by Natalie on January 28, 2011
Usain Bolt: a speed icon. Photo by thor_matt83 (Flickr)
I was once talking with a running friend, who is an ultra marathoner and who comfortably clocks a sub-7-minute per mile pace on a regular basis, about running faster. I had shared my secret deep down wish to one day qualify for Boston and was talking about wanting to get faster over longer distances. He shared with me the simple formula to running faster. He said, “If you want to run faster, you just run faster.” [click to continue…]
by Natalie on January 21, 2011
When I first started getting into distance running I struggled to get through runs more than eight or 10 miles and after 13 mile runs I was tired and essentially useless for the rest of the day. After lamenting over this to a running mentor, I got my first insight into proper fuel and wrote about fueling up for long runs. Like so many things in running, figuring out the proper fuel, involves a bit of trial and error as well as practice. Three years later I’m still trying to figure out the best fuel formula for me.
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by Natalie on January 14, 2011
I have said before that running is not a beauty contest. I think I have also posted along the way that somehow, despite the fact that I am not a ‘pink’ person (I trend toward purple, green, and earth tones) the bulk of my work-out gear and accessories seems to end up being pink. All my pink stuff is either what’s available, what’s in my size, or what was in the gift box. So when my husband saw my new hot pink and black Nike Frees and asked “what are those ugly shoes?” I responded that they are what will make me fast. [click to continue…]
by Natalie on December 31, 2010
It has been a solid eight months since my last post. The good news is that my running and training did not get as derailed as my blogging. And now it’s that popular time of year when we all put our foot down to make a change. I bet you think I’m going to resolve to blog more often? Well, we all know that resolutions don’t work if they’re general. You have to be specific in order to be successful. Suffice it to say that after an eight-month absence I hesitate to commit to any sort of blogging resolution. I also won’t be making any running resolutions. [click to continue…]
by Natalie on April 29, 2010
Weekends are perhaps one of the most integral parts of training. Saturday and Sunday are designated for long bike rides, long runs, and brick sessions. They are the pivotal point in any training week and are where time and mileage really add up. Up until week 9 of training I seem to have lucked out with weekend weather forecasts cooperating nicely with my training schedule. However, I have to admit to a minor moment of panic when I saw that rain was predicted for an entire weekend.
I’ve run in all sorts of weather. I have run through rain, snow, high winds, heat, and freezing temperatures. I know how to prepare for running in inclement weather and though it’s not ideal it’s something I know I can do and that for the most part, is nothing worse than uncomfortable. Riding in the rain, however, is entirely foreign to me. [click to continue…]
by Natalie on April 26, 2010
Training is all about preparing for race day but it also means adjusting life to support the training.
The short answer: a lifestyle change.
Change, adjustment, choice–call it what you will but half Ironman training is a significant commitment and one that requires dedication and focus. I’m starting week 9 of my 20 week training plan and somehow only just recently realized that my decision to train for 70.3 miles is truly no joke. This is serious stuff and one that really has been a lifestyle change. This realization came to me on a Friday night when I was happily getting ready for bed at 9:30 p.m. [click to continue…]
by Natalie on April 21, 2010
Seeing my friend Jason in the crowd gave me the necessary energy boost to power through the last half mile or so.
I’m losing count of how many times I’ve posted how the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston is one of my favorite races and this year’s race was confirmation of that sentiment. There are a lot of reasons this year’s 10K race was awesome. The ‘tradition’ has been that every year my husband and I drive down on Friday, run Saturday morning, and drive home Sunday. The whirlwind trip is not an ideal way to visit one of my favorite cities. So this year we switched things up. We corralled a group of friends to join us for a long weekend in a beach house and convinced them to sign up for the Bridge Run.
For once we would be able to enjoy Charleston. We had four nights at an oceanfront house on Folly Beach and we were spending the long weekend with our best friends. I was also excited because for a couple of them it would be their first race. I spent a lot of time sharing my enthusiasm for the race and the city and couldn’t wait for everyone to experience the Bridge Run. [click to continue…]
by Natalie on April 18, 2010
When I tell people I am training for a 1/2 Ironman most often the first question is, “what’s that?” When I answer that it’s a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run, usually the next question is, “WHY?” And sometimes, “how long does that take?”
Most people I know lump me in the ‘crazy’ category for doing this and I know the overall percentage of people who do these events is small. If marathoners are 1% of the population I’m sure 1/2 Ironmen are a close second (though the 70.3 event has been quickly grown in popularity since its introduction in 2006). I’m ok with ‘crazy’ being part of my answer to ‘why?’ but I do have my reasons. [click to continue…]
by Natalie on March 22, 2010
I signed up for a March Madness training weekend with the Annapolis Triathlon Club, fondly known as Iron Crabs, and when I looked at the itinerary thought I might well be ‘mad’ for what I was getting myself into. Two members of the team had coordinated with various area coaches and facilities so that we could have an entire weekend of biking, running, swimming, and education at our fingertips. My goal in signing up was to get a true evaluation of where I am in my own training and to immerse myself in three days of all things triathlon. [click to continue…]
by Natalie on March 19, 2010
My first flat tire; I had everything but a tire lever and the experience to change it.
When I first met my husband, Tim, we got into mountain biking and while I loved it I was always a cautious biker for fear that I might pop a tire in the middle of the woods and my daredevil husband would be so far in front of me that I would be left alone helpless. I had all the necessary tools for changing a flat tire during our mountain biking days but I’m proud to say that during three seasons of the sport I never once got a flat. I watched Tim change countless tires and was always confident that if my day came I would be good to go.
Last year when I decided to try triathlons (also at the nudging of Tim and others) I transferred my saddlebag from the mountain bike to my Cannondale road bike and added the requisite spare tubes and patch kit. My bike routes involve all sorts of potentially hazardous areas for tires from roads with no shoulder to uneven roads to busy roads with big shoulders that are littered with everything imaginable. In my first season of riding, after every ride I felt lucky to come home without a flat tire. But luck cannot last forever. [click to continue…]
