The 5 Stages of Accepting USAT's No-Headphones Rules

         Here we are, exactly ONE month away from Ironman Texas! The "real" has most definitely set in, especially since the bib numbers are out! Next week is "peak week" for training, which means I will be doing all of my longest workouts, including an 100 mile ride and an 18 mile run. So, if next week you see me sleeping standing up or find me extra cranky, just give me a snack and let me be, we're almost to the light at the end of the tunnel! (Bryce, I love you very much. Thank you for sleeping in the other room on early morning wake-ups for me so I don't murder you in your sleep for snoring.)

Follow me on race day!

       Since nerves are setting in for many athletes getting ready for the race, especially first timers, I decided to reflect on just how far I've come as a triathlete. I began this journey three years ago, and still remember all the "newbie" worries I had. One especially struck me yesterday on my 6 mile morning run that made me laugh (and then subsequently choke on a gnat, because they're everywhere on the trail now!)

     I used to be so worried about having to race without music! I thought about it yesterday because it's a question I see come up in forums all the time. "Why can't we race with headphones?" "Does USAT really enforce it?" "What about a small boom box?" Now, I'm not here to dog on training with music, because I totally do most of the time, but I have found that more and more, it's easier to run without music than it used to be, and cycling without music doesn't bother me at all. That has not always been the case for me, or I garuntee for most triathletes out there, so I have come up with:

The 5 Stages of Accepting USAT's No-Headphones Rules

(Just TRY to read this without relating!) 

 1. Denial: The first stage is easy to see. It's the forum questions above, such as "I know I have totally seen people running with headphones at such-and-such race, can't I just be subtle?" I get it- you think you'll be able to just put one headphone in, or that since you're a slower racer, you'll be less scrutinized by race officials. Don't do it! The rules are in place for a reason, and those reasons are safety. Training with music is one thing, but racing with it can cause big problems, especially for volunteers or safety officials trying to give you instructions that may keep you from being hit by a car.

2. Anger: I would also call this stage "Defensiveness." You pose the question online, and tons of more experienced athletes list the safety reasons above (and some get unnecessarily ugly about it, admittedly, which does not help your defensiveness!). You react with, "Whatever, that's totally stupid. Marathoners run with music all the time. I've run a million miles with music and it's no problem! I've totally never been so tired that I zone out to a good tune and swerve too close to traffic/don't hear a car coming/miss a turn/etc." Yes. Road races allow music, and many people run just fine. However, those road racers aren't also cycling up to 112 miles after having swum up to 2.4 miles. Your mind is a different animal on triathlon, and if they make the rule for the race, it's the rule for the whole race, running included. Don't EVEN try to argue with me to say riding a bike with music in a race is safe- it's not. End of story. You make me crash my very expensive bike because you don't hear me shout "On your left!" I will end the race in jail for assault of a dumb person. 

 

3. Bargaining: Ah, this stage is the most interesting. Full disclosure, I most definitely Googled, "clear/see-through wireless headphones" and did the math on how much of the race it'd be worth it to get through before getting a DQ and essentially wasting my race fee. You think, hey, maybe they won't notice me in the middle of the pack. Maybe if I'm super-sneaky I can listen to my music at a low volume and be fine. Maybe I'll just stick my player in my running belt and only pull it out if I need it. Maybe I'll just use my phone as a boom box- that will motivate others as well! Fair enough on the boom box part, but c'mon, now it's just a crutch! Is it worth losing up to $800 in race fees, much less all the time, work, and other funds you've put in to that race? Also, is it worth having an unfair advantage over your competitors who are following the rules.I get it, tunes are a great motivator, especially when you're exhausted, but the rule is there. To be an athlete in this sport is to follow those rules and obtain your victories, large or small, in a fair and equitable way. 

4. Depression: "Man, they're serious about this. How will I EVER do an Ironman without Taylor Swift telling me to shake it off?" Thankfully, this is a short phase, because really, that song is so viral it just bores itself in to your brain so you can call it up whenever you need it. Triathletes are tough, and we love a challenge. Get over it, sugar, and move on to:

5. Acceptance: Ah, we have arrived. You realize that your goals are bigger than your fears or your habits, so you get over it. This is a cross-roads where many people make different choices, but all are OK as long as, come race day, we are all following the rules and keeping ourselves and others as safe as possible. Can you still train with music? Sure, knock yourself out, some days you just need a good beat to get you going. You'll find though, as your experience grows in the sport, that you don't NEED it anymore. It's less of a necessity, a crutch, and more of a "nice to have." That's when you're ready to get. It. Done. Race days, especially at big races, are so energized you won't even notice. The crowds, the fellow athletes, and your own screaming heart and mind, will get you there. If you find yourself flagging remember to just Shake it off, shake it off, shake, shake, shake......(Dammit- see! ANY TIME YOU NEED IT!)   

Ironman Texas Training (or, 20 weeks until my birthday!)

        Today began day 1 of week 1 of my training for my very first full 140.6 mile triathlon, Ironman Texas 2015. The race happens to fall on my birthday this year, so there was no way I wasn't making it my first one!

      Training for a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run, as you can imagine, takes a lot of time and dedication. Thankfully, with no kids and a lot of money invested in to this sport already, I have both!
    
