Here is a scenario.
"You have been training for months and months for races. You mostly enjoy your days, enjoy the pain, and love how a good training day makes you feel. You even love and learn to cope with less than optimal days where something wasn't right. You train hard, day in and day out. All of a sudden, things change. You develop dislike (and sometimes even hate) towards your daily regimen. You do not look forward to getting in the water, you begin to slowly hate your bike, and you can't stand running. You feel mentally and physically exhausted and all you want to do is to do everything else but train."
This actually happened to me this week. I've been training hard for both American River 50 mile run and Ironman Canada for a number of months with almost no break, charging full steam ahead. This past weekend was the Wildflower Triathlon. The events went fine. I didn't do as well as I hoped I would do but I also didn't enjoy them as much as I did in the years past. After returning back to Los Angeles, Katherine and I tried a 3 mile run. I absolutely hated it. Every second of it. From then on, I basically lost all interest in training. I didn't want to get in the water, sit on a saddle, and worse of all, run. This was unlike me. All I wanted to do is eat, watch TV, and sleep. Needless to say (and without much of an option), I listened to my body. I didn't force myself, I took some time off from training and did exactly that, eat and watch TV. It was every bit as enjoyable as I thought it would be. Then, something funny happened last night.... I began to crave running again. Not just 'wanting' but actually craving. So I ran, with no expectations, no goals. I ran to run. I loved it and now, I am back. Recharged and ready to tackle the next few months of intense training for Ironman Canada.
Why am I saying this? Burnouts happen to us all. Don't push through them. Don't do anything you hate, life is too short for that. Take time off and do something you like. Learn a new skill, visit family and friends, have fancy dinners, or do whatever you basically want. Burnouts are temporary but if you constantly force yourself without giving your body and mind the opportunity to recover, then the consequences can be long-lived and even permanent. You'll come back better, stronger, and more importantly, happier. Taking time off is important for both your mind and body. Thank you for reading.
Showing posts with label triathlons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label triathlons. Show all posts
Friday, May 11, 2012
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
The Past 2 Years
What have I done since my last update?
Life has been keeping me busy and out of trouble (for the most part). I have continued to train, raced in a number of races, hit some low points, high points, bonked, recovered, gained weight, lost weight, crashed (literally and figuratively), got up again, and eventually moved on. No matter what you do, no matter what goals you have, continued forward momentum is what will make you reach the finish line, it's what will make your dreams come true, it's what will make you, you. You will always have people who will despise you, despise your goals, try to knock you down a notch, and those who will come between you and the "finish line". I used to say that they do this because of jealousy... this may have some truth to it, but in all honesty, it doesn't really matter. Your goal is to minimize the associations with negative influences and maximize the positive.
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Will Rogers.
Ok, enough preaching....
What have I done? My last update was "Wildflower 2009" in May of 2009. Since then, here are the races that I have completed and my time:
One of my lifelong goals was to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and I did, during 2010 LA Marathon. Training for speed was the key to accomplish this task. I could not have done it without the support from my family, and my best friends & training partners Alison Chavez, Angela Brunson, Kyla Faye, Lisa Fink, and Ankur Tarneja, who all have yelled at me many times when I started to slack off. Of course, my running coach, John Medina is the greatest. He has taught me patience, pacing, and re-ignited my passion for running. My triathlon coaches, Paul Ruggiero and Rad Hallman are two more people I am honored to have in my life. They have taught me pretty much how to swim, how to ride my bike, run, and to combine all of the above. Ankur's famous words, "stop dragging ass" is what keeps me going during the last 4 miles of pretty much all my events. Ankur, btw, is a 2:36 marathoner. Of course, Angela's "Do, or do not. There is no try." motto is what I keep reminding myself time and time again when I think about "trying" something. Angela has done the world's shortest races and the longest and most certainly, toughest. From a 1 mile fun runs, to having done 30 marathons, to having completed the world's toughest foot race, the Badwater 135 ultra marathon running 135 miles in 120+ degree heat. Kyla is my amazing celebrity superstar friend. She's definitely my most famous friend who was Miss Utah, in addition to being in Fear Factor, fitness competitions, modeling, and tons of other TV & print stuff. She's also a kick ass personal trainer, has qualified for Boston marathon numerous times, and ran Boston. Lisa Fink is my other speedy friend. Calling Lisa "fast" would be a HUGE understatement. She's not only fast, she's "I am going to win this thing" fast. The 2010 LA marathon was her PR with a time of 3:03. nearly 25,000 people ran the race and she won her age group. She has also won the 2009 Malibu Marathon, and came in 2nd in 2010. Alison Chavez is my best friend. She is among the most athletic and successful people I know with 10+ marathons, 3 Ironmans a really hard 50K utramarathon (with 8000 ft elevation gain), a 4.8 mile ultra swim race, many centuries, half ironmans, and tons of other stuff under her belt. When I don't feel like getting up in the mornings, I play the "what is Alison up to" game. So, name suggesting, I log onto facebook and see what Alison is up to at 5AM. She's either swimming, riding, running, taking a spin class, doing weights, boot camp, or any of the combinations thereof. Next thing I know, I am putting on my running shoes or my helmet. Should I mention that she does all this alongside working 10-16 hour days? There are so many other people who, for the sake of keeping this thing semi-short, I have not mentioned. However, I can write pages on every single one of my good friends, whom I would give my life for in a heartbeat.
