My major race plan for this year:
1. Boston Marathon - Goal is to improve my time from my last marathon (3:30:23 Madison Marathon personal PR): Date April 16, 2012
2. Ford Ironman Madison- Goal is to improve my time from my last ironman (13:47:41): Date September 9, 2012
My plan is to document my training log here. I hope to try to get on every day and document what I did, products I am using, suggestions to improve and etc. Hopefully I can get people to join me in my training and use this to encourage others as well.
I am using a training program for the ironman which is my ultimate goal and adjusting it currently to incorporate by Boston Marathon training as well.
A little background is needed here. I qualified for Boston by running the Madison Marathon, which I didn't train for. I was running 5 days a week last year and lifting 4 days a week. I was religious about going to the gym every day after work. So I was putting in 6 - 8 miles every day I ran. I was running with a friend at the time that was ambitious and excited about setting up his race schedule for the year. I'm not sure if he was already planning on running the Madison Marathon or if I planted the bug but either way he ended up putting it on his race schedule. I had done Madison previous years and really liked the course and local support so I remember making comments about how much fun it was but after completing the Ironman in the fall of 2010 I pledged to do no races for a year and take time off to get back into really enjoying working out. For those of you who have trained for something you might understand what I was going through. While training for something keeps you motivated, I would often feel guilty and forced into going to the gym because I HAD to do workout X to keep on my training program or I would fall behind and not be able to complete (insert whatever race I was training for ). I hated that feeling (and I am actually getting that feeling now while training for Boston and the Ironman again, partially the reason for this Blog). But needless to say I fell back in love with working out and felt great about myself and my body. So my friend was encouraging me to run the marathon with him since we were training together anyways. I kept saying “Yeah, yeah I'll sign up later maybe." In other words I would wait until the last minute, not sign up and find an excuse not to do it. I'm very notorious for doing that (Sorry if I've done that to you, you should find comfort in knowing you're not the only person I have done this to. Guess I should change that though, huh.... Later :) ) Anyways I had never planned on actually running the Madison Marathon. He would go on long weekend training runs and I would ask how they went but never joined in. Until two weeks before the race, I decided to join him for part of his long weekend run. I believe he was doing 20 or 22 (it may have been longer but I have forgotten.). I remember meeting him at James Madison Park and I ran to meet him from my house on the East side only a short warm up run for me, like a mile or 2 and he had just finished running around Monona. We did a ten mile run around campus and I felt great and dominated the run. I figured if he can do the marathon and I just kicked his butt doing a ten mile run ( yes I did realize that he did run like 13 before that but that's my arrogance coming out) that I would do just fine running the marathon. So we did the first thirteen miles of the race the next weekend and then I took a week to taper and raced the following Sunday. The race went really well and I was doing sub 8 minute miles until mile 23 and I hit my wall and wanted to sit down. So my lack of training did finally catch up with me and I wanted to sit down and have someone carry me to the finish line. I crawled (figuratively) the last 3 miles and finished in 3 hours and 30 minutes and some change for seconds. I was super pumped to have PRed and qualified for Boston. I took 3rd in my age group and was in the top 25 of all the women, all without really training.
