So today is great, the kids are off to school and I get to clean the house and do 10 loads of laundry, clean all the animal cages/litter boxes, etc.... you get the picture. Then in between washes I get to hop on my trainer and do an insane mash up on my bike:
30 minute progressive warm up ( 115 watts to 230 watts) with 2 x 15 seconds at 400+ watts to get the legs going for the main set at the end, recover for a few minutes then main set:
Main set:
12 x ( 1 minute at 210-220 watts 85-90rpms then 30 seconds at mid range VO2 max- 250-265 watts)
recover 1 minute in between sets
20 minute cool down at recovery watts
I hit that baby right on the nose, it was hard but the amount of sweat I generate is impressive.
After changing into my running gear I went downstairs to finish another wash, fold clothes and put stuff away. Empty the dishwasher and clean my kids rooms. I will then try to get a bit of lunch in and then off for my 5 or 6 mile run.
After my run I will change and pick up the kids from school and start with homework then snack then sports, hooray.
House is clean, chores done, workouts almost complete. This is my off season.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
What's up with me now?
So as the off season begins and my training focus is back to Base training, I needed to look at a lot of things and figure out what I needed to do to make some positive changes in my triathlon and racing front. I recently read a post from Mary Ironmatron and she is spot on regarding some of things she needs to do to make advances in her performance, so I thought I would share some of mine.
1. Diet, huge, very big hurdle for me. I normally eat very well but have always struggled with the up and downs of my blood sugar and cravings that happen during the day and night because I've worked out a ton and not eaten enough or not eaten enough of the right foods to prevent my ravenous episodes and thus my binging on the wrong foods. WE've all been there but its kept my weight at a steady 140-143lbs for 3 years with the occasionally dip into the high 130's if I weigh myself after a really hard workout and I've lost a ton of water. That still counts right? Anyway, I tried following the Core diet last year, it was good, its pretty similar to the clean eating lifestyle that I'm doing now, I don't know really why I didn't continue it after a few months but I seemed to always make excuses as to why I could have more peanut butter or have my wine or whatever, it didn't seem to me that I was 100% committed to making the change and that has to happen for it to be successful. I'm not saying the core diet cant be successful for me I'm sure it would but I decided to try eating clean to see if it would lean me out, the core doesn't really do that per se.
I am a very muscular woman who could lose a few pounds but once I get down 5-10lbs its really hard for me to stay there because I workout a lot and I need food and I need to have a diet that works for my lifestyle and for me. Eating clean for the past week and a half has been great but its boring right now because I'm shocking the system, it will get better in a week when I can add more flavor and more spices and fruit,etc.. to the mix but its not helping the workouts because I don't have a ton of energy left especially if I have to do two workouts in one day. This will change but right now I'm certainly unable to maximize my efforts because of the lack of sugar. Today I had to gulp down some OJ right quick before I passed out from a run, I need to do things a bit differently to prevent this in the future, however, I've lost 5lbs and I'm seeing some definite changes in my muscle definition so hopefully this will be good.
2. Strength training- I've been doing this power class on Mon and WEd for an hour which is very intense, it involves circuits that use everything from free weights, kettle balls, bosu's, physio balls, ladder running, doing sprints, inch worms, tons of core work, working with partners throwing medicine balls, etc.. Its crazy hard and at times your HR is at threshold. I usually bike for 30 minutes before class to warm up and then by the end I'm usually completely spent. Its some of the toughest stuff I've done. However, I am realizing that I am not recruiting various muscles when I need them like my glutes and hamstrings, my left side is significantly weaker than my right, my core definitely needs more work, etc.. The trainer really knows how to push everyone and makes sure everyones form is spot on.
Now this class right now impacts some of the other things I need to do for tri training because my strength is lacking, but overtime this will change and hopefully with leaning my body out and losing body fat, getting stronger and recruiting muscles that I've never used before or not used correctly while swimming, biking or running, I will become faster. This is my hope.
3. Form- I will continue to work on my form in the pool, the bike and on my run. I will continue to try to improve on all my mechanics so I can become faster and perform more efficiently and prevent injury.
4. I am going to continue to work on my mental game and working on improving my thoughts and whats going on in my head before/during and after a race. Racing is supposed to be fun in the end and if it isn't I shouldn't be doing it.
I am psyched to go forward with my new plan, I want my left heal to get better faster, I want it 100% but in time it will, I need patience.
