Weeks 5 & 6 Catch up

Betty Squad 19 Kit

I'm a little bit behind on my posts for last two weeks as its been super hectic getting back into the full swing of life since the holidays ended. Attempting to find the sweet spot to balance the training, work and sleep that I need to fit in continues to be a challenge! I have lots to cover, so apologies in advance for the lengthy post. The biggest and most important news of the week is that I finally received the highly anticipated PINK PACKAGE from Betty Designs!! My BETTY SQUAD 2019 KIT finally arrived and I absolutely adore the bright colors!!! I cant wait to represent the Team and all the Bad Ass Beauties in my upcoming races. Keep an eye out for the bright pink racing suit, I promise you wont miss it... :)

#bettysquad19

Even with the hectic agenda, I would say that I am hitting 95% of the workouts I plan for the week and this is hugely due to the flexibility work has given me to log in remote two days a week. I've switched my coaching days to Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings, with swim sessions on Tuesday instead of Thursdays this season. Getting the big swim (over with) early in the week has proved to be beneficial to my training longevity per week. It has allowed me to have more power and focus in the pool. I can feel myself improving with each session. I owe this improvement mostly to my coaches Nick and Bart with 3433 Sports Performance Team. The fact that I can finish a 4000 metre swim without drowning is a miracle in itself!

The one area I've been trying to focus more time on is my running. Previous to the past two weeks, most of my training time was on either swim or bike and I was really missing my long runs. In order to remedy this gap, weeks 5 and 6 were focused on clocking some good distance. The goal was to do 60k total for week 5 and 70k total for week 6.

MEC half marathon warm up

Week 5 also included my first half marathon of the year. It was a brisk 21.1km around the river pathways for MEC Road Race ONE.  I was able to keep my training numbers for swim/bike/run at a decent level on the days leading up to the race and had a two-day taper before the event on Saturday. I also experimented with upping my food intake the day before and morning of the race. Im always concerned about eating too much and feeling heavy but understand the need for carbs and energy. Its such a delicate balance...When the gun went off it was -17 degrees and frosty but at 5km in I knew it was gonna be a good race. I felt strong and super focused, legs were fresh and I had my nutrition dailed.  I crossed the finish line in just over 1 hour 45 mins, 3rd female over all and 2nd in my AG. Not a bad way to start the season. I was very happy with the result! I proudly wore my medal for the rest of the day and was given a free MEC Race as a prize! Sweet deal!

3rd Place overall Female

I was frozen and exhausted post race. After a huge meal, I went to bed to warm up and slept until Sunday morning. I woke up feeling proud of the race results and I was determined to finish out the training goals for the week. So, off I went, back to Repsol Sports Centre to wrap up the week with a 15km run and a 25km spin around London on Zwift... then I was DONE. I hobbled over to my parents place for dinner where I ate everything I could get my hands on. Then another huge sleep on Sunday night.

Week 5 totals:

Swim: 3.5km
Bike: 80km
Run: 60km
Strength: 1 hour
Yoga: 1 session

Proud Betty

Going into training week 6 I knew I wanted to up the numbers again with the main focus to spend more time running. I set the goal for 70km. I also wanted to see if I could hit 100km on the bike.. pretty lofty but since I didn't have a race planned and no need for a taper, I figured it should be possible.

The week started off well, got in my long swim as planned. On Wednesday, we did a time trail on the bike with coach Greg at 3433 and I impressed myself with a power increase from 180 to 215 watts since September. Thursday and Friday were also great days where I was feeling good and hitting all the targets. Then Saturday came.. and I hit the wall.

I should have listened to my body when I didn't wake up until 7am that morning - usually I am up at 430 am like clockwork. I dragged myself to the gym to get to hot yoga for 830 am and just kept telling myself I would feel better once I got moving. Well I didn't. I suffered all the way through the class, couldn't focus, couldn't hold the poses and was hating on everyone around me. It didn't help that the lady beside we was actually taking multiple calls on her apple watch throughout the class. I honestly wanted to smack her... so I left the class before it ended. I've never had to actually bail like that. I decided to go get a nice hot drink while picking up a few items at the grocery store on my way home. BAD IDEA. I wanted to fight everyone at the store, the usually yummy hot golden milk latte tasted like shit and I couldn't decide on anything to buy for groceries! What a nightmare. I  ditched the latte and the basket of items I had collected and went home. Boo.

When I got home I tried to make some food then went to bed. Before I passed out, I was plagued with stress, anxiety and guilt. It really came out of no where... I was beating myself up big time for failing my plan. It's scary how fast that switch can come on. Thankfully, I had some great people reach out and talk me down off the ledge. After a long sleep - like 13 hours- I had some clarity and time to reflect.

