Now that Ragnar is over, it is time to focus on my 2013 goals. Puerto Rico 70.3 here I come!
The pripri is just as excited as I am about triathlons!
I've done a 180 on the bumper stickers! Used to hate them, but have acquired three in the past three months. Turns out I just had to wait until I had something I was excited about sharing with the drivers behind me : )
So what has training looked like this week?
This bike ride was hard. Though I didn't feel too sore post Ragnar, my legs weren't thrilled to be put right back to work. Not sure my performance was actually impressive enough to make batman blush... but I like the idea of training like batman (sweat) to dress like cinderella (sparkle). Duh.
Ok I wasn't too hot on this run. It is amazing the performance you can put together under pressure and during competition. I ran at 11am and it was already over 80 degrees. No water was a mistake. Thank goodness for industrial sprinklers. It may be January, but I still need to be more thoughtful about what I take running. No need to hurt myself due to heat exhaustion. That being said the 1 minute hard efforts went well. Even though my base pace periodically faltered, the sprints felt strong. Getting into the pool was such a relief. And meeting up with friends to train was the best. Helps me stay in the pool. No excuses, remember? I left them in 2012!! Felt great to be using my arms again, though my calves weren't too happy with pushing off the wall. Avoided a few nasty cramps. Nothing a little Aleve and some active stretching can't fix.
And just like that it is time to hop on the bike again. This is what I love about tri's and tri training. I'm never bored. And just when I am ready to switch to a new activity - viola! - something new to do. I'm stoked about this 12 minutes hard today. Going to jump on the bike in t-minus 20 minutes. Hoping to go sub 3:00min miles for the whole 12 minutes (aka go faster than 20 mph for longer than I ever have!).
I'm feeling optimistic about attaining this goal, especially now that I am re-stocked in SPARK from AdvoCare .
Some of you know I had a really positive experience with AdvoCare last summer. The only product I continued to use after my 24 day Challenge was Spark. It helps me stay away from coffee, soda and other sugary goods. I love the pink lemonade, but also have the citrus for the morning (tastes like a yummy orange juice). It gives me the energy I need without making my heart race the way coffee does. For me coffee has zero affect on my energy levels, but jacks my heart rate up, leaving me feeling really uncomfortable and anxious. I have a few friends that swear by AdvoCare, and many that have been really successful on the business side as well. Since graduate school I tried once to do another 24 day Challenge, but failed to follow through due to my inability to create a schedule and structure. Now that the holidays and Ragnar are over I am set up to do another 24 day Challenge.
The reason I did one last June are the same reasons I'm looking to do one now. I train too much to not see results in my body, but I also train too much to not fuel my body appropriately. Going into my 70.3 I want every advantage I can give myself. That means not only training hard, but fueling wisely. I am sure there are other good programs out there, but I know that AdvoCare works for me. I am really excited to try some new products on the line - like their Night Recovery supplement - so look forward to hearing more about how that goes. I'm going to start my challenge on Monday (January 14th). Anyone out there on a Challenge or beginning one soon feel free to shoot me a message - it works best with lots of support and encouragement : )
So what is the Challenge? It is comprised of two phases. The first is a cleansing phase that lasts for 10 days. This phase is bookended with a fiber drink, and is intended to clean your system so that during the next phase you can get the most out of the nutrients you are going to be putting into your body. You can read more about it here. It is important to drink a lot of water during both phases and to set up a schedule to make sure you stay on track with your eating and supplementation.
No AdvoCare has not sponsored this post, I just wanted to give you all some more insight into what I am doing. Starting Monday I'll hook you guys up with beginning weights and measurements - so that you can see the changes, but also to help me stay accountable! At the end of my last challenge I lost 11 pounds and 8 inches. My weight has stayed fairly close to my post-Challenge weight, but after looking at pictures of Ragnar, I'm realizing I haven't stayed as toned as I got by the end of the Challenge. My goals are truly to look like I train as much as I do, to feel strong during my workouts and to have high energy for everything I need to get done.
I am not willing nor suggesting anyone be a slave to the scale.
The challenge is great because it is more focused on inches than pounds. Plus you measure once at the beginning, once after day 10 and once at the end. You should not measure or weigh more than this.
You will drive yourself crazy.
If you want to know more let me know, but like I said, starting Monday the posts are going to be focused a lot on the Challenge and how I feel it is supporting my training.
xoxo Sweat&Sparkle
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