Long Time Coming

My, my, I've been away for a while. I have so much to catch up on! First off, I wanted to announce my new sponsorship from Odwalla! I am so excited to be representing an eco-friendly, health-conscious company. If you get a chance, I recommend any of their juices and bars for a very tasty, nutrient-dense snack.

Finally!

I finally signed up for my next race and I'm already thinking about next year's race schedule! In January I'll be doing the Resolution Run 10k at Mission Bay. I'd really like to put some focus on my running and get more comfortable running longer distances consistently. I also figure this will keep me running through the holidays--Halloween is just around the corner and as far as the sweets go, it's all downhill from there! I don't want to end up looking like this:



I found this really cool pace calculator online at the Santa Clarita Runners website. Click on the link above to check it out! Basically you can enter a race time and it can be anything from your PR to your goal to simply the last [or only] race you've done and it will calculate all sorts of estimated race paces and training paces for you. I like this one because it doesn't just multiply your 5k pace by 10 to get your marathon pace because really, how many of us could actually hold that pace?? This one also takes into consideration your given "talent" and effort put into training when making its calculations. Mine are as follows:

So, I used my 5k split from the last triathlon I did since I haven't done a 5k by itself since my X-Country days in High School...

Time Entered:

23:23 for 5k which is equal to 7:31 min/mile pace and 7.97 mph [for all you treadmill runners out there]

Even though some training should go more by how a pace feels rather than the time itself, it is really helpful to have an idea of time if you tend to let the clock rule your workout. With that said, don't beat yourself up for not having the training run of your life and don't hold yourself back if you feel great and want to run fast either! Unfortunately, I've struggled with this one...

Training Paces:

Easy-----------9:33 min/mile
Tempo--------7:58 min/mile
VO2 Max-----7:11 min/mile
Speed---------6:39 min/mile
Long Run-----9:33-10:47 min/mile
Marathon-----8:24 [Marathon Pace??]

Equivalent Race Times [Potential Based]:

800m-------------3:02
1500m------------6:17
1 mile-----------6:48 [exactly the same as in 8th Grade I might add and exactly
a minute slower than my PR from High School]

3000m------------13:30
2 mile-----------14:35
5k---------------23:23 [the time I entered]
10k--------------48:44 [a time I would be quite happy with actually]
10 mile----------1:20:32
13.1 miles-------1:47:24 [1/2 marathon]
26.2 miles-------3:48:15 [Marathon!]

As you can see, I can be very calculating while I'm training which has its pros and cons. Good in that I can keep meticulous track of my progress. Bad because I "think" too much. Some of my best races were run without my watch. No watch means having to run based on how you are feeling and I was feeling good! Therefore, I ran faster than anticipated. This is definitely a technique I'll use once in a while for training runs and definitely during races.



With that said though, I'd still like to give these paces a try in my training runs though. I'd really like to reach my goal of... [drum-roll please]...a perfectly manageable {with hard work and consistency of course] < 50 min

Sharing the Love

So I try to go to a spin class once or twice a week when I can't get out on the open road. The class I go to is at the Joan Kroc Center gym at a lovely 5:45am. My instructor is awesome--her name is Kim, I really love the music she picks for our 'rides' and she is really motivating. I have never left her class dry, in fact, I don't recall sweating that much in my life. Her workouts get us of to zone 4 and 5 on occasion and I have found that spinning once or twice a week [if I can't get out on the road] has really built up leg strength and speed [aka power!] However, like anything you've done outside, the inside version is not quite as great. As much as I love going to spin, I still feel like a hamster on the wheel if you know what I mean.

Anyway, a friend of mine from church goes to spin class religiously [no pun intended] but seriously, she is there 5 days a week at 5:45am! Sue is her name and she, like Kim, is an awesome woman and mom to 7 children! So I teased her once asking when she was going to get a bike and go on a real ride. She showed a lot of interest and long story short, I finally took her out on a road bike today. We got in a good 14 mile hilly ride through Tierrasanta and she did great! It was really fun showing her the ropes of cycling [even though I feel fairly new to it myself] and brought back a lot of memories of my first time on a road bike and reminded me why I love cycling.

I love cycling because...

-I can get from point A to point B quickly so it feels like a real accomplishment
-It's easy on the joints so you think you can do it forever [and you can!]
-It makes you feel like you are flying, like you're a kid again



But the best part, is sharing the joy of an activity with people that you love!

Racing Myself

Hi my name is Emily and I'm a triathlete mom. By no means am I a pro, nor do I necessarily aspire to be, but I do enjoy challenging myself physically and triathlon does just that. I go by time, more than place when judging my performance in a race. However there have been times when placing unexpectedly has taken away the sting of a disappointing leg. At this point I can't say I have a specific weakness in terms of the swim, bike, or run, but I do know without a doubt that each one can get better. I feel that I am a better athlete since bearing children. I have learned patience, endurance, and how to deal with and push through pain. Sometimes I train to run away from life for a while and other times I train in an effort to move closer toward a specific goal. Either way, training clears my mind and calms my soul. I am a better wife and mother after my workouts. A better woman even. I love training hard and racing harder with the belief that I am only racing myself.


This picture is of me and my coach/brother-in-law/friend, Robe [pronounced 'Robbie']. And why doesn't anyone ever tell me my hat's crooked???