In the fall of 2011 I volunteered at the Ironman Madison and loved watching and cheering people on. It reminded me of what I was feeling one year ago that day and how much fun I had and how I loved it. So I decided to sign up again for the following year. So I got in line at 6:30 am the morning after and waited to register at 8 am. The first time I signed up I was very intimidated standing in line with all these people around me talking about all the triathlons they had done and all their nice expensive equipment that they were going to use and the training regimen they were going to use and even some were bragging about their recent completions of Ironmans. I remember feeling very anxious and nervous for what I was about to commit myself to for a whole year. I eaves dropped intently on their conversations of how to train and what worked and what didn't, the wheels they were going to use on their bikes ( at that time I didn't even know there were different wheel types ), if they were going to use their tri bike or road bike due to Madison's bike being one of the hardest Ironman bikes worldwide. The buzz in the air was so awesome ( to someone who hasn't been to one of these events you need to experience it, it is electrifying). This last time I signed up though, I was the experienced triathlete (although my brother-in-law referred to me on race day looking like the kid with jeans in gym class, because I don't have the expensive equipment). It’s very cool standing in line being one of the younger people there and being a girl. Let me try to recap this experience for you: you are standing in line with your coffee or breakfast shake and everyone is there for the same reason. You are committing yourself to intense training, long weekend hours out on the road, painful Sunday morning runs because your legs are shot from the 7 hour bike ride you did the previous day, early morning training swims, runs, early bed times, canceling plans with friends and family because you have to train. The camaraderie for an individual’s sport is so amazing. You all realize you are committing to put yourself through hell for one day, push your body to limits it has never been pushed before, throwing yourself on an emotional roll-a-coaster, and all for what? To hear as you cross the finish line, “Jackie Uttech, You are an IRONMAN". So cool! I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Anyways, this year I was the experienced one. I start up small talk with people around me and just ask them if they have done any before and what made them want to do this one and once people find out you have done one and it was the Madison one, everyone has questions. They want to know how you trained, what equipment you used, what training program you went through, how the race went ...etc. People look at you in a new way all of a sudden and treat you differently. You become a wealth of knowledge and highly respected. Anyways, you wait in line and get excited and buzzed about the event and training and then once you sign up and leave and return to normal life, reality sinks in and the weight of training sets in. All of a sudden those long bike rides seem REALLY long and those long runs that you were looking forward to while waiting in line become those 10 degree morning runs you dread and contemplate staying in your warm bed and getting an extra hour and a half sleep and waking up at a normal time with everyone else. Needless to say that swim you thought you would get up and do every morning has somehow turned into hitting the snooze button three times and promising yourself you will do it later in the day ( yeah right ! ).
Fast forward to now. I am seven weeks into my Ironman training program, feeling bogged down by long weeks of training, feeling guilty if I miss a day or don't complete all of my workouts for the day and revamping my training program to include long runs to prep for Boston. Needless to say I'm fried mentally already... ekkkkk. Not good. I need a pick me up and I'm constantly trying to find people to join me in my training. Because honestly training with someone else even if it’s just joining for part of the run or swim is always more encouraging and enjoyable then being out there by yourself forcing yourself to do it. Ever realize how nice it is to go to the gym with someone else who will hold you accountable? So here is where I am at. I need some encouragement and motivation to help me get through this next year of long training regiments.
Now I need to give credit to some people who are already helping me with this. First of all I could not have gotten through or accomplished anything without GOD. He has given me the body and will power to do everything that I do. The first time I did the Ironman, I was in constant conversation with GOD that whole day. I couldn't have gotten through it without him. Secondly I have an amazing family who is very supportive and are with me every mile of the race. They are the best cheering sections anyone could ask for. Others even comment along the way about how awesome a cheering section they are and they wish they had the support that I had. So I have to thank them for their constant encouragement and support. And finally I have a great group of friends who are helping me out , going on runs with me and helping me with my strength training program, advising on nutrition and supporting my irrational ( in their eyes) decisions.
So where to go from here? Today my workout is a 1 hour swim and a 50 minute run. Translation: 5-6 x 500s in the pool and a 6-7 mile run on the tread mill although I'm really hoping to get outside and do some hills because Boston is very hilly and lets be real who actually likes running on a tread mill (please let me know if you do). My snooze button seemed to be working really well this morning and so this is going to have to happen after work. I am trying Advocare products right now to see what supplements I will need to use on race day. I'll go more into detail on this another day. But as for today, I just have to put my head down and push through. I will conclude with a quote or bible verse I feel is applicable for the day.
“If you are on the treadmill next to me, the answer is yes, we are racing”
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