Saturday, December 28, 2013

Holiday Blues

After another horrid round of bronchitis (that is still lingering -- 4 months on! Is this normal?), I thought it would be a pretty sweet idea to train for a Half Ironman. I really needed the cross training so hey, why not, right? Right? Wrong. Here's some reasons why my 70.3 was (and is) a terrible idea:

1. The race is in Syracuse. Syracuse is hilly.
2. The race is in June. Water is cold in June.
3. As a result of #2, I would need to purchase a wetsuit.
4. I have never swam in a wetsuit outside of SCUBA diving.
5. June is not an appropriate time to swim over a mile in a wetsuit for the first time and does not afford me much time to get any practice in whatsoever.
6. I can't run more than 3 miles still without my lungs burning and/or injuries flaring up.
7. I really hate swimming still. Like really hate it.
8. I also suck at biking still.
9. I actually suck at running, biking, and swimming.

See the issue here? Granted, yes, I could probably get into good enough shape to complete a 70.3 in 2014. It likely would not be the Syracuse race and that's fine, but really my biggest issue:

10. I'm not motivated to do a triathlon.

I would love a kick in the pants to start cross training heavily, but that's what my trainer is for. Not to mention that Ottawa is a big tri city and I have no issues with running a local sprint or hell even Olympic distance tri. I commit myself to so many things that adding in "driving up to a lake to practice open water swimming at 6 am" falls reeeeally far down that list. My summers are so jam-packed as it is that if I'm honest with myself, the triathlon is not realistic.

So -- what is realistic? I always love making lists of goals and I always hate reading how horribly I've failed at them. I'm not motivated by hard dates or numbers like some people are, but a good general guideline helps me (and gives me wiggle room). Some general "goals" for 2014:

  • Sleep: My ass can't survive on 6 hours of sleep/night and that's becoming more and more apparent. My current issue is that I'm so used to getting little sleep that I don't break habits, despite promising to every day. This will change in 2014. I do not have time for afternoon naps and to be honest, I just miss out too much on the day and life when all I'm doing is either day-sleeping, or zombie-ing through the day.
  • My Workout Program: I have an awesome personal trainer. He's actually so awesome that I got my husband on board with working out with him too. He creates great workouts for me and I always e-mail him back at the end of the week going, "Weeelll, I had an exam aaaaand I didn't sleep a lot aaaaaaand my tummy kinda hurt sooooo I only did 3 workouts and skipped most of the cardio. Is that cool?". NOT happening anymore. I paid good money for these plans and the only person losing out is me.
  • Planning My Meals: This one has been a bit tough because I do have such a busy life that often my meals are unexpected, unforeseen, or unplanned. It happens. The main problem I'm having right now is planning some great meals with good intentions and then my husband comes home and not only do we eat out the days that he's home, but the food expires in the fridge or on the counter. In order to save money, eat healthier, and not let thing spoil, I'm hoping to plan our meals out for the week. Knowing my life, I will mainly be focusing on good "day food" because I will more or less always be at work, but I'll leave some options open for the evenings. The goal is to use the same ingredients in different dishes.
  • Streaking: My husband and I are planning to take a tropical vacation in February. I've always been intrigued by Runner's World's "run streak" between US Thanksgiving and Christmas (or New Years? Something like that), but I'm realistic with myself knowing that I likely wouldn't be able to do it. The streak entails running 1 mile every day between the two holidays. Since we plan to go to the islands in mid-Feb (16th-ish), I have a plan to "streak" between Jan 1 and that date -- whatever date it is when we book the trip. It will keep me going to the gym and getting workouts in. My bikini body needs it!
  • Yoga: Finally -- yoga. I love yoga and I haven't done enough of it lately. My studio is in a neighbourhood that is really quite far from my workplace and my house, but they are amazing and I need to go more. I have great gear, I plan to buy a great new (and big!) mat, and my husband even notices the difference when I do hot yoga a few days a week. I notice too, and the injuries are far more manageable.
 Finally, I hope to blog all of this.