Obviously, the point of this is to thank my friends. But even a bigger point is to emphasize the importance of positive attitudes. Sure, you can do things on your own, but it's just so much easier (and funner) to do it with others. So, whatever your goals are, get to know like-minded people, get your hands on quality how-to information (whether it's a coach or a reputable training plan) and just do it (remember, there is no 'try').
Let's see, what else is new? There is a wonderful new woman in my life with a nickname "Tough Cupcake". It was supposed to be tough cookie, but she likes cupcakes better. I mean, who doesn't? Cookies are soooooooooooo yesterday. I met her in Spring 2010, during our first date, which was a bike ride, our conversation went something like this:
Me: "Do you want to do an Ironman?"
Katherine (aka tough cupcake): "Sure, why not. Sounds fun".
From that point, she not only busted her butt and trained religiously, but she absolutely ROCKED Vineman Ironman Distance triathlon in July 2010 with a time of 13:13 and coming in 6th in her age division. I should mention that prior to Vineman, she had never done a marathon or a triathlon longer than a sprint. Her and I plan on running Comrades Marathon (56 mile foot race) in South Africa on May 2011.
As for my near-term goals, I will repeat 13.1 LA in January 2011, then attempt a PR at LA Marathon in March, then Boston Marathon in April, Comrades Marathon in May, and Challenge UK (Ironman distance Tri) in September 2011.
Thanks for reading this, friends. As my all time fitness mentor, Tom Venuto says, "Train Hard and Expect Success".
Be Well,
Arkady
Life has been keeping me busy and out of trouble (for the most part). I have continued to train, raced in a number of races, hit some low points, high points, bonked, recovered, gained weight, lost weight, crashed (literally and figuratively), got up again, and eventually moved on. No matter what you do, no matter what goals you have, continued forward momentum is what will make you reach the finish line, it's what will make your dreams come true, it's what will make you, you. You will always have people who will despise you, despise your goals, try to knock you down a notch, and those who will come between you and the "finish line". I used to say that they do this because of jealousy... this may have some truth to it, but in all honesty, it doesn't really matter. Your goal is to minimize the associations with negative influences and maximize the positive.
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Will Rogers.
Ok, enough preaching....
