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