Last March, I decided I didn't want to be counting calories all the time so I tried to just eat what I wanted (within reason) and hope that my training would take care of any extra calories. By summer, I still hadn't lost the 5lbs I had gained the previous fall. I gained another 2 lbs in Sept-Nov, and 2 more in December. It's clear I need to go back to the drawing table with my eating habits. More on that tomorrow but suffice to say, I'm kind of excited about my plans.
I didn't race as much as I have in previous years, especially in triathlon, although looking back I can see that I did have a few accomplishments (like my first marathon!) and I can honestly say that I really enjoyed myself at the few races that I did do.
I spent the first 5 months of the year training for my first marathon. I put all my energy into my running and only cycled as cross training. Ultimately, I was really happy with my race and had a blast - I definitely want to do that race again.
May 27, 2012 - Abbotsford Run for Water Marathon - 5:04:54 (1st marathon)
After the marathon, I took a few weeks to recover and since it was June, I was way too busy at work to focus on training anyway. Once summer holidays arrived, I was busy with a family wedding and a couple of trips away. Before I knew it, the Apple Triathlon was looming and I felt very unprepared. I almost decided not to race, but in the end I decided a fun race was better than no race so I hit the pool/lake a couple of times and did it anyway. After all, I had a free entry this year and it would be a shame to miss a year right?
August 19, 2012 - Kelowna Apple Sprint Triathlon - 1:37:33 (slow but fun!)
September was another busy month back to work and as usual, I could barely get my runs in let alone do proper training. I ate vegetarian for a month and although I enjoyed it, I gained another 2 lbs. Despite everything, I did manage to get my long runs in on the weekends and had a super race in Victoria on Thanksgiving weekend.
October 7, 2012 - Victoria Half Marathon - 2:14:31 (a course PR)
Since then, I've been running but that's about it. As I mentioned earlier, I'm now up about 9 lbs. It's clear, I have to go back to counting calories and watching what I eat because working out isn't enough to keep the pounds off if I just try to 'eat healthy' most of the time and enjoy life once in awhile. So - what do I want to accomplish next year? There is certainly room for improvement in a number of areas and I have a lot to consider.
Tomorrow I will blog about my goals for 2013. Happy New Year everyone - I wish you all the best in the upcoming year!
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Here are my totals from the Beginner Triathlete website for the past 5 years. I'm not super religious about tracking my strength, yoga etc workouts but my Swim, Bike, Run stats are pretty accurate. It's kind of interesting to see patterns over the years.
2012 Totals - about 188 hrs Swim, Bike, Run + | ||
Bike:
|
35h 16m
|
843.27 KM
|
Run:
|
121h 04m 41s
|
1041.5 KM
|
Swim:
|
7h 05m 35s
|
14500 M
|
Strength:
|
13h 22m
| |
Core Training:
|
0h 40m
| |
Elliptical Training:
|
1h 13m
| |
| Rowing: | 2h 05m | |
| Skate Skiing: | 0h 20m | |
Stretching:
|
2h 50m
| |
Hiking:
|
2h 00m
| |
Walking:
|
0h 30m
| |
Yoga:
|
2h 10m
| |
2011 Totals - about 180 hrs S, B, R | ||
Bike:
|
70h 48m 50s
|
1699.06 KM
|
Run:
|
100h 45m 05s
|
871.45 KM
|
Swim:
|
8h 57m 07s
|
20750 M
|
Strength:
|
13h 25m
| |
Core Training:
|
2h 20m
| |
Elliptical Training:
|
3h 20m
| |
| Rowing: | 1h 10m | |
| Skate Skiing: | 3h 30m | |
Stretching:
|
2h 50m
| |
Volleyball:
|
1h 30m
| |
Walking:
|
8h 50m
| |
Yoga:
|
4h 25 min
| |
2010 Totals - about 234 hrs S, B, R | ||
Bike:
|
100h 50m 17s
|
2366.49 KM
|
Run:
|
88h 00m 43s
|
690.33 KM
|
Swim:
|
45h 37m 53s
|
96600 M
|
Strength:
|
6h 05m
| |
Core Training:
|
1h 30m
| |
Elliptical Training:
|
8h 50m
| |
Hiking:
|
2h 15m
| |
Massage:
|
2h 00m
| |
Rowing:
|
1h 10m
| |
Skate Skiing:
|
7h 45m
| |
Stretching:
|
20m
| |
Volleyball:
|
1h 30m
| |
Walking:
|
55m
| |
Yoga:
|
7h 50m
| |
2009 Totals - about 188 hrs S, B, R | ||
Bike:
|
102h 06m 13s
|
2152.08 KM
|
Run:
|
65h 42m 47s
|
502.33 KM
|
Swim:
|
20h 10m
|
41250 M
|
Strength:
|
9h 52m
| |
Core Training:
|
30m
| |
Dancing:
|
2h 20m
| |
Elliptical Training:
|
4h 03m
| |
Golf:
|
2h 00m
| |
Hiking:
|
2h 25m 29s
| |
Misc.:
|
20m
| |
Plyometrics:
|
15m
| |
Rowing:
|
1h 42m
| |
Stationary Biking :
|
45m
| |
Stretching:
|
1h 15m
| |
Walking:
|
30m
| |
Yoga:
|
5h 50m
| |
2008 Totals - about 216 hrs S, B, R | ||
Bike:
|
117h 51m 59s
|
2743.65 KM
|
Run:
|
62h 18m 13s
|
508.07 KM
|
Swim:
|
36h 38m 01s
|
64450.00 M
|
Strength:
|
26h 35m
| |
Sports:
|
24h 05m
| |
2007 Totals - about 173 hrs (S) B, R
| ||
Bike:
|
155h 13m 29s
|
3472.71 KM
|
Run:
|
18h 04m 02s
|
156.36 KM
|
Swim:
|
none
| |
Strength:
|
3h 00m
| |
Sports:
|
3h 35m
| |
So what will 2012 hold for me? I guess we'll have to wait and see. :)
2 comments:
Funny, I added up my Beginner Triathlete and Training Peaks volume from inception as well. Definitely a end of the year kind of behavior.
Good luck in advance for 2013 and have a happy New Year.
Your feelings are perfectly normal. I can't imagine starting to train for the summer now. Instead, I've created my own season of intense winter hiking. For training I do aerial yoga and some light running. I don't even think of the bike or the pool and have delayed registering for any triathlons.
For eating, I've put aside my primarily raw diet for more comfort foods, but have maintained my gluten-free existence. If you haven't considered it, it's a great way to lose weight and get lean.
We can live as though all the seasons are the same, but we do ourselves a disservice if we do.
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