‘Shorter, Shorter, Quicker, Quicker’

Happy Monday, everyone!  Did you have today off for MLK Day?  Three-day weekends are the best, right?  Before transitioning to the bulk of this post, I want to thank everyone who came to last night’s first official #TriChat.

We discussed 2013 season goals, and Jen and I were blown away by the sheer amount of participants and the high-quality conversation.  It wouldn’t have been as successful without USA Triathlon’s presence, and we couldn’t have asked for a better first chat.  If you want to #trigeek out with us (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t?) our next Twitter-based conversation will take place Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. EST.  Yes, it’s Superbowl Sunday, but this afternoon chat time leaves plenty of time for football festivities! (After Feb. 3, we’ll return to our normal time of 8 p.m. EST.)

Workout #1 – Running

Today’s workout with Full Throttle Endurance (FTE) included the same running drills we did last week, including more barefoot running.  During the tech work, Andrew told us to shorten our strides and increase our cadence, which will help improve running efficiency, muscle memory, and arguably recovery.  As you can tell from the title of this post, the phrase of the day was “shorter, shorter, quicker, quicker”—shorter strides and quicker turnover.  Eventually, we split up into our pace groups for 2-3 tempo miles.  Even though my group’s prescribed pace was 8:28 (which is a little conservative for me), we banged out two miles in the 7:20-7:30 ballpark, so I struggled to hang on for the final four laps.  I kept telling myself “shorter, shorter, quicker, quicker,” but I fell off the pace and ended up finishing about 10 seconds after my group’s first runner. (Our group contained three people, and our third member dropped off with 800m left.) I’m obviously disappointed I couldn’t maintain my splits, but it’s early in the season, and I can only improve.

Breakfast

I refueled after practice with coffee (obviously) and a spinach and egg-white breakfast sandwich.

Mmmm!  A few hours later, I sliced up a banana and sprinkled on some cinnamon and almond butter.

I don’t usually blog my snacks, but most days, I have a banana or almonds between breakfast and lunch.

Lunch

After doing laundry and watching President Obama’s inaugural address, I turned to the fridge for lunch.

First, I steamed a boatload of spinach in the microwave and then added some of the spicy vegan black bean quinoa I made yesterday.  It tasted good, but it still seems to be missing something.  Hmmm …

I spent about two hours shopping for big-girl internship clothes—and subconsciously thought “shorter, shorter, quicker, quicker” as I walked from store to store—which proved to be unsuccessful except for an unpictured Americano from Starbucks.  Priorities.

Workout #2 – Biking

Since Syracuse conveniently played Cincinnati at 3:30 p.m., I multitasked by watching the game and pedaling away on my indoor bike trainer. (I originally planned to swim after this morning’s workout, but the masters swim team had taken over the pool, and none of my teammates wanted to swim with them—ha!) Anyway, my legs felt a little tight and an easy 60-minute recovery ride sounded ideal.  Holy cow, though–what a game!  The Orange barely held on, 57-55!

When you run or workout, do you repeat words or phrases in your head?  What do you say?

Pleasant Surprises

Friday has arrived—woohoo!  Any fun plans for the weekend?  One of my best friends from college is visiting today (hurry up and get here, Melissa!), so I’m super excited!  The next 24 hours will be filled with gossiping, wine drinking, and cupcake eating, which sounds like a perfect way to kickoff the weekend.  Anyway, as you can tell from this post’s title, I’ve had a series of pleasant surprises within the past day or so, which means it’s time for another list.

Surprise #1:  Getting new neon gear!

After publishing yesterday’s post, I received a package from my friends at Swim Bike Run New York City.  We go way back on Twitter.

Exhibit A:  Trying to get me to buy a tri bike.

Last week, we exchanged a few tweets …

Exhibit B:  Just being a #trigeek.

Which lead to this surprise—a cap that goes on your bike helmet during dark rides.

Neat, right?

Surprise #2:  Enjoying sweet potatoes.

I know, I know; obsessions with nut butter (guilty) and sweet potatoes are prerequisites for healthy living bloggers, but I’ve never been a fan of orange spuds—until last night’s dinner.

I tried a recipe from my Practical Paleo cookbook for sweet and savory potatoes, and holy yum, these tasted delicious!

They’re easy to make, too:  Peel and cut the potatoes; coat them with coconut oil; sprinkle on a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, and cinnamon; roast them in the oven.

Surprise #3:  Swimming in the fast line wasn’t a one-time deal.

At this morning’s Full Throttle Endurance (FTE) swim workout, I returned to the fast line.  Honestly, I’m still shocked.  And the workout itself went well, too.  After warming up and completing the same technique drills as last week (back kick with rotation, alternating right/left kick, one-arm stroke, etc.), we chipped away at the main set that included 6×75 (steady effort) with 20 seconds rest, 6×100 (alternating steady and solid efforts) with 30 seconds rest, and 4×200 pulling with 20 seconds rest.  It was the final pulling set that got me; my arms will be sore tomorrow!

Surprise #4:  Getting more gear.

Remember how one of the best parts about playing sports was getting team gear like t-shirts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants? (Or maybe that was just me?) Even though I’ve been training with FTE for two weeks—and working with Andrew one-on-one for much longer—I feel “officially official” thanks to this team shirt.

Woohoo!  Have a fabulous Friday!

Do you like sweet potatoes?  How do you prepare them?  Did you play sports back in the day?  What was your favorite article of team clothing?

Introducing #TriChat

Good morning, friends!  Happy Tuesday!  Before heading into the office this morning, I want to pop in quickly and tell you about #TriChat, a Twitter-based conversation Jen and I will be hosting this Sunday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. EST.

Jen and I “met” during #RunChat—a biweekly Q&A session for runners of all ages and abilities looking to connect with one another—and even though this conversation always promises fun times and plenty of motivation, I wanted to have similar interactions with triathletes.  Long story short, Jen and I began brainstorming, planning, and advertising, and now, we’re set to moderate the first official chat!

Like #RunChat, #TriChat will take place on Sunday evenings at 8 p.m., and since there’s a lot of crossover between runners and triathletes, we decided to host the event on the first and third Sundays of each month. (#RunChat occurs on the second and fourth.) On the 20th, we plan to ask a few questions about the 2012 season before discussing goals for the 2013 campaign.  We’re also happy to report that USA Triathlon will join us as a guest moderator on Sunday! (Check out this press release—talk about legit!)

Let’s recap quickly:

Who:  Triathletes of every age and ability, wannabe triathletes, general fitness fanatics

What:  #TriChat

When:  Sunday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. EST

Why:  Because talking about triathlons is awesome!

Jen and I hope you join us!  Be sure to “like” Tri Chat on Facebook and follow the account on Twitter.  Following USA Triathlon on Twitter (@USATriathlon) would also be a good idea, and since Jen (@OneLovelyRun) and I (@CarrieStevens25) will ask the questions, you should follow us too.  And feel free to pepper your triathlon-related tweets with #trichat, #trigeek, two of our favorite hashtags.  We hope to see you there!

Do you participate in Twitter chats?  Why or why not?  What do you like/dislike about these Q&A sessions?