This was a video I took last night while Sarah, the girls, and I went out to look at all the Christmas lights throughout the area. This by far, is the best.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
A Couple of Videos
I was pleasantly surprised today with a video that Google+ created of my family and I recapping 2013. I did absolutely nothing for this video except take pictures, which are automatically stored to my Google+ account.
This was a video I took last night while Sarah, the girls, and I went out to look at all the Christmas lights throughout the area. This by far, is the best.
This was a video I took last night while Sarah, the girls, and I went out to look at all the Christmas lights throughout the area. This by far, is the best.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Going Sub 3
Everyone knows that running a 26.2 miles is hard, regardless of how long it takes you. It takes hours of training, dedication, and determination. Running a marathon under 3 hours increases the difficulty exponentially. It turns the already challenging task of completing a marathon into a rare accomplishment. How rare? According to Runner's World, only 2% of all marathon finishers completed 26.2 miles in under 3:00:00 in 2011. Running a sub 3 hour marathon is the ultimate goal for many marathoners. It's a time that differentiates the good from the elite. It may only be a second or two, but the difference between 3:00:01 and 2:59:59 is huge. I have been shooting for a sub 3 hour marathon for the past 3 years now. In 2010 I ran a 3:03:46 at the Fox Cities Marathon, so I know I have the ability to do it. Since then, I have had 2:59:59 in my sights. Unfortunately, I haven't really come that close. Since my 3:03 performance, I have run (in chronological order) 3:17:44, 3:12:23, and 3:10:32. I guess if you wanted to look on the bright side of those times, I'm trending in the right direction, but still a ways off. I don't want to sound like I am making excuses as to why I haven't been able to finish in under 3 but here are my top 3 hypotheses.
This phase is about as simple as it gets. The main objective of this 12 week phase is to build my aerobic engine. I want to make my body as aerobically efficient as possible. In order to do this, I will do all my run workouts in a specific heart rate range. I plan on using a MAF heart rate range of 145-155 bpm. I won't dive into specifics on MAF Training, but if you would like to find out more, check out this website: MAF 180 Heart Rate Training. Basically, you take 180 and subtract your age and depending on your current fitness level you adjust this number either up or down (see the article). Therefore, being 30, I am left with 150, but due to several years of endurance training, I get to add 5 beats to this number. Then I simply create a 10 beat range with 155 being my max, leaving me with a range of 145-155. I will train strictly in the heart rate range while increasing my weekly mileage to a range that is suggested for elite marathoning. I have done some general research on training plans for elite age group marathoners and have found that, although many of the individual workouts vary greatly, one thing seems to remain constant, a high weekly training mileage. Most training plans I have found have a weekly training mileage of 50 up to 100+. In the past, my peak weeks were 35-50 at best, mainly due to devoting time to swimming and cycling. With this training plan I start out in December with 36 mile week and build up to a 56 mile week. My biggest individual day is centered around my 30th birthday on March 2nd, when I will run 30 miles to commemorate turning 30. The weekly breakdown is simple. I will run every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Each Tuesday and Saturday will be a shorter distance long run, with longer runs falling on Thursdays and Sundays. The Sunday long run will be the longest of runs within each week. Mondays will be a recovery swim workout, which will be technique based and Wednesdays will be a medium duration bike day.
During this phase is when I do a complete 180 in the type of workouts I will do. There will be no more heart rate based training. Over the next 8 weeks following a long base building phase, I will begin very specific workouts geared towards training my body to be able to hold sub 3 hour marathon pace for 26.2 miles. During this phase, I will base all my workouts on a specific pace. To determine appropriate paces for each individual workout, I used the McMillan Running Calculator at www.mcmillanrunning.com. I entered in a goal race time of 2:59:00 for a marathon and was provided a very specific pace range for a variety of distances and run types (long run, tempo, speed, etc). In my peak phase I will increase the number of weekly runs from 4 to 5. My weekly schedule will consist of a rotation of either mile repeats or hill repeats on Monday. Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be moderate distance runs. On Saturday, I scheduled various sets of long intervals. I will complete traditional long and easy runs on Sunday. Below is a description of each of the different types of workouts I will complete during this phase.
