Where have I been!

It feels like it has been years since my last blog post! I started this blog to show that women can work full-time jobs, be good mothers, and compete in endurance events. What I found is that all of these things are possible, but really difficult to do while also keeping up with social media!

My current schedule include waking up around 4:30-swimming, biking, or running until about 6:15, getting ready for work, sitting in traffic for an hour on my way to work, working all day, sitting in traffic for another hour on my way home, helping to get my kids in bed, and falling asleep exhausted to do it all again the next day.

All of this work does pay off. I ran the Green Bay Marathon in May, 2014 and came away with a PR of 3:57:48. My previous marathon time had been just over 4:12, so this was a major success for me!

Today I competed in an olympic distance triathlon, my first one since 2008. The morning was extremely foggy and the swim was cut to sprint distance for all competitors so saftey crews could keep a better watch on swimmers. It was my first OWS in a wetsuit and I’m still trying to decide how I felt about it. On the plus side the wetsuit kept me warm, protected from the lake water (yucky stuff), and buoyant. On the down side, it restricted the motion of my arms, and was a little heavy to drag. I will need to continue to practice my pools swims with extra drag suits. The bike went much better than I expected, and the run was fantastic. It helped to be so well trained from doing the marathon.
My times:
Swim: 14:51 (cut to a sprint swim by race directors)
T1: 5:21
Bike: 1:18:38
T2: 3:58
Run: 54:42
Total time: 2:37:28

Not the best times in the world but at least I have a new reference point for my next race.

My next event will be Steelhead 70.3 in Michigan in August and I am ending this training season with the Twin Cities Marathon in October.

Im currently swimming 2 days a week for about 2,200-2,400 yards, biking 1-2 hours 2-4 days per week, and running 5 miles two days a week. Getting prepared to ramp up my mileage in weeks to come before Steelhead!

I also think that it wouldn’t be right to publish this post without giving a huge amount of credit to my husband putting up with all the time, money, and energy that goes into training for these events. And for taking great care of our children while I’m training and competing.

Marathon Training Week 3

Monday 12/16/2013-This was a spin day for me, and as it turns out, my last spin day. The resistance knob on my bike was broke and I was having an incredibly difficult time moving the knob in either direction. The instructor (the one I can’t stand) keeps looking my way and making comments about the lazy riders who are “skipping load increases”. She is going on and on about how some other rider would be happy to have lazy rider’s bikes, and if a participant isn’t going to do the work then they shouldn’t be in the class. At some point my resistance knob seized up completely and I couldn’t increase or decrease the resistance at all. I got so sick of the comments from the instructor that I just left. I’ve decided to get new pedals and a computer with cadence for my bike and ride my trainer from now on. As I said last week, my workouts and time are too precious to put up with shitty workouts!

Tuesday 12/17/2013-This should have been a 3 mile run day, but I knew that I was going to have limited time at the end of the week. I figured since I had cut my spin workout short the previous day, I could do my “long run” early. It was not a very “long run”, only 5 miles, but it felt pretty good.

Wednesday 12/18/2013-Swim day! The time clock was missing from the pool at the gym so I did a 2,150 yard straight swim. It was a great swim! I had the pool to myself for the first half and had my own lane for the entire swim.

Thursday 12/19/2013-Easy 3 mile run

Friday 12/20/2013-I was up a little late for the gym and saw that freezing rain overnight had left the roads a mess. My drive to work is about 45 minutes on a good day. As I was watching the news I saw that a Semi had overturned on the freeway I use to get to work. I decided to skip the gym so I could leave early for work. I did a few sets of squat presses, pushups, V-ups, and Russian twist before I got ready for work. I was really happy about my decision when it took me almost an hour and a half to get to work.

