Happy Friday boys and girls and welcome to another summer weekend in crazy town. Whether you’re racing this weekend (like I am), going for a run or just relaxing, I have just the thing to make your two day break complete.
I’m linking up with my girl Angela from Happy Fit Mama who I’m sure will be taking in some ocean views on her days off, and high-fiving the weekend like a boss.
RACING
This weekend is the annual Crystal Lake Sprint Triathlon right here in my hometown. A lot of my fellow triathletes will be racing an Ironman in Lake Placid but I will be swimming an entire 1/4 mile, biking 13 and running 3. Whatever.
This race is awesome because:
- It was my very first triathlon ever and I raced it three months after having the boys.
- I’ve won it a couple times. (don’t get overly impressed, it’s a field of like 200 people)
- The start and finish are practically at the bottom of my driveway.
I have not been able to do it for the past several years but I will be race ready on Sunday. I’m so looking forward to hanging out with some friends, riding my new bike in it’s virgin race and being cheered on by my family.
The below picture was taken during the first time I raced it in 2009. And yes, that is a Cannondale mountain bike with road bike tires on it. Don’t judge.
This is pretty embarrassing. Also notice the throngs of excited spectators.
READING
When I was supposed to be working all week, I was reading this stuff:
Men Who Harass Women Online Are Quite Literally Losers, New Study Finds | The Washington Post via @SarahSpain tweet | Um, did we need a study for this?
What Olympic Runners Eat on Race Day | Active.com | Because maybe if I eat the same thing I will race the same way! Ok, fine, it’s just interesting and gives me snack ideas.
Aren’t more while people than black people killed by police? Yes, but no. | The Washington Post | One of the best articles I have read so far on the whole mess of police killing black people. It’s entirely based on something usually left out of most articles on the subject – – facts.
5 Crazy Unconventional Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Website and Increase Monthly Visitor Count | LinkedIn.com | The only issues I have with this article are none of it seems “crazy” or that it will work. Please let me know if you disagree.
Can the Latest Sports Testing Tech Help You Become Faster? | Competitor.com | The answer is yes and the article talks about Inside Tracker. I will be writing an in-depth post about my test results next week so this is a nice intro/teaser.
RUNNING WITHOUT MUSIC
I used to be in the camp of death before running more than three miles without music. I felt like I needed it to get though a training run. Now? I hardly ever listen. Since I swim (and yes, I still use my WaterFi occasionally) and bike long, hard efforts without music, I started running without it too. You know what? The silence is amazing and this article from Outside Magazine articulates why. #TheWorldIsTooMuchWithUs
Have a great weekend everyone and I will see you on the other side…
[Tweet “Let’s #HighFive to #racing #triathlon, reading and #running without #music! “]
Do you run with music? Why or why not?
Read anything interesting lately?
Good luck this weekend! I didn’t even notice the road bike tires on your mountain bike until you pointed it out. Maybe you should ride that bike again to see how much you’ve improved over the years. Like Lance Armstrong said – It’s not about the bike. Oh wait. Maybe he said it WAS All About the Bike. Whatever. You’d still do awesome and win the damn thing! 🙂 And no, I never wear music on a run unless it’s the treadmill. Than it’s a necessary!
LOL – he did say “NOT” about the bike but, in my case, it kinda is. I’m no Lance.
And yes, music is a necessity on the treadmill. No doubt!
Ooooooh I should read that article about running without music. I used to ALWAYS run with music but lately I’ve been leaving it behind for my outside runs, especially the early morning ones where there are a tonne of cars commuting to work. Good luck this weekend! And I love that pic of you doing the tri! So cute.
Great article – definitely read it if you have time 🙂
Thanks so much!!
I’m going to go back and read the run without music article this weekend (or at work today if downtime allows)…. I very rarely run without music and it seems much harder when I do, even though I’m not really listening to the music much anyway….. Good luck on your tri!!!
Exactly. Just try it for a shorter run and then build up to those long ones. I really think YOU would love it!
Thanks Paria!!
I’m totally in the run with music camp and know that I need to let go of that crutch from time to time. Can’t wait to check out these articles since I’ve basically read nothing all week! Good luck this weekend!!!
You shouldn’t be reading – you should be surfing and eating and laying around doing nothing! I would think though, that Hawaii is probably one of the best places to run sans music. Maybe you should try it 🙂
Thanks Christine!
The article from Outside Online was my favorite article from this week as well. I run without music (unless I’m stuck on the dreadmill and out of new podcasts) and it has made me love long distance running more.
