Why is goal setting so hard?

Didn't blog or run yesterday, because it was my son's birthday! I'm the mom of a 3 year-old now. Spent much of today getting ready for the big Thomas the Train birthday party he is having this weekend.

I did manage to squeeze my run in today. I did 7 miles at marathon pace (8:24). It was a good run. I'm a little unsure if 3:40 is a realistic marathon time for me, but after having dinner with a friend tonight, I think I'm going to go for it and see what happens. My friend ran 3:45 at his first marathon several years and ran a 3:10 and qualified for Boston this year at Chicago 2008. I ran 4:00 at my first marathon last year, so he thinks it is possible for someone to drop 20 minutes off of their time, based on his own experience of dropping 35 minutes off of his own time. The only problem is that he consistently runs over 60 miles per week, and I don't run anywhere near that much.

I get nervous about setting a goal. What happens if it's too easy of a goal, and I get to mile 20 and am feeling great. Yes, that is a wonderful thing, but could I have gone out faster and held a faster pace for the entire race? What happens if the goal is too challenging, and I'm forced to slow down or, worse yet, am not able to finish the race.

I've also talked to Ben at Big River about my whole goal setting delema. Now, you have to know Ben, and know that he would never tell anyone that their goal is unrealistic, so of course, he tells me that I can do it, but then he writes on my training plan that my goal is "ambitious." Is that a nice way of saying it might be a little too fast for me?

I'm pretty confident I'm in the 3:40-3:50 range for a goal, but just where in that range I am, I don't know. I guess I'll just have to see where my training takes me. Nine more weeks of training to go!

A Day Off

I ran 8 days in a row, so I feel that my day off today was well deserved! Complete rest days or days of easy training with the purpose of recovery are essential in any training program, as the adaptations in your body that make you faster, stronger, and able to run longer actually occur. I would have liked to have run today, but I know I'll be better prepared for my race if I stick to my plan!

My longest run on the treadmill

I made it. I did a 16 mile run on the treadmill today. It really wasn't too bad. I watched a movie and a TV show. I was also very happy that I was able to keep my heart rate below 153, which is the upper limit of zone 2 for me. I felt good the entire run, which was very exciting after my horrible 13 miler last weekend. After my run, I did a lengthy stretching session, as I feel like I really need to work on my flexibility.

Congrats to the JCC Training Grouup!

Congratulations to Aron, Beth, Laura, and Tara for a great race at the JCC Indoor Triathlon today. It was the first tri for most of these guys, and they all did a great job! Also, Aron and Tara were caught on tape while they were racing and were shown of Fox 2 news, which was really exciting. Everyone came so far during our 8 weeks of training together. I was so impressed with how everyone in the training group did. They all finished the race strong and showed good form on the swim. I had so much fun working with this group and can't wait until the next training group starts.

This was the first indoor triathlon, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it was a great event. It was well organized and all of the athletes and volunteers were very friendly and helpful. I would recommend this race as a great first triathlon race or as a good chance of pace from, the often boring, winter training.

Didn't get my long run in as scheduled today, as I wanted to watch the Grammy's. I did manage to get in 8 miles today. I felt great. I'm going to try to get my long run in tomorrow. I always hate missing it on the weekend, because it's so hard to squeeze it in during the week. One small piece of advice tonight . . . don't miss your weekly long run.

Totals for the week: Swim 0 yards, Bike 0 miles, Run 32.5 miles, 2 core workouts

Although my mileage was low for the week, I'm still happy with it, as I was sick. I'm happy that the only run I missed was today's, but hopefully, that's just going to be a flip-flop of workouts and really won't end up being a missed workout.

Congrats again to everyone who did the JCC Race!

Back on Schedule

Did the workout I had scheduled today. First time in a week that has happened! It was a 6 mile run at an easy pace. Felt good.

Looking forward to the JCC Race tomorrow!

Bike Fit

I the workout I had scheduled for Tuesday today, as I did today's scheduled workout on Tuesday. I did a fartlek workout of 3 minutes hard and 3 minutes easy for 30 minutes. With a warm-up and cool down, I did 5.5 miles. Felt good. I think things are finally back to normal after being sick for 5 days.

As a lot of people are thinking about getting a bike this time of year, I wanted to take a minute to emphasize the importance of getting a good bike fit. What is a bike fit? A bike fit is far more than the old fashion stand over the bike and make sure you have a few inches to spare. Bike fitting is an art and a science and now days, thanks to technology, it's very high tech and even more precise than ever. A lot of people walk into a bike shop know the kind of bike they want to get, but in my opinion a better approach is to get a bike fit and have your fit technician recommend a bike that fits your body that is in your price range. After all, the bike should fit the person. The person can't be made to fit the bike. An added bonus is that usually, the bike fit is deducted from the cost of your bike.

By being placed on the right bike that is set up correctly, it is usually possible to eliminate most discomfort a person has experienced previously on the bike. Also, a proper fitting bike will ensure you are not creating inefficiences from a poor fit. Finally, a great fitting bike will help to reduce the risk of injury.

For more info, I suggest visiting Retul and Serotta Fit.

Bottom line, a bike fit will make you more comfortable on the bike, reduce your risk of injury, make you faster, and it's usually included in the cost of your bike. Why wouldn't you get a bike fit?

Feeling better

Sorry, I didn't get to blog yesterday. I actually just forgot to do it.

I'm still recovering from my cold, so I switched my workouts around a little this week. Yesterday, I did 10 X 1 minute hard with 1 minute rest between intervals on the treadmill. Felt much better then Tuesday, but still just kind of blah. With a warm-up and cool-down the workout totaled 4 miles.

Today, I did 3 miles easy to stretch my legs out. It was suppose to be a rest day, but I wanted to do a little something just to see how I was feeling. Felt okay. I think I'm on the mend. I hope to get back on schedule tomorrow.

The JCC training group had it's last group workout tonight. Everyone in the group has really worked hard and made a lot of progress. I've had a great time helping everyone, and I can't wait to see the group race on Sunday!