Here we go..........
1. Diet, huge, very big hurdle for me. I normally eat very well but have always struggled with the up and downs of my blood sugar and cravings that happen during the day and night because I've worked out a ton and not eaten enough or not eaten enough of the right foods to prevent my ravenous episodes and thus my binging on the wrong foods. WE've all been there but its kept my weight at a steady 140-143lbs for 3 years with the occasionally dip into the high 130's if I weigh myself after a really hard workout and I've lost a ton of water. That still counts right? Anyway, I tried following the Core diet last year, it was good, its pretty similar to the clean eating lifestyle that I'm doing now, I don't know really why I didn't continue it after a few months but I seemed to always make excuses as to why I could have more peanut butter or have my wine or whatever, it didn't seem to me that I was 100% committed to making the change and that has to happen for it to be successful. I'm not saying the core diet cant be successful for me I'm sure it would but I decided to try eating clean to see if it would lean me out, the core doesn't really do that per se.
I am a very muscular woman who could lose a few pounds but once I get down 5-10lbs its really hard for me to stay there because I workout a lot and I need food and I need to have a diet that works for my lifestyle and for me. Eating clean for the past week and a half has been great but its boring right now because I'm shocking the system, it will get better in a week when I can add more flavor and more spices and fruit,etc.. to the mix but its not helping the workouts because I don't have a ton of energy left especially if I have to do two workouts in one day. This will change but right now I'm certainly unable to maximize my efforts because of the lack of sugar. Today I had to gulp down some OJ right quick before I passed out from a run, I need to do things a bit differently to prevent this in the future, however, I've lost 5lbs and I'm seeing some definite changes in my muscle definition so hopefully this will be good.
2. Strength training- I've been doing this power class on Mon and WEd for an hour which is very intense, it involves circuits that use everything from free weights, kettle balls, bosu's, physio balls, ladder running, doing sprints, inch worms, tons of core work, working with partners throwing medicine balls, etc.. Its crazy hard and at times your HR is at threshold. I usually bike for 30 minutes before class to warm up and then by the end I'm usually completely spent. Its some of the toughest stuff I've done. However, I am realizing that I am not recruiting various muscles when I need them like my glutes and hamstrings, my left side is significantly weaker than my right, my core definitely needs more work, etc.. The trainer really knows how to push everyone and makes sure everyones form is spot on.
Now this class right now impacts some of the other things I need to do for tri training because my strength is lacking, but overtime this will change and hopefully with leaning my body out and losing body fat, getting stronger and recruiting muscles that I've never used before or not used correctly while swimming, biking or running, I will become faster. This is my hope.
3. Form- I will continue to work on my form in the pool, the bike and on my run. I will continue to try to improve on all my mechanics so I can become faster and perform more efficiently and prevent injury.
4. I am going to continue to work on my mental game and working on improving my thoughts and whats going on in my head before/during and after a race. Racing is supposed to be fun in the end and if it isn't I shouldn't be doing it.
I am psyched to go forward with my new plan, I want my left heal to get better faster, I want it 100% but in time it will, I need patience.
Here we go..........
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Eating Clean-
So I have been thinking about changing my ways of eating for a long time, however, I used to just justify what I ate because I worked out so much. Now, I'm not saying I'm fat but I can say, I should be smaller, leaner, whatever you want to call it with how much I work out. So, over the past year I've tried a few things to tweak in my diet to see if I could change my body composition a bit and most of the time it just doesn't last, I'm hungry, I want a glass of wine, the food is boring, I work out so much I should be able to eat what I want, well that has kept me at a 140lbs to 143lbs for the past 3 years and not budging, and I'm 5'5. If I could just lean my body out and not lose my strength to power ratio I would be so excited. I know I would run faster, swim faster, bike faster if I could get my mind and body over this hurdle of eating clean and healthy all the time.
As you know, the body is not predominantly shaped by exercise, rather, a lean physique is shaped primarily by nutrition, the right kind of nutrition.
