Training and Tapering
October 29, 2009 at 6:39 pm | Posted in 1, Cross Training, Goals, Marathon, Richmond Marathon | Leave a comment
Over the past 3 months, I’ve been training for the Richmond Marathon. This will be my second time running this course and I’m really excited! Richmond is a beautiful, historic city, and the race is friendly, fun, entertaining and challenging.
In previous years, I devoted myself to marathon training like it was my job. I ate, slept, and drank my training. I dreamed about the race. I contemplated which strategy I would adopt for race day. I set 3 different goals…the dream goal, the realistic goal, and the please-just-let-me-finsh goal. For this race, my 12th marathon, I’ve adopted a whole new training plan.
With my new focus on triathlons, I haven’t run the number of miles I once did. Instead, I swim and bike much, much more. I’ve noticed that the crosstraining has kept me healthier and hurting less. Hmmm…must be something to this! That is, until this last month.
During October I’ve picked up my running considerably and backed down my crosstraining. Guess what? My hamstring on my left leg is hurting and my legs feel heavy and tired. Coincidence? I think not. I firmly believe that the addition of the bike and swim have made me a healthier, stronger athlete.
Next week begins my 2 week taper. I’m going to taper like it’s my job. Bring it on!
What does it mean to be in good shape?
December 2, 2008 at 6:01 pm | Posted in Cross Training | 2 CommentsHoly smokes I’m sore! With a new resolve to venture into the world of triathlons, I decided to get my but into the pool. For the past month I’ve been doing many other activities besides running: spin class, rowing, yoga, and the elliptical machine. I haven’t started swimming, though, until last night.
I’m so intimidated by the pool for some strange reason. Everytime I think about trying to swim some laps I chicken out. Maybe that’s because I never learned the front crawl or maybe it’s because I know that I really stink at swimming. Whatever the reason, I’ve avoided the pool.
Last night I was persuaded to get into the water. I kept thinking, “But I really don’t want to. I’ll just go run on the treadmill or do a spin class.” Finally, I reluctantly dragged my carcase into the pool. Grabbing the kickboard and a pair of flippers, I was persuaded to do 10 laps of kicking across the pool. Being a slight bit wacko, I decided to do 12.
Wow! What a great workout! I could feel new quad muscles working and my abs lengthening. Today, my body is sore but in a good way.
So, how does a person determine fitness level? Are you in good shape if you can run 50+ miles per week? Or are you in shape if you run fewer miles but do a lot of other sports? A tricky question, for sure, but one I’d like to discuss. Thoughts?
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