Falling Short...

Last Tuesday, we did a goals post capturing the top 5 things we wanted to change/accomplish in November.  Here's an update on our quest to better our lives and our running:

Jennifer's Goals
1. Run 5 days a week. Done.  Ran 5 days, biked one.
2. Do speed work once a week.  I had good intentions of doing this.  However, it didn't happen because I got caught up in the fact that my RunKeeper app was not functioning properly.
3. Go to bed by 10:30 every night!  Hasn't happened once since we posted last week.  I've gotten better about going to bed at a reasonable hour, especially since deleting Words With Friends!!  I'm a total addict.
4. Learn about fueling/nutrition for before/during longer runs.  Haven't done much to work on this one yet.  Geez, I'm really starting to sound like quite a slacker!
5. Eat sweets no more than three times a week.  I've eaten sweets every day (multiple times) this week.  But here's the main reason: I was supposed to head home last Thursday.  Finally, after 3 weeks, I'd get to see my running group and leave these dreaded hills of northern VA! About halfway home, my car broke down.  After getting towed to a garage in Emporia,VA, and waiting for several hours, I was told that it would be $3200 to fix three broken catalytic converters!  You know what I did when I heard that?  I broke out the jogging stroller and headed out on a run.  You hear numbers that big and you have to do something to calm yourself down!  Well, I'm back at my in-laws and have been her for nearly a month now.  At least I get to jog without the stroller in tow! 

So all in all, I haven't exactly been dedicated to the goals.  This week I promise to try harder. I will get to bed earlier and eat less sugar.  Note I say all this as I sip champagne on a Monday afternoon:)

Jess' Goals

1. Complete speed work once a week.  Completed!  I did a hill sprint workout this week. 

2. Add two yoga workouts per week.  50% complete.  Last Friday I did a yoga video that I found OnDemand.  Considering I'm surrounded by yoga studios here in SoCal, I'd be better off finding a class!

3.  35 miles per week.  If you count biking, then I definitely reached this goal!  I think it's going to continue to be a mix of bike/run miles until my plantar fasciitis goes away :-(

4. Eliminate Monster energy drinks from my daily intake.  DONE!!!  Haven't had a single bit of caffeine since Sunday, 30 October.  Giving it up came with the price of a three day headache, but I feel SO MUCH better now!

5. Find one new trail to run every week. DONE!  Checkout my review of the Eucalyptus Grove Trail.

Here's to our (mine and your) goals!

(Photo from Zen of Erica)

Interview with Leonie Campbell

If you've been following the blog at all, you've heard me mention my best buddy, Leonie Campbell.  She and I work and train together (ok, she trains and I try to tag along when I'm not afraid she'll run me into the ground!).  I thought it would be interesting and informative to do an interview with her, as she is as close to a professional athlete as I can get right now!!  

Getting ready to start the swim at the Hard Corps Sprint Tri

Q1: How long have you been running? 

A1: I come from a family of runners.  I grew up with a dad that ran 8 miles a day and a mom who ran 3 every morning.  My brother and I would bike with Mom when we were little on the weekends, and then started running with her when we were in middle school.

Q2: When did you begin doing triathlons? 

A2: I did my first triathlon in 2008 in North Carolina.  My first few were relays since I could only swim (busted ankle) and worked my way to a full race by the end of the season with the Wilmington Sprint Triathlon.

Q3: What do you consider to be the toughest part of a tri? 

A3: Going to sleep the night before and waking up the morning of a race! The first part of the run is typically the most awkward.  Your body has to adjust from being on a bike for miles to running in a matter of seconds.  Things can feel rather discombobulated.

Q4: How many miles do you average in a week?  

A4: Swimming, biking, or running?  Swimming - about 10000 yds.  Biking - 100-150 miles.  Running - 20-25 miles

Q5: What makes tris so much fun?  

A5: I'm addicted.  Addicts need to feed their addiction.  I enjoy the combination of the sports, the people you meet racing in different places, and being outdoors.

Q6: What one piece of advice would you give to a runner looking to get a PR in their next 5k?

A6: Find a track.  Do intervals....6x400 at your goal 5k race pace will work wonders.

Q7: What nutritional supplements do you use specific for endurance training? 

I use Hammer Nutrition's Daily Essentials Kit.  However, I do not think that anything substitutes a well rounded diet based on whole foods.

Leonie and me trying to take our own picture :-)

Q8: How does someone go from running to the world of triathlon?  