I know we as athletes, talk about how important rest and recovery is but do we actually practice it? Most endurance athletes I speak with all have the same thoughts on recovery days, and that is that they are harder than any training or race day. Most of us have this 'thing' about sitting still, becoming stagnant and missed training. Recovery and rest can be like the worst type of torture for us. Obviously we need to rest, but why is it such a hard thing to do? Why do I feel guilty when my body is telling me to stop, why do I continue to push myself and then end up at the bottom of a pit of despair and wonder 'why?!' and 'how?!' Now looking back on the events of Saturday, I can laugh a little at how dramatic I was being, but in the moment I was really struggling.

I continue to learn with each passing week how important the mental part of endurance training is. My brain can be my biggest advocate one day and my worst enemy the very next. Anxiety, insecurity and depression can be lurking behind any corner. When I'm fatigued, stressed and emotional I am at risk. I am grateful that I've learned enough to know I need to reach out for help to get through these moments.  Each week, I learn more about my body and what its capable/not capable of and I continue to learn that I have SO MUCH MORE to learn. This weekend was a humbling experience that I hope doesn't happen too often, which means I need to pay better attention to what my mind and body are telling me.

Sunday training schedule

On Sunday morning, after a long sleep, I woke up feeling much better. I felt good enough to get back to the gym and try to complete the workouts that were missed on Saturday.  After a slow treadmill session at Goodlife I was feeling pretty good, good enough to get on the bike and do some training on Zwift at home. I managed to complete both workouts and was feeling so good for getting moving again. I looked at my numbers for the week and realized I was very close to hitting the targets.. I decided to take a break, eat and then get back at it. I managed to fit in the last 10k outside. The pathways were slick, slushy and the wind was a nightmare. I was slow but I got it done. The final 11.5 km on the bike went by fast and I loved every minute of it. Time on Zwift doesn't feel like training at all..

So, after a weekend of highs and lows, I did manage to make my targets for the week after all! It took some support from you guys and pretty much the whole day on Sunday but here is what the week came to:

Week 6:

Swim: 6550m
Bike: 100k
Run: 70k
Strength: 2 hours
Yoga 1.5 sessions

YEASSSSSSS.

Now it's Tuesday. I've caught up on sleep and I'm taking it easier (got in 4.2km in the pool this morning tho ), no guilt, no stress, no anxiety! One of these days maybe I'll figure out some balance.... maybe. Until then, I'll keep learning and moving forward, little by little.

Have a great week!
Amy

For fundraising details please visit:
http://www.gofundme.com/amy-im70-3-2019

2019 Event Planning

Many of you have been asking about what events I plan on competing in this year... this post is for you.

It's taken quite a bit of thought, planning and compromise but I've finally narrowed it down to 16 races. That does not include the Worlds event or anything past October... but regardless it looks like another busy year ahead!!

As it stands, this is the plan:

Jan 19: MEC Road Race  - Half marathon
Feb 9: Hypothermic Half marathon
Feb 24: Repsol 10 Mile Tri & Together Tri
Mar 17: St Patricks Day 10k
Apr 27: MEC Road Race  - 30K
May 4: MEC Trail Race - 10k
May 19:Airdrie Sprint Triathlon
May 24: YYC Jugo Juice 10K
Jun 2: Ironman 70.3 Victoria BC
Jun 30: Ironman 70.3 Couer D'Alene
Aug 11: Ironman 70.3 Calgary
Sep 14: MEC Road Race - 15K
Sep 28: MEC Trail Race - 12K
Sep 29: YYC Wild Run - 16k
Oct 19: MEC Road Race - Half marathon
Oct 26: YYC Dash of Doom - 10k
Nov: ?
Dec: ?
________________________________
Pending qualifications:
*Aug 27: Burning Man 50K Ultra Marathon*
*Sep 7/8: Ironman 70.3 World Champs: Nice, France*

There were several local races I wanted to participate in again this year ( Wild Rose Tri, Chinook Tri and Calgary Marathon ) but unfortunately the dates just didn't line up with my big events. Hopefully I can get them into the plan next year and I'll be looking into volunteering where possible this time around.

Interval training at Repsol Centre

Training over the past week went OK but I did find it quite challenging to squeeze it all in while adjusting back into full-on work mode. I got enough swim time in and a reasonable amount of time on the bike, but I really wanted to find more time to run. I've managed to incorporate more core strength into the plan but only did one yoga session. Journalling my work outs has been a huge help in being able to find the gaps in my training so I can adjust for the next week.

