Is My Less Actually More?

There's the phrase in endurance training of "less is more." The harder you push yourself it's likely that your body will be prone to injuries and fatigue, and in the end it will set you back due to recovery, required rest, etc.

So here's my thinking. Maybe this is my season of "less is more" and because I've built a decent "endurance base" starting from January, that maybe I don't need to overdue myself this year to shed time off my races. Wishful thinking, right?

Reason I bring this up is from my previous post. I had significantly less training than the 2009 race, but somehow I managed to take a whole bunch of time off that race. Last season I was killing myself to get the workouts in, and this year I'm not getting them in like I would hope.

That being said, I am very confident about my body, what I can push myself to do, and my overall outlook about racing and this helps keep me focused on the weekly workouts and my goals.

So again, maybe this is my season of "less is more." I never claim to be a fast or stellar triathlete, but I still have fun.

Upcoming race: Sunday's Glenview Sprint Triathlon and I look forward to this race every year. Here's the deets:

• 300 yd swim
• 10 mi bike
• 5k (3 mi) run

Race report to follow!

I'm No Ironman but I Still Tri

First Tri of 2010

Well, I have fun things to report this time. Not a lot, but they're sort of fun.

I participated in the Trek Women's Triathlon on Sunday up in Pleasant Prairie, WI, a race I'm actually familiar with. There are roughly three races at the same site every season, and this is one of two women only triathlons. The Danskin tri is very early this year, and combined with the Glenview Triathlon being one week later than normal, this was my first opportunity to race. My priorities are always Glenview and Chicago, therefore other races are planned according to those.

I invited my good friend Jen to race in her FIRST outdoor triathlon, and my friend Leigh Ann was already going to participate, so we turned it into a fun weekend. We're all in the same age group, obviously the same gender, and it became a group effort (well, by group effort I mean we had fun, as a group, but Leigh Ann is pretty much a rock star and smoked us both). I shared my knowledge and gear with Jen, and we all had fun driving to and from the race site (twice!) this past weekend.

Details:

• .5 mi swim
• 12 mi bike
• 3.1 mi run

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I don't have much to report. It honestly felt like "just another race" because I was mentally very calm. I was almost too calm this past weekend because I wasn't anxious enough. (Can you believe that?) I'm a bit behind on my 12-week training due to my incredibly busy schedule, so some of the workouts have been left behind. That being said, there are a few details about the race:

I actually shaved almost 4 minutes off my time from last year. I think with my improved running speed from earlier this year, I was able to have that strong base for this summer. CRAZY. I've only had 2-3 open water swims (including a new wetsuit), and I still managed to take 30 seconds off my swim time. I've only been on the bike twice, and was able to take a few minutes off there. That's also true for my run. My pace last year was 11:40, and this race it was 11:15. Any explanations? (Again, I don't claim to be fast, hence my mascot above: turtle)

I'm very happy to report those statistics, and even more excited for the upcoming races on August 1 and August 29. I think that's going to be it for me this year unfortunately, due to my fall schedule, but it's still a good amount.

Thanks for reading, and please share your stories.

Side comment to any Together We Tri athletes: congrats to Stef for finishing in the top 5% of the Trek race, and to Mary Bradbury for winning the Lake Zurich triathlon.