Managing It All: A Lesson in Time Management

Posted on February 11, 2013 by kmichaud87

On Saturday I mentioned in my post that I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything going on in my life currently. The whole work thing has been super stressful and trying to fit all my training in at the same time can be a bit, how should I put this? Complicated. I have been a bit unmotivated in my training lately because I’ve been exhausted. Both physically and mentally. I work what seems like a zillion hours, which of course is mostly by choice. I like to stay busy. I need to stay busy. It’s how I function. In some strange way I really enjoy running around with my head cut off like a chicken. Strange, I know.

This past weekend was great for me. I crossed a majority of the items off my ever-increasing to-do list and it feels amazing! However, I keep adding more items. Opps! I had a chance to actually sleep. A sleep without having to wake up to an alarm clock to either go to work or train. I also did every single workout I had in TrainingPeaks this weekend! I even wore my TrainingPeaks socks I got from them on my run on Sunday! Yay! I love free socks! Actually, I really just love socks. I wear brightly colored socks at the gym all the time. Most of the time they never match either. I also enjoy wearing knee-high socks, but I have been recently banned from wearing them while working with clients. I guess we have a dress code now?

Anyway, now that I’m done with my tangent on socks, I must say that I have learned an important lesson in time management. I’ve always been pretty good at it. I’m fantastic at multitasking and I often get my work done well in advance. I also work extremely well under pressure. Hello, Master’s thesis! Last night I sat down in front of my laptop with TrainingPeaks open and my appointment book open to schedule in my workout times. I also had various foods for the week cooking so I don’t have to cook every night.

My goal for the week – To do every single one of my workouts this week! NO excuses! As I previously mentioned the toughest thing for me is finding lap pool time open during times that I’m free (i.e. NOT working). I also need to focus on a better diet. Again, the toughest part for me is fitting in dinner since I go from one job to the next. Often times dinner for me isn’t until 9-10pm at night. I’ve gotten a lot better at eating healthier, more filling snacks throughout the day to keep me full until later in the evening, but my metabolism is not really enjoying it and thus the 5lbs that I have put on since August doesn’t want to come off. Of course, if I ever want to reach race weight by IMLP then I have a heck of a lot more to lose!

(Source)

After this weekend I am mentally renewed. January is over and I’m fully ready to put my best foot forward training in February and beyond. If I ever want to get onto of any podiums this year then I need to focus on my priorities. Obviously a job is extremely important, but so is my training. Ironman is something that I really want to prove to myself that I can do. I was never amazing at a lot of sports like my sisters were growing up. I was okay at lacrosse, but not good enough for college. I rode horses and I will admit that I was pretty darn good at that, but if I ever wanted to compete with the best then I needed to train with the best. I could not afford that kind of training. Believe me, horses are crazy expensive! I’m okay at this whole triathlon thing. I’ve managed several top AG finishes and I’m starting to make my way up the ranks for overall women finishers but I’m nowhere near the best competitors nor where I want to be. I’ve always strived to be the best that I can. I believe that my best is yet to come and I think finishing Lake Placid will show me that I am capable to run with the big dogs in the future. And, perhaps I will fail at it. But at least I failed trying. But certainly, I won’t fail at trying to reach a dream.

~ Happy Training!

2012: A Year in Review Part I

Posted on December 30, 2012 by kmichaud87

Well folks, that time has come once again… 2012 is almost over! I’m so over 2012 and ready to ring in the new year!

I’ve reflected on 2012 about a million times by now and I’m sure that you’re all annoyed with me, but one last time! 2012 was a huge growing year for me. Perhaps because I hit that magic number of 25 and suddenly realized that I’m in my mid-20s and a “real” adult. For a long time I was rather unsure of what path I wanted to take in life. Throughout my undergrad years I really thought that medical school and becoming a physician was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. However, the summer I was supposed to apply to med schools I panicked and realized that I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in life. I decided I would take a year off from school and try to figure that out. I finished undergrad a semester early in December and during the beginning of one of the worst economic recessions in the more recent years. That coupled with the fact that my mother was just diagnosed with a very rare and terminal disease left me a bit unsure of my future. My mother passed in late March right around the time I got my first “big girl” job. I worked at the large biotech company for 9 months as a temp and finally landed my current full-time job at the small biotech company I work for and have been there for the past 3 years. During those 3 years I started my course work for my Master’s in Public Health with the idea that I would go on to Physician Assistant school to become a PA. Throughout my coursework I became more interested in the obesity crisis plus I started to get more involved with the sport of triathlon. I have some issues with the modern medical system in the United States. I won’t get into details about it because I could easily go on for days on the topic, but in a nutshell, I don’t like how the system treats the disease by handing out pills when we really should focus more of preventing the problem from the start. Enter… the public health field which is more focused on preventative care.