Eating clean is not a diet it is a lifestyle change and choice
The Eat Clean Principles:
1. EAt more- eat six small meals each day
2. eat breakfast everyday, within an hour of rising
3. eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal
4. eat sufficient ( 2 or 3 servings) healthy fats everyday
5. carry a cooler packed with your clean foods each day
6. depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes
7. adhere to portion sizes
8. Drink plenty of water.
What to Avoid:
1. avoid all over-processed foods, white flour and sugar
2. avoid chemically charged foods
3. avoid foods containing preservatives
4. avoid artificial sugars
5. avoid foods such as processed cheese slices
6. avoid saturated and trans fats
7. avoid sugar loaded beverages, including colas and juices
8. avoid or do your best to limit alcohol intake
9. avoid all calorie dense foods containing little or no nutritional value
10. avoid super sizing our meals.
Eating more frequently with smaller portions and eating the right kinds of foods will help control hunger pains and keep your blood sugar and insulin levels even. Eating must become something that is done with a sense of responsibility to one's health and wellness.
Eating breakfast every morning keeps the body nourished and satisfied while giving you energy.
Eating protein with your complex carbohydrates, you'll slow down the carb to fat conversion process even more. This is why complex carbohydrates should always be eaten with protein. Complex carbohydrates are high in fiber and improve digestion. They provide you with energy, keep you satisfied after meals and stabilize blood sugar levels. Vegetables, fruits and whole grains are all complex carbs.
Some fat ingestion is good for your overall health. Many doctors believe that taking Omega 3's is very important for brain health. The best fats are those obtained from cold water fatty fish, such as char, salmon, halibut and trout, also wahoo, snapper, tilapia and grouper. Other than fish, healthy fats can be found in nuts, seeds and oils of many plants such as sunflowers, avocados, olives, peanuts, canola and some vegetables. These healthy fats aid digestion. Their absence would cause digestion to cease. Your body cannot run properly without fat.
Drinking water is huge, it regulates body temperature, keeps the joints mobile and maintains tissue health. Weight loss cannot occur effectively without sufficient water. When you drink cold water your metabolic rate is increased by as much as 30 percent.
Anyway, I have been eating clean for the past few days and I feel pretty good. I'm not too hungry and besides going the bathroom every hour or two ( adjusting to the increased water intake and decrease diet coke intake) I think I can make this work. The recipes are great and delicious and I think if I can really work hard on this part of my body like I do my workouts then I might have a chance to go into next season the healthiest I've ever been.
What's important is being healthy, eating the right foods, not having midnight cravings of ice cream or the simple carbohydrate because I haven't fueled my body correctly during the day. If I eat healthy and fuel my body correctly my shape and weight will follow. I will keep you posted on how its going and if I get daring I may post a picture of before and after if I can make it that long.
As you know, the body is not predominantly shaped by exercise, rather, a lean physique is shaped primarily by nutrition, the right kind of nutrition.
Eating clean is not a diet it is a lifestyle change and choice
The Eat Clean Principles:
1. EAt more- eat six small meals each day
2. eat breakfast everyday, within an hour of rising
3. eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal
4. eat sufficient ( 2 or 3 servings) healthy fats everyday
5. carry a cooler packed with your clean foods each day
6. depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes
7. adhere to portion sizes
8. Drink plenty of water.
What to Avoid:
1. avoid all over-processed foods, white flour and sugar
2. avoid chemically charged foods
3. avoid foods containing preservatives
4. avoid artificial sugars
5. avoid foods such as processed cheese slices
6. avoid saturated and trans fats
7. avoid sugar loaded beverages, including colas and juices
8. avoid or do your best to limit alcohol intake
9. avoid all calorie dense foods containing little or no nutritional value
10. avoid super sizing our meals.
Eating more frequently with smaller portions and eating the right kinds of foods will help control hunger pains and keep your blood sugar and insulin levels even. Eating must become something that is done with a sense of responsibility to one's health and wellness.
Eating breakfast every morning keeps the body nourished and satisfied while giving you energy.
Eating protein with your complex carbohydrates, you'll slow down the carb to fat conversion process even more. This is why complex carbohydrates should always be eaten with protein. Complex carbohydrates are high in fiber and improve digestion. They provide you with energy, keep you satisfied after meals and stabilize blood sugar levels. Vegetables, fruits and whole grains are all complex carbs.
Some fat ingestion is good for your overall health. Many doctors believe that taking Omega 3's is very important for brain health. The best fats are those obtained from cold water fatty fish, such as char, salmon, halibut and trout, also wahoo, snapper, tilapia and grouper. Other than fish, healthy fats can be found in nuts, seeds and oils of many plants such as sunflowers, avocados, olives, peanuts, canola and some vegetables. These healthy fats aid digestion. Their absence would cause digestion to cease. Your body cannot run properly without fat.
