Weekly Chase 5/21

Oops, I usually publish my Weekly Chase posts on Tuesdays, but I'm lazy and it's a day late so what can ya do.

This morning, I actually slept in until 8:30! I can't remember the last time I slept that late, but it was glorious. I had a lazy morning, ate my breakfast, and then headed out the door at 9:40 for a yoga class. I had a free class coupon, so I invited a friend to join me. The room was heated to about 90 degrees, and it was intense! The sweat was really flowing, but it felt so good. I really needed to take a rest day from running and cycling since my legs are still a bit fatigued and tight. Hot yoga was the perfect thing, and coming out of that room into the cool breeze was amazing. 

When I got home, I didn't want to stay indoors, so I brought my computer outside to get some work done and write this blog post. It's such a beautiful day to spend outdoors. A bit cool and overcast, my fave kind of weather.

Last week's goals:

1. Reach my 4K for Cancer fundraising minimum by May 15th deadline- I received an incredibly generous donation on the fundraising deadline, May 15. One of my teammate's family made a HUGE contribution and donated to ALL the riders on my team that still haven't raised $4500. They donated the difference, which ended up being over $1400 for me. I was kind of in disbelief when I saw that I had made my goal, and took a few moments to process it. I am so thankful for their generosity, as well as everyone who has contributed to make this trip possible

2. Go on two training rides- I did 3 training rides solo last week in preparation for the race last Sunday. I wanted to go to the group training ride, but afternoon thunderstorms spoiled those plans. Oh well.

3. Catch up with friends- I got to catch up with a friend last Saturday when we took a 3 hour SUP lesson together. She also joined me for my carbo-loading dinner. Fun times :)

4. Do my first road race- YES. I did it.

This week's goals:

1. Finish packing for my 4K trip- I need to get my stuff organized, make packing lists, and buy the rest of the stuff that I will be needing.

2. Spend some quality time with my family and friends- I have a week and a half at home before I ride across the country. I want to make the most of it.

3. Finish my summer reading assignment- I actually have homework from school already. All incoming dental students are required to read a book and answer some questions. I don't want to worry about having to finish this on the trip, so I want to get it done before next week.

That's all for The Weekly Chase! What are your goals for this week?

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Weekly Chase 4/29

Last Sunday, I ran my goal race for the season and did spectacular in running a PR in the 10K. I also found out yesterday that I got 2nd place in my age division (18-24). I think I win a $35 gift certificate, which is about how much I paid for the race registration. Haha, that's funny to think that I earned that back. I don't care about the prize, but I'm just kind of in disbelief that I actually won something in a running race. I have only gotten a lot faster recently since focusing on 10K training this spring, so I'm still kind of absorbing the fact that I am relatively fast runner. I guess I'm living up to my blog name, eh?

After finishing a big running goal, I always feel a bit at a loss as to what my next move will be. I felt the same way after the Marine Corps Marathon last fall when I didn't have my next goal race to train for. There are no running races on the calendar, and I know that I probably won't run at all this summer as I am biking across the country. After this summer, I will be moving to Boston to start dental school, where I will be Busy with a capital B. I'm not sure whether I have time to run, let alone train for a race. So my running future is a bit uncertain. I will dearly miss running this summer, but that's okay, because I love cycling equally as much!

Right now, I am working on becoming a stronger cyclist. I've been toying with the idea of racing for a while, now, and I have always wanted to try it. The race I am targeting is a road race, and it's two 22 mile laps. I'm not confident in racing a criterium, where racers go around a much shorter loop (about 1 mile) for a certain amount of time or laps. Crits require a lot more technical skills, power, and knowledge to read the race, which I don't have. Maybe after I have a few more years of cycling experience, I'll give it a try.

Here's a roundup of goals from last week, and my goals for this week.

Goals from last week:

1. Prepare for my charity yard sale/bake sale- I sold quite a few items and made a few hundred dollars. Overall, I would say this was pretty successful, though I wish I could have gotten rid of more stuff. The baked goods didn't sell as well as I would have liked, too. Oh well, more cookies for me.

2. Do two quality runs- I reached this goal about 30% of the way... only did one run last week, and that was kind of a fail. Was planning on doing 8ish miles at slightly slower than race pace, but I went out way too fast, was dehydrated, and underfueled. I also opted to go for a training ride instead of running a second time.

3. PR in the 10K- Done. I ran hard and gave it my all. Shaved almost 4 whole minutes off my 10K time and won 2nd place in my division. Read my race recap here.

4. Go to yoga class three times- Reached this goal by going to yoga class on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

This week's goals:

1. Find an apartment- not fitness related, but I really need to find an apartment by the end of May. I am moving to Boston in August, and I need to secure a place before I head off across the country in June. So this is my top goal right now.

2. Go on a group training ride- Last week, I went on a group training ride with a local bike club and it went great! If I am going to do my first road race in May, I need to practice riding in a group more. The training rides are great for me to practice pace lining and staying out of the wind. These people go FAST, and it's great to challenge myself to become a stronger rider.

3. Run at least once- Although running is taking a backseat in terms of training, I still love it and can't bear the thought of not running anymore. Cycling is my main focus right now, but I will still run to crosstrain.

4. Run some trails- Every time I go for a trail run (which is rarely), I tell myself that I should do it more often. Well, I don't listen to myself most of the time, so I haven't gone trail running all that much. Now that spring is in full bloom, it will be beautiful to run in the forest.

