Category Archives: random thoughts

My November Challenge

  By Crystal Clarke | November 5, 2014 - 7:00 am | , , , , , , , , ,
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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 →

Pre-Race Jitters

  By Crystal Clarke | July 19, 2014 - 2:32 pm | , , , , , ,
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This morning I went for my pre-race swim with my training buddy, Blair. It went well even though I forgot my wetsuit. So I swam in my bathing suit, which was actually pretty good. It prepared me for the “cold panic” that I always get (and I think most get) when I first get in the water. The water this morning was clear and calm, even though it was pretty windy. I met another triathlete out there and we may even become training buddies! As I’ve mentioned before, training buddies are the shit! As I was driving into town this … Keep reading →

Reality Sets In

  By Crystal Clarke | July 6, 2014 - 1:37 pm | , , , ,
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Yesterday I went for my first open water swim in a year. I thought it had been longer, but I remembered that last year I attempted to swim across the lake by my mother-in-law’s house. After I did that my back seized up because I had hardly swum and I was so out of shape that it felt like it rejected my effort. That was my reality call last year. I listened and spent a few months finding a decent massage therapist (actually I found an AMAZING one). The past year has been an interesting one trying to find a … Keep reading →

Reflections on the 2009 season

  By Crystal Clarke | October 18, 2009 - 9:58 am | , , , , , ,
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The past two racing seasons have been challenging ones, both physically and mentally. I felt due for a great season after 2008’s disappointing one. While I did have some great races and overcame some great hurdles, I feel a little disappointed about not having completed my second Ironman race. The season started out really fun with some short-distance races. They were hard and so much faster than the pace I was used to training at. But they were really fun. I enjoyed them a lot and feel like it might be interesting to focus on short-distance sometime. As Ironman Coeur … Keep reading →

Decisions of the head and heart

  By Crystal Clarke | August 27, 2009 - 10:59 pm | , , , , , , ,
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Yesterday I decided to go for my shortest run in at least 6 months. I took my dogs out for a 30 MINUTE RUN. That’s right… 30 minutes! I barely worked up a sweat. And you know what else? We walked sometimes. Yep, walked. And we stopped for water several times, just because the water fountains were there. And you know what else? I didn’t even time it, I’m just guessing it took 30 minutes based on how far we went. This feeling of freedom from training is just one sign that I’m burned out from training and thinking about … Keep reading →

The off-season begins

  By Crystal Clarke | August 31, 2008 - 3:30 pm | , , ,
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I hadn’t realized it has been so long since I last updated. Basically, the week after my DNF race was very difficult for me. I did some soul-searching and thinking about my 2008 season and my future in triathlon. It was good and I’m glad that I am still positive about my upcoming 7th season as a triathlete. I love this sport like mad. The only thought that continues to come back into my head is that this was my last race before Ironman next June. I will have to overcome that thought in the upcoming 9 months. I discovered that my … Keep reading →

When Stess & Anxiety levels go up, Training goes down

  By Crystal Clarke | June 18, 2008 - 9:07 am | ,
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I have noticed over the last couple of years of hard training that when my stress levels are high, I am not motivated at all to train. Generally, after I train I feel much better, but it is so hard to get out and do it. Now that I have made this connection, hopefully it will help me to keep my training levels up no matter what my anxiety and stress levels. I can’t help but wonder, though, if it is a body or mind response. Or maybe it’s both… they are connected, after all. I am going to try … Keep reading →