It's Time for Speed Work!

I'm not fast. 

I was born 11 days late and I've been trying to catch up ever since. My body has 2 settings:

Setting #1:

Inevitably followed by Setting #2:

Every single morning.

I can be slow. Maddeningly slow.

I understand this because when people are slower than I want them to be it is maddening.

But when I do try to hustle, especially when I'm encouraged to do so by others, my brain and body just stop communicating and I freeze up.

System error from brain to muscles.

Well, now that I've been hitting new distances in my training and races I really want to pick up the pace so I'm not out on the course all day (especially if I want to do even longer races). And that's clearly a problem given the above information.  So my new goal is speed work!

Just call me "Maverick".

I will be returning to indoor cycling classes, going to the track, and working on swimming faster. I even got some fancy flippers.

Stay tuned!

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P.S. I may not be speedy yet, but at least I can do the hustle!

If you're too young to know it or just want to enjoy, please visit a lovely compilation of 70s ladies and gents Doing the Hustle. It really gets going at the 30 second mark.

UPCOMING POSTS: SWIMMING DRILLS, RUNNING SPEED WORK, A SHOE REVIEW

My "Swim, Bike, Run" is Turning into "Sleep, Sleep, Sleep".

I have a confession to make:

I'm not really training right now.

I want to be, but I'm so tired. So very, very tired.

After the Portland Marathon I pretty much lost all my mojo.  1 week off turned into 3 months off.

A couple of months ago I went to a workshop at my PT clinic that was all about jump starting your training early. I thought it would be the kick in the pants I needed to get moving again. They talked about setting up your training into mini, meso, and macro cycles (basically short-, mid-, and long-term goals.)

Next a dietician/ultramarathoner spoke about the importance of fueling our bodies for our workouts. She opened the floor for discussion by asking one of my fellow participants about his eating habits:

He's serious about his nutrition. Hyperserious.

The dietician then scanned the room for another sharer.

Guess who she picked?

Gah.

I tend to ramble when I feel put on the spot.

A lot of the presentation went over my head, but I learned I should be training consistently in order to stay fit and healthy and be better prepared for 'racing' season.

Which brings me back to my current situation: I'm tired. I barely work out Monday to Friday and then the weekend comes.

And I swim!

I bike!

I run!

And then Monday comes along and I'm wiped out again.

Last week I tried something new.  I committed to 10 minutes of exercise when I got home, regardless of what time it was.

It worked for a couple of days.

This week, I decided to add some WYCWYC (What You Can, When You Can) to my life.  The idea was started by super bloggers Carla Birnberg and Roni Noone.  It's about doing what you have time to CAN do and not judging yourself when you can't do more.  Plus, it's super fun to say.

Say it with me:

Better yet, say it with Carla and Roni!

See? Superfun.

SO NOW I'M ASKING FOR YOUR IDEAS! I WILL TRY THEM OUT AND BLOG ABOUT HOW I DO! (I will of course mention you, and link back to you if you're a social media type :D)

Just answer any or all of these questions in the comment section:

1. How successful are you with getting in your work time and play time?
3. How many times a week are you working out if you're in base training?
2. How should I try to get my workouts in during daylight hours? (I don't have the option of lunchtime workouts)
P.S. Are there any wickwickers out there?


UPCOMING POSTS: SWIMMING, BIKING, CADENCE TRAINING, TRYING OUT *YOUR* WORKOUT IDEAS!