To be completely honest, I get slightly annoyed when people ask me what public health is. It is a very valid question though. The field of public health is extremely broad and really one could do so much with a degree in public health. My interests lie in physical activity, nutrition, and chronic disease prevention. I only came to this realization this past year. That’s the reason that I pursued my certification in personal training. Personal training allows me to help people reach their health goals through exercise and nutrition. I realized as a personal trainer that I can help someone with nutrition needs, but not to the full extend that I wish to do. So, that’s why I want to eventually pursue more education (okay, maybe I just really like school) to become a registered dietitian. 2012 has been a great year in figuring out where my future career path will go. Now, that I rambled on about some things let’s look at 2012 by the months!

January

January 1st began my first day of training with a coach and an individualized plan to help me meet my goals. Previously I had trained with a wonderful group of women (and if you live in the Southern Maine region I highly suggest you check them out!), but with my goal of my first Ironman in 2013 and my big dream of someday qualifying for Kona, then I knew that I needed to work with a coach to develop an individualized plan based on my strength and weakness, my busy life with work and school, and also my race schedule and goals in mind. It was one of the best decisions I made all year. Certainly, it wasn’t a cheap investment, but it was extremely worthwhile and I made huge improvements in my training and performances throughout the year. January was also the time that I started to get really interested in nutrition and finding the best diet for me. One of the highlights in January was my heart rate test on the bike. You can read about it here!

I also did a lot of winter running and had to break these bad boys out a couple of times!

February

I began the month with a nasty cold, which completely and utterly affected my 10-miler race early in the month. I have this stupid tendency to race while sick so I ran the Mid-Winter Classic sick. The first 4-5 miles I felt pretty good and was on target to meet my goal. Then half-way through it just went downhill – and downhill fast! I came really close to DNFing the race. It was not a fun experience and it only got worst later in the day when my clutch in my car went and I had to put over $2000 into fixing my car! February was not really a great month to say the lest.

I spent a lot of time creating puddles of sweat on the floor…

March

March was a very tough month for my personally. The end of the month marked the 3 year anniversary of my mother’s passing and it affected more than I thought. I was also having some personal problems with a close friend so March was a bit of a roller coaster ride for me. However, I did have a huge 5k PR in March! I also got Azul, my new triathlon bike! That was by far the best part of the month! Who doesn’t want a fancy new bicycle! Happy birthday to me! 🙂

Ready for REV3

April

April was a month of a lot of running breakthroughs for me. I’ve always hated running. I was always under the impression that I just wasn’t meant to be a runner. Either you are a runner or you’re not. However, with ~~some~~ A LOT of encouragement from my coach I finally had that breakthrough run I needed. My inner running goddess broke through that barrier and my running potential was unleashed! Yay! I had a HUGE half-marathon PR, mostly because my first half-marathon I ran sick.

May

I finally got my powermeter for Azul in May! One of the best decisions I made all year. Of course, the first one I received from SRAM was dysfunctional, but because SRAM has one of the best customer service experiences ever, I got my new and functional powermeter within a few days! Later in the month I did my first tri of the season. It didn’t go as well as I hoped. I made a lot of stupid rookie mistakes that I later kicked myself in the butt for. Oh well, the race was really for shaking out the cobwebs for the big half-Ironman in NH a few short weeks later.

Powermeter = LOVE!

June

June started out with a bang! I had my first Half-Ironman of the year – Ironman 70.3 Mooseman in New Hampshire. I wasn’t going to do this race originally, but the other Half I was going to do sold-out before I could register. I got sent into a panic over it and my coach suggested Mooseman. I was extremely nervous about the race because it’s one of the toughest courses in North America. The weather was sucky and that’s a understandment! Luckily it didn’t rain on race day! I had a decent race. I finished mid-pack in my very competitive age group (several of the podium finishers in my AG finished in the top 10 overall females for the day!) and I was pretty pleased with that result. I finished within a minute of my previous Half time from a MUCH easier course so even though I didn’t officially PR, I felt like it was a PR. At the end of the month I headed out to Ironman Lake Placid training camp with my fellow TriMoxie teammates and also athletes from Personal Best Multisport Coaching. It was one of my favorite experiences of the year. Not only did I get to meet some amazing people/athletes, but also got to interact with some great coaches and really decided if Lake Placid was going to happen or not in 2013. Camp was fun and a great learning experience. I learned some important lessons about Ironman training!