       Triathletes can be slight gluttons for both punishment and data overload. There are those who train with heart rate, power, speed, cadence, turnover, and any number of other track-able, recordable data they pick through with fine-toothed combs to glean absolutely every bit of information they possibly can out of it. That works for many people. It doesn't, however, work for me. I like to stick to the basics and gauge improvement based on simpler metrics such as better overall pacing, increased speed and improved recovery based on how I feel. (I do have a heart-rate monitor for indoor bike workouts so I get "credit" for it and can monitor my zones/effort since my trainer is cheap.)

     Enter the Super-Simple Ironman Training Plan. This plan, available free online by Matt Fitzgerald, is purposefully simple and easy to follow. It is 6 days a week, including 3 swims, 3 bikes, and 3 runs a week. The workouts vary in format- interval, tempo, and endurance workouts are mixed throughout. However, an athlete doesn't need the latest and greatest watch (I'll take a 920xt if anyone wants to give me a birthday present, though!) in order to complete the workouts.

Example page- click the link for the full plan!

     I started my plan today! Since it's New Year's Eve this week, I moved a workout to my normal "rest day" and will have to shift things a bit, but again, that's the benefit of using a simple plan. I have a solid base built up from last season, so these first few weeks are lower than what I typically would do.

Marked on the calendar- it's official!

      Despite this, I'm savoring it! I am adjusting to waking up early in the morning to get things done so I'm not whizzing away on the trainer while Bryce is trying to watch TV, or so we can make and eat dinner together in the evenings. I like sleeping in, but I also really like being done when I'm done at work for the day.

        I am getting up at 6am (not too bad!) and doing bikes and runs at home, and swims at Barton Springs.

Not too shabby for a free pool, right? :)

      The Springs aren't that much further to drive from where I work. They're free during the winter and open at 5am, which is perfect. Swimming there is popular with triathletes, because although it's a structured pool with no boats, it's similar to open water since it is a natural spring without lane ropes. Bonus- it's 68 degrees year-round, so swim training for free in the winter is possible without a wetsuit. (I won't lie, I will probably still wear mine. I hate cold water!) Unfortunately, it is just not logistically feasible to make it here 3x a week, so some yardage is just going to have to be sacrificed. However, I am a confident swimmer and am not worried about completion, but rather just concerned with maintaining swim fitness and familiarity in the water. Whenever I can, I also plan on taking Bryce with me to Lake Travis and having him follow me in a kayak while I swim 2 miles. Although this isn't perfectly ideal as far as overall training bulk, I think it suits my needs and current abilities just fine. I may not be the first one out of the water, but I'll be on track to finish in a time I'm happy with and still have gas for the bike and run.

      Training on the bike trainer is pretty boring, but I've got TV shows saved up. I'm considering renting a full season of something from the library so I have something to look forward to and pass the time with. It's tedious to drag my bike and trainer from the office to the living room for TV as well, so hopefully this week I will have a small TV my bestie sent me set up in the office with the Playstation for DVD watching. My very own "pain cave." Not too fancy, but it'll get the job done without waking Bryce and the dogs up every morning! My long rides on Saturdays will easily be outdoors, thankfully, including the Shiner GASP for my 100-mile ride!

       Running, thankfully, is easy to get done in and around Austin! Most mornings, I will probably just take a jaunt down my county road to where it meets the Williamson County Hike and Bike, or drive to Brushy Creek Lake Park and then shower at work (I have a shower at work- yay!) I also am typically pretty motivated to run any time of day when it's only 5-7 miles, so if I bring my things with me and run on the way home, that's OK too. I got a sweet pink head lamp for Christmas that includes a flashing back red light as well. It fits around a hat/visor/my head AND around my bike helmet and is much brighter than my tiny little cap light I was using!

      I also got rid of my Brooks and purchased a pair of Zoot shoes! The Brooks were OK, but when I finished the marathon a few weeks ago, my feet felt like they were broken and they only had 212 miles on them! I wanted a more breathable, triathlon-friendly shoe anyhow with less padding, so I found the Zoots (on clearance!) and am in love so far! The inside feels just like a sock, since they are meant to be worn sockless. They are a one-piece upper with elastic laces, slip on in seconds, and have drain holes on the bottom for excess water! They're kinda ugly, but they're growing on me!

Why the black, Zoot? C'mon!

       Lower on my list than working toward this new goal of 140.6 miles is getting in to what is likely the best shape of my life, simply from the sheer volume of workouts! I always tone up and slim down with marathon training (you burn a bazillion calories on a 20-mile run. It's science) so adding the swimming and biking to that will probably (hopefully!) result in great things. I'll also be less likely to injure myself, since cross-training is the name of the game. I face more chronic issues with pain and tightness when I'm running only vs. triathlon training. Since I want to see the results in the end, I took a "before" selfie this morning in the mirror. (Bryce was still sleeping and the dogs were no help.)

Start: 154lbs, 30in waist, horrible color coordination skills. (Those PINK SHORTS, though! Love!)

      I'll do an "after" as well, and maybe even and "after after" once the race is done, because after 14-15 hours of endurance, there's likely going to be a difference!

        I am really looking forward to this whole process. I've been kind of aimless for a few months, despite marathon training, because running only is boring. I like having a structured plan that pushes me to the limit, but leaves time for me to be with people and do the other things I love. It's December and January in Texas, y'all- that's hunting season! You'd better believe I have my bike in the back of the truck for a ride after a morning in the stand. :)

I have other hobbies besides triathlon- look at my first buck!

        19 weeks and 5 days until it's here. Ironman Texas 2015, and the day I turn 28. If anyone wants to join the campaign to get Mike Reilly to sing me "Happy Birthday," as I cross the finishe line, I won't be mad!