1. I have not devoted the necessary time to training specifically for a sub 3 marathon.
The past 3 seasons (especially 2013) I have focused on a balanced approach to the sport of triathlon. I have run at least one marathon each year, but have always included triathlon races as part of my training program and trained relatively hard in both swimming and cycling.
2. I have not stayed committed to a regimented diet since 2010 and have progressively gained unnecessary weight.
In 2010 when I ran a 3:03 my body weight was in the 155-160 range. I raced IM Wisconsin at 175, about 20 pounds heavier. You don't think it makes a difference? Strap on a 20lb vest and go for a short run and see how it effects your times. Now consider running a full 26.2 miles with that same vest on!
3. My weekly mileage has not been as high as it should be for a sub 3 training plan.
This one could probably be grouped in with #1, seeing how the main reason I never allowed my mileage to get over 30-40 miles per week is to allow time and recovery for all the other workouts I was completing during the week.
Now that I have successfully crossed off completing an Ironman from my bucket list, I am going to focus my efforts toward a new goal - Running a sub 3 hour marathon. How do I plan on doing it? What are going to be my key workouts? What will my training plan look like? How many miles will I run in a week?
First, I want to explain how I planned my 2014 race schedule. I scheduled a spring marathon that I am familiar with on May 18th, being the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. This will allow me to focus 100% of my attention on running throughout the winter and spring. After the marathon, I will cut back on running and focus majority of my attention toward cycling and swimming for the heart of the triathlon season, June through July. After two months of focused triathlon racing, I will change gears once again and focus again on running to finish my first ultramarathon. I am eyeing up Door County's Fall 50 on October 25th. It all fits rather nicely into a logical annual plan broken down into three phases; marathon specific work early, triathlon specific with a focus on cycling and swimming in the middle, and finish with a pure aerobic phase at the end of the year.
I won't dive into how I structured my entire 2014 annual training plan, but want to focus solely on how I plan on training for a sub 3 hour Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. This spring, I plan on training like a marathoner, not a triathlete. Unlike past years, when I trained for a marathon all while training for triathlons, I will focus my efforts on running, and use swimming and cycling as recovery workouts, as opposed to key midweek workouts. My plan actually began this week, on Monday December 16th. I have it broken down into two unique phases. First, I built a full 12 week base building phase which will end on March 9th. The last week of that phase is an unloading week to allow for some recovery. Yes, I do have mid-cycle recovery weeks built in, but week 12 has a very significant decrease in mileage compared to any other previous week. After my recovery week, I will begin an 8 week build phase with very specific workouts focused on strict pace work. I will then unload again during a 2 week taper before toeing the start line in Green Bay on May 18th. So let's dive into the plan...
I won't dive into how I structured my entire 2014 annual training plan, but want to focus solely on how I plan on training for a sub 3 hour Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. This spring, I plan on training like a marathoner, not a triathlete. Unlike past years, when I trained for a marathon all while training for triathlons, I will focus my efforts on running, and use swimming and cycling as recovery workouts, as opposed to key midweek workouts. My plan actually began this week, on Monday December 16th. I have it broken down into two unique phases. First, I built a full 12 week base building phase which will end on March 9th. The last week of that phase is an unloading week to allow for some recovery. Yes, I do have mid-cycle recovery weeks built in, but week 12 has a very significant decrease in mileage compared to any other previous week. After my recovery week, I will begin an 8 week build phase with very specific workouts focused on strict pace work. I will then unload again during a 2 week taper before toeing the start line in Green Bay on May 18th. So let's dive into the plan...
Base Building (12 Weeks)
This phase is about as simple as it gets. The main objective of this 12 week phase is to build my aerobic engine. I want to make my body as aerobically efficient as possible. In order to do this, I will do all my run workouts in a specific heart rate range. I plan on using a MAF heart rate range of 145-155 bpm. I won't dive into specifics on MAF Training, but if you would like to find out more, check out this website: MAF 180 Heart Rate Training. Basically, you take 180 and subtract your age and depending on your current fitness level you adjust this number either up or down (see the article). Therefore, being 30, I am left with 150, but due to several years of endurance training, I get to add 5 beats to this number. Then I simply create a 10 beat range with 155 being my max, leaving me with a range of 145-155. I will train strictly in the heart rate range while increasing my weekly mileage to a range that is suggested for elite marathoning. I have done some general research on training plans for elite age group marathoners and have found that, although many of the individual workouts vary greatly, one thing seems to remain constant, a high weekly training mileage. Most training plans I have found have a weekly training mileage of 50 up to 100+. In the past, my peak weeks were 35-50 at best, mainly due to devoting time to swimming and cycling. With this training plan I start out in December with 36 mile week and build up to a 56 mile week. My biggest individual day is centered around my 30th birthday on March 2nd, when I will run 30 miles to commemorate turning 30. The weekly breakdown is simple. I will run every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Each Tuesday and Saturday will be a shorter distance long run, with longer runs falling on Thursdays and Sundays. The Sunday long run will be the longest of runs within each week. Mondays will be a recovery swim workout, which will be technique based and Wednesdays will be a medium duration bike day.
