Adjusted Reality

“Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.” – Mark Twain

Halfway There (Week 1)

It’s July peoples!  Half of 2012 is over, can you believe it?  I am definitely feeling like I’ve accomplished a lot this year, but there’s a lot more to go.

Like training for a marathon in November, with a heaping helping of half ironman training on the side.

Ya know, no big d.  *flails*

It really hit me late last week that both a) I didn’t have a plan yet and b) this is GO TIME.  I’ve got 2 solid months of training for the half iron (September is hit or miss due to races and vacations), and then it’s taper for Kerrville.  I think what’s freaking me out MORE is then I have 3 real training weeks after Kerrville, and then it’s taper for RnRSA full.  Seriously, I’m just about certain that late November and December are going to be full up with underwater basket weaving.  None of this silly run bike swim stuff that I’ll be incredibly O.D.ed on by then.

I spent some time freaking out and making peace with the fact that I’ll probably have to get up BUTT ASS EARLY before sunrise at least once per week to get the long run in before work to save Saturdays for brick work and mostly preserve Sunday as my rest day unless we race on Sunday (in which case Saturday or Friday would be it).  I watched some gymnastics Olympic trials and remembered that when I had a really hard goal in gymnastics (moving up 2 levels in one year), I dug in and went right after school from 2:30-9pm each weekday, and came in for Saturday optional workouts in the afternoon.  I surely could get up ONE day when it’s dark and run a bunch of miles.  So, done and done.  Peace made.

It took most of the weekend, but I have a working plan from now through Nov 11.  I’ll definitely be keeping it flexible and making sure that my body can both handle what it has coming for it, and that I am doing things that progress me towards my goal.  I’ve built in 1-2 rest days per week and stepback weeks (especially during travelling times), but I’ll be listening to my body and take extra rest when needed.  Better to miss half or a whole workout to get some recovery then injure myself or get super burnt out.   I don’t really have a rhyme or reason as what I’m doing when, other than incorporating race plans, work schedules, vacation, social plans, and the desire to have some semblance of a life, and also trying to rotate my focus each week while increasing volume.  I pretty much took the miles from the FIRST (run less, run more), and alternated to somewhere between about 50-100 bike miles each week, and fit in swims where I can (about 2x per week, but some weeks only once).

It may not be a perfect plan, but it is our plan and it will get us there.  I’ll share it with you all week by week.

July 2 – July 8 – Week 1
MONDAY: 2000 yd swim +weights
TUESDAY: 40 mile trainer + lunch weights
WEDNESDAY: 2000 yd swim, 20 mile bike
THURSDAY: off
FRIDAY: 5 mile run + weights
SATURDAY: 20 mile trainer + 10 mile run (or Jack and Adams ride then run)
SUNDAY: EZ 20 mile trainer

Also, since it is halfway through the year, let’s revisit the New Years Resolutions, shall we?

1.  Take care of this weight problem that keeps creeping up without sacrificng the quality of my food/going insane.

Well, I’m the same weight as I was when I wrote this.  That’s something.  Also, I’m much more muscular than I was when I wrote this.  My mother called me “a brick wall” the other day.  I’m taking it as a compliment.  Would I love to lose some?  Totally.  I will be thrilled if I can end the year less than I started, even if it’s just a few lbs.

2.  Work/industry goal:  play more games, read more, and come up with my own game pitch as practice.

Games: working on it, some weeks are better than others.  Reading: working on it.  I seem to do GREAT with this on vacation but not at home.  Game Pitch: haven’t even started. D’oh!

3.  Race/workout goals:

Finish a marathon, a century ride, and a half ironman.

Did a metric century (I’ll count it for the year).  Signed up for both marathon and half iron.  Should complete this major goal by the end of the year as long as all goes well and a piano doesn’t fall out of the sky and hit me on the head…

-Note that with this goal, I’m NOT making the next goal to PR everything (minus sprint tris).

Check.  No PR worthy attempts on my half marathons or 5k.   I guess I auto PR’d my first (real) duathlon, my 10 miler, and my metric century rides though because they’re new distances.

-Really concentrate on my bike times.  This is the best place for me to improve my tri times.

