Things Are Starting to Fall Into Place

As of writing this, there are 285 days until the 2013 Ironman Wisconsin. Still a lot of time. I mean, I haven't even started to formally train for it yet. If you have been regularly reading my blog you know mostly what I have been up to as far as racing. Over the past month and a half (since the Lakefront Marathon) I have done two races; The Freaky 5k and The Turkey Trot. My off season training has been going really well. I have fallen into a good routine while staying flexible and not hating myself if I take a day off to do nothing. I have been focusing on my swimming as well as working on getting back into a regular strength training regimen. The weather has been changing lately which is making getting outside to bike difficult. I have gotten outside a few times this fall, with the coldest day in the mid 20's. On days I go out to run, it has been in the range of 3-6 miles.

One thing I really wanted to get under control this off season was my weight and eating habits. The week after the marathon my weight has been in the range of 175-180. I have been finding myself binge eating regularly and on foods that I know I shouldn't be eating. I would like to get my weight back down to the 165 range by the start of the new year. It's been a struggle as I have developed some bad habits since having kids and changing careers. But over the past couple weeks, I have been dialing back into some of my previous healthy habits. Including, completely avoiding refined sugar, limiting wheat, focusing on vegetables and fruits, drinking a lot of water, and simply just eating less.  Initially it was hard to not eat so much, but I have found it easier and easier to just simply go hours without eating.  I have made some additional small changes to my diet and am working on slowing going toward a higher fat/lower carb diet. I am doing this for several reasons, including, more anti-inflammatory, less digestive stress, propensity for better body composition, and better fueling for long distance endurance training/events. I have already upped my fat intake and have already noticed the impact in being able to go longer between eating and feeling fuller longer.

The best news as of late is I am officially a sponsored triathlete for 2013. That's right, I was selected to be apart of the Tri Shop Triathlon Team for the 2013 calendar year. The Tri Shop is a triathlon store out of Canton, Michigan which also has an online store at www.thetrishop.com. I applied in late October and found out I was selected about a week or two ago. I have applied to for sponsorships in the past and was never selected. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity given to me by The Tri Shop and am going to do my best to support them throughout 2013. They are supplying me with a "race kit" which consists of a tri top, tri shorts, a hat, and socks, all to wear during races/events. I also receive discounts on purchases through their store as well as discounts on products from their co-sponsors. My job you ask? My job is to spread my enthusiasm for endurance sports and health and wellness and do my best to grow the sport of triathlon. I need to also be an ambassador to their company and promote their company and co-sponsors. This can all be done through utilizing social media avenues such as this blog and my Facebook account. With all that being said, I ask you to help support me by sharing this blog and/or checking out The Tri Shop's website (www.thetrishop.com). I do realize that not everyone who reads this blog participates in triathlons, but they offer a full spectrum of items for any fitness activity for any level. The offer equipment, clothing, nutrition, and electronics.

I have also started a new challenge, at least in the short term. About a week ago, I read an article on Runners World's website proposing a challenge to run every day beginning on Thanksgiving and ending on New Years Day. Simply put, begin a simple streak of running everyday from Thanksgiving through New Years Day. That doesn't mean you need to rack up 70+ mile weeks during this streak. Runs can be as short as a single mile. The way that I make this streak work for me is I continue to run on my scheduled days to run, but on swim and strength training days, I use a short 1 mile run as a warm up to strength training. As for cycling days, I use a 1 mile run as a cool down after I am done biking. On off days or recovery days, I do a short 1 mile run at a slow pace to aide in recover. Depending on how much time I have available I may add a 0.5-1 mile walk prior to the 1 mile run and follow it up with a 0.5-1 mile cool down, bring the total distance traveled to 2-3 miles. This actually increases recovery through increased blood flow. This Holiday Running Streak is supposed to end on January 1st, but I'm not 100% sold on the fact that it will end there for me. This may be something I try to keep going for the entire calendar year of 2013. But let's see how the first 43 days go (I started the day before Thanksgiving).

It's still hard to believe that Thanksgiving has already come and gone and December is only a few days away. I am not a fan of winter at all. I actually hate, hate, HATE the cold. But, I still find a way to get out and run and try to get out and bike if the roads are clear and it's not too cold. My training plan begins December 11th which I also find hard to believe. After the marathon, I felt I had a ton of time to relax and do all sorts of things, and now my off season is only 2 weeks away from being over.

Thanks for reading and please, help me by sharing this blog and checking out my sponsor!  In an attempt to increase followers, I am going to start posting training plans for endurance races, exercise tips, as well as continue with nutrition information.  I will also try to post more recipes that I have made for our family.
Be fast, be strong, and carry on!