One important lesson = Be ready for thunderstorms with Hail in LP!

July

I started July off with a lovely summer cold, aka snotfest! However, I recovered and was able to race a local sprint tri in Norway. I ended up winning my AG and coming in 12th OA female for the day, even with a horrible run! I also rode the REV3 Half bike course for the first time as a recovery ride. However, I guess a 65-mile bike ride even at a slow aerobic pace is not considered a recovery ride. Sorry Mary! 🙂 The best part of July was volunteering at IMLP and cheering on all my friends and other local Maine/NH/MA athletes as they competed at IMLP and then signing up myself for the 2013 IMLP the next day! Although, I didn’t quite enjoy paying the almost $700 race fee!

1st AG W25-29

Officially registered for 2013!

August

August was a great race month for me. I ran my first 10k and first Beach to Beacon race. The race was executed exactly how my coach planned (which I totally didn’t believe her when she first gave me my pace goals) and I felt great overall despite the hot and humid weather conditions that left a lot of fellow runners on the sideline with heat exhaustion. At the end of the month, I raced my “A” race of the season – the REV3 Maine Half. I had a good race and finished 8th in my age group and finished top third-ish overall females. I’m slowly climbing myself towards the top of my age group, but I know that I have A LOT of work and improvements that I need to make over the years if I ever want to have a go at Kona and/or Vegas in the future. REV3 was my first real race – meaning that the goal of this race was to race for time and place and not just to finish. I think I did a pretty good job of that at this race; however, the race did show me where my weaknesses are in racing that I will focus on improving in 2013.

Beach to Beacon Finishline Sprint!

REV3 Maine Run

September

I entered the off-season in September. My plantar fasciitis and right hip problems came back after REV3. Honestly, I knew it was starting to come back before the race, but I continued to truck on my training and hoping that my body could hold out long enough to have a strong race. My original plan for September and the Fall months was to focus on running. Obviously, that didn’t happen with rehabbing my injuries. I spent a great deal of time focusing on strength training and yoga. September was a bit of a weird month for me. If you have been reading my blog for a while and/or know me in real life then you know that Bike Shop Boy was a big part of my life. However, somethings happened between us and we have gone our separate ways. I was really upset at the beginning because he was really a huge support system for me in my training and life; however, in retrospect, our parting was really a blessing in disguise. Of course, I truly wish him the very best in life.

Getting custom orthotics…

October

Most of October was spent focusing on school finishing up my last class for my MPH and also writing my thesis paper. My advisor at school had warned me that working a full-time job and a part-time job and then taking 9 credits would probably be a bad idea. Of course, I have this little tendency to try to do everything at once and also do it well so I went about doing all 3 things. In the end, she was totally right that it was extremely tough, but I got an A in my last class and also on my thesis! Training wise I was still focusing on strength and yoga. I did get out for a couple of short bike rides and oh yeah, the Dempsey Challenge. That was a rather wet and cold 50-mile ride. I was suppose to ride the 100-miler, but due to the fact that my feet were completely frozen (despite the fact that I had worn heavy socks, plastic bags, and a set of toe covers and full booties!) my feet still got wet and cold. I also got a tattoo! 🙂

From the first class. I’m the second one in in the white shirt. Nothing fancy here…

Hmm… looks like I need a pedicure…

November

I began my new job as a personal trainer (and my third job!) on the 1st. I quickly worked up to having 7 clients at a time. When I began I wasn’t certified; however, I had been studying all year knowing that I did want to pursue becoming a personal trainer. When a trainer position opened at my gym I jumped on it and was quickly hired. I signed up to take my test and passed on the first time (which is rare for most people)! I also was focusing on finishing my thesis paper and working on my epidemiology project for my internship. November was a very busy and stressful month and unfortunately I know my own training suffered some.

Certified!

December

Biggest accomplishment – I finished grad school summa cum laude and now have a MPH! One of the highlights of December was meeting Craig Alexander, aka “Crowie,” in Boston at his book signing. I’ve also been gearing up for some major changes in the new year, which you’ll all hear about in a couple of weeks!