A8: I'm originally a swimmer (water polo player) which probably makes the transition a bit easier since swimming is the most technical of the three disciplines.  So, I asked my husband, Knight, for his answer to this questions since he is a runner who has become a triathlete.  His simple answer - "Buy a bike. Suck up the swim." In a few more words, he added that if you find that you like your first race, finding a swim class or swim coach can really help make the swim more manageable.  As a runner, he may get a little behind on the swim, but spends the bike and run hunting people down.  I end up running in fear of being caught.  Being the hunter rather than the hunted is usually preferred.

Q9: What is your favorite gadget to train with?  

A9: Does my husband count?  For me, having a training partner far out paces any gadget out there.  That being said, I do train with a Garmin 310 and use Training Peaks to track my workout schedule and load.  I like the Garmin over the Timex because of the ability to easily move it from your bike to your wrist for the run.

Leonie with her favorite training "gadget", her husband Knight!

Q10: What is your most embarrassing moment (race or non-race related) 

A10: Race related - miss counting laps of the bike course for the TritonMan Sprint.  I got a number of phone calls and Facebook post the next few days asking how I do my job if I can't count to 3.

Q11: Tri gear is expensive. What do you splurge on? What do you save on?

A11: Hmmm....The only two places you can "buy time" is the swim and the bike.  Getting a triathlon specific wetsuit for swimmer or non-swimmer will make you faster.  The difference for non-swimmers (ie someone who isn't a competitive swimmer) can be upwards of 10 minutes in an olympic distance race (1500m swim).  Wetsuits run from $100 - $700. My go to wetsuit this season is a sleeveless that cost me less than $150.  Patience, coupons, last season's models.

After a couple races or maybe an entire season, you may decide it's time to upgrade from a mountain bike or road bike to a triathlon specific bike.  It's a big investment and doing the research or finding a friend that can help you is a must.  Buying a good bike is worth the investment if you are making that leap.  Do not buy a bike based on the brand.  Ultimately, the most important factor in the bike is that it fits you.  There are dozens of manufacturers that manufacture a variety of different frames.  Find the bike that you are comfortable on and fits you in your price point.  If you have a choice between flashy wheels or better components, go with the components.  Wheels are easy to upgrade later.

Q12: What's your favorite post-race meal?  

A12: Chipolte Burrito Bowl

My favorite picture of Leonie!!!!

Here are some of her amazing race performance highlights:

2011  

USAT All American Honors Female 25-29

All Marine National Triathlon Team

1^st Alternate Armed Forces Military World Championships

La Quinta Desert International                     7^th Overall

Super Seal                                                       9^th Overall

Armed Forces Championship                      7^th Overall

Wildflower Olympic                                       11^th Overall

Orange Country Triathlon                             7^th Overall

Escape from Alcatraz                                    15^th Overall

Breath Of Life Ventura Triathlon                  2^nd Overall

Camp Pendleton Sprint                                 3^rd Overall

Santa Barbara Long Course                         5^th Overall

Oceanside Pier Swim                                    1^st 25-29 Age Group

Tri Rock Olympic                                            1^st Overall

Orangeman 70.3                                            4^th Overall

SharkFest San Diego                                     1^st 25-29 Age Group

2010

Las Vegas Triathlon                                       7^th Overall

Marina Del Playa Triathlon                           3^rd Overall

Blue Water Triathlon                                      3^rd Overall

Oceanside Pier Swim                                    3^rd 25-29 Age Group

2009

Solana Beach Triathlon                                12^th Overall

Pendleton Sprint Triathlon                            6^th Overall

Surf Town Triathlon                                        3^rd Overall

Orange County Triathlon                               9^th Overall

San Diego Classic                                          7^th Overall

Finding New Ground

One of my goals for the month of November is to find a new trail to run every week.  Living in SoCal, there are a ton of places to run, it just takes some time to look them up online and then to navigate to them! Today I left work early enough to go on an adventure, which really took me less than 2 miles from my house!


I found the Eucalyptus Grove Trail.







Pros:
-Close to my house
-Nice and hilly (though for someone as clumsy as me, this could also be a con)
-The other runners/walkers I passed out there were all very friendly
-Beautiful scenery
-The course is short - this makes it perfect for a long run training route.  You just put all of your snacks and drinks in your car at the trailhead and refuel when you finish your two miles!!!

You might get to see some bunnies!!!

 Cons:
-The trail runs along some major roads, so it's not very peaceful.
-It also runs through some pretty ritzy neighborhoods (huge houses on both sides)!  It's fun to look at how the other half live, BUT...if you have to pee, there's really no good place to do it (and yes, I REALLY had to pee the entire run).
-The course is short - two miles out and back.