What have I done? My last update was "Wildflower 2009" in May of 2009. Since then, here are the races that I have completed and my time:
- San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon (May 2009), 3:11
- Vineman Ironman Distance Triathlon (August 2009), 11:21
- Magic Mountainman, Half Ironman Distance Tri (October 2009), 5:49
- California International Marathon (December 2009), 3:13
- 13.1 LA Half Marathon (January 2010), 1:30
- LA Marathon (March 2010), 3:04
- Wildflower Long Half Ironman Distnace Tri (May 2010), 5:39
- San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon (May 2010), 3:09
- Vineman Ironman Distnace Triathlon (July 2010), 11:36
- Malibu Marathon (November 2010), 3:15
One of my lifelong goals was to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and I did, during 2010 LA Marathon. Training for speed was the key to accomplish this task. I could not have done it without the support from my family, and my best friends & training partners Alison Chavez, Angela Brunson, Kyla Faye, Lisa Fink, and Ankur Tarneja, who all have yelled at me many times when I started to slack off. Of course, my running coach, John Medina is the greatest. He has taught me patience, pacing, and re-ignited my passion for running. My triathlon coaches, Paul Ruggiero and Rad Hallman are two more people I am honored to have in my life. They have taught me pretty much how to swim, how to ride my bike, run, and to combine all of the above. Ankur's famous words, "stop dragging ass" is what keeps me going during the last 4 miles of pretty much all my events. Ankur, btw, is a 2:36 marathoner. Of course, Angela's "Do, or do not. There is no try." motto is what I keep reminding myself time and time again when I think about "trying" something. Angela has done the world's shortest races and the longest and most certainly, toughest. From a 1 mile fun runs, to having done 30 marathons, to having completed the world's toughest foot race, the Badwater 135 ultra marathon running 135 miles in 120+ degree heat. Kyla is my amazing celebrity superstar friend. She's definitely my most famous friend who was Miss Utah, in addition to being in Fear Factor, fitness competitions, modeling, and tons of other TV & print stuff. She's also a kick ass personal trainer, has qualified for Boston marathon numerous times, and ran Boston. Lisa Fink is my other speedy friend. Calling Lisa "fast" would be a HUGE understatement. She's not only fast, she's "I am going to win this thing" fast. The 2010 LA marathon was her PR with a time of 3:03. nearly 25,000 people ran the race and she won her age group. She has also won the 2009 Malibu Marathon, and came in 2nd in 2010. Alison Chavez is my best friend. She is among the most athletic and successful people I know with 10+ marathons, 3 Ironmans a really hard 50K utramarathon (with 8000 ft elevation gain), a 4.8 mile ultra swim race, many centuries, half ironmans, and tons of other stuff under her belt. When I don't feel like getting up in the mornings, I play the "what is Alison up to" game. So, name suggesting, I log onto facebook and see what Alison is up to at 5AM. She's either swimming, riding, running, taking a spin class, doing weights, boot camp, or any of the combinations thereof. Next thing I know, I am putting on my running shoes or my helmet. Should I mention that she does all this alongside working 10-16 hour days? There are so many other people who, for the sake of keeping this thing semi-short, I have not mentioned. However, I can write pages on every single one of my good friends, whom I would give my life for in a heartbeat.
Obviously, the point of this is to thank my friends. But even a bigger point is to emphasize the importance of positive attitudes. Sure, you can do things on your own, but it's just so much easier (and funner) to do it with others. So, whatever your goals are, get to know like-minded people, get your hands on quality how-to information (whether it's a coach or a reputable training plan) and just do it (remember, there is no 'try').
Let's see, what else is new? There is a wonderful new woman in my life with a nickname "Tough Cupcake". It was supposed to be tough cookie, but she likes cupcakes better. I mean, who doesn't? Cookies are soooooooooooo yesterday. I met her in Spring 2010, during our first date, which was a bike ride, our conversation went something like this:
Me: "Do you want to do an Ironman?"
Katherine (aka tough cupcake): "Sure, why not. Sounds fun".
From that point, she not only busted her butt and trained religiously, but she absolutely ROCKED Vineman Ironman Distance triathlon in July 2010 with a time of 13:13 and coming in 6th in her age division. I should mention that prior to Vineman, she had never done a marathon or a triathlon longer than a sprint. Her and I plan on running Comrades Marathon (56 mile foot race) in South Africa on May 2011.
As for my near-term goals, I will repeat 13.1 LA in January 2011, then attempt a PR at LA Marathon in March, then Boston Marathon in April, Comrades Marathon in May, and Challenge UK (Ironman distance Tri) in September 2011.
Thanks for reading this, friends. As my all time fitness mentor, Tom Venuto says, "Train Hard and Expect Success".
Be Well,
Arkady
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wildflower 2009
Wildflower 2009 triathlon is in the books. The race Report coming up in the next few days. In the meantime, here are my stats:
Race: Wildflower Long Course
Distance: Swim - 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, run 13.1 miles
Finish Time: 5 hours and 52 minutes
Swim: 40 min and 46 seconds
T1: 5 min and 41 seconds
Bike: 3 hours and 1 minute
T2: 3 min and 28 seconds
Run: 2 hours
Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement.
Race: Wildflower Long Course
Distance: Swim - 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, run 13.1 miles
Finish Time: 5 hours and 52 minutes
Swim: 40 min and 46 seconds
T1: 5 min and 41 seconds
Bike: 3 hours and 1 minute
T2: 3 min and 28 seconds
Run: 2 hours
Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Training Updates and Photos
I haven't done a personal post in a while so I thought I do it today. I hope that my site visitors have been enjoying the goofy commercials/videos I've been posting. Most emails I get are complementary of how funny they are. However, I did get a few emails that stated that some of the videos are insensitive and are offensive. I do apologize if they seem that way... certainly, they're not supposed to. Other than a mere joke, being able to laugh at serious issues, especially when you can relate to them, is a sign of strength. It's a sign that you see past the problem and are working towards a solution. So,with that in mind, I will continue posting weight loss commercials and spoofs every Tuesday. Check back and leave a comment!!!!