So, that’s enough for today. Part Two will come tomorrow with some of the biggest highlights of my race season and also some of the biggest life lessons I learned throughout the year.

~ Happy Training!

I’m Back!

Posted on December 26, 2012 by kmichaud87

Wow! It’s been a while, huh?

A lot of things have happened over the past few weeks that have caused me to be MIA. The biggest reason I have been missing is that I finished my thesis paper and defended it! I was supposed to defend my thesis paper on HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean on-campus, but due to crappy weather we did it via teleconference. The best part of presenting my paper via teleconference was the fact I could wear my PJs and not have to put on makeup and my pearls. Winning moment right there!

So I can officially say that I have graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master’s in Public Health! Wahoo! I can now add the three little letters, MPH, that I have worked very hard to achieve over the past 2.5 years while working a full-time and a part-time job after my name! Yes, I might be bragging slightly when saying this, but I worked my ass off to finish graduate school while working. For anyone who has been in this position before, it’s not easy and I am very proud of my myself that I was able to balance work, school, and training and still maintain a 3.89 GPA. Damn, that B+ in Health Care Economics…

Anyway, now that graduate school is officially done I have been slightly lost. School has been a big part of my life for 20+ years and now I have reached the end of the road. I know I’m not done with school. I’m a bit addicted to school. It’s a rather expensive addiction I have learned. Hello SallieMae! I bet crack is cheaper… I still hope to pursue more schooling to obtain my RD, but I’m going to take at least a year off and really invest my time in developing my career. I’m not 100% sure at the moment how I’m going to utilize my MPH degree in my new career path, but I know I will find away.

I’m getting very excited about beginning training again with my coach on January 1st. For the past month I’ve been itching to get started again. I’ve been doing a little bit here and there, but I’ve been mostly consumed with my thesis paper and new job and unfortunately the whole swim, bike, run thing got put on the back burner. I do think this long break was good for me physically and mentally. I think the physical part is pretty obvious. My hip and foot needed to do some healing before I begin pounding the pavement and racking up some major mileage in the coming months in prep for IMLP. Mentally, I think I needed a break too. I had a lot going on this past Fall and I just needed a break from a regimen. It was nice to do what I felt like doing when I wanted to do it. I did a lot of yoga, did some of my favorite classes, tried Crossfit, and spent a lot of time doing some strength training, which I love. I have certainly gained a few pounds, which has set me in a bit of an anxiety-induced OMG I’m fat thought pattern. However, I have found that yoga has been a great help in ridding my thoughts on that subject. Race weight will come. A few extra pounds during base training is not a bad thing…

In more exciting news… I got to meet Crowie a couple of weeks ago in Boston! I adventured down to Beantown to visit Linda and go to the Crowie book signing. We hit up a hip hop yoga class prior to lunch and the book signing. It was my first time doing a hip hop yoga class and it was a bit weird. I’m still on-the-fence about the whole thing. I think I still fancy the normal relaxing music during yoga classes, but it was nice to try something new too. Crowie gave a great Q&A session before doing the book signing. And yes ladies, he is even more gorgeous in person! What I really like about Crowie is that he is very down-to-earth and clearly a very family oriented man. It’s quite refreshing to see that in the professional sports world. Although, I don’t think professional triathletes really compete with the status and income of other professional athletes (i.e. football, baseball). The key thing he said during the Q&A session was that all athletes should focus on core strength. Genius! Much of my strength training is core-based and I am constantly stressing to my clients and athletes the importance of core strength in everyday life and athletic performance! Don’t skip it! As you age you lose strength and thus it is important to begin training now!

Crowie likes Sam Adams!

~ Happy Training!

Tentative 2013 Race Schedule

Posted on November 26, 2012 by kmichaud87

Ok, so that picture just makes me giggle…

The next few weeks are going to be quite hectic and not because of the holidays. I made a good dent in my thesis paper this weekend and I need to buckle down this week and finish the rough draft by this coming Sunday to submit to my professor. I also need to work on my literature review too because I guess it wasn’t detailed enough. I’m a bit annoyed about that actually. I’ve never written a literature review before. Honestly, I find them quite useless. I have my own method of writing papers and it has been quite successful in the past. Why change it now?

Anyway, I’m glad Thanksgiving is over. It’s fun to hang with family, but I can generally only take them in small doses. We didn’t even spend Thanksgiving with my family. We ate dinner at my father’s girlfriends house with her entire family. It was interesting. I have my own crazy family and to be quite honest I’d rather not have to spend time with someone else’s crazy family. Don’t get me wrong, they are very nice people, but it was awkward to say the least.

