Category Archives: 2014

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 →

Race Report – Silverman Ironman 70.3 October 5, 2014

  By Crystal Clarke | November 3, 2014 - 8:38 am | , , , ,
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Being a goof ball. The heat must have been getting to me!

I finally finished my race report! I wrote it slowly so that I could make sure that I really thought about the race thoroughly. Pre-Race: Our hotel was in Las Vegas so we all got up early and were out the door around 5:00 to make it to Lake Mead around 5:45. Scott was amazed that we were there so early, but he quickly learned that with big races like this everything takes longer. I was the hero with the bike pump in the bike transition area and was lending it out to anyone who asked for it. I will say … Keep reading →

Race Day is Tomorrow!

  By Crystal Clarke | October 4, 2014 - 9:57 am | , , , ,
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The end of Criss Angel's show Believe. It was amazing!

      On Thursday I previewed part of the Silverman course. Scott and I made our way out to Lake Mead so I could do a 30 minute swim and a 1-hour bike ride. We heard that the lake was very low and it looked like the beach had receded about 100 feet. The “beach” is the weirdest beach I’ve ever seen. Because it’s desert all around, people were just parked not far from the water, leaving a bit of “beach.” I met a woman down there, who lives here. We swam together and chatted about the race, as triathletes … Keep reading →

This is me not freaking out – 1 week away

  By Crystal Clarke | September 28, 2014 - 12:12 pm | , , , , ,
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Ironman 70.3 SIlverman

This has been my mantra for the past week: I can do this. I am not freaking out. So this is me, not freaking out by cramming in some last-minute hot-weather training. Actually, over the last few days I’ve been feeling better and better. I’ve figured out a strategy for the swim so that I don’t get swum over; I’m going to swim on the outside and try to sight accordingly. I’ve also been studying the bike and run profiles and have made strategies for that. All I need to do now is figure out my nutrition and pack my … Keep reading →

Second Summer

  By Crystal Clarke | September 25, 2014 - 8:23 pm | , , , , , ,
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Ironman 70.3 SIlverman

This past week a very amazing thing happened… we got a second summer! Considering it’s 35C in Las Vegas right now, and will likely be in the 30s on race-day, I have been very thankful for some hot weather training. I feel like I’m cramming for a test. In reality, it’s more to just put my mind at ease so that I know that I can do this. Truth time: I’ve been doubting myself. The good news is that I’m pretty much injury-free, my cardio is good, and I’m in the best shape I’ve been in in over three years. … Keep reading →

It starts at the Beginning

  By Crystal Clarke | September 22, 2014 - 8:04 am | , , , , ,
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IM Silverman swim wave start

Since my last major triathlon event (Ironman Canada, 2011) there has been a change in how the swim starts. Instead of a mass start, we now have the joy of the wave start. When I heard about this change I had hoped that it was like the indoor triathlons I did where we self-declared our time and were put in that group. That’s the way marathons are too, where you seed yourself in the group. A few months ago I learned that this is not how the swim wave start is. A swim wave start happens according to age groups. … Keep reading →

Slowly Recovering

  By Crystal Clarke | September 15, 2014 - 4:14 pm | , , ,
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As I was planning my week last night, I thought I would try out a bike ride today to see how my body is doing. However, this nagging cough has made me rethink it. I did some yoga this morning and have been cleaning and exerting myself in non-cardio ways. The cough is from my chest and I really want it to go away. I’m going to wait to see how it feels tomorrow. If it’s not bad in the morning I’m going to go for a brisk walk to test it out. Everyone has their own home remedies for … Keep reading →

Sick of Being Sick

  By Crystal Clarke | September 12, 2014 - 8:00 am | , , , ,
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My 3-year-old niece being absolutely adorable!

This week I got a cold. I haven’t had a cold in so long! It’s been around 2 years or so since I’ve had a regular ol’ cold. Usually I fight it off easily with my regiment of Vitamin C and echinacaea. This time, though, it was too much. Sometimes an athlete can get a cold from being run down because of over-training. I have a training buddy who does this *coughNavarracough* and I shake my head at her and tell her to slow down. Lucky for me, I do not have this problem. For the last few years I … Keep reading →