This will be the first ever 7 day training plan I will follow since starting with Winnebago County and working a 9 day shift rotation. This will require some long runs after a night of work, but I want to reap the benefits of more frequent long runs.
Peak Marathon Phase (8 Weeks)
During this phase is when I do a complete 180 in the type of workouts I will do. There will be no more heart rate based training. Over the next 8 weeks following a long base building phase, I will begin very specific workouts geared towards training my body to be able to hold sub 3 hour marathon pace for 26.2 miles. During this phase, I will base all my workouts on a specific pace. To determine appropriate paces for each individual workout, I used the McMillan Running Calculator at www.mcmillanrunning.com. I entered in a goal race time of 2:59:00 for a marathon and was provided a very specific pace range for a variety of distances and run types (long run, tempo, speed, etc). In my peak phase I will increase the number of weekly runs from 4 to 5. My weekly schedule will consist of a rotation of either mile repeats or hill repeats on Monday. Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be moderate distance runs. On Saturday, I scheduled various sets of long intervals. I will complete traditional long and easy runs on Sunday. Below is a description of each of the different types of workouts I will complete during this phase.
Mile Repeats
Running short sprint repeats are not truly necessary for marathon training, but some form of speed work is necessary. Sprint intervals of 400-800m are nearly too short to elicit a beneficial training response specific to the marathon. However, longer high speed workouts can be beneficial for increasing your lactate threshold and your overall efficiency. In the past I have run mile repeats with a 3 minute recovery period. This year, I am trying a shorter recovery period. I found a unique style of mile repeats while researching training plans for my training plan. I found a style of mile repeats that copies a popular interval style from lap swimming. Instead of having a set recovery period, I will begin a mile interval every 7 minutes. If I run my first interval in 5:30, I will get 1:30 to recovery before the next rep. On the 2nd interval, I finish in 5:45, I get 1:15 to recovery before the next. It's that simple. I have a predetermined number of reps during each session and then set a daily mileage goal for that day. So for instance, on April 1st, I am scheduled to run 4x1 mile with a total distance of 7 miles. On this day, I will run a 1.5-2 mile warm up and finish with a 1-1.5 mile cool down with the 4, mile repeats to reach a total of 7 miles.
Hill Repeats
On scheduled hill repeat days, I will not follow a strict workout. I have access to a few decent sized hills near my home. First, there is the well known hill at High Cliff State Park. Then there is the hill near Thousand Island's Nature Preserve. Closest to my house is a shorter hill which is about 3/4 of a mile from home. Depending on my work schedule and other possible commitments, I will determine where I will complete my hill repeats. On that day, I will judge how I feel and either do shorter duration, higher intensity hill sprints, or do longer duration, lower intensity intervals up the hill. On the short end I am looking at a total duration of about 20-30 seconds of up hill running, while on the longer end of the spectrum I will aim at about a 45-60 second set. Running up hills not only improves your overall running efficiency, but also increases your overall running specific strength. Hill repeats are found in just about every elite marathon training plan. The only thing I found consistent with hill repeats in all the training plans I read, was that there were no two plans with the same philosophy for how to complete hill repeats. Because of this, I will play each scheduled hill repeat by ear and vary the style of how I complete my repeats.