Saturday 12/21/2013-I had a session with my trainer today. There was a lot of squatting, pushups, pull-ups, and abs. I did my best not to complain. It was a really great workout and I hope my trainer has more like it planned for the future. I was feeling so energized that I polished off my last 3 mile run for the week. I ran my first mile at 8:40, second mile at 8:20, and third mile at 7:45. I got home and finished setting up for the early Christmas celebration we were hosting that night. I also got to spend some time with my little Raleigh who turned 2 years old! Happy Birthday dear sweet boy!

Sunday 12/22/2013-Rest Day!

Marathon Training Week 2

Monday 12/9/2013-This was the first day of my new job! I started out the morning with a 5:15 am spin class. Unfortunately, I do not love the early morning spin instructor. She plays pretty good music but she is not at all inspiring or encouraging. It’s pretty frustrating because I have no other options for other spin classes. I hope she was just having a bad day.

Tuesday 12/10/2013-Run day, 4 miles. I tried to keep it at an easy 9 minute mile pace but got bored and ran the last 2 at 8:30 pace. I felt good and didn’t have any soreness. I have no plans with my trainer this week because I don’t know exactly how my new schedule will work.

Wednesday 12/11/2013-Swim day! Got in the water early enough that I had my own lane for my whole swim. My new Ironman friend was in the water when I started and put the time clock at the head of my lane as he left for the day. This is what I love about being part of the marathon and triathlon community!

200 free warm up

4 X 150 (50 kick, 50 pull, 50 swim)

2 X 400 negative splits

4 X 50 Sprints

200 cool down

2,000 total

I think next week I might try to swim a time trial. It depends on how early I can get to the pool and how busy the lanes.

Thursday 12/12/2013-Run day, 30 minute tempo run. I ran a 5 minute warm up at 8:45 pace and then ran 25 minutes at 8:15-8:10 pace. I’ve never really understood tempo runs very well. The pace didn’t start to get really uncomfortable until the very end. I think next time I am scheduled to do a tempo run I will play with my speed a little more.

Friday 12/13/2013-Spin day, 45 minute class. That bad news is that the instructor was not just having a bad day on Monday. The good news, I didn’t even care because I knew I was going to be observing in the OR at work! I realize I may have to find other arraignments for bike workouts. Life is too short and my workouts are too precious to me to put up with an instructor I don’t like.

Saturday 12/14/2013-Rest day. I spent today catching up with my kids and cleaning my house after my first week of full time work in years. It felt so nice to cuddle with my boys! I also got some much needed Christmas shopping done with my kids.

As you can see, my kids were not so thrilled with being at the crazy busy mall and buying presents for other people.

Sunday 12/15/2013-Run day. It was only 9 degrees outside when I was ready to head out. Last Sunday it was about 25 degrees and my fingers were numb and then very painful by 6 miles. There was no way I would get through 7 miles with my fingers intact, so I took it to the gym.

I’m pretty happy with my time and how I felt during the run. I ran into my trainer at the gym and scheduled my next workout with him. I met another Ironman while at the gym and got some tips on peddle technique and cadence training. When I got home, I was able to spend the rest of my day with family and watch football! GoPackGo!

My RaleighBear wishes you a happy week!

Marathon Training week 1

Monday 12/2/2013-Started the week with a 1&1/2 hour spin session. This workout helped shake the last of the soreness from my legs.

I just happened to run into my trainer after spin and told him we were not on speaking terms. He pretty much laughed at me and I shook my fist back.

Tuesday 12/3/2013-Workout with my trainer which included squats, lunges, pushups, and some TRX work. Early in the workout I told him I still had a 3 mile run that day and could not be as sore as last time. We are back on speaking terms apparently. I’m sure I am the client every trainer hates. I whine and complain and try to sneak out of reps. Maybe my New Years resolution should be to complain less during my sessions (I’ll think about it).

After my session I hammered out 3 miles at 9:00 pace. This is about 15 seconds per mile slower than I have been running lately. I started out at a 8:45 pace but quickly had to slow down because I could feel my right quad knotting up. When I got home from the gym I stretched, rolled and iced my quads, and drank my beloved chocolate Vega Sports Performance protein. It’s the best tasting vegan protein powder I have been able to find.