Wednesday night I got my right hip adjusted by my chiropractor and it was very much-needed. It had been bothering me for the past week and I knew that it was “out.” She “prescribed” yoga for me. A lot better than drugs I would say! I hit up a hot yoga class yesterday at one of my favorite studios. It was awesome and left me feeling pretty relaxed afterwards.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my upcoming 2013 race season and have started putting together my tentative schedule. Here’s the current version at the moment and, of course, it is always subject to change.

2013 Race Season

2/3/13 – Mid-Winter 10-Miler Classic (Registered and revenge race after last year’s attempt at running it while sick)

3/3/13 – Irish Rover 5k

4/28/13 – Wallis Sands Half Marathon

5/4/13 – PolarBear Tri Sprint

6/9/13 – Pirate Tri Sprint

6/15/13 – Patriot Half Ironman

7/28/13 – Ironman Lake Placid (Registered)

9/9/13 – Pumpkinman Half Ironman

What races are you doing this year? I’m still sad that Mooseman is no more. 🙁 Although, it is now going to be run by a different race company, but I’m not sure on dates and if the course will be the same, etc. There is also going to be a new Olympic and Half distance race in Vermont the last weekend of June run by the same people who run the Patriot. If it wasn’t the same weekend as IMLP camp then I would probably consider it.

Official training begins January 1st! I made a comment to my boss at the gym on Friday that I was so out of shape after my run Thursday and he was like “are you kidding me?” Yeah, I am very swim, bike, run out of shape, but I can certainly kick butt at squats and chin-ups!

~ Happy Training!

Operation 6-Pack update

Posted on November 16, 2012 by kmichaud87

Okay, Operation 6-Pack is coming along well. I’ve been working hard to balance everything between work and school. Last week was a good week as far as workouts. I was able to hit up my favorite TRX/Kettlebell class followed by another Aerial Yoga class. Loved the combo! Wednesday night was my kettlebell clinic, which was a lot of fun, but left me with a bit of a sore back for a couple of days.

Sunday I got in a good little 3 mile run with my dog. I was finally able to run a couple sub-9 minute miles without any foot pain! Winning! However, my poor little dog got attacked by two leashless dogs and run into the river. She was a bit worked up from the situation, but was completely fine. Just a little wet. Although, I think she was secretly happy about that since she tried to go swimming but I wouldn’t let her.

Before the run-in with a couple mean doggies

I’ve been a bit disappointed with the lack of pounds lost, but I’ve been pretty steady with my weight. I guess I can’t get worked up about it, but it’s hard not to when I’ve had issues with body image in the past. I definitely feel stronger and during the TRX/Kettlebell class last week I did notice that I have a lot of muscle definition in my arms and shoulders so I’m getting there. My pants are getting looser again, but of course, I refuse to buy new pants until I really have too. Unless, it’s lululemon yoga pants… 🙂

Monday marked 50 days until the end of the year. Yikes! Where did this year go?! I’m so ready for 2013 though. BIG things coming! 🙂 Anyway, my focus the next less than 50 days is to concentrate on eating clean and also make sure I eat enough food through out the day. Between three jobs and school I don’t have a lot of spare time so I REALLY need to make a bunch of food on Sunday to eat throughout the week (if anyone has some good recipes send them my way!). And maybe focus on eating less Peanut Butter. The past couple of weeks my tummy has been all about PB, which is fine to an extent, but when that’s all I want to eat then that becomes a bit of a problem. Especially because I’m a PB snob.

~Happy Training!

Kettlebell Galore!

Posted on November 9, 2012 by kmichaud87

Whew! This week has been a bit hectic with trying to balance my life with working three jobs and finishing up school. I got an A in my Healthcare Policy class for my MPH! Wahoo! I love getting A’s, but who doesn’t?! Now I REALLY need to start working on my thesis. That is priority number one this weekend!

My other focus has been studying up for my upcoming test and also doing some researching for my new job. I know I’m being vague here and probably have piqued your curiosity, but I will reveal it soon. I promise. But, it’s exciting and it’s a large component in what I want to do in life.

