Personality: Jamie vs. Alicia

So I was looking up this athlete personality site trying to determine the difference between Jamie and I. We are complete opposites which works out perfect for us. As an athlete I am an introvert. I like training with other people and am getting to the point where I won't train any other way BUT I am still a lone athlete. If I have to swim, bike or run alone I don't have a problem with it.  I am swimming in my own lane or at my pace and relying on no one else to propel me forward, while biking or running I am pacing according to my own abilities, no one else is doing it for me. I am part of a club and I consider them my team. We do most all of our training together and we are a great support to each other but we carry our own weight. On race day it is survival of the fittest, you are own your own!!! I enjoy long bike rides just thinking and working hard. I don't need to be talking to others the whole time and often find that I work harder when I'm not talking. I prefer not to have a team rely on me. I have a great fear of letting other's down. As a triathlete you don't let anyone down but yourself.  Jamie on the other hand is an extrovert. He likes to surround himself with people while working out. He needs people to motivate him. It can be hard for him to get out the door unless someone can accompany him. Team work is important to Jamie and he is a good team player. He plays hard and plays well with other's. He likes having other's around so he can help and be helped. Jamie doesn't have a fear of letting other's down; he has confidence in his team abilities. Jamie likes to talk to people while workout and often prefers it. Jamie would rather compete with a group, as a team, then alone. It is far more rewarding to him. I definitely see the details of exercise and tend to spend alot of time organizing the details. Jamie see's the big picture and doesn't harp on the details. He is out to have fun and do his best but isn't worried about every second of his performance or training. Jamie is a thinker and bases his decisions on facts and logic. He researches things to get the big picture and then does what makes the most sense. I am a feeler. I base my athletic decisions alot on people and emotions. If someone is ahead of me I must try to catch up no matter what. If I'm feeling good I'm going to go for it. I also don't want to disappoint anyone and will often push just to meet expectations. I will often train harder when I'm in a certain mood too. I hate to admit that because women are known for being emotional and part of me hates that. Jamie perceives. He structures his workouts so they are adaptable and fun-oriented. Jamie loves to exercise but prefers to have fun while doing it. He loves volleyball, racket-ball, mountain biking, etc, all of which are fun and not just grueling. I am very much so a judger. My workouts are controlled and work-oriented. I am out there to work hard no matter if it's fun or not. My workouts are planned and structured. If I have to run 18 miles it doesn't matter if it's raining, snowing or freezing cold, I have to do it. It probably won't necessarily be the best time I have ever had but it's rewarding to me. Honestly, I love my work-oriented workouts. They can be intense, long, tedious and sometimes boring but I love to push my body to it's limits. It's hard for people to understand this mind-set but there are more people out there that are like me then you might think. Some are actually 10X more intense then I am. We are all different and enjoy life differently. We see things differently. We experience things differently. I am so thankful for Jamie and his differences. I wouldn't want to live with another "me". Jamie is the best thing for me. We help balance each other. 

Run...Anything is Possible

Several years ago if you told me I was going to run from Rangeley to Oqussoc or that I was going to run from the camp to Saddleback Mountain and back I would have laughed. Both routes are about 15 + miles and have some good climbs. Now, 15 miles on a bike doesn’t sound bad at all; sounds doable, easy in fact, but running 15 miles? Wow!! I would have never dreamed of running either route even 2 years ago. The routes aren’t a huge deal but running 15 + miles was out of the question a couple years ago. Something I never thought I would be able to bike is now something I can run. It just goes to show that anything is possible. We are capable of more than we imagine! God created our bodies to do amazing things. Sometimes when I am running I just look down at my big old feet and my little legs plodding along and am so thankful for the opportunity to run!!! There are a lot of people out there who would do anything to have legs to run; God has blessed me with my short stocky legs and I hope to take advantage of them.

   Long distance running never use to appeal to me but now I love it. Part of me didn’t think I was capable of doing long distance runs. I also thought it sounded like physical and mental torture. With training it’s not that bad. Having said that I must admit, I still cannot fathom running anything longer than a marathon. Maybe 30 miles but that’s it!!  These ultra-marathoner’s blow my mind!! I have no idea how they run so far. To them 15 miles is merely a warm-up. That’s sick (and I say that with respect).