Wednesday 12/4/2013-Swim Day!

200 warm up

2 X 150 (50 kick, 50 pull, 50 swim)

1,000 ladder (400 swim-40 seconds rest, 300 swim-30 seconds rest, 200 swim-20 seconds rest, 100 swim)

4 X 100 EBHE (25 easy, 25 build, 25 hard, 25 easy)

4 X 50 sprints on the 1 minute

200 cool down

2100 yards total

Great swim and I met another member of TriWi in the pool. Turns out he’s doing the same 70.3 as me.

Thursday 12/5/2013-Another upper body workout with my trainer and a 3 mile run. This time I was able to push the pace a little better with less soreness.

Friday 12/6/2013-One hour spin class. Not the usual Friday instructor which was a bit of a bummer.

Saturday 12/7/2013-Rest day.

Sunday 12/8/2013-Long run in the cold and snow. 6 miles with an average pace of just under 9 minute miles. I had to slow down due to icy roads and I was having a little trouble seeing because of the ice that kept forming on my eyelashes. I wanted to turn back early a couple time but toughed it out. The only reason I’m still running outside is to work on mental toughness.

The thumb and index finger of my left hand were numb for about 10 minutes after I got home. I will take any and all suggestions for winter running gloves. The rest of my attire was appropriate for the conditions. I thawed myself with the hottest shower I could tolerate and spent the rest of the day watching football!

   

Hope you had a great week!

 

 

Christmas Came Early

Christmas care early today as the FedEx truck pulled up to my house. I had gotten an e-mail two days ago that my Xterra vortex 4 wetsuit had shipped. As I was bringing the box into the house, my 4 year old was yelling, “It’s like a present!” “yes it is!” I confirmed. I pulled the brand new wetsuit out of the packaging and it was gorgeous!

A little background info. When I did my first (and only) olympic triathlon I was one of only three people in my wave without a wetsuit. I found this a little embarrassing but wasn’t too concerned. I LOVE swimming but HATE open water swimming, especially in some of Wisconsin’s weedy mucky waters. I’ve always wanted a full wetsuit since I started triathlons but have never been able to afford one. I feel I will be a little less grossed out and better able to focus if wearing the full suit. When I joined TriWI I was given a coupon code for Xterra wetsuits and couldn’t help myself.

Of course, I wanted to try it on as soon as I opened it. This proved to be a little more difficult than I had bargained for. As I was trying to wriggle into the neoprene I could feel myself breaking into a sweat. I must have looked totally ridiculous! I sincerely hope there is no 1/2 Ironman time prerequisite for donning a wetsuit in order to participate. I can just imagine the race officials approaching me, “we’re sorry Nataly, you’ve taken way too long with that wetsuit, you are clearly not qualified to race this distance.” Then I would have to plead, “but I look like a total badass once it’s on!” And I totally do look like a badass, my 4 year old told me so. So, okay, he didn’t actually say “badass”, he said I looked like batman, and by that I’m sure he meant batgirl, but I’m going with badass!

 

 

Reunited and it feels so…awful!

This past week has given me much to be thankful for, and one thing to abhor. Lets start with the things to be thankful for shall we? On my last day of work in my clinic, my co-workers had a little party for me and it was lovely. I have been very thankful to have those coworkers to help teach me the ropes of being a clinic NP.

I am thankful for my cooking skills and my family’s willingness to try the things I cook. A few of my dishes from this past week:

  

All vegan and all delicious!

I am also thankful for my sister and that she has found running. She did the Milwaukee Drumstick Dash 5K with me on Thanksgiving and it was absolutely inspiring! It was her very first race.

I loved that I got to take pictures of her during her race and cheer her on at the finish. She has supported me for years at swim meets, running events, and triathlons, I can’t wait to support her in her future endeavors.

I am thankful for an injury free marathon and some awesome transitional training.