On to Ironman training......................
Vineman Ironman-distance triathlon is just around the corner on August 2, 2008. My team and I are ready, both mentally and physically to swim 2.4 miles, cycle for 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles. A lot of interesting events have been happening in the past few days and weeks. Tiffany and Allison, two lovely ladies from the group have had their bikes stolen, Danielle crashed on her bike and broke her shoulder. She wont be doing Vineman with us but will be competing in another Ironman later on this year, as soon as the shoulder is healed. All of the team was heartbroken upon hearing this, as Danielle is a very compassionate person, not to mention an amazing athlete, but the fact that she's not letting this obstacle to dissillusion her Ironman dreams only proves that she's a strong woman. Our fundraising captain, Aaron, has been having knee problems at this time of the season, and so is Jake, which was a result of him and Jocelyn crashing on their bikes a couple of weeks ago. With the two weeks of taper coming up, people should start healing of their aches, pains, and injuries as the workouts get shorter to let our bodies heal.
Personally, I feel okay. Swimming has come a long way from not being able to swim across a 25 yard pool to swimming for nearly 4000 yards. I do have some pains and soreness in my muscles and joints, but nothing out of the ordinary. I hope they heal during the taper.
Above: Aaron Umber and Liz during Wildflower Training Weekend
Above: Catherine is happy to have finished
Wildflower Long Course (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13 mile run)
Above: Doom's Birthday - Aaron Umber, Caroline Z.,
Laurel Szeto, Doom (Danielle), Jen Reeve, Christina Cord, Aaron O.
Above: Laurel and Jen
Above: Group Photo after running 13 miles during Wildflower Training Weekend.
Above: Jake Boozin' on Amtrak
The Contents in this garage are worth more than the house.
Rad Hallman, one of our great coaches.
On to Ironman training......................
Vineman Ironman-distance triathlon is just around the corner on August 2, 2008. My team and I are ready, both mentally and physically to swim 2.4 miles, cycle for 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles. A lot of interesting events have been happening in the past few days and weeks. Tiffany and Allison, two lovely ladies from the group have had their bikes stolen, Danielle crashed on her bike and broke her shoulder. She wont be doing Vineman with us but will be competing in another Ironman later on this year, as soon as the shoulder is healed. All of the team was heartbroken upon hearing this, as Danielle is a very compassionate person, not to mention an amazing athlete, but the fact that she's not letting this obstacle to dissillusion her Ironman dreams only proves that she's a strong woman. Our fundraising captain, Aaron, has been having knee problems at this time of the season, and so is Jake, which was a result of him and Jocelyn crashing on their bikes a couple of weeks ago. With the two weeks of taper coming up, people should start healing of their aches, pains, and injuries as the workouts get shorter to let our bodies heal.
Personally, I feel okay. Swimming has come a long way from not being able to swim across a 25 yard pool to swimming for nearly 4000 yards. I do have some pains and soreness in my muscles and joints, but nothing out of the ordinary. I hope they heal during the taper.
Here are some pictures of my teammates in action......
Above: Having wine and deserts while waiting for our Amtrak train back to Los Angeles after riding to San Diego. From Left to Right: Stephanie, Me, Jocelyn, Jake, Danielle aka Doom.
Above: Having wine and deserts while waiting for our Amtrak train back to Los Angeles after riding to San Diego. From Left to Right: Stephanie, Me, Jocelyn, Jake, Danielle aka Doom.
Above: Aaron Umber and Liz during Wildflower Training Weekend
Above: Catherine is happy to have finishedWildflower Long Course (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13 mile run)
Above: Doom's Birthday - Aaron Umber, Caroline Z.,Laurel Szeto, Doom (Danielle), Jen Reeve, Christina Cord, Aaron O.
Above: Laurel and Jen
Above: Group Photo after running 13 miles during Wildflower Training Weekend.
Above: Jake Boozin' on Amtrak
The Contents in this garage are worth more than the house.
Rad Hallman, one of our great coaches.Thanks for visiting my blog and check back soon as I will update with more posts, photos, updates, and don't forget to check in every Tuesday for a new Video.
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