First, I have to start with one of the worst-named stores in Seattle. “Seattle’s Hugest Beer Selection.” Hugest? *cringe*

So – after completing the 50 mile ride, I started thinking about a duathlon. I have to admit this is in part due to hearing that a friend of mine is training for a triathlon. I don’t know I’ll ever get up to a triathlon – the thought of swimming in a lake/river just doesn’t sit well with me. Instead, I’m thinking of doing a duathlon – run/cycle.

Here’s the funny thing. I guess when you tell people you’re training for such a type of event, they expect you have a date in mind. Most people training for such an event probably DO have a date in mind. Me? No. I just like the idea of having a focus for my workouts, I guess. And it seems an achievable goal if I can find one that fits my schedule. I actually found a place called Elma, Washington, that seems to have a duathlon and triathlon scheduled for just about every holiday – Memorial Day, Father’s Day, etc. And it seems like a great place for this type of event – they have a novice level duathlon which is a 2.6 mile run and some distance cycle…don’t really remember. I just know there’s duathlons in July and August, which is my target date, if I can just find one that’s not too far away and that is on a Saturday.

Either way, I’m training for a duathlon that would be a 2.6 mile run and some distance cycling.

How’s that for targeted training?

Another funny thing – I’ve learned that not exercise is created equal. Doing cardio and the occasional spin is NOTHING like targeted training for anything. Once I decided I would start training (last Saturday), I decided on a game plan. Twice a week, run for half an hour, follow by cycling for half an hour. Twice a week, do RPM (45 minutes). Each of those days, do weight training – upper body one day, lower body the neck, etc. The schedule is Mon/Tues train, break Wednesday, then Thurs/Fri train. So far, it’s working pretty well. I’ve stuck to my Mon/Tues schedule. But here’s the thing – I’ve been exercising. I’ve been doing weights. But I went back to the BodyPump style of weights the other day and found my stamina for it has dropped, not to mention I’m SORE!! I also did RPM the other day and found myself struggling through some of the climbs. YEESH. I have some work to do!

I also found from my outdoor run Monday that everything from the gym I started at is downhill. Hey – makes for GREAT training with the running!

I feel much better about my workouts now that I have a focus again – it’s amazing how much of a difference that makes for me. What I’m really loving about things like the duathlon and the cycling events is that I can continually have something to work towards. I had no idea there were as many cycling events, duathlons, or even triathlons as there are just around Washington! It’s so cool! If I wanted, I could be doing some type of event every month! Craziness!