The Proof is in the Pudding!

Consistency is key to the success of any goal you set. I know this first hand. This past week proved to me that the patience I have given to the process and my determination to acheive each goal is paying off. I know it's difficult to remain true to your objectives when the process is challenging and the results are slow to come. Setting small acheivable goals helps if you remain consistent to the process and determined to succeed.

I started running 3 years ago now, and my goal at that time was to be able to run 5 minutes straight, next to run a mile and then to run a 5k. My next goal was to run a 5k faster than my first and so on. If you told me then that I would eventually run a marathon I would have truely laughed out loud! That wasn't my goal then, I was deliberate in setting short term acheivable goals. Last week we ran a mile time trial at running club. This is where you go to a track and run a mile as fast as possible. I ran a 7:35 mile....are you kidding me? I know there are people who are running miles in the 4 - 5 minute range... but they aren't me. I ran a 7:35 which is 45 seconds faster than the time trial I ran 9 months earlier.

I started biking before I began running. I was sticking to the trails and taking my time all the while Becky & Rhonda, my sister in-laws, were biking on the road to train for their first triathlon. Secretly I wanted to ride on the road more than anyone knew, but I kept riding the trails until I felt strong enough to try the road. I will never forget the first time I went out with the "big kids". Becky stayed with me, even though she was training for her own event, and as we were climbing hills she was coaching me all the way. When it got really tough, and it did, she told me to watch her pedals as she attempted to pull me up the hills. And when I told her I had to walk my bike up the bigger hills, she walked with me. I can't tell you how much that meant to me...it was that day that I told myself that can't was no longer an option and that would be the last time I would push a bike up a hill (well not really) but I made a pact with myself not to give up on myself, that I could get up those hills. Last weekend I participated in the same sprint triathlon that Becky & Rhonda were training for that first summer I attempted to climb those hills. This was my second time doing this race - shaving 8 minutes off last years overall time and I rode that that bike course the fastest I ever have. Unbelievable!!

On Sunday, my workout was to climb 10 hills to be named by my coach Joella. I had no idea what was coming but I had heard rumors about one of the climbs and believe me I was more nervous about this ride than I was about the race the day before! I had no idea what was in store for me that day but I knew I would do my best no matter what. I climbed hills that I know for sure I would have walked even last year. It was such a good feeling as I reached the top of each climb, huffing and puffing but still seated securely on my bike. Oh and I wasn't the last person up the hill either but I was sure to encourage them as I descended past them, knowing that if they keep at it, they won't be next time either.

You need to celebrate your victories, all of them, the small ones and the ones that blow your mind. Create a plan and stick to it....I can't tell you how good it feels when you can measure your success. The proof is in the Pudding!!

All in a Day of Training

Happy 4th of July! This is such a fun weekend for us, Ron's family has a reunion/cook off every year on the fourth. It's always a great time, a weekend with family filled with lots of laughs and a ton of great food!

Last Thursday when I checked training peaks for my weekend work outs I couldn't believe my eyes. Saturday was a 6 hour brick (2000 yd swim, 3 hour bike, 2 hour run). Are you kidding me? Am I ready for that??? In addition to that, our cookoff team was scheduled to serve lunch on Saturday. Now how am I going to get a 6 hour work out in and make lunch for 57 people? LOL! After a few text messages, we were able to swap our lunch for dinner that night. Now back to how the heck am I going to get this work out done? In addition to Saturday's work out there was Sunday's 3 hour brick (2 hour bike, 1 hour run) and Monday's 2 hour and 20 minute brick (2 hour bike, 20 minute run). OMG! Can I do this? Of course I can....

First, I made a pact with myself to attack one work out at a time, I was not allowed to think about the next day until I finished the work at hand. Still, Holy Crap!!! On Saturday, the triathlon club I belong to was planning to meet at the Park at 5:30 am to swim, bike & run. Thankfully Judy was also scheduled to do the same work out as I had, her half Ironman is in 2 weeks, so we decided to stick together. I can't begin to tell you how important that factor was going to be in my success for this workout. She was a true god send! It really helps to have friends who share the same goals as you to do this with.

I felt great during the swim and the bike, nutrition was spot on, I had plenty of energy and when we came in from the bike I couldn't believe how good I felt, I definitely had a run in me. Judy and I changed our shoes, strapped on our water belts filled with water, powerade and honey stinger waffles. The first hour & 20 minutes of the run were great, I was still feeling strong at mile 8. The sun was starting to come out and it was getting hot, I went through all of my water and filled up at the next water bubbla (that's Bostonian for water fountain). At mile 10 we passed my coach Joella and Jeremiah, high fived each other and kept on running. Soon after that is when I hit a monster wall...it was like falling off a cliff how sudden the drop in energy was. At an hour and 45 minutes self doubt started to creep in to my head. I kept trying to shake it off, telling myself I can't say I did this huge work out unless I do it and you already have 5 hours and 45 minutes in, you are not giving up now! Still my pace was dropping off dramatically and I just wasn't sure where I was going to get the energy to finish this. Then Judy started to pull away from me on the trail and I kept trying to catch back up to her. Finally, she circled back to get me and said, we have 6 minutes left...you can do anything for 6 minutes. She was right, we finished right by the lake. We took our shoes off and headed for the water....Aahh!! Thanks to Judy and my determination not to quit I finished a monster work out. Sure I couldn't form a full sentence when I was done and I'm pretty sure I was completely delirious for 30 minutes following the run but I was done! I also have to mention how grateful I am that Ron waited around for hours after he finished his work out to take me home....which turned out to be the best thing as I'm not sure I could have actually driven a car!

Judy & I decided to stick together for the rest of the weekend. We met up with 3 other women from our group on Sunday to ride for 2 hours and then we ran an hour. On Monday it was just the two of us, we met for an "easy" 2 hour ride and 20 minute run. I have to say that Judy is going to do awesome at her event, she is so ready for it! I learned so much from her this weekend.

Well, I made it - we travelled 108 miles on our legs this weekend 88+ miles on the bike and 20 miles of running.

Having friends to work out with really makes hard work outs so much nicer and it's easier to get moving when you know someone is meeting you. Surrounding yourself with positive, encouraging people who share similar goals with you is key. When you start to doubt yourself, they remind you of how strong you are. Having a supportive family who made me feel like a rock star after each workout is priceless! I really am so blessed!
This weekend made me even more confident in my goal - I am really doing this thing!!