Riding the Hills
A benefit of training in Houston that's now a limitation... An upside of training in Houston is that there are no hills. and A disadvantage of training in Houston is its lack of hills. As a new triathlete, I had very little muscular or cardiovascular...
Mental gymnastics were required today
Motivation or discipline? I've been doing well with being disciplined each day and getting most of my training sessions completed. Over the weekend I realized that to achieve big goals, my motivation, no matter how intense, must be underpinned with discipline. ...
Speed barrier broken …ππ½ββοΈ
How I undermined myself as a runner For the majority of my life, running felt awkward and difficult. However, as a freshman in high school, I quickly realized that the track stars got all the ladies. So, I decided that I belonged on the track team. My buddy James and...
Ironman Texas has been Postponed…Indefinitely
My training volume and intensity is peaking. We are about three weeks from the Galveston half Ironman. I'm pleased to have reached several training milestones... β - Run a half marathon (13.2 miles) β - Run the Houston Marathon (26.2 miles) β - Bike 100 Miles, a.k.a....
Post marathon recovery
Torment, frustration, and concern have ruled my days since I completed the marathon. For 14 days I hadn't been able to run more than 5 steps without intense knee pain. Yesterday, I was able to run my first mile! Then the pain returned. Injury recovery is a new...
Houston Marathon Race Report (Part 3 of 3)
Since this was my first marathon, I knew post-race I would have a lot to absorb. I would learn, more broadly, about running as a sport, and I would gain insights about myself as an endurance runner (yes, I consider the marathon an endurance race). So, going into the...
Houston Marathon Race Report (Part 2 of 3)
Pushing through the second half of the race At mile 14, the sun was up and I was near the Galleria. There were no tall buildings to block the sun and the wind had calmed down. I felt a sense of peace and gratitude as I looked around and absorbed the moment. This part...
Houston Marathon Race Report (part 1 of 3)
Anxiety ruled the night The morning of Jan 19, 2020, was cold (~45Β°F). I was in bed by 9:30 but hadn't slept for more than 3 hours. Although I didn't feel anxious, my mind was racing and visualizing all sorts of race-day scenarios. Visualization before an event or...
Marathon anticipation
Tomorrow I will run my first marathon. The last two days have been an emotional and psychological roller coaster. Thursday was a normal day. I didn't feel any angst or excitement about the race. I have trained and I'm as ready as I am going to be...why worry? Friday,...
2019 Race Achievements
The amazing impact of a focused diet
After only 1 1/2 weeks of following a prescribed diet, I blew myself away with the results of my long run yesterday (16 miles). I was afraid of it...3 hrs were scheduled with a 9:30-10:30min /mile race pace. I knew that this would be my longest run before...
Discovering Road rash
Road rash, runner's rash, and chafing are well-known issues with endurance sports. Cyclists apply Chamois Buttr in their cycling shorts. Both runners and cyclists use body glide wherever their skin experiences friction. It's applied to feet, buttocks, inner thighs,...
One Glass of whiskey
Apparently, I've become very sensitive to alcohol. Perhaps this is a result of intentionally being more aware of how my body feels or the fact that now I rarely have more than 2-3 drinks/week. I've cut back for a few reasons, primarily, the negative impact it...
Reluctantly adding a nutritionist to my team
No one does "it" alone... Since the beginning of my Ironman journey, I've been able to drop my weight and improve my fitness significantly. In the beginning, my weight loss was through calorie restriction and overall change in my relationship with food. I felt great...
Run assessment…progress despite nutritional deficit
Routine run assessment/progress check I felt strong and was confident that my run fitness had increased. At the upper end of the training set, I began feeling wobbly and low on energy...I was bonking again! I crashed pretty quickly after that. Johnny noted that my...