5. Go to yoga three times- I have been consistently going to yoga classes for the past month, and I am going to buy another unlimited month class pass. I only have one month left before I leave, so I'm going to make the most of it!

What goals are you focusing on this week?

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The Weekly Chase 4/22

Time for another Weekly Chase post, where I share my fitness goals every week and recap my previous goals. Last week, my weekly goals post was MIA because I was off on my Disney vacation. My only goal was to have fun (and not get sunburnt).

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Weekly Goals and ENERGYbits Giveaway Winner

I am going to start getting in the habit of writing down my weekly goals. It makes me more accountable and reminds me of what I need to achieve and focus on for the week. For this week, I plan to:

1. Do a long run

Last Saturday, I did my first "long-ish" run in a while,  and it felt great! I haven't done any long runs since marathon training last fall, and it's nice to run easy and get lost in my thoughts for many miles.

2. Run two quality workouts 

I am planning on doing some intervals and a tempo run. There will be pain, but I will do them.

3. Stretch and foam roll more

Increasing the intensity of my training means I need to take care of my muscles better. Gotta spend some quality time with the foam roller.

4. Prepare for my bake sale fundraiser

My fundraising for the 4K for Cancer bike ride continues, and I am holding a bake sale at my local grocery store this Sunday. That means on Saturday, I am going to be baking a million things. I also need to make and print flyers, make posters, and plan stuff. Gotta get on that...

And finally, the winner of my ENERGYbits giveaway is...

... Aren Everson!

Congrats, and I hope they help with your triathlon training! Please contact me at jojoywang@gmail.com to claim your prize :)

Today, I am treating my aunt to an acupressure massage for her birthday! I made reservations for her, my mom, and me, so it'll be a fun and relaxing with just us women :) I don't usually get massages (I wish I could afford to get them regularly!) and it's going to feel AMAZING. Haha gonna skip the foam roller today because isn't acupressure basically like foam rolling? But someone else is doing all the work. Afterwards, we are going shopping, and I need to swing by Whole Foods.

What's your favorite thing to get at a bake sale? 

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Running Mojo

Yesterday, I shared my training goals for this spring, and it's about time I start actually training for them. I am embarrassingly out of running shape, and need to get back into running more regularly. I've probably ran a grand total of 5 times since New Years. I have two months and some days until my goal race on April 27th. It will be a mostly, slightly downhill 10K race that I should be able to PR in. For my last 10K, I finished in about 48 minutes, but there was a massive hill for about a mile. I want to shave off at least 2 minutes and my target pace is in the low 7's (min/mile).

Today, I went out for a run for the first time in what seems like forever. The weather was actually pretty nice and in the 40's. I could have worn capris and arm warmers instead of a shirt and light jacket. I didn't have a workout in mind, and I just wanted to run to get back into the groove. I ended up running a total of 5 miles with some walking breaks because 1) I didn't drink enough water and was getting a headache and 2) I got a call and had to take it. 

It's pretty frustrating to have lost so much fitness compared to where I was last year. During the last training cycle, at the peak of my fitness, I got a massive half marathon PR, completed a century ride, and finished my first marathon. I know I shouldn't be comparing myself now to then, but I feel like I'm starting back at square one. That's probably not true, since I feel that I've maintained my fitness base in the winter months through training on my bike and running occasionally. I just need to get my running mojo back!

Yay running!

Anyways, I am going to stop my moping! The weather is getting nicer and that definitely helps with motivation. I'm going to take it slowly, run more consistently, and get my speed back.  

Besides running, I am so excited to get back on the bike! I've been pining to ride outside without freezing, and it looks like the weather this weekend will be perfect. Mid 60's! I am planning on going out with my friends both Saturday and Sunday, and I am stupid excited for it. The weekend can't come soon enough :)

I miss THIS so much

*** There's still time to enter my raffle for a chance to win some Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and help support young adults with cancer! ***

*** I'm also giving away a sample of ENERGYbits so be sure to enter the giveaway HERE ***

Are you getting back into training after the winter season?

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I Should Make a Training Plan

(( There's still time to enter my raffle for a chance to win some Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and help support young adults with cancer! ))

If you know me and how I train, you would know that I'm not too great at making plans and sticking to them. I don't meticulously plan out each workout for an 18 week training cycle and follow through with them. Instead, I just make some basic guidelines or a goal mileage to hit for each week.

I trained like this, informally, for my past few endurance events, and I think I was fairly successful. For my marathon training, although I didn't plan out each day's workout, I increased my long runs progressively up to 20 miles, and was running 3-4 days a week. Some weekends, I would reach a new personal distance record on my long runs, and some weekends, I would step back on my mileage based on how I was feeling or how busy I was. It was low-key and stress-free training.

For the upcoming spring season, this is what I am training for:

• low-key 10K on March 30
• Pike's Peak 10K on April 27 that I want to PR in
• my cross-country bike ride with 4K for Cancer

I am going to focus on developing speed for the two 10K races and then build up endurance for the cross-country bike ride. I've never trained for something as daunting as riding 4,400 miles over 70 days! 

As of right now, I have been training indoors on my bike trainer about 2-3 times a week and running an average of 0 miles per week. Wompwomp :(

It's fun watching TV while riding and all, but I prefer riding outside! 

Once winter starts thawing out, I will start training more outdoors and hopefully I can do some longer rides on the weekends soon (praying for good weather this weekend)! I've been a wimp about running outside with all the snow we've gotten recently, so that needs to stop. 

So yea, that's not really a training plan, but what I plan to do in the next three months. 

What are you training for this spring?

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