On Wednesday evening I participated in a Kettlebell clinic at LiveVital. I’ve never been to LiveVital before, but that place is pretty darn awesome! It’s very similar to what I want to do in the future. For the past couple of months I have taken a TRX/Kettlebell class at Zuja Wellness periodically and I really enjoy the class. Usually I wake up the next month broken because Kettlebells kill me every time! But, I LOVE that feeling!

I don’t have much experience with Kettlebells and it is something I’ve very interested in implementing them in my workouts and eventually in some of my clients’ workouts. There are a great way to train for power and explosive movement. The instructors at LiveVital are all RKC-certified. RKC is the Russian Kettlebell Club and is a hardstyle training method that aims to build strength, endurance. You would think it’s solely a strength workout, but you develop a serious sweat almost instantaneously!

Kettlebells do require a lot of technique or you could be seriously injured, especially if you’re swinging some serious weight. I learned Wednesday that I could swing more weight than I normally do. My technique is pretty good, but still needs some work. My hip flexors are quite tight so I was having a hard time really “locking” out during the upswing. During the clinic we practiced swings and globet squats. I also learned that I should actually spread my legs slightly wider than hip-width to allow a deeper squat. LiveVital is having a couple more clinics and then will start offering classes after Thanksgiving. I’m kind of excited to try a few classes. I have a feeling that I might not be able to walk for days afterwards, but it’ll be fun (I hope)!

Did you see the totally badass planks in the middle of the video?! Holy cow!

~ Happy Training!

Seven Things to Do to Avoid Writing Your Thesis Paper & NHBPM#5

Posted on November 5, 2012 by kmichaud87

Sooo, this weekend had 49 hours and none of them were spent writing my thesis paper! Opps! Here are seven things I did instead!

1. I worked Saturday morning at my new job. I’m still learning the ropes, but I’m super excited to really get into the nitty gritty this week! 🙂

2. After work I headed downtown Portland to Lululemon to buy some new “work” pants, but they closed early. 🙁 Since, I paid the parking meter a lot of my coins I decided to walk around the Old Port a bit. I decided to try GoBerry for the first time since I’ve heard people rave about it. Well, my lactose intolerant tummy didn’t want much to do with it so I was only able to eat half of it. Usually I can handle yogurt products. Bummer!

3. I went to a Multisport Rountable Discussion put on by Personal Best Multisport Coaching about “having your best off-season yet.” It was a fun little discussion plus I got to catch up with some friends.

4. I did some studying for my upcoming test! I’m beginning to feel more confident about it. I’ve been putting it off for so long because I have been afraid of failing. I don’t standardized test well. Give me a knowledge-based or essay test then I will ace it (as long as it’s not physics or calculus that is!). I think I get test anxiety with standardized tests.

5. I did a little coloring! 🙂

6. I went to a bootcamp class on Sunday at my favorite fitness studio and got my butt kicked! There is something about kettlebells that just breaks me in half. I love them though and I have been slowly implementing some of the moves into my own workouts.

7. I used my Chuck Norris strength and moved a hot tub! It was empty and has been for years. My father is putting an additional onto the house so we had to move it from the old room to the new one. It was great fun…

The Before…

The After…

So that pretty much sums up my weekend. Nothing really eventful. Just kind of relaxing, which was nice.

November has been deemed National Health Blog Post Month and each day has a different prompt to write about. Obviously, I’m a bit late, but I’m going to try to partake, since it’s right up my alley. Today’s topic is either “Health Activist Soapbox” or “A List of Three Things You’re Thankful for/excited for/inspired by.” I’m going to go with the latter topic since if I step on my soapbox then I might never step off of it. It’s one of the cons I have learned with a public health degree. I could go on and on about healthcare and public health and the state of health in this country….

Three Things I’m Thankful for/Excited For/Inspired By:

1. I’m thankful for my education. I love school and I love to learn. Someday I will have to stop going to school (most likely due to Sallimae. Grr…), but I will never stop learning and broadening my horizons. I’ve been very fortunate that I have had many opportunities for learning experiences, whether it was going to a private high school, a college trip to Italy, or getting accepted and participating in one of the top biomedical summer research programs during college. I know many people don’t have those opportunities and I am thankful that I have had those opportunities to enrich my life.

2. I am excited about Ironman Lake Placid in 2013. I am equally scared shitless! I can’t wait to start official training January 1st and I’m excited to see truly what my mind, body, and soul can handle do 140.6 miles of swimming, cycling, and running on July 28, 2013! 🙂

3. I’m inspired by many of the new bloggers that I have come across when I made the switch from Blogger to WordPress. There are some amazing people out there sharing their stories and I could probably sit here and just read blogs all day. It’s always fun to connect with someone across the country from you who shares similar passions in life.

