Tag Archives: tri for the cure

Reflection Time

Posted on by triathlonmomma

After the completion of Harvest Moon relay, it was time to reflect on my first Triathlon “season” and contemplate what I wanted to pursue going forward.

Also, I was ready for a break.  I’d trained hard since registering for the Ft Collins Club Sprint event which meant 9 months of focused triathlon training.  Now, the amount of time I committed to training on a weekly basis, generally 10-12 hours, didn’t come close to what Ironman level athletes deliver week after week.  But, in my own humble way I had put considerable time and effort into my swim, bike, run.  I didn’t want to burn out and…more importantly I didn’t want to lose the support of my personal fan club (guys #1 (Husband) and #2 (Son)).  Striving for a reasonable balance between training-family-work is tough!

In 2012, I would “age up” and coincententially become eligible for AARP…aaargh!  That really conjures up a visual that is SO contrary to Triathlon.   Yes, I would be competing in the 50-54 age group… OUCH!  But on the bright side, I would be the youngest in that age-group and hopefully being youngest would provide at least some small advantage.

Reviewing my 2011 season results highlighted a glaring weak spot and an opportunity for improvement.  My area of focus during the off season…would be my run.  To highlight how weak my run was in comparison to swim and bike, my results included:

  • SheRox (out of ~300 participants) – Swim (8%), Bike (5%), Run (38%)
  • TRI for the Cure (out of ~2500 participants) – Swim (6%), Bike (2%), Run (31%)

Also Lance Armstrong has been heard to say “Ride for Show, Run for Dough”, my Run wasn’t gonna win me any dough.  Yes, there was a clear area of focus for my winter training.  It would be running.

But, before embarking on more training, @CoachCary recommended I take a break from structured training and focus on flexible “workouts”.  For about a month my www.TrainingPeaks.com training calendar was left blank.  Going back to just “working-out” was an adjustment.  I had become so use to living by my training calendar.  While I missed the structure in my life that the training calendar provided, I also felt that my body (and mind) and family were benefiting from my resting.  Cary assured me that I’d come back better and stronger…and hopefully faster if I took a break.  So I followed my coach’s guidance.  Rest was at the top of my training plan!

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TRI for the Cure – Sprint Triathlon

Posted on by triathlonmomma

Next up was TRI for the Cure a Sprint distance triathlon held each August in Cherry Creek reservoir.  Three friends registered for TRI for the Cure and for all three this was their 1st triathlon experience.  Anne, Heather and Christine joined me in training for the event and all three finished, proud and strong…well done ladies!

As you may be aware, TRI for the Cure is dedicated to raising funds for breast cancer programs.  It is a big event with approximately 2,500 registrants and it is exceptionally well-organized.

My training and race prep continued but my persisting leg injury hampered by ability to focus on the running aspect of my training and race.  The dreaded up hill run on the Cherry Creek dam road was tough.  Still I was pleased with my results and finished in the top 5% overall.  In 2012, I plan on supporting the event as a volunteer “swim buddy”.