2011 Daytona 5K

After an IT Band flare up I had to take 6 weeks off from running and was not sure what my running times would be when I returned. I have now been following the 6 days a week running plan for 9 weeks now.

I have (had) a 5K PR of 21:20 for the last 2 years and I just could not seem to get it lower. I ran the traditional triathlete way of 3-4 runs a week, with a couple days of intervals thrown in and a long run that was more than half my weekly mileage. I was always injured and just attributed it to being 38 and that I would just deal with it. My last 2 races though, I was close to the 20 min. mark but could not quite get there with a 20:31, and 20:40. After the 8 week base period, which I never did before, I added a tempo run in as one of my medium runs. I feel like my run form has improved tremendously and has made running much more enjoyable.

I raced the Daytona 5K this weekend at the Daytona Speedway, an awesome event if you are ever in town for this you have to do it, and came in at 19:39. I was 24th overall out of more than 1000 so it felt great. It was not the placing that felt the best, but the feeling that I was actually making improvements and the accomplishment of a 2011 goal, while still in January, that I was so proud of.

I am a believer now in a slower, not slow, training pace with a structured plan that over time will pay off. It is not an overnight thing when training to make improvements. I am so excited for this tri season and being able to be a little more competitive when I race (hopefully). I have built a base for my run and bike over the winter and as I start to pick up the training for the upcoming season, I feel like I am in better shape than I was at my best last year.

I will continue to update as I move into a heavier training load and get ready for tri season 2011.

IT Band Problems and Triathlon Training **UPDATED**

1/13/2011

It has been a few months since my IT Band issues surfaced and I'm glad to report I think I'm on the better side of things now. I have been visiting the chiropractor once a week and doing more stretching than I thought was humanly possible. I have been back to running for the past 8 weeks, though at distances that range from only 2-5 miles at this point. I have been running 4-6 days a week at a more conservative pace and it has helped me greatly with my running form.

I now have a new 5K PR of 20:31 (not that it's that fast, but an improvement) and feel that in the next couple races, I will break the 20 min. mark. I am amazed that training at a slower pace but training every day has been so beneficial to me. It has greatly improved my form and I do most of my runs off the bike so I am getting more and more confident in my run for triathlon season. I have a couple olympic races that I have planned with St. Anthony's being the biggest. The other is a local race here in Daytona Beach, the Daytona Frogman. Frogman is 2 weeks before St. Anthony's so it will give me a good idea of what to expect at St. Anthony's.

I will update more often as my training progresses through the spring.


10/22/2010

Well I finally got my Plantar Fasciitis problems in check and now I'm having a minor (so far) problem with It Band on the other side. I was planning on my first full marathon next month and was up to 17 miles for my long run. I made the mistake of doing a hard speed workout with just one recovery day and I felt the pain near the end of the intervals. It was very slight so I actually forgot about it and tried to do an easy run the next day. Two miles into it and the pain was very noticeable. I walked home and iced it right away.

I went to see the chiropractor on Tuesday and she did some stretching and Graston and found some painful trigger points in my piriformis. I had a feeling it was something originating in my hip area because it had been a bit tender the last couple weeks. I have been stretching 2-3 times a day and icing as well. In the evenings, I do 30 minutes of yoga to really stretch things out. I have scrapped the full marathon as this week would be my 20 mile run and I am not willing to risk a worse injury that would put me out of my tri training for next season.

I will probably do the half marathon though, as I feel fit enough to cut my mileage back a bit before then and still be able to PR (I hope). I will try an easy run this weekend and probably get back on the bike. I want to start building my bike base back up as I have been focused purely on my run the last couple months.

I'm starting to plan out my race season next year. St. Anthony's will be on the list again. I have raced, if you can call it that, the last two years and two horrific races. I WILL redeem myself this year. I have a local olympic distance two weeks before St. Anthony's so I should have a good gauge at where I stand. I am focusing on St. Anthony's as my main early season race. The summer will be full of sprints so I plan to have a busy season.

I have to improve my swim this year. I slack every year and every year it costs me placings. When I'm racing my friends that are even on the bike and run but get a couple minutes on me during the swim,I have to hear it from them for the rest of the year. Friends suck sometimes. I'll keep things updated as I progress through the next few weeks.