Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Siris arrives! Now what?!

I finally got back on the bike for a spin around the block when Siris was 2 weeks old. Not having ridden since June, it felt sooooo good! Thirty minutes was all I could do - my legs were weak and my cardio was off, but it felt so good! So I rode for 30-45 minutes every few days for a couple of weeks.  This was my "refresher" after not sleeping and being a full time newborn mom for a few weeks.  Those 30-45 minute rides made me a better caregiver during the first month... I know it! I always walked back into the house ready to serve my new little master!

Triathlon training has been my happy place since the first sprint tri in 2009. It has changed my life - given me balance and helped me have perspective and success across all aspects of my life. With the addition of Siris to our lives, I wasn't sure if my passion or desire for it would change, and I was a bit scared.  People have told me again and again that my sleep patterns will be ragged, I won't have time, and I will change all priorities when I have a child. But I like my life before... So this notion made me pretty nervous. I applied for the ONE Elite team again just to put a little pressure on myself... I thrive on healthy pressure!

Enter Siris. He is precious. And I am in love :)

But I am still the same person, I have realized. Whew!  I am still craving the bike. Still itching to run. Eager to try mountain biking again, especially since we moved one mile from a gorgeous trailhead. My mom has been in town for almost a month and it has been nice to be able to get out to the office for meetings, and to get out for a ride or a run.  And to get out for dinner with Tyson (sushi last night!!). We are bringing her with us to Oceanside this weekend for Tyson's 70.3 race. What a treat!

I am in base building mode now. I was able to build up and ride the 50 mile Tour de Cure this past weekend, and I ran 6 miles on Sunday. And, Tyson even got me out on a casual mountain bike ride late Monday night!  As I've progressed with my fitness over the last month, I've been thinking about plans for 2014.

I signed up for IMAZ 2014... Not knowing if it would be possible. I now have confidence I'll make it to that race. Will it be a Kona qualifying kind of day? I don't think so... But it will be solid day. Maybe even a PR day. But what happens between now and then?

I am signed up for Marquee in 3 weeks. I'm debating making it Leadman, simply because I feel that cycling will be the first strength I have back. Why not, right? I'm calling it a training day. I should have clearance to swim this week, so that will be a priority for me. I signed up to do St George 70.3 relay in May with Nick, my coach - I will do the bike leg.  Then Tempe International.  Deuces Half in June.  Mountain Man??

So this leads to the big question... What will a training schedule look like for me in 2014? I will have less time. I'm back to work.  Our nanny starts in a week, but she won't be her at 5:30 am. And I will want all the time I can get with sweet Siris. And time with Tyson!  Soooo.... How will this work?

I am taking this opportunity to start over. To take what I know to be true (and some things I have ignored) and to rebuild my training life. Here's my plan:

1-I need to incorporate strength training into my routine. This is something I have NEVER done. In my life. I'm a bit nervous, but excited and ready.  I took my first Foundations class at Power in Motion yesterday. Class #2 is today. I'm a little sore.

2-I need to review my nutrition and clean it up.  I am working with Brooke from Fuel to the Finish to review what I know and tweak as appropriate. One change I've already made is the move to natural training and racing nutrition. I look forward to learning from Brooke and fueling more efficiently for success.

3-I have always had limited time for training. With a full time career, 11 and 14 yr old kids, and a life outside of triathlon (huh?!), I have typically been limited to 10 hours of training per week, with 2-4 additional hours built in the couple of months before an Ironman.  This will continue and may get a bit tighter. Nick has me on quality, not quantity. After St George, I will be on a full plan with Durapulse again. I look forward to it!

Well... Here goes a new and exciting year!


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