Category Archives: Consistency

Getting it back!

  By Crystal Clarke | December 8, 2014 - 4:08 pm | , ,
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Swim workout in a not-just-for-sandwiches baggie. The workout is from the book Be Iron Fit by Don Fink.

Last week I was accidentally consistent! The past few weeks I’ve been trying to get on the treadmill a couple of times a week and I put my bike on the trainer and started riding it a bit. My big incentive came from a very unlikely interaction with my training buddy. He was telling me how he does his long indoor bike rides when his wife isn’t home. They are both retired so I wasn’t quite sure the reason for his needing to wait for a time when they weren’t going to be together. He told me it was because … Keep reading →

Procrastination Challenge

  By Crystal Clarke | November 10, 2014 - 9:43 am | , , , , , ,
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pro in procrastinate

My November Time Management Challenge started out really well last week. It went out the window on Thursday. Yes, it lasted 3 days. I’m not discouraged, though. I know that this will be a constant work in progress. Procrastination is my biggest hurdle. When I feel tired or drained or sore, which was the case last week after my friend tortured me at a circuit training we did on Tuesday (actually, Thank You Julie!), I have a difficult time getting off of my chair. So my bike is still sitting in pieces in my workout room. I moved it out of … Keep reading →

My November Challenge

  By Crystal Clarke | November 5, 2014 - 7:00 am | , , , , , , , , ,
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Time for change

Every month I set up a money budget. I don’t follow it to the penny, but it gives me a sense of control and understanding of my spending habits. It helps me to plan ahead. I’ve been following my budget for over a year and it has reduced my life stress by a lot. Last week I was thinking about my training schedule and it occurred to me to make a time budget. For a few years now I have felt like I don’t use my time wisely and my theory is that it’s because I don’t allot enough of it … Keep reading →

Long Training Day Review

  By Crystal Clarke | August 12, 2014 - 12:05 pm | , , , , , ,
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Prior to the race a local photographer, Bob Holtsman, promised me he would make me look good when he took my photo on the course. Sure enough, he did!

The night before the Frank Dunn Triathlon my sweetie asked me why I kept calling it a “training day.” I explained that it’s because it wasn’t a race. It wasn’t a race with myself or anyone else. My expectations were so low I literally just wanted to get it done. Since I haven’t done any races in three years it felt like I was starting all over. In the spirit of starting over, this was my first long brick workout. Here’s how it went. Pre-training day: There was some stress a couple of days before and I had been having … Keep reading →

Race #2 of 2014

  By Crystal Clarke | August 6, 2014 - 12:56 pm | , , , , , , , ,
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O'Malley and I this morning after our run-walk. Caillou is somewhere in the background.

In only 3 days I will be participating in my second triathlon this year. My training buddy and I were looking back at my history of the race, which is very varied. It will be interesting to see how Sunday plays out. This race has followed me throughout my triathlon life and I have loved every second. My times vary from sub-4-hours to sub-5. This year I’m being realistic and looking closer to the 4 and a half to 5-hour mark. That is, if my knees will stop freaking hurting! This morning’s run/walk was pretty painful. I have GOT to … Keep reading →

Consistently Inconsistent

  By Crystal Clarke | June 16, 2014 - 3:06 pm | , , ,
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I got my legs back!

Last week was a tough week. I actually wrote a blog post about being consistently inconsistent and it turned out to be a self-prophesying post. I was busy and tired and did the best that I could, but I didn’t get on my bike and I didn’t swim. I took the term “rest week” to a whole new level where I did so much resting, I did a whole lot of not much else. However, I went on my walks and I restfully recovered. This week is already off to a better start with a great swim today. This morning I … Keep reading →

Training buddies are the shit

  By Crystal Clarke | June 2, 2014 - 10:55 am | , , , ,
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This is Blair. He is proudly almost 70 years old and he kicked my ass on Friday. He told me he'd make me bike faster next time. I'd better get training!

Last year I moved to a small town to be with my partner and his kiddos. It has taken some time to settle in and I’m still not completely there. However, I’m starting to get to know people, and I’m noticing and enjoying the perks of small-town life more than I used to. Training has been a big issue for me since moving for lots of reasons. One of those reasons is lack of training buddies. A few weeks ago I thought that I might be able to start a little running group, or at least a walking group. I … Keep reading →