This run was 1 mile at straight pace, 1 mile of hill repeats, and 1 mile of sprint intervals. I am especially thankful that tomorrow starts week 1 of my 24 week marathon training program! I am generally a more likable person when I am in training-eating my best and performing to my limits. It was unbelievably satisfying to pencil all of my mileage into my new calendar.

I am thankful that I am starting a new job next week in which I will be the main provider for my family. I hope my husband will be happy and content caring for our boys, creating his art, and spending more time with his family. My husband is an amazing dad and I know he will rise to this challenge.

There are a great many other things I am thankful for but right now I am going to elaborate on what occurred this past week that I am not so thankful for. I started working with my personal trainer again on black friday. My trainer is knowledgeable, pretty encouraging, and totally kicks my ass every time I work with him. I have taken about 2 months off due to lack of funds and also needing some time off. The workout he put me through on Friday was totally brutal! Even today, two days later, I am cringing every time I walk stairs. I can run like a champ, swim for hours, and spin like a boss, but jump squats and burpees make me want to cry. The main reasons I go to a trainer are to force myself to do strength training and to push through workouts I hate doing (mental toughness-a weakness of mine). I know I will build up my endurance again but until my appointment on Tuesday, my trainer and I are not on speaking terms.

Swim Workout 11/26/2013

Today is my last day at my clinic job. I start my new hospital job in 2 weeks and I am trying to acclimate myself to getting to the gym earlier. So, instead of being in the water by 6:15, I was in the water by 5:20. I celebrated with a nice long swim. I feel like I could have stayed in the pool all day.

Warmup: 3X100 (100 free, 100 breast, 100 free)

Set 1: 4X150 (50 kick, 50 pull, 50 swim)

Set 2: 1,500 swim (effort increases as yards remaining decreases)

Set 3: 4X100 EBHE (25 Easy, 25 Build, 25 Hard, 25 Easy)

Cool down: 200 (50 breast, 50 free, 50 breast, 50 free)

Total: 3,000 yards

Happy Tuesday!

 

 

Epiphany on two wheels

So, this question will probably be pretty redundant, but do you ever have those weeks where you feel like you are just struggling to keep everything together? Because I am in the midst of one of those situations. I haven’t had one major meltdown just a lot of little nagging issues.

I think the biggest issue that is plaguing me is the start of my new job. I have worked part-time for the last 4 years while being home with my kids. I am a few short weeks away from starting a full-time job with a 1.5 hour round-trip commute. This has huge implications for the time I spend with my family and for my training. I have been seriously procrastinating with all of the paperwork I need to complete before I start the position, and it is an immense amount of paperwork. When my recruiter sent me a third postage paid envelope to return the paperwork, I got the feeling she wanted it sooner rather than later.

Some of the other issues that have been contributing to my impending mental breakdown:

I was at the local library with my kids and decided to check out some books for them. I go to the little self-check kiosk and my library card is denied. I go to the help desk and explain to the woman what happened. She scanned my card and then peered at me over her reading glasses as she said, “Well it expired in 2011.” Something in the way the librarian looked at me made me feel incompetent. I wanted to explain that I read on my e-reader, that my kids have a huge selection of books at home, or that I’ve been really busy with grad school for the last few years, and that my library card was just about one of the last things on my mind. I just sighed because I knew explaining myself would just make me seem whiney.

I was at work the other week in an empire waisted dress and my customary white lab coat when a patient’s mom says to her son, “Oh look honey she’s going to have a baby!” “Excuse me,” I stammered. “Well, you’re pregnant right?” she continues. “Ummm, no,” is about all I can manage before I dismiss her and her son to follow up in one week. I know it’s ridiculous to get worked up about a situation like this because I Know I don’t really look pregnant. It was probably just the cut of the dress combined with the bulky lab coat (right? the dress in question is pictured above). The point is that I work extremely hard in the gym and on the pavement to be in the best condition possible. It just kind of stung a little bit. It also made me question if all of this work I do to stay fit is really worth it. And BAM! that’s when I knew I was going through a rough patch. I hardly ever question why I put in the hours 6 days a week.

