My New Naked

You all know me as Irondiva.  Or maybe the girl that started the naked racing craze (ha... right, I totally wish that I could take credit for it but I really just left my watch at home and my bike computer was broke.  I'm sure tons of people run without electronics, but let me have my moment).  I learned to love racing naked last year - it took some time to get used to.  I mean, I didn't have all the data telling me when I was dying and how short or long the course was (it's Ohio people... the courses are NEVER accurate).  But I loved learning about my body and what "pushing it" felt like.  I went as fast as my legs and arms took me.  Most of my races, that was fast enough for a PR or a podium spot in my age group (again, people, it's Ohio... and central Ohio at that, I'm not claiming to be really good here).

But then came training.  I literally want to know every detail.  How far did I run?  How fast did I run?  When I ran that same course 3 days ago, and the sun was shining a shade brighter and it was 3:17pm versus 5:46 pm, was I faster or slower (and if I slower this time around, I must surely be getting worse and maybe I should retire from the sport).  I logged into MapMyRun religiously after every run.  My bike computer was reset before each ride.  I counted every lap in the pool (my pool is 19 meters and I've perfected counting up to 200 laps).  I had excel charts and graphs in pretty colors and summaries of each discipline, each month, each year.

I was neurotic about it to be quite honest.  And honestly, it didn't mean anything to me.  I used it to critic myself when in fact, I knew nothing about the data that I was getting from it.

So when I started training with Coach Sharpie and we started this HR stuff (yes! another piece of data that I can meticulously dissect), I was a bit surprised when she told me to try to just wear the HR monitor and not focus on distance or pace. 

Say what crazy lady?  How am I supposed to fill in my excel chart without the time, distance, and pace of every workout?

But I've been doing it and you know what?  It's freeing...  I actually have that freeing feeling again.  I run for time (and drills).  I bike for time (and drills).  I swim for time (and drills).  And when the workout is done, I know two things - how many minutes I worked out and what my average HR was.  And that's it.  I don't obsess with how many laps I ran at the gym (remember, that track is 9 laps to a mile and I've counted up to 15 miles so you can imagine how freeing just that aspect of it could be), how many up and backs I did in the pool, or how far I didn't really go on the bike since it's stationary.  It doesn't matter right now. 

Maybe that's why I don't mind this HR training.  It may be slower than I'm used to running and biking, but my mind can just go blank.  I'm not thinking about the last workout I did and comparing it. I'm really enjoying every session. 

My new naked is just me and my HR monitor.  Not really naked in most people's eyes, but extremely naked for a girl who's been obsessed with numbers that really had very little meaning for last few years.

I believe...

On Tuesday I did my first training test for Coach Sharpie... my HR test.   After what seemed like a plethora of mishaps leading up to it (I won't tell you about all the things that should have pointed me in the direction of doing it another day), I found myself at the track doing my prescribed workout.  In the pouring down rain.

But it went well, despite some technological mishaps (I'm telling you, someone must have been doing voodoo on me somewhere in the world...) but I was able to get the numbers that Sharpie wanted.  Success. 

After giving her my data, Sharpie very calmly explained (in a great way that incorporated pizza... I knew she was the perfect coach) that I've been cooking the edges of my crust and not letting my insides cook properly.  It made sense... that's what I've always done.  She said "heart rate training is hard.  You are going to be running and biking slow.  You will get frustrated.  You will question what I'm doing.  Believe in the process".  Fitting that she says this... if you remember this post, I got an Endorphin Warrior Training Bracelet recently with my chosen word and new motto for 2012... BELIEVE.

And I do believe in the process.  Even after getting my HR zones and being told where I will be training for the next few weeks, I didn't freak out (okay, I kind of freaked out a little, but it wasn't bad).  I believe that Sharpie knows her stuff.  I believe that she's going to make me a better athlete.  I believe that she will teach me a million things in the process.

And after talking to Tom about it all over lunch, today's "aha" moment came (I think I'm going to have a lot of these working with Sharpie).  So for the last three or four years, I've done no heart rate training.  None.  I have a great watch with all the functions of HR training, but I don't use it.  Our training has always been together, with me going hard in hopes of "getting better" and Tom along side of me, never seeming to put out as much effort.  I always said to him "you are holding back to train with me and you'd be so much better if you just went at your pace", but he never left my side.  Come race day, I've not had the ability to go hard without dying.  Tom gets faster with what seems like little effort in training.  It baffled my mind for so long.  And yet, after one conversation with Carole and it all makes sense. You see, he's been cooking his crust at a slow, even pace.  He's building his aerobic engine every time we train together.

And now it's my turn to make my crust better.  I haven't even really full on started training with my coach (that "officially starts" on Monday), but I already see what I've been missing.  It's going to be a great year.

I do believe.

And yes Sharpie, game on!

Holiday baking and other randomness

I love holiday cookies.  Sugar cookies with icing... probably one of my favorite things in the whole world.  But I don't do nearly as much holiday baking as I'd like.  Mainly because if I bake it, I eat it and well, that never works out well for me in the end. They always taste so good going down though... hum...

Anyway, last Thursday we celebrated Christmas with my in-laws since they are going to be gone for the holidays.  I made Santa hat cupcakes which I thought turned out really cute.

Then on Saturday we had dinner with some friends and I decided to make reindeer cake pops (Hey Nicole... if you are reading this, they weren't too hard, but man... I have a long way to go to make mine look as amazing as yours!!!).  Fun little holiday treat and I was pretty darn impressed with myself because my baking skills usually including breaking apart the squares of cookie dough and placing them on a cookie sheet! :)

Our family has started a tradition of getting together at the Columbus Zoo before the holidays and going to the WildLights.  Basically, our amazing zoo transforms for the holidays with nearly 3 million led lights.  It's pretty amazing and we always have fun getting a hot chocolate and walking around the zoo at dark, and then going out for dinner as a group.  It's things like this that I'm really going to miss when I move, although I might have to make a special trip back in December to keep this tradition going (that is, unless I'm home for the holidays!!!)

 

 

Speaking of Atlanta.  We put an offer in on a house last week.  It didn't work out.  We think that the lady selling the house was using the offer against another buyer as leverage.  I feel like we got played.  Guess it wasn't meant to me.  Our search continues.  As of 1/20, we're going to be homeless unless we find something so keep us in your thoughts.

Lastly, I have decided not to do the Goofy Challenge.  I actually decided a little while ago just based on the busy time of year for us. We never imagined that we'd be moving when we signed up.  The race is the weekend of 1/7 and we are closing on our house here in Delaware on 1/13.  We had already shortened the trip from six days to three a few months back, but the more we thought about it, the more we realized the timing couldn't be worse.  Tom's coming off an amazing running year, but I think he's a bit burnt out (he ran six full marathons this season, PRing by over 25 minutes, did a full 140.6, and then ran across the country in 16 days!), I never really got my groove back after my accident and we know that 2012 will give us a lot of opportunity to do new things.  Coach Sharpie has a lot in store for me so she was happy with my decision!  It's not to say I will never do it, but 2012 just isn't my year.

Hope you all have a fabulous holiday.  Remember what this time of year is all about...