Drinking water is huge, it regulates body temperature, keeps the joints mobile and maintains tissue health. Weight loss cannot occur effectively without sufficient water. When you drink cold water your metabolic rate is increased by as much as 30 percent.
Anyway, I have been eating clean for the past few days and I feel pretty good. I'm not too hungry and besides going the bathroom every hour or two ( adjusting to the increased water intake and decrease diet coke intake) I think I can make this work. The recipes are great and delicious and I think if I can really work hard on this part of my body like I do my workouts then I might have a chance to go into next season the healthiest I've ever been.
What's important is being healthy, eating the right foods, not having midnight cravings of ice cream or the simple carbohydrate because I haven't fueled my body correctly during the day. If I eat healthy and fuel my body correctly my shape and weight will follow. I will keep you posted on how its going and if I get daring I may post a picture of before and after if I can make it that long.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Gloucester Cyclocross race and other things....
So I completed my first cyclocross race this past weekend, actually 2 races since I raced on both Saturday and Sunday. I have to say it was a great experience for me and I know that by continuing to practice not only will I get better but my bike handling skills will improve and I think my road racing will improve. What was really interesting to witness while racing is that a lot of these athletes don't have the endurance, they last 2 or 3 laps but if you have to do a 4th they are crumbling and you can hear them a mile a way. This worked in my advantage because since this was my first race ever and I hadn't accumulated any points for other races I was in the very last row to start. Out of 97 women on day 1 and 90 on day 2 it really sucked. However, passing 25-30 women and not getting passed by anyone was exciting. I always kept saying to myself, " If only they could let us ride another 2 or 3 laps, I'd pass everyone". Anyway, the experience was great, I definitely need to get some " Proper" cycling tops and gear, showing up in Tri Gear is not " Cool", so said my friend who works at Craft- he threw me a cycling jersey to wear because my tri top was unacceptable. It was so funny.
What I will say is that on sunday my race mojo sort of came back. Now, I wasn't racing this race to win it, you really can't when you starting in 97 th position, however, as the race was going on I had one woman who was behind me and she had fans on the sidelines who kept screaming her name, on our last lap I heard them say, " Rebecca you can get her, you got her, pass her", I can honestly say ( as we were vying for an amazing 62nd place overall-hee hee) I said, " %$#@ no your not, to hell you are- I said this sort of loudly, then I put on the gas and since she was one of the heavy breathers out there I knew she didn't have anything left so I just took off and left her in the dust and with the final turn to the finish was a nice hill climb she didn't even come close. Bye, Rebecca. OOOOOH that was so much fun. It was great to get the fire and to work hard and love something again for purely the sport of it. Now don't get me wrong, I love triathlons but I need to find that love again, to race with a purpose, to race with that sort of fire I had this past sunday. I have a feeling this year is going to be different for me, I think this year I'm going to be different.
Anyway, I hope to do another Cyclocross race at the end of this month, hopefully it will be first come, first serve at the line so I can see what I can do up against those amazing ladies. This is fun, I hope some of you get a chance to try it.
What I will say is that on sunday my race mojo sort of came back. Now, I wasn't racing this race to win it, you really can't when you starting in 97 th position, however, as the race was going on I had one woman who was behind me and she had fans on the sidelines who kept screaming her name, on our last lap I heard them say, " Rebecca you can get her, you got her, pass her", I can honestly say ( as we were vying for an amazing 62nd place overall-hee hee) I said, " %$#@ no your not, to hell you are- I said this sort of loudly, then I put on the gas and since she was one of the heavy breathers out there I knew she didn't have anything left so I just took off and left her in the dust and with the final turn to the finish was a nice hill climb she didn't even come close. Bye, Rebecca. OOOOOH that was so much fun. It was great to get the fire and to work hard and love something again for purely the sport of it. Now don't get me wrong, I love triathlons but I need to find that love again, to race with a purpose, to race with that sort of fire I had this past sunday. I have a feeling this year is going to be different for me, I think this year I'm going to be different.
Anyway, I hope to do another Cyclocross race at the end of this month, hopefully it will be first come, first serve at the line so I can see what I can do up against those amazing ladies. This is fun, I hope some of you get a chance to try it.
Friday, October 1, 2010
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