Spring is coming to the Waikato, and I'm loving it!
My renewed sense of focus is paying off, and I'm feeling better, happier and more like me. I haven't been 100% on the morning workouts, but I'm getting there, and they're slowly starting to feel normal before 6am again!
Part of Coach Paul's new plan for me is upping the running again. I'm running 4(+) times a week, and my long runs are increasing to 2:00 this weekend. After a tanty last week, I've been going GPS-less for my morning runs, so I'm focussing only on HR and having a good time. It's working, and I don't think knowing just how slow I am when I stagger out of the house at 5:30am is of any benefit whatsoever. I'm still using the GPS for my afternoon runs, as I'm a total type A, and I was stoked to run 13.5km at a comfortably aerobic pace of 5:59/km in Napier over the weekend. It's the first time in a good few weeks that I've run sub 6:00/pace at E1. I attributed it to the sea air, but I'm feeling generally bloody good, and I've been feeling normal again during all of my runs. It helps that the weather's improving, but I also think increasing my running is going to be good for me.
I'm also settling back into swimming. I definitely look forward to heading to the pool after a day at work- and, hey, I can get through any swim workout if I've got a nice hot spa to look forward to!
We're in Wellington this weekend, and I'm planning some big runs- can't wait to conquer some hills!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Re-focused
I haven't been posting much because I haven't been training much and what training I've done hasn't been much good.
That's a bit of an exaggeration. I started a post last week about how being back in the pool was making me feel like me again, and me 'n' Eric are still having plenty of fun rambling around Cambridge.
But we've both been feeling a bit unfocused and for me, the lack of focused manifested itself in a depressing and painful 1:57 at the Taupo Half Marathon two weeks ago.
But it's a new week and a new training plan and I'm going to get back into it.
First step is committing to morning workouts again. Yep, every day. Even if my lazy husband (who managed to run a 1:29 half despite missing pretty much all of June and July...) rolls over and stays in bed. If I can't get my scheduled workout in (i.e. if it's swimming, which requires marital co-operation), I'll at least do some yoga.
Next step is cleaning up my eating and, more importantly, drinking a bit more. I need to lose the pudge if I'm going to kick ass in Tauranga. We eat fairly healthily, most of the time, but we've definitely been drinking too much here. So debauched August (Phil's 30th, and we're celebrating at a beer festival....) will be followed by Abstemious September, Sober October and No-Booze November (...with the exception of a celebratory brew after the Karapiro Half... I'm only human).
Then, I'm going to change my mindset. Balance is great and all, but for the next few months I'm going to keep my eye on the prize. I love being a driven training machine (...sometimes...) and this could be our last chance for a while to train together for an endurance event. I'm not going to squander it.
Last of all, I'm going to accept that I may have already blown it and move on. I hope that's not the case but it might be. I've changed some medication recently, and I feel like that might be to blame for some of my struggles. Anyway, whatever the reason, I'm not as fit as I want to be, or as I should be, even with some patchy weeks. But if I dominate my training and my eating and my non-drinking over the next 3 (til Karapiro) to 5 (til Tga) months and I cross the finish line in 6:30 (Karapiro) or 6:01 (Tga), I know I'll feel better than I do right now.
Any tips for re-motivating myself?
That's a bit of an exaggeration. I started a post last week about how being back in the pool was making me feel like me again, and me 'n' Eric are still having plenty of fun rambling around Cambridge.
But we've both been feeling a bit unfocused and for me, the lack of focused manifested itself in a depressing and painful 1:57 at the Taupo Half Marathon two weeks ago.
But it's a new week and a new training plan and I'm going to get back into it.
First step is committing to morning workouts again. Yep, every day. Even if my lazy husband (who managed to run a 1:29 half despite missing pretty much all of June and July...) rolls over and stays in bed. If I can't get my scheduled workout in (i.e. if it's swimming, which requires marital co-operation), I'll at least do some yoga.
Next step is cleaning up my eating and, more importantly, drinking a bit more. I need to lose the pudge if I'm going to kick ass in Tauranga. We eat fairly healthily, most of the time, but we've definitely been drinking too much here. So debauched August (Phil's 30th, and we're celebrating at a beer festival....) will be followed by Abstemious September, Sober October and No-Booze November (...with the exception of a celebratory brew after the Karapiro Half... I'm only human).
Then, I'm going to change my mindset. Balance is great and all, but for the next few months I'm going to keep my eye on the prize. I love being a driven training machine (...sometimes...) and this could be our last chance for a while to train together for an endurance event. I'm not going to squander it.
Last of all, I'm going to accept that I may have already blown it and move on. I hope that's not the case but it might be. I've changed some medication recently, and I feel like that might be to blame for some of my struggles. Anyway, whatever the reason, I'm not as fit as I want to be, or as I should be, even with some patchy weeks. But if I dominate my training and my eating and my non-drinking over the next 3 (til Karapiro) to 5 (til Tga) months and I cross the finish line in 6:30 (Karapiro) or 6:01 (Tga), I know I'll feel better than I do right now.
Any tips for re-motivating myself?
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