Midweek Long Run
These are my Wednesday and Thursday runs. The main goal of these runs are to boost my aerobic capacity and to add to my weekly mileage. These runs are done at a comfortable zone 2-3 pace, just above a recovery pace. On my training plan you will see that I have quite a wide range of paces (from 6:50 to 7:50). That is done on purpose. I want to have the ability to take it easy on days I feel a little beaten up while on other days when I am feeling fresh, I don't want to have to force myself to hold back.Long Intervals
The purpose of long intervals is to train your body to learn to run at your desired race pace. They also allow you to get more total time at a higher speed then doing just one tempo run at a set distance. During the main sets of these long intervals, I will aim at holding a steady pace at or slightly below my goal marathon pace of 6:45/mile. My first long interval workout is relatively short with 2x3 miles and each week builds from that with a variety of combinations to peak with a 2x6 at race pace just before I begin my 2 week taper. This final long interval set will be slightly different from all the prior sets. During this set, I am going to try something completely different that I read makes this workout very specific to the later stages of the marathon. During this workout, I will run the first 6 miles at my goal race pace, immediately upon completing this set, I will sit and do nothing for about 10-15 minutes. This will allow proper recovery, but also allow my legs to begin to recover. I will then go back out for the second 6 miles and do my best to hang on at my goal pace. I've heard that this is a great workout to let you know if you have a realistic goal time or not. From what I understand, if you are able to maintain a consistent pace during that second 6 miles, you should be good to go for your marathon. As for all the prior long interval sessions, my recovery will be in the ball park of 2-5 minutes, depending on the duration of the set and the number of sets. The sole reason my rest interval is so long on my final session is to elicit the feeling of "heavy legs" which is so typical of the final 10k of a marathon.
Long Run
These weekly runs fall on Sundays, the very next day following my long interval sessions. I did this for a couple reasons. First, I want to run these on somewhat tired legs. I figure if I can run effectively on tired legs, I theoretically should be able to run that much better on fresh legs. Secondly, I want to have a day with a specific workout designated towards recovery. You will notice this run has the slowest pace range, at 7:00-8:00. These runs will range from 12 miles up to 22 miles and will all be done at a relaxed pace. These runs will also incorporate a few minor walk breaks to properly fuel and hydrate. The number one goal of the weekly long run is to maintain and grow your aerobic engine, to ultimately turn your body into an efficient fat burning machine! I have read several articles and reports about NOT running longer than 16 miles or 2-2.5 hours. I buy this to an extent. I think I can see this method being beneficial if you are running more than 2 marathons in a calendar year, you have been running consistently and regimented for at least 5 years, and/or you are naturally a gifted runner and find yourself getting injured when you run long. If you don't find yourself falling into one of those categories, I think you need the long run, it will only help. At a minimum it will at least give you the mental confidence to go that far, especially if this is going to be your first marathon. There is no way I would ever recommend a first timer to peak at only 16 miles in their training plan. That would simply be setting that person up for failure.
Taper (2 Weeks)
The taper phase is just that. A gradual tapering of weekly mileage to elicit an overcompensation effect in your overall fitness. It also allows ample time for your body to fully recover to allow you to get to the start line at 100%, so to speak. The duration of your taper phase depends on several things, your overall fitness level, your experience level, and how hard you trained. At the absolute high end, a taper phase would last no more than 4 weeks and a minimum of 2 weeks. A typical taper will begin immediately following your highest volume week (your peak week). From there you cut your mileage about 25% and then an additional 25-50% the next week. The percentages that you cut your mileage down to depends on the total duration of your taper phase. Throughout your taper you are cutting your VOLUME, but NOT your INTENSITIES. You should still maintain your intensities throughout your taper. Typically, I schedule one final short race pace tempo run on the Monday or Tuesday of race week as one final "tune-up." From there you get to plug runs into your schedule as you see fit. At a minimum you should do your last run on Thursday, if the race in on a Sunday allowing two full days for recovery. However, if you feel confident it won't leave you mentally fatigued, some people will run a short (1-2 miles) the day before the race. Which ever you chose, keep in mind that you should be taking it easy and stressing recovery throughout your entire taper phase. If you are scheduled for a rest day, REST. Get an extra hour of sleep, stretch, get a massage, etc.