Run Like a Child

On Saturday, 29 October, we finally buried our mom and dad's ashes (they passed away in 2008 and 2006 respectively).  After doing that, we headed to a friend's lake house and ate disgusting amounts of cheese and crackers, tortilla soup, Italian sausage soup, vegetarian chili, and brownies with icing!  We spent no more than 10 minutes digesting this and Jessica, as crazy as she is, suggests we go for a jog.  No Garmin, no watches, no plan.  Just a nice leisurely jog.

It was exactly what we needed.  Our friend's daughters ran the first 100 yards with us and reminded us what it used to be like to run for fun.  Children have no concept of logging miles, they just go for it.  

The kiddos turned back and walked with their grandma as we headed out on a path around a beautiful lake.  We chatted and just enjoyed the beautiful landscape. Oh, and we tested out our jumping abilities:

And what better way to end such a run than to lay down in the freshly fallen leaves?  Challenge yourself to go out and run just for the sake of running.  Take away the gadgets, take away the stress, and remind yourself why you love such a pure sport.

Wordless Wednesday: Cross Training

Gotta Have Goals

It's a new month, so what better way to challenge yourself and be held accountable than to make your goals public?!

Jennifer's Goals

1. Run 5 days a week. I'd like to give myself a mileage goal, but I think I'll start out small for our first month of goals.
2. Do speed work once a week.  Ultimately, my goal is to get faster.  From all the issues of Runner's World I've read over the past 5 years, speed work is the key.  And while I might not be able to hit the track on a weekly basis, I have a treadmill, so it's possible to complete this goal.
3. Go to bed by 10:30 every night!  This one is tough.  I have a 1-year old, so when she goes to bed, I usually hop on the computer, or watch some TV and before I know it, midnight is upon me.  Getting adequate sleep is another key to recovery.
4. Learn about fueling/nutrition for before/during longer runs.  I live on a diet of pasta and candy.  Unfortunately, this is not good running food according to the experts.  So during the month of November, I'll do some research about how to properly fuel my body to enhance my running (rather than running just so I can eat crap).
5. Eat sweets no more than three times a week.  Some would say this isn't really a goal.  Those people obviously have no idea what kind of sweets addiction I'm dealing with.

Jessica's Goals


1. Complete speed work once a week.  Jennifer stole this goal from me.  See explanation for goal above.
2. Add two yoga workouts per week.  I am quite possibly the most un-flexible person out there!  I know that flexibility adds speed for runners, and yoga is supposed to keep my body and mind in tune, right?
3. 35 miles per week. Setting a weekly mileage goal will force me to actually plan my training!  Most days I just go out and do whatever I feel like, or whatever my friend Leonie plans for us.  I think that in the long run, a training plan will help me be stronger and faster.
4. Eliminate Monster energy drinks from my daily intake.  By far one of my biggest vices is the energy drink addiction that I have!  I'm constantly needing the caffeine fix just to function.  I've increased my intake of water, but I still drink those energy drinks.  With a list of ingredients that I cannot even pronounce, there's NO WAY these are even remotely good for me!
5. Find one new trail to run every week. During the recent Dirt Devil Racing series, I was introduced to four new trails in the San Diego area.  I'm surrounded by amazing places to run and it just takes a little research.  Finding somewhere new to run each week will keep me motivated (and distracted) during long runs!


Share your goals with us and leave us your email/blog/twitter.  We'll check in on you this month to see if you're sticking to the plan.  Help keep us and yourselves accountable!

If I had the $$$...

If I had the money and time, there are three races in particular that I would LOVE to do.





1) Dublin Marathon - Ireland - Who wouldn't want to run through that beautiful country?





Where else can you find a can of Guinness RUNNING a marathon???







2) Athens Classic Marathon - Greece - I know that this one needs NO explanation for anyone.

                     More awesome costumes!!!

3) 4 Deserts Run - Africa (This one needs some explanation, so I borrowed it from their website - http://www.4deserts.com/whatis4deserts).

The 4 Deserts is the world's leading rough-country endurance footrace series. A unique collection of world-class events that take place over 7 days and 250 kilometres in the largest and most forbidding deserts on the planet. 

Competitors are challenged to go beyond the limits of their physical and mental endurance. Racing self-supported in the most inhospitable climates and formidable landscapes, they must carry all their own equipment and food and are only provided with drinking water and a place in a tent each night to rest. 

The series, named again by TIME magazine in 2010 as one of the world's Top 10 endurance competitions, comprises the Atacama Crossing in Chile, the Gobi March in China, the Sahara Race in Egypt and The Last Desert in Antarctica. 

 And if you feel this good at the end, you've done well!!!