The next logical step...

I'll keep this short, just another update. I kind of sucked it up at my last half marathon, but I keep telling myself it's bc I'm training differently. I was also not at 100%, and I knew it. I am feeling myself reaching a plateau, but not a permanent one. I think I may have reached the limit of what I can do on my own. Training alone for endurance races is kind of challenging, but I enjoy it. However, if I want to improve and keep myself going without burning out, I need to take it to the next level.

The next logical step for me is to look into training. I thought about team training with Atlanta Tri Club (or another similar group). I am not a huge fan of group training though, I know that's probably not good. I just have so much anxiety around other people that I just kind of want to do it on my own. I also like to use my training time as my "me time." So, I think I've decided to go with an individual coach. It's not cheap, but it could be really beneficial. It would also help me avoid potential injury from over-training on my own. I seem to be injury prone, so it'd be nice to have someone else keeping me in check. I also could use the individual accountability from someone who knows my training and where I am physically.

I think I've decided to go with a coach from The Sport Factory, which is mostly online coaching. That seems flexible enough for me, too. The tri clubs have their set schedules, which don't always work for me. It won't be cheap, but I could really benefit. If I don't improve within a few months, then I could stop the individual coaching. However, I think I really could see some positive results, and cut out some unnecessary stuff I'm doing now (supplement chasing, over training, now knowing what comes next, etc).

So...Today I will decide the next step. Am I serious about this racing thing? I want to be. Is that crazy? Am I really capable of being an Iron Man finisher? Am I capable of placing in bigger races? Is it a waste of money and time to get this serious about endurance races? It may be...however, I won't know until I try it.

Many months later...

I guess I haven't really kept this blog updated as I'd planned. Really, the past 5 months or so have been more of the same. However, I upped the ante beyond what I expected. I worked harder than I thought I would. Let's see... last race I posted about on here was apparently my 2nd half-marathon. Since then, here's the breakdown of what I've accomplished:

*April 28, 2012 - Beltine Northside 5K (Race time - 26:29.2 PR!; pace 8:31) To date, this is still my 5k PR, but my goal is to get an even better time for a Peachtree qualifier for next year. This race was after the cutoff for qualifiers, so at the least, I can use it for a better qualifying time.

*May 20, 2012 - Iron Girl Atlanta Tri; 540m swim, 19mi bike, 3mi run (Race time - 2:06:20; 20:17 swim; 1:11:15 bike; 25:53 run) My first triathlon, and I was immediately hooked! It was one of the best experiences of my life! Friends and I had spent a couple of weekends prior camping near Lake Lanier (the site of the race) for a training weekend. We biked from our camp site to the lake, swam for my first open water swim, biked back, and then did a short run. I am certain that the training weekend definitely gave me the confidence I needed to push myself for the race. In hindsight, I probably could have shaved a good bit off the swim time with more training and the bike time should be better next year now that I have acquired a real road/tri bike! I'm hooked.

Iron Girl run

*June 16, 2012 - Candler Park 5k Just another 5k. I don't remember the time, but it was not great. I think I finished in the 27-minute range. This was when I noticed how biking was beginning to have an effect on my running. My legs felt different. So, biking did slow my run down a bit, but that's fine during tri season... particularly because a speedy bike time is more advantageous than a speedy run time.

Kyle even volunteered for the race (but didn't run)

*July 4, 2012 - Peachtree Road Race 10k (Race time - 57:38) They say that nobody gets a PR at the Peachtree, but since it was my 2nd 10k ever, I got my PR up until that point. I loved this race...loved seeing the city, running by Piedmont Hospital (reminding myself of the time I was wheeled out of there years ago). The spectators were the absolute best! This race prompted me to sign up for the Atlanta Track Club, which means guaranteed entry into next year's race. It was a warm day, a great day. It was also my first race running w/ only a sports bra (no shirt) bc it was hot.

Peachtree Road Race

*July 8, 2012 - Chattanooga Waterfront Tri; 1.5km swim, 26mi bike, 10k run (Race time - 3:16:02 overall; 29:xx swim; 1:30:xx bike; 1:07:xx run) Because I did get a bit addicted to triathlons after the Iron Girl, I decided to sign up for an Olympic distance race. I knew I could handle the bike and run, but I was a bit intimidated by the swim. By this point, I'd acquired my road/tri bike, so my bike speed was much improved already. I was confident with the run having been keeping a steady 10k weekend run up by this point. I spent a few days a week in the pool, even got the hand paddles for training. I rocked the swim better than expected because the river current did kind of help keep me going. I found that switching back and forth to the breast stroke, instead of freestyle the whole time, was actually better because the deeper current pulled me to the side while in freestyle, but I was more on top of the water with breast stroke, so the upper current kept me moving forward. I loved this race. Beat my expected time (and the 2 ppl I knew who were also doing it). I plan to return to this race next year.