So there you have it, my plan to finally break the 3 hour mark in the marathon. The only topic I did not cover was my diet as I mentioned the effect that my current body weight had on my ability to maintain proper pacing in the marathon to finish in under 3 hours. I know I have said on here countless times, that I need to regain the self control I had a few years back to better gain control of my body composition. I recall specifically laying out my wanting to jump on board with a ketogenic diet a month or two ago. Honestly, I was jumping into something I do not think I was totally prepared for, especially being the head chef for my family. So, where do I go from here, how do I get back down to a reasonable running/racing weight? First, I want to get past the holiday season. Let's all be honest, this is no time to start a strict, relatively uncommon (at least in America) diet. As soon as I get past Christmas and all of it's indulgences, I will start eating more simply. Sounds easy, right? Just three words: EAT. REAL. FOOD. No processed junk. Nothing artificial. No refined sugars. Just whole, real, fresh, nutritious, food. I figure this is a simply diet and will be easy to follow even with preparing meals for the entire family. With that being said, all that's left to do is the work! Wish me luck! And if you are reading this to assist you with preparing your training plan, best of luck to you - and please do not hesitate to email me or message me on Twitter @IrondadTri, or on Facebook with any specific questions you may have.
As always ~ Be fast, be strong, & carry on!
Monday, December 16, 2013
'Tis the Season
Christmas is in full swing in the Kohl household! Sarah has had the house decorated since Thanksgiving, our Christmas tree has been up since December 3rd, and it has been snowing like crazy here in Wisconsin. I must admit, I usually don't get into much of a "Christmas spirit," until lately. It seems like every since my daughters have started to really get excited for Christmas, I too, have started to appreciate the holiday for what it is. A time to enjoy time with family and friends celebrating Christmas. Yes, I still feel Christmas is over-commercialized and it seems that the true meaning of Christmas has twisted into a semi-commercialized belief of giving "just the right gift"... from their company, of course. But, regardless, this Christmas has been fun thus far and I must admit, I feel like the Grinch, whose heart grows three sizes almost in a matter of minutes. Between the Elf on a Shelf, nightly Christmas stories, the excitement over something as simple as Christmas lights throughout the neighborhoods, and all the anticipation for "the Big Day," I have been left with an increase love for the Holidays. Below are just a few photos from our holiday activities.
The Elf on the Shelf
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| Blizzard stole the camera and took a bunch of Selfies...or "Elfies" |
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| Snow angels in sugar. |
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| Drawing mustaches on pictures. |
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| Dinner with the Princesses. |
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| More Elfies... |
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| Joy riding with Ariel. |
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| Another "Elfie" |
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Festival Foods Turkey Trot - Race Report
Training Plan
I honestly, did not have a full blown "training plan" for the Turkey Trot, but did have a rough outline of days I would run and days I would not run. Basically, my plan consisted of 3 runs per week. I would do a fartlek run on Tuesdays, a moderate distance (6-8 mile) run on Thursday or Friday, and a long (8-10 mile) run on Sundays. The days between I would either take off and rest, swim, or bike. I was extremely flexible with my "plan" and would not go to great lengths to make sure a workout got in on any particular day. Bare in mind, that I was technically still in my off season recovery mode from Ironman Wisconsin, back in September. With that in mind, I definitely took it easy, and ate like absolute crap (not proud to admit it....but hey, it's the truth)!
