Saturday, April 21, 2012

Catching up...and finding balance

I guess I'm not very good at getting on here regularly.  I'm going to try and improve that over the next several months.  Like everyone, I have a tough time fitting it all in.  Trying to find family/work/social/triathlon balance is crazy tough. 

I find that my best weeks are the ones that I put a "loose" plan together on Sunday.  I can see my workouts for the next week, I can sit down with Ana (My wife) and talk about dinners, obligations, and life in general.  This way, I wake up Monday morning with some sort of guiding direction. 

Flexibility is always key, but I find that a little organization will help you train, eat, work, and interact with others better.  I find that most athletes will run through a brick wall to get what they want....problem is, you need to know where the wall is!

Try it out...be a little more organized.  I'm going to, and just might find more time to write!

So, a little recap on what's been going on with my training and racing.

Cary Half Marathon:  This was a tough one.  It was SUPER hot for this time of year crossing 80 degrees during the race.  Normally, I'm a very good heat runner...but having ZERO acclamation, I didn't do as well as hoped.  I was nearly 4 minutes slower than last year...which is a lot for a half marathon.

The key to "bad" races is to give yourself a little time to be mad, but put a limit on it.  I try to be "over it" by the time I eat my next meal.  That gives me a little time to complain and be upset...but then I have to get over it.  This sport is also very humbling in the sense that my "bad" day could be someone else's "best" day.  No one likes a whiner, especially when someone you care for wants to rejoice! 

Reach out and Run 5K:  Ok, so this one was today!  I had HIGH hopes coming in for a great race...and, it wasn't up to my potential.  In fact, I "lost" this race on Thursday night at the Blackhawks game.  With this lifestyle, spikes in "anything" can really effect you.  So when you get a little too "social" a few days before a race, expect a crash and burn. 

I'm not really upset with how I did.  I pushed VERY hard and felt like my lungs had internal bleeding for 30min after the race.  I really did push myself.  The effort was there, but the gas tank was empty.  I knew this would probably happen...and live and learn.  Balance...like I said before...is the key.  So, I move on!

Wisconsin Marathon:  I have my marathon 2 weeks from today and the training has been great.  Long runs are solid...the tempo workouts have been great....the Blackhawks don't appear to be making a long playoff run so I should be good :) 

All indicators show that I should be right on target to qualify for Boston in two weeks.  This will be attempt # 5 at doing so.  I seem to always get the tough weather for Marathons...so I'm really hoping for something reasonable.  I don't mind the heat, but when shooting for "time" instead of "place," you really want the best conditions possible.

I hope all is well in your life.  Keep it simple, keep it organized, and you'll keep it fast!

Dave
Dedication, Passion, Results





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