I was in spin class on Monday while my instructor was yelling unintelligible encouragements and I was lost in my mind, stressing about my stupid paperwork. I snapped back to reality just in time to catch my instructor yelling, “Use this time to focus on your workout, clear your mind of everything else!” In that moment I did exactly as she said and focused on the steadying of my breath, the rhythm of the jumps, and the slow burn of the hill climbs. The hour flew by in a blur and I felt completely invigorated. Shame on me for questioning my athletic pursuits!

The spin work out reminded me of the physical and mental reasons for my efforts. I have to stop letting my stress interfere with my workouts but rather, use my workouts to tame my stress. This is such a simple concept, and one that I know really well, but I guess I needed some reminding. I have to trust that everything with my family and my new job will be OK, and if it’s not, I will have to make it OK. I am a mother, wife, RN, and athlete-all roles in which problem-solving and adaptation is imperative. Failure is not an option for a mom racing madness!

Swim workout

It felt great to get back in the pool today! It had been closed for upgrades so I missed one swim last week. Today I got a whole lane all to myself for almost my entire swim.

I did happen to notice that my favorite interpretive water dancer had the lane next to me. She does a series of plié, kicks, and lunges at the end of the lane with full hair and makeup. I don’t knock other people’s workouts. Good for her for getting up before 6:00 to exercise but I’m just saying, I might end up splashing your hair during my flip turn, especially if I get kicked in the gut by an underwater grand jete! We shared a lane once, and only once, and it will never happen again.

Today’s workout:
300 warm up
500 swim alternating 50 kick/50swim with hand paddles
1000 Ladder swim- 400 swim 40 sec rest, 300 swim 30 sec rest, 200 swim 20sec rest, 100 swim. Increase effort as distance decreases.
4 X 100 sprints on the 2:00 (my times: 1:30, 1:32, 1:37, 1:30)
200 cool down
Total yards: 2400

Happy Tuesday!

Rest Day

Seeing as how this is my first blog post ever, I wanted to write something pithy, exciting, or intellectual. I thought maybe I could talk about some amazing workout I did or wax philosophical about nutrition and hydration. The truth is, I workout 6 days a week and Saturday is my rest day. I have consumed way more coffee than water today and my my food choices so far today have been nothing to blog about. I am going to snack well into the evening while watching UFC 167 with my husband (Go GSP!). And I have heard way too much about Angry Birds and monster trucks today to convey anything pithy much less intellectual!

I take my rest days pretty seriously. In addition to NOT working out I tend to wear my glasses and clearly I don’t wear make-up or do much with my hair. I try to clear my mind of  anything pertaining to racing and try to spend time with my kids and my family. Today I took my kids to a superhero themed event at the local library. My kids were in rare form so I was lucky to have my sister and GiGi there to help me wrangle them. My 3 year old’s future aspirations include being an American Ninja Warrior, so he was pretty excited to find a “superhero training course”.

As you can see, he dressed as Bumble Bee from Transformers for the occasion. The final stage of the training course was weight lifting. Of course, my little over achiever had to lift both the “barbells”!

Tomorrow I’ll be back to my routine. Sundays are run days, and I haven’t decided how many miles I’ll log. Somewhere between 5miles and 8 miles has been my average lately, but if I’m feeling good I’ll go 10 miles. I’ve tried to keep running outdoors and the temperatures drop to improve my mental toughness. If I wake up to the thunderstorms predicted, I might just work on my toughness next week and do treadmill sprints at the gym. All this can get sorted out in the morning.

Right now it’s time to watch some fighting and do some snacking. I will leave you with my first treat of the evening.

A jonagold apple dusted with cinnamon and allspice that will be slathered with a mixture of raw-unsweetened almond butter, pumpkin puree, little bit of vanilla soy, and maple syrup for sweetness.

Happy Rest Day