I've had difficulty with positive focus on my tri-season because until this past weekend I haven't felt like I was performing like I wanted to be. It took me a while to realize that I shouldn't be at my goals paces/times yet, because that's where I need to be during peak season, not post or pre-season. New to my swimming has been the addition of flip turns. I'm still not real good at them, and the addition of the turn also takes out a breath or two at the end of each lap. The combination of these 2 things have decreased my swim times. I can't get up and down the pool as quickly as before, but Brian keeps telling me that it will make me a more efficient swimmer in the long run. Trusting a process to make you faster that you can clearly see via a stopwatch is making your instantly slower in the present is a very hard thing to wrap your head around...but, I trust Brian...a lot! I finally saw some improvements in my flip turns and swim stroke this week, and Brian saw them too when we happened to be swimming at the same time on Tuesday. So apparently this process does work :)
I also previously stated that consistent stretching was going to be a goal of mine for 2014. I attended my first hot yoga class this Sunday morning at Bliss Bliss Bliss with a few of my friends. I was very uncomfortable, and my lack of flexibility was very apparent as I struggled with most of the moves. It's that kind of feeling where we like to say "It hurt so good" but in reality you're in significant discomfort. By the end of the session though I felt good. I went home, refueled/fueled for my Sunday long run and headed out the door for the most invigorating, and comfortable run I've had in months! No pain, no discomfort, no difficulty staying within the proper hear rate zones. I had an easy 1.5 hr run in zones 1-2 and felt like my whole body was in sync. My runs have been brutal since my marathon. Aches, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and not being able to hold the right zones with a pace I am proud of were very mentally defeating. It felt so good to have a run that not only looked good on paper, but also felt good while I was performing it. Finally, I can see my 2014 season in front of me and it makes me excited rather than nervous!
So what about the bike leg of this triathlon puzzle? Homewrecker had a retul fit! Not only were there adjustments to the different components of the bike, but I also had inserts, wedges, and a lift put in my bike shoes for proper alignment, and comfort. We were able to address a leg length discrepancy with the use of a lift under my left cleat that not only made my hips feel better, but it stopped friction on my seat and my bum feels better too! I am so excited to see what I can do on Homewrecker this season. The comfort I feel on her being properly sized is 10 fold compared to Polly. I can actually stand up to pedal without hitting my knees on my elbow pads :)
But, so far my most consistent change of 2014 has been how quickly I upload my data for my coach. I use to upload my data by Sunday evening each week. When I asked Brian what I could do to improve this season he said "Just listen to your coach...and more feedback. Update your data more often." This has always been a joke between us, but since I had asked what I needed to do better, and that was his response I knew it wasn't a joke anymore. I have done my best to upload my data within 24 hours or sooner of completing each workout. To help, I even set a reminder on my phone to go off each night at 8pm that says "Data?" just in case I got busy and forgot! It also says stretch just in case I hadn't done that after my workout either!
So that's the update of my swim, bike and run so far in 2014. It started rocky but I'm excited in the direction it is heading!
Have you stuck to any of the goals you set for 2014? Or are there any that you are going to start now?
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