Also, the Washington Post article is fanstastically researched and written (and, well, heartbreaking) – thank you for sharing.
I keep going back and forth on Inside Tracker and I’m excited to read your experience with it! Good luck this weekend on your tri!
I actually saw the Outside article on your Twitter feed and should have given you the cred! Sorry!!
And yes, the Post article is totally heartbreaking and so much worse than I even thought. But, it sheds so much light and knowledge which I think is where change can begin.
Anytime you want to chat offline about Inside Tracker, let me know!
I do run with music. I love to just totally lose myself in the songs. Music helps me with pacing too. My plan for this afternoon is to update my playlist. But I never ride my bike with music. I need to stay alert–which I probably should do when I am running as well–and it’s just different for me than running. Totally doesn’t make sense.
It makes perfect sense! I never ride with music because #1 safety and #2 there’s actually a lot to be aware of – shifting, terrain, etc. – which is not the case on the run. I can absolutely get lost in music or a good podcast too so I guess it depends on my mood but, lately there has been the wonderful sound of silence…well, and heavy breathing 🙂
Holy cannoli!!! I can’t believe you raced just three months after having TWINS!!! I’m barely 4 weeks out and am able to barely jog a twelve minute mile and I’m loving every step. But still! That’s amazing and another level of awesomeness. How exciting to race your first race, and even cooler that it’s so close to home! You’re gonna crush it and I can’t wait to read about it 🙂
I love the article on what athletes eat on race day, I always find it fascinating! And makes me hungry. I’ve under eaten before a race and it was miserable, but I like being on the empty side if I’m just running. For a longer tri I definitely like a big breakfast two hours before. I’m not able to eat right before a race like my husband though. He’s one of those people that can eat pizza then do an ironman the next minute. Crazy!!
Have a fantastic weekend and race!!!
It was really just ignorance and I would NEVER have done it again but, I guess it was a good experience and I was super proud of myself 🙂 Keep loving those slow, fun miles!!!
I agree about food intake for a run vs triathlon. I will be having a pretty big breakfast even for “just” a sprint 🙂 Thanks Danielle!
Priceless with the Cannondale:) Love the shorts too, & just a hint of plump vs your cut up self of today (although I can see the musculature already there from gymnastics&dance). Is that a unifork on the front (just 1 arm)?
This reminds me of a picture I have of Dave Scott from a triathlon magazine from 1981 @ Ironman Hi. Coming into T2 with no helmet & long hair flowing in the wind, Baggy cotton T-shirt (also flowing in the wind), red stripped mid calf tube socks, & a fast looking; but rather ordinary road bike. Bike shoes with road cleats of the toe clip variety, (clipless had not been invented yet!). Race wheels? what’s that?
I guess this makes me a pioneer too, since I did this race then also, I just came into T2 somewhat later,… like 3-4 hours after ‘The Man’.
I’ve said it all my life to 1000s of clients: if you run with music, you’ll never get in touch with your inner running rhythm! Yes, besides as the article points out, it is a time for your brain to shut off& operate on an elemental level, a chance for your physiology& body to loop feedback with your brain in the middle.
I’ve experienced the runner’s high many times this way, running trails (especially)@ a comfortably fast pace, going around a corner &surprising coyotes, deer, cows, even being paced by crows flying along side. Then I reach a plateau with LosAngeles sprawling to my right, the blue pacific in the distance, & I wonder how I ran up here so fast gliding over the earth? Ah, so liberating!!!!!!!!
Somehow, I don’t think cramming an external man-made stimulus into my heightened senses would allow me to experience this? This is a fight or flight moment of the most elemental awareness!
You’ll simply fry this sprint, & while the distances are punny, sprint will allow you to maximally recruit fast twitch, and you need that for Olympic distance. So go BTTW!
Is that not ridiculous? A study to confirm what everybody knows!
Can’t wait for the update:)
You are right on about all of it (including my plump!) and I was just nodding my head to all of this. I definitely will speed though this race as fast as possible and light up those fast twitchers!!!
Thanks so much Claude 🙂
Just heard you on the Diz Runs podcast and loved it! Ironically, I was on a run 😉 I listen to podcasts…does that count?
That is so great! Thank you for telling me and for reading and commenting. And no, listening to podcasts does not count b/c I do it all the time too 🙂
I also just got Inside Tracker done too and I’m looking forward to the results as well. I can’t wait to see and make changes to what I need to do.
I normally run with music but I don’t race with music. I find it works for me.
I saw that! So exciting and you will love it.
Definitely have to do what works for you and I never race with music either…