January Training Summary- Heather

As I am two weeks behind the rest of the group, I have spent the last few days trying to catch up. I had been away for the first two weeks in Florida running my first marathon with Mickey and the gang - it was fantastic! Since returning I have met with my coach Laurel who is extremely approachable and very patient, despite my lack of knowledge and skill both on the bike and in the pool. Laurel has set me up with a training schedule focused primarily on biking and swimming, which was not entirely unexpected. Aside from missing my runs and the social side of my workouts, things have been going well. Although my weekend workouts have required a little more time than I am used to (thankfully I have a supportive husband who does not mind looking after the kids while I am gone), I have really been enjoying my brick workouts (bike/run).

I met with Kelly at the end of the month and was encouraged to find out that I only need to make minor changes to my diet - I know the chocolate needs to go - BUT!!!

I had my first coaching session with Laurel early February, we met on the pool deck of course. We confirmed that yes I can float, after that it all needs work. Despite Laurel's specialty being staying under the water, I have a lot of confidence in her skill and ability. Laurel did a great job of breaking down the skills she wanted me to work on and showed a great deal of patience while I tried to figure out exactly what I needed to do. I have been working hard over the past week trying to stay focused on my breathing and was happy when I successfully swam a length of the pool last week - baby steps right!!

Otherwise I completed my bike lactate test this past week. I was a little disappointed with the final results, but at least I now have a base line to work with and improve upon. I am definitely interested to see the difference in results between biking and running.

Overall I have been enjoying my training so far, though it is early in the game. Life is busy, but I guess that is because I choose to keep it that way. One thing I have learnt from my dad over the past few months is life is too short, if you have a dream you may as well try to reach it while you still can, as tomorrow it may no longer be an option.