Check.  The trainer pwns my face (plus shorter rides outside) at making me a harder, better, faster, and stronger cyclist.

-Complete all TX Tri Series races (6 tris in 5 months).  PR at least 1.

Two for two PRs thus far (3 mins for rookie, 8 mins for Pf).  Signed up for all of em!

-Take at least 3 months of the year not in training (off season) to mentally and physically rest.

Erm, let’s move on from here… I really and truly promise that November 12th starts underwater basket weaving season.

-Stretch after every workout.

Awww, crap.  Nothing to see here folks…

-Strength train 2x week (catch another crunchtime class at lunch?)

Hells yeah.  3x per week pretty much each week.  Another component of having such and awesome year and earning my right to run(bike/swim) back.

-Let’s try this again.  Run a race somewhere outside Texas.  I’ll have some opportunities next year, very likely San Diego.

Signed up for America’s Finest City Half Marathon in SD.  Check!

-Volunteer at more races.  I was able to volunteer once this year and while I think it’s what got me sick for vacation, it was a great experience.

Erm… I’ll volunteer at least once.  Racing twice a month has really made this hard to do…

4.  Start one major house renovation this year.  Likely, the windows.  First priority, the kitchen windows that have no seals anymore.  This has moved up from just a one liner to a line item.  We’ve spent way too long looking at some major things in the house that need changing and being lazy.  If we don’t do this, something else just as major that’s on the list (counters, bathroom, etc).

We need to get on this.  We really, really need to do something about the windows.  Worst case, I’ll take that vacation time I have in December and get some estimates.

5.  Yet again, more one liners:

-Get the office set up as an office/craft room, not a junk store room (we’re halfway there, it’s cleaned out, we just need to look for some furniture and decide exactly how we want to rearrange it and such).

Cleaned out.  Have not done anything with it.  I suppose one would need time to work on crafts to want to fix this up. See “learn to sew” below…

-Decide what to do with the savings now that we have some, that doesn’t incude something at 0.000145% like our savings account.

Took some and invested.   Need to look into more options though.

-Do more batch cooking so having healthy lunches and dinners available is easier.  It’s not my favorite thing to do but I’m going to get really sick of Amy’s and Annie’s real quick.

I’m finding that being mostly vegan during the week is helping me have healthy quick food that’s not from a package or can.

-Learn to sew. So I can modify my horrible men sized race tees. And maybe making skirts. And other stuff.

Not so much, maybe next year.  Need a sewing machine. 😛

-Learn the party rock anthem dance.  Every day I’m shufflin….day I’m shufflin….

Again, not so much… although if this is the one I have to not accomplish I’m probably ok.

So, not too bad.  Racing and training and work are kind of eating my year, so it’s a good thing I love racing and training and work. 🙂

Oddly enough, I don’t have that much MISC stuff (that’s the nice thing about.  Random things/thoughts of last week:

-Feel insanely lucky to have my life and be able to do what I do.  I may have a rough day here and there but sometimes I just get smacked in the face with how awesome everything is.  My complaints are incredibly trivial and my bounty is so large of awesomeness.  Hallo, gratitude!

-It was the first weekend at home and relaxing (well, after about 4 hours of training that morning) and it felt GREAT!  We saw Prometheus (which was a lot of fun), hung out with friends, grilled some yummy chicken, and just had a nice, relaxing weekend.

-Training mantra for this year from Prometheus(loose) quote: “Yeah it hurts. You have to not mind it hurting.”  (Whoever said this MUST be a run/bike/swimmer)

-It was hoooooooot last week (like, 106 degrees).  People were complaaaaaaining.  I’m sorry, give me 105 over under 40 any day.  At least when it’s 105 its sunny when I get out of work and I’m not freezing to death.  I love me some summer.

And that wraps up this edition of what’s going on in my life lately.

Question of the week: with 6 months down and 6 to go, how’s your 2012 goals coming along?  Making great progress? Need to dig in?

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2 Comments

  1. Miz

    WOO to the HOO for the much more muscular!!!!

  2. Manu

    Don’t really have much in terms for my goals, I don’t do them (maybe I should?), but a) you rock and b) the cloud comic made me crack up 🙂

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