What are you thankful for/excited for/ inspired by?

~ Happy Training!

Running Injuries & November Goals

Posted on November 2, 2012 by kmichaud87

Yesterday was the first of November. Gasp! Where did the time go?! Before I know it, it will be January 1st and the beginning of Ironman Lake Placid Training! Honestly, I’m glad October is over. I’m going into November being done with my official classes for my MPH (I just have to finish my internship and thesis paper), a new job (actually a third job) that I’m super excited about and will help lead me to where I want to be in life, and without the baggage of jerk. I love a fresh slate!

November Goals:

1. Study and pass a very important test coming up! I’ve been taking a bunch of practice tests so I know my weak areas and now I just need to focus on those topics so I can pass this darn test! Let’s just say that it is related to my new job 🙂

2. Along the same line, FINISH my damn Masters Thesis so I can officially add the MPH behind my name! I’ve been lacking the motivation to work on my thesis and I’m behind. A lot. Opps! :-/ But, now that I’m done my health policy class I can focus on writing and crunching a bunch of epidemiology data so I can be done by the end of December.

3. My nutrition has been really bad lately. Some old issues with food have become a problem lately so I need to focus on that and fix the problem before it becomes an even larger one. I made the decision to work with a nutritionist to ensure that I am eating and fueling properly for my workouts, especially when I resume structured training in January with my coach.

4. I need to work on my time management skills and organization. I’ve always been very good with time management and I’m a fairly organized person. Although, my supervisor at work would disagree because my desk is a mess. It’s an organized mess, I swear! 🙂 I do well with balancing work, school, and training. Last spring I did all three and still retained a 4.0 GPA. However, as I go into January I need to be extremely organized because I know my schedule will be crazy and busy. I need to start preparing meals in advance, make sure I have clean clothes to wear for my various jobs and workouts and make time to get my workouts in! And, also have time for fun things!

5. Expand my network. I’m working on broadening my horizons and meeting new people. I’ve decided to try classes and attend events that I would not have done in the past. Thus far I have been having fun and I think I have met a few good new training partners and also I hope to make connections for when I do eventually launch my future business I can be successful at it.

And now, for something completely different…

For the past couple of Fall seasons I have dealt with Plantar Fasciitis and it sucks. Being injured sucks.

I came across this video on Facebook the other day and it is by far one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time. I hope no one takes offense to it… but so worth the watch. I was in tears by the end.

~ Happy Training!

Operation 6-Pack Update

Posted on October 31, 2012 by kmichaud87

So week 3 and 4 of Operation 6-pack (O6P) has passed. Honestly, there is nothing really exciting to write about it because I’ve been slacking a bit. Bad, bad Katelyn. Last week was a bit of a struggle to finish all my school work before the end of the class since I decided to wait till the very last-minute to do all of it. Again, bad bad Katelyn. It’s funny. I did the same thing my last semester of undergrad too in 2008. It’s the homestretch and I can taste the end, but yet, I have absolutely no motivation to do any of it! I think part of my has already mentally moved on to the next thing. I have two months to finish my thesis. That should be sufficient, right? Eekk!

Anyway, a few of you had asked me to define what certain exercise are that I have previously posted about during my workouts and I will get to that soon. I just upgraded my wordpress so I can now have videos. Oooo… I’ll give you a video of a body blaster! (Let’s hope I don’t fall on my face! 😉 )

I’ve been doing a bit of running again! (Insert super happy face 😀 ) The miles are slow and short, but my foot is holding up pretty good. My chiropractor is quite happy with my progress and I don’t have to see her until the end of the month! Yes!

This weekend is supposed to be nice so I’m hoping to get out again on my road bike. I’ve been debating on selling her or not because I spent about 95% on my tri bike, but I’m pretty attached to my road bike. Scott completely sold out of her in my size in 2011 when I purchased her and I called just about every Scott dealer in New England looking for her. I FINALLY found her in Great Barrington, Mass. I’m pretty sure I told the woman on the phone that I loved her when she told they had her in stock in MY size. So, I drove almost to the NY border to get her. I love that bike, but she sits in my garage and is lonely. Hmmm… we’ll see what happens. I kind of want a cross bike now…

I’m hoping things will dry up from Sandy by this weekend so I can get a good TRX and Rip trainer workout