Chattanooga Olympic distance Triathlon

*July 14, 2012 - Beltline Southwest 5K (Race time - 27:33) At this point is when I began to notice that I wasn't taking shorter runs seriously enough. I drank the night before the race, didn't sleep enough, and didn't wake up until my beltline teammates showed up at the door! Luckily the race was just down the road. I struggled a bit bc of my dehydration, lack of preparedness, and sore side from the fresh tattoo.

Beltline Run Club crew at the SW 5k!

*August 18, 2012 - TriToBeat Cancer Sprint; 400m swim, 14mi bike, 5k run (Race time - 1:25:32; 9:45 swim; 44:42 bike; 26:44 run; 6th in age group) This was my first true sprint triathlon (Iron Girl was a long sprint), so I went into it with a very competitive mindset. I could have probably done a bit better on the bike because at this point, I still was not being aggressive enough with passing slower cyclists. I hadn't yet discovered that I am a pretty fast sprinter on the bike, so I can definitely be okay with passing as many slower bikes as I can. Either way, I finished extremely strong, my last half mile to mile was at about at 7:40 pace. It felt good. Mom was at the race cheering me on, and a couple of girls from the beltline crew raced too. I am still impressed with my swim time because I definitely didn't swim my hardest...lesson learned: no mercy in the water. People will swim over me, so I can swim over others too. Start toward the front of the pack and let them pass me, not the other way around. I spend too much time treading water by starting toward the back and passing others.

Sprint Tri in Athens

*Sept 1, 2012 - Castleberry Hill 10k (Race time - 55:13; 08:53 pace; 12/70 in age group) Great route around a part of town I am actually already familiar with (and run through often). The race was put on/organized by Tes and her RunningNerds. I really enjoyed it. I got a PR, which I had hoped for and kind of expected because I knew the course and it's only my third 10k. I biked to/from the race to get some duathlon training in. I felt so good afterwards that I ended up biking all the way to Grant Park, going on a 3 mile run, then biking across the city to run errands before heading home. It was a good day.

Stretching before my 10k PR race around the ATL

*Sept 14, 2012 - Cherry Point Sprint Duathlon; 5k run, 10 mi bike, 5k run (Race time - 1:29:17; 3rd overall female!) Scheduled this race as an opportunity for a road trip to go see Jess and the boys. It was a great weekend and a particularly impressive race performance! I raced mostly against marines. It wasn't a huge event, but size aside, I won third overall female! I had hoped to place in my age group, but I did not expect an overall place! It was awesome... I rocked the bike, apparently, because my run time has really slowed with all the biking I did over the summer. I am proud of myself for this...I needed the boost to end the multisport season. Next year, I plan to continue the triathlon trend and hope to do a 70.3 Half Iron Man.

Showing off my 3rd place trophy and hanging w/ my supporter!

*October 7, 2012 - Atlanta 13.1 Half Marathon (Race time - 02:32:53) My most recent race, and it's unfortunately my worst half marathon time. I am okay with it now though. The course was really hilly, and I didn't run many hills because my calves were shot from pushing it so hard for the duathlon (it was worth it). I'd gotten a few massages and had been running off-road mostly to allow them to heal. Race morning was also one of the first chilly mornings this year, so most folks weren't yet used to running in the cold! My pace has also continued to slow a bit because I am now training for my first full marathon.

That's right, I said that I'm training for a full marathon, and not just next spring's Publix Georgia Marathon. I decided to do another traveling race. I am going to Tucson in December to run my first marathon. The course is mostly flat and downhill, and I think the weather will be nice for the race as well. I have a lot of training to do, but that's where I am right now. I have a 5k or two, the Thanksgiving Atlanta Half Marathon, and a 10k between now and the marathon. So, there's plenty of time to train and the Atlanta Half should be at a good time during training. I'm having a few confidence issues after my rough finish w/ the last half marathon, but I know that right now I just need to train to finish. Next year I can up the ante.