Day/Night Before the Race
I finagled my work schedule to get the night before Thanksgiving off. I had to pull a trade with a buddy of mine, which isn't always easy to pull off, considering it was the night before Thanksgiving. I not only wanted to participate in the Turkey Trot (which I would have regardless of working the night before), but also to spend at least a portion of Thanksgiving together with my family and daughters. The day before the race was spent with the family. Maya, Delaney, and I made a pie for Thanksgiving and then had dinner. I made stuffed acorn squash for dinner and for the first time ever, I had beer with dinner the night before a race. Not just one beer, and I didn't stop at two, but had 3 beers with dinner that night. I think that goes to show where my priorities have been at this off season. Either way, I got to bed at a reasonable hour and had everything set for both the Turkey Trot in the morning and Thanksgiving.Getting to the Start Line
I was tired and honestly wanted to stay in bed when my alarm started going off at 5am. But, I got up, poured a cup of coffee and hopped onto Facebook. I saw that someone had posted something to the effect of there being snow for the Turkey Trot. I quickly jumped up and looked outside and sure enough, there was about 1-2 inches of snow. The first true snow fall of the 2013 winter...on Thanksgiving...the morning of a race. The kicker is, that last year it was 60* outside. Now this year, it was snowy and 20*, quite the difference. None-the-less, we woke up the girls and bundled them up and were on the road by 6:45 and on our way to downtown Appleton. After finding a parking spot and putting off getting out of our warm car until the last possible moment, we met up with my parents near the start line to pick up our race bibs. My dad and I then did a short run to start warming up and at 8:00, it was back to the start line for the start of the race.5 Mile Run
Not that it was a major concern of mine at the start of the race, but in the back of my head I was wondering exactly how much of an impact the previous night's snowfall would have on the race. It was only a light snow, but definitely enough to impact footing, especially on corners. The first 200-400 yards of the race went straight West down College Av, which is the main drag of Downtown Appleton, so there was little to no snow in the streets. But almost immediately after turning right off of College, we were on side streets which were not nearly as clear. If you stayed in the area of travel for vehicles, the roads were clear of fresh snow and were either just wet with water or slush. I started the race as I do with all races, slower than most. I have never gone out like a bat out of hell like 98% of the participants do, I don't know why I don't, I just never have and don't ever plan on changing. Naturally, I had a decent size group ahead of me, but I was fine with that, knowing that it wouldn't be long before they tired out. By about mile 2 or so, I had passed majority of those who go out too fast. By mile 3 I started to feel as though I had gone out too fast. I began to focus on my breathing and just tried to get into a rhythm. It seemed to have worked, maybe my pace didn't increase, but I felt comfortable as the race progressed. The snow really wasn't as big of an issue as I had thought it might be. It really only impact the race on the corners. You could not take the corners at full speed, for risk of slipping and falling. As you approached a corner you had one of two choices. 1. You could slow down and take the corner cautiously. 2. You could take the corner wide, where the earlier vehicle traffic had melted majority of the snow and you would be able to stay on concrete. No matter which option you choose, you're adding seconds onto your time. Not a lot of time, but they add up, there's no doubt.By mile 4, I was taxed, but new the end was near. Right after the 4th mile marker is the vaunted hill that not one person looks forward to. Could the hill come at any worse part of the race? Well, I suppose it could, it could always be at the finish line, but still a big hill right during the last mile....sheesh. After I pushed up the hill I decided to crank up the my pace and push. I passed a couple additional people on the last half mile or so. As I was coming down the home stretch there was one more guy in front of me and made it my goal to pass him. With about 2-3 blocks left, I had passed him, but
Festival Foods Turkey Trot - Details
Post Race
One of the coolest things about the Festival Foods Turkey Trot is the free pumpkin pie! A lot of participants choose to donate their pies to the local food pantry which is also very cool. In past years, I have opted to donate my pie, but this year I picked up my pie with the intentions of bringing it to work that night to share with our department's "3rd Shift Thanksgiving," since I had to work that night. The race does not put a lot of money and/or effort into the post race spread, which is quite alright. It's simply not what the race/event is about. The event is about promoting family and fitness on a day that has been overcome with sales, shopping, and pre-Christmas preparations. They do still have water, bananas, and doughnut holes, but nothing in addition. Since I had to work that night and we had plans of spending Thanksgiving with my family that day, we didn't hang around too long after the race. So after Sarah, the girls, and my mom finished the 2 mile walk, we loaded up the car and headed home to get cleaned up for our family feast.
Other Notes
Part of me is satisfied with my race time while another part of me is thinking I really let myself down. I wonder whether or not I could have gone harder/faster with the fitness that I had. I honestly wasn't sore at all after this race, which is odd, especially after a 5 mile race. I also feel as though I really have fallen off the wagon, so to speak. I have eaten everything that I have avoided in the past and really just been a slob (relatively speaking). I've been caught between me wanting to enjoy my down time after finishing the Ironman, but that has now been 3 months ago, and I am still just eating crap foods that do nothing for me other than taste good. I have been feeling cruddy, my stomach has been in knots, and my sleep has been sub par. I can only think of pinning the blame on my piss poor diet. I keep telling myself that I'll make the change tomorrow, or next week, or after the holidays. I never say, "I'll make the change today." It's frustrating and I only have myself to blame. I know I need the break, not only for my body to recover, but also for my sanity. But, I should know that taking a break doesn't mean a green light to eat what ever I want when I want to. I know that doesn't fit into a successful off season recovery period, it does just the opposite.
