Happy New Year everyone!! Yes, to you it might be November, but I celebrated a new year on November 1st. Out with the old and in with the new. Training for the 2011 race season has begun!
Here are the races/tris I will be doing this year (but the goals are TOP SECRET!):
TriZou Sprint Tri - Columbia, MO
Kansas City Triathlon Oly - KCMO
Quartermax Oly - Innsbrook, MO
Evergreen Oly - Bloomington, IL
WIN for KC Sprint - Smithville, MO
Nothing big or fancy razzle-dazzle (ie. no WTC events) just keepin' it real and focusing on the training, preparation and outcome. Okay, there is a big race that is tentatively on the schedule for the end of the August, but it's one of the "top secret" goals, so I'm leaving it off the list here.
Speaking of keepin' it real, last month while I was putting this list together, I started to think about the all the little things that I always blow off year after year. Blowing one or two of these items off every now and then, probably doesn't have a substantial effect on one's performance, but compounded over time ... well, it got me pondering ... what if I really started focusing on the little things? Would my performance improve? Would I be a better athlete? Would I get faster? Um, yeah I will! Cuz the little things really add up!
Another list! Yay! Of mini-goals that I am implementing EVERYDAY with hopes of a big pay-off in the end:
Get 8 hours of sleep every night - Easy! I am in bed every night by 10:30pm and my alarm goes off at 6:30am. Even on weekends!! Although, maybe I don't quite need all eight hours right now. I've been waking up at 530am the past two weeks.
Take a multi-vitamin every day - Another easy one. I eat pretty well, but I know I am lacking in the iron category, and probably some other areas too. A multi-vitamin can't hurt. When I was home sick a couple weeks ago, I was flipping channels and came across the Dr. Oz show. He said that taking a multi-vitamin is great, but you should cut it in half and take half in the morning and half at night because our bodies often can't absorb the nutrients in the entire vitamin all at once. Therefore, it absorbs what it can and you pee the rest out, (which is still better than nothing). So I bought a pill cutter at Target for $4 and tried it out. One tiny little extra step that can't hurt, should the good doctor's claim turn out to be false.
Drink 64 oz of water daily - This one is sooo hard for me to do, especially on the weekends. I feel like I am chugging water ALL the time - and then I am in the bathroom ALL the time and I can't get anything done!!! On the weekends, running errands, I am constantly looking for the restroom at Target, Whole Foods, etc. I'm really working hard on this one.
Drink 16 oz of water after every workout - This is even MORE of a challenge. I fight with this one every day. I hydrate enough in prep for the workout, but I HATE drinking water, or anything at all, afterwards. I just want to eat, shower, and go to bed. This week, I have been FORCING myself to drink at least this amount. I know I probably need more, but it's a start.
Stretch after every bike or run - another one I struggle with. Mostly because it's just one more thing to do, but I know it is SOO important for staying injury free. Just have to get into the habit of doing it and not considering the workout "done" until this is complete.
Eat a recovery snack 15 min. after every workout - NO PROBLEM! I love to eat! And since the temps have become cooler lately, I've been happily drinking hot chocolate (Horizon Organic 1% chocolate milk) after EVERY workout. I even bought a little thermos to take with me to Masters. What a treat!
If you think you need an ice bath – TAKE ONE! Oy vey. I have a love/hate relationship with ice baths. Who doesn't? They are terribly uncomfortable but sooo worth it. I took one last night and feel like a million bucks today! Of course, I cheat a bit ... I don't actually use ice in the winter. Since the temps outside are in the 30s-40s, the pipes are cold so the water temp straight outta the tap on the coldest setting, is just fine.
Cut back the alcohol - I already blogged about this. I have cut back SIGNIFICANTLY. I'm going to see if I can make it through the whole month of November without a drop ... until Thanksgiving where I plan to imbibe with two glasses of wine at dinner.
I'll keep you posted as to the results of this little experiment, but so far, so good. I've only implemented ALL of the above for the past 5 days, but already I feel AMAZING! Just really good, happy and healthy! And ready to achieve all those TOP SECRET goals for 2011!!