Jan- Feb Training

My intentions are to document each month of training and hopefully add some extra blogs in between my monthly summaries. January was not an actual training month so I do not have a separate blog entry for January. I will just include it in February’s blog. January was an intro training month. I biked and ran and went swimming but I didn't focus on time, distance, or anything. I was doing it to get daily exercise not really to train. I tweaked my training schedule in January to fit around my family and work. After switching several things, adding things, deleting things I pretty much got my training schedule figured out and ready to go for February. February was when the real training started!!! And boy did it ever start. Wow, the first week was a push for me but I have since gotten use to it and love the challenge. I developed my schedule by using the book Start to Finish Ironman. The book has been a big help but several of my Ironman training buddies have also shared their past training plans with me which I have used as well. Every plan has helped me develop my own personal plan. Now it’s going to be interesting to see if my plan works or not. I have posted some blogs in the past of my training plans but I will share with you my up-to-date plan. It’s all I can do with the time I have.  It looks something like the following:

Sunday: Long run (which will switch to Monday once the sun shines a little earlier)

Monday: Long bike (which will switch to Sunday once the sun shines a little earlier)

Tuesday: Run, swim, core training

Wednesday: bike followed by a t-run, and a long swim

Thursday: Run hills or threshold run, core training

Friday: Bike followed by a t-run

Saturday: OFF

In a month or two the above plan will change yet again due to longer distances, longer t-runs, earlier sun rise, later sunset, warmer weather, etc.

 February training went really well. I am starting off doing 2 weeks on and 1 week off. Soon it will change to 3 weeks on and 1 week off. I also take 1 day off per week. I am documenting each day of training on TrainingPeaks.com. The site has been very helpful. There is a free package and then upgrades for a fee. I am only using the free package right now.

February Gear Update: I finally bought a GPS unit and LOVE it!!! I need to return it because we don’t have the money for it but it is SO nice!!! Just with a quick glance I can tell how far I have gone, how fast, what my current pace is, what my heart rate is, max heart rate, average heart rate, calories burned, lap times, and so much more.

February Swim Update: Swimming is always going to be my weakness. I have been working on technique and distance this month. I don’t like technique days because they are so slow and I don’t feel like I’m accomplishing much. Goodness, I am in need of better technique though. It would be helpful to find someone to video my swim so I can actually see what I look like. It would be an eye opener for sure. Distance days are more fun. Currently I have built up to 3, 500 yards in the pool.  

February Bike Update: Since taking a break from training I have once again built back up to a 3 hour ride on the bike. It feels good but is boring on the spinner. I am using my old bike on the spinner so I really miss my tri bike!!! I am trying a new saddle right now. I like it but am not completely sold on it yet.

February Run Update: I started out doing my long distance runs on Monday evening. What a mistake!!! I hate running at night. I am such a morning person. I quickly re-schedule my long runs for Sunday mornings; so much better!!! Slowly I have built back up to 16 miles on my distance days. Tuesday and Thursday mornings I am running 7-8 miles. My focus on Tuesday and Thursday changes but includes threshold runs, hill runs, easy runs, etc. My t-runs feel great!!! I love t-runs for some reason. My longest t-run so far is 3 miles. Soon I will be focusing more on time then distance.

February Fuel Update: Well, I have failed in this section. I haven’t thought about fueling yet. I am watching what I eat the day before a long run and I only eat dessert on the week-end but that’s about it. I haven’t been using anything other than water during any of my workouts. I will have to start practicing my fueling soon.

February Rest Update: Somehow I am surviving. Except during recovery days I am awake before 4a.m. or at 4a.m. every morning. I have been trying to go to bed by 8 or 9pm. One good sign is I usually get up in the morning before my alarm goes off. If I wake up before my alarm usually I am getting enough rest. Once a week and if I’m lucky twice a week I take a nap while Tucker naps. These naps give me a much needed boost.

February Worship Update: Thanks to the good Lord’s help I have been doing better than ever on my personal worships. Usually I have my worship first thing in the morning; sometimes mid-day. Worships are a must for me. God gives me my daily bread, talks to me, answers prayers, loves me and gives me strength to be a mommy, wife, worker and athlete. We are so blessed!!! I am so thankful. None of the above would be possible without God helping me. He alone deserves all the credit for any of my accomplishments.

February has been a good training month. Currently I am in recovery. My next training block starts February 27. Yahooo!!!!