do. On the way back, Angie stopped by to give me feedback and encouragement. I told her it felt clumsy and awkward and she told me it looked that way too.
I swam a length and then back to the skulling. And something happened. Rather then just moving my hands in the motion described, I started actual feeling how my hands and arms interacted with the water. How changing the angle of my wrist made me move more; how having my hand one way created resistance and slowed me down...
Don't get me wrong; I still moved like a snail, but at least I was moving. Plus, I actually seemed to be getting the purpose of it. Because, I was feeling the water; I was feeling the effect that my motions had on it.
As I got close to the end of the pool, I vaguely (my head was underwater, so sound was rather muffled) heard Angie exclaim "she's got it!" When I got to the end of the pool, she stopped the conversation she was having briefly and told me that I was doing much better. I carried on with renewed purpose. I experimented a bit to see the affect I had on the water if I moved my hands slightly differently, changed the angle of my arms, went faster or slower...
When we finished the set, Angie talked briefly about the other purpose for it.
Relaxing in the water.
It's made me realize that relaxing is something that I still need to work on. When I started swimming, it was with a panic of water deeper then my neck. While I got past the acute panic, I'm not sure I've ever been truly relaxed. Part of that is the fact that I've always got my head full of what I need to do technique-wise. But, I think part of it is just the fact that it became habit to enter the water with a certain degree of tension.
Tense muscles sink. Relaxed muscles float.
I still don't like skulling much. I will spend some time doing it though; at least when I'm swimming on non-busy nights and I have a lane to myself. Like kicking, I've been convinced that it's good for me.
Relax.
I can't say that I always enjoy it. I think I complain (at least in my head) pretty much every time Angie makes us do kick sets. Even if I feel like I actually know how to kick now, I still hate just kicking. I move so slowly I feel like I'm going backwards. But, I do them, and I even do them when I swim on my own because I'm convinced that it is good for me.
Another thing I don't like much: skulling. It was taught to me in my last adult swim class and I had an even more negative attitude to it then kicking. Not only do I feel like I'm not moving, but from my perspective, it was a completely unnecessary skill to learn in order to swim in triathlons.
The first thing I asked was "why?" What's the purpose of it? It's a question that made teachers in high school love or hate me. I always needed to know why and some teachers hated that. Others appreciated my curiosity. In this case, I wanted the why even moreso because I needed some motivation to actually do this activity. Fortunately, Angie is the type of coach that is happy to answer the why.
To get a feel for the water.
I started doing the skulling. Now, if a length of the pool seemed a long ways when kicking, it seemed that much longer while skulling. It's something I didn't really *get* when I took the last swimming lesson and so I never bothered to do again. I moved my hands back and forth in the figure eight like we were told to do. On the way back, Angie stopped by to give me feedback and encouragement. I told her it felt clumsy and awkward and she told me it looked that way too.
I swam a length and then back to the skulling. And something happened. Rather then just moving my hands in the motion described, I started actual feeling how my hands and arms interacted with the water. How changing the angle of my wrist made me move more; how having my hand one way created resistance and slowed me down...
Don't get me wrong; I still moved like a snail, but at least I was moving. Plus, I actually seemed to be getting the purpose of it. Because, I was feeling the water; I was feeling the effect that my motions had on it.
As I got close to the end of the pool, I vaguely (my head was underwater, so sound was rather muffled) heard Angie exclaim "she's got it!" When I got to the end of the pool, she stopped the conversation she was having briefly and told me that I was doing much better. I carried on with renewed purpose. I experimented a bit to see the affect I had on the water if I moved my hands slightly differently, changed the angle of my arms, went faster or slower...
When we finished the set, Angie talked briefly about the other purpose for it.
Relaxing in the water.
It's made me realize that relaxing is something that I still need to work on. When I started swimming, it was with a panic of water deeper then my neck. While I got past the acute panic, I'm not sure I've ever been truly relaxed. Part of that is the fact that I've always got my head full of what I need to do technique-wise. But, I think part of it is just the fact that it became habit to enter the water with a certain degree of tension.
Tense muscles sink. Relaxed muscles float.
I still don't like skulling much. I will spend some time doing it though; at least when I'm swimming on non-busy nights and I have a lane to myself. Like kicking, I've been convinced that it's good for me.
Relax.
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