Training Week #4 Totals
Swim: 4500 metres
Bike: 100km
Run: 38km
Strength: 2 hours
Yoga: 1 hour
Total training hours: 13
Total distance: 142.5km

Brick training session

My current weekly plan outlines a minimum of 9 hours of training per week. I'm definitely hitting those numbers. The plan does not provide requirements for yoga/strength so I'm not too worried about going over. You guys know me well enough by now that its not a surprise that I'm doing more than I need to. I am however, being mindful of pushing to hard too early in the program  - as that will inevitably end with injury.

Heading into training week #5 now, and the plan is to go easy-ish - as I have my first half marathon of the year on Saturday! I must have fresh legs for the first big event of the year! It's been a while since I've done a half, so it will be interesting to see how my progress is going. Excited to get out there!

Tacx Smart trainer

Until then, I'll be spending some time on my new toy... I was very fortunate to find a used Smart trainer for sale and I'm delving into the world of Zwift! What a time to be alive!! I have loads to learn about how it all works, but I had a great time on Saturday figuring it all out. I put in a good hour on hill training with a super fun crew and then hit the road for a brisk run to wrap up my brick session.

It's so handy having the set up right at home..there are no excuses now! This is a game changer.

Moto for this week is: Time to level up. More Bike. More Run. Race season is coming.

Have a great week everyone!
Amy

For fundraising details please visit:
http://www.gofundme.com/amy-im70-3-2019

100 Days

100 days.. it went by so fast this time around. I remember the first 100 day clean living challenge I did last year.  Did I ever suffer .. and it felt like it took forever. This time it blew by. Now that is progress.

I remember wondering what I was going to do after the challenge was complete. I also remember being super stressed when the end was approaching.. What would I do? How would I feel? This time around though, the picture is crystal clear. I'm going to keep going. CLEAN 2019 . This approach to the year lines up perfectly with my training plans and racing goals. Its a great feeling to start the year off with an already strong foundation. I feel like I'm starting off strong and hitting the ground running. The time off over the holidays really helped solidify a plan for a very structured and focussed year. I've taken the time to build a routine that I'm committed to, now I just have to layer work back into the fold and find ways to keep the motivation going.

3433 Sports Performance Centre at Repsol here in Calgary has been a huge factor in keeping my motivation going during the off season.  I'm super grateful to have the support system offered by the facility and the coaches. Yesterday a group of us were fortunate to participate in full day Triathlon Clinic put on by 3433 and hosted by Canadian Olympic gold medal champion Simon Whitfeild!! We spent 2 hours in the pool practicing drills and open water simulations, ( this brought back all the stress and anxiety I experience during the swim portion of each race  - utter chaos rounding those buoys  **Boo :| ** ), a very informative and in depth discussion about racing, and his experience over the years as competitive athlete followed by a couple hours of running drills/interval pace training.

Training run in 3433 Team gear

I took away so many great tips for training and race day. From race day warm up rituals, closed eye training drills, breath focus, humility and patience,.. I was blown away by the knowledge held by an athlete of that calibre. What an inspiration!! One of the statements that stood out for me the most was 'You have to earn the miles'. This resonated with me the most as its something I've always got to remember and I think it's important for athletes of all abilities to take into consideration. We really do earn those results on race day. You get out what you put in. Put in the training miles in the pool, on the track and on your bike. Train in the heat, in the rain and snow. Dedicate yourself fully to your craft. That's when you can go to race day and simply flow in the magic moments. Powerful stuff. Big thanks to 3433, Repsol and Simon for organizing such an incredible event.

Now that 2019 is underway, it's time to focus on levelling up my training and looking ahead to upcoming races. Coaching sessions are booked from now until race season starts and I managed to find a used bike trainer for sale! Im picking it up this weekend and cant wait to get set up on Zwift for virtual group rides with Team Betty!!

I managed to pack in quite a bit of training in the last few days of holidays and competed in the last race of the year on New Years Eve.

Dec 31 - RACE DAY - Resolution Run 10k  - 2nd Place - 48mins 10sec.
Jan 1 - 4500 metre swim - Biggest swim yet!
Jan 2 - 56km on indoor bike trainer & 10km Run on treadmill

Post race warm up w/Nicole V.

Jan 3  - 1 hour easy spin session & 1500 metre swim
Jan 4 - 11km outdoor run
Jan 5 - 45 min Zone 2 bike training & core strength session
Jan 6 - Simon Whitfield Tri Clinic Day

My first half marathon of the year is already in sight. I'll be racing the first of the MEC Road Race series Sat. January 19. Should be a slippery and frosty 21.1km !! I've also almost got the entire race plan nailed down for the year and will be sharing the events in my next post.

For now though, time to settle back into the routine of the daily grind...wishing you all a smooth transition back into regular life.

Thanks again for following along and Happy New Year.

Amy

For fundraising details please visit:
http://www.gofundme.com/amy-im70-3-2019