Lessons for Future Events
There were not any real lessons taken away from this event. Simply put, this is also a late season race, which always comes 1-2 months after my season ending "A" race. I rarely put any emphasis on this race, training wise and honestly, just take it for what it is, a great tradition to do what I love, with the ones I love.
What's Next
I have been spending the past month or so now compiling a 2014 race schedule. I have for sure put the Green Bay Marathon on my list for an early season marathon. I am taking a new approach to my training this year for a marathon and will be focusing all my efforts to run a sub 3 hour marathon. I will post my training plan on here soon, but all I will say for now, is that it begins Monday, December 16th! So stay tuned for a post on my training plan and specific workout detail on how I plan on running a sub 3 hour marathon.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
The Christmas Tree
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| My mom's family growing up, at the tree farm. |
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| My Grandma, her children, and her tree at Lambeau Field |
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| The tree farm during summer. |
If you're even more ambitious then most, I would HIGHLY recommend taking a trip to your locally own tree farm to cut down your own tree. This is something my family has done for years and a tradition Sarah and I have continued to share with our daughters. Each year, usually on the weekend following Thanksgiving Thursday, we make the trip up to my grandma's tree farm and spend the day as a family walking through the rows and rows of fresh pine trees to find literally, our perfect tree. What is even more special about it now that we are older, is that many of the trees we are cutting down now are the same trees my cousins and I planted as kids years ago! I find spending the day together as a family walking through nature is a relaxing and peaceful way to kick off the holiday season. I'll admit that I am not your typical Wisconsin outdoorsman who hunts, fishes, and camps. My idea of getting outdoors is usually a quiet bike ride on a county road or a quiet trail run at a local state park. So, any time I get the opportunity to just get out into the woods with my kids, it's a pleasant change of pace. It's as though time slows down, just for a moment. Plus, on top of simply getting back to nature, I get to share my same passion and love for Christmas trees as my parents and grandparents did with me as a child. It's for these reasons alone, I will never own an artificial tree and I urge you to opt for a real tree, opposed to an artificial one.
It's simple really, buying a fresh cut, locally grown, real Christmas tree is not only a great family friendly activity, it supports your environment and your local economy. On average, for every Christmas tree purchased, that farmer will plant 1-3 additional trees to replace that one tree. Christmas trees are truly all American, where majority (if not all) artificial trees are produced over seas. Most often, Christmas trees are grown on soils which are unable to support other crops, better supporting the environment.
If you are interested in starting a new tradition and putting up a real Christmas tree in your home this holiday season, here are some websites to help you locate local Christmas tree farms and farms that will allow you to cut your own Christmas tree.
www.pickyourownchristmastree.org
www.christmas-tree.org
www.realchristmastrees.org
Below are some tips learned from my grandparents on having a successful real tree last.
If you are interested in starting a new tradition and putting up a real Christmas tree in your home this holiday season, here are some websites to help you locate local Christmas tree farms and farms that will allow you to cut your own Christmas tree.
www.pickyourownchristmastree.org
www.christmas-tree.org
www.realchristmastrees.org
Below are some tips learned from my grandparents on having a successful real tree last.
- Pre-measure your floor to ceiling height, then find a tree that is slightly taller than that height. Cut your tree as close to the ground as possible.
- When you bring your tree home cut at least a 1/2-1" section off the bottom of the tree (if not more) before putting it in the stand. This will allow the tree to better absorb water and thus live longer.
- Allow the tree to "fall" before fully decorating it. By giving your tree 12 or more hours will allow the branches to fall and the tree to open up.
- Water your tree every day to ensure proper hydration and prevent it from drying out. This will ultimately keep the needles in tact and lessen the mess around the house.
- Place a small tarp or garbage bag underneath your tree stand to make clean up easier at the end of the season.
- Do not place your tree in front of or near your heat registers...see below.
By setting our tree up directly next to our heat registers,
the warm, dry air completely dried out our tree.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
2013 Ironman Wisconsin in Pictures
Yea, yea, yea, I'm aware that it has been nearly 3 months since the race. But, I finally got around to putting together a video of some of the race day pictures from my day.
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