Triathlete in the Making

Whether we want to admit it or not, February has arrived. This means we have one month of New Year's resolutions under our belts. How did we do? Hit any goals?

Don't worry - if you have already fallen off the resolution-wagon"... you can easily hitch a ride and hop back on.

Like I said in my post Forward Momentum, I don't believe in resolutions. I believe in goals. A few weeks ago, Zach and I started the journey toward one of our 2017 goals!

We signed up for the Chicago (sprint) Triathlon!!

Chicago is basically the Mecca for triathlons. It's kind of a big deal. A full (Olympic) triathlon is a 0.93 mile swim, a 24.8 mile bike and 6.2 mile run. One day, I would love to do an Olympic triathlon! Maybe that'll be a 2018 goal.

Zach's one stipulation for doing a triathlon with me was that he would not run more than a 5k. Which is why we are doing a sprint triathlon! A sprint triathlon is a 0.5 mile swim, a 12.4 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile run.

A little background on Zach. He is truly the best. I'm biased, but everyone who has met him would agree. He's kind; a genuinely good person, but is not afraid to make fun of me and give me a good tease (which I need). He keeps me humble. He makes me laugh. He is tall, but not too tall. He would do anything for me. He would give me the world, and often tries to (bless his heart). He is athletic, he likes to work out - which is a crucial necessity in my book. One of the things that makes our relationship special is the incredibly competitive nature of it at times.

This may sound like dangerous territory for a male and female romantic relationship. And sometimes it is. It's all playful banter until someone gets hurt, ya know?

One of Zach's co-workers believe that he is going to win. And if he doesn't, I have no doubt they will make fun of him. But, while Zach used to be an avid athlete/exercise enthusiast, his college alumni self has taken the last few (9) months off - not counting the sporadic workouts I would pressure him to do with me.

I guess you could say I might be (or at least I hope I am) a little better prepared for this race to date. So, you can imagine how I feel when people undermine my ability when he has done 90% less work than I have. My competitive side screams "WATCH ME PROVE YOU WRONG!" But the sensitive side in me says... Oh, wait. I don't have one.

I guess we'll see what happens. We each have a lot of training to do before then. Some more than others...

I have been (loosely) following Kayla Itsines Beach Body workout plan for the past few weeks. I really like how her workouts incorporate full body movement and have a lot of circuits where aerobics meet weights. I do, however, alter them slightly. Once in a while I'll add more cardio to a circuit, and other times I'll add more weights.

I have been trying to hunt down a triathlon training plan that I like, but I haven't been able to find one that impresses me. I think part of the problem is that, while I am new to triathlons, I am not new to working out. Most of these plans start from square one and ease you into training; which is not exactly what I am looking for.

So, instead, I have decided to make up my own training workout! I have been told by triathlon-ers before me that, although you may think you will coast by with no problem, the swimming portion is by far the hardest part for most athletes. Since it's the first event, it will kill you from the very beginning.

Although I have easy access to Lake Michigan, I'm not so keen on swimming in those frigid waves in late spring. Especially since I don't have a wet suit. No, thank you.

This means, I have to get a new gym membership! I moved downtown this weekend, and I got a membership at the Chicago Athletic Club near my apartment. It has everything you could ever want in a gym... including kick boxing classes, which I have been dying to have access to. One of these luxuries is a pool and I will have to take advantage of it.

Since I'm moved in downtown, this means no more hour walks every day! Which, I have to admit, I'm a little sad about. Now I'm going to have to worry about hitting 10k steps every day. These walks, while long and very cold at times, have also allowed me to burn a lot of extra calories every day. For this, I am not complaining.

Because I have been burning incrementally more calories every day, I have been starving. I mean like two bowls of chili, and I'm still rummaging around the pantry for more food.

When I'm hungry throughout the day, my savior has been these dark chocolate mocha energy balls from Sweet Peas & Saffron. I did alter the ingredients a little bit, since I didn't have espresso powder. I added a teaspoon of cocoa powder and a teaspoon of PB2 Fit powder. They are sooooo yummy. They may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they really have a knack for holding me over 'til lunch. Plus I've been starting to eat smoothies for breakfast again and, I have to admit, they don't always keep me full. I haven't tried all of her recipes yet. But if you have, let me know which one is your favorite!

Now, without further adieu, I give you my at-home, leg workout without weights! Stay tuned for how I alter my workouts to help me prepare for the triathlon.

Cheers!

WORKOUT:

Warm-up/Cardio:

20 high-kicks (toe-touches)

20 side squat kicks

1 minute high knees

1 minute butt kicks

30 jumping jacks

Repeat

Circuit 1:

30 jump lunges

15 fast-tempo squats

24 step-ups onto chair (12 each leg)

30 bridge lifts

30 donkey kicks

10 burpees

Repeat

Circuit 2:

24 walking lunges (12 each leg)

30 squat jacks (jumping jacks, but lower into squat on the way down)

20 sumo squat jumps

30 jumping jacks

30 fire hydrant leg lifts (15 each leg)

50 mountain climbers

Repeat

Circuit 3:

30 leg raises (15 each side)

30 straight leg v-ups

50 russian twists

30 side v-ups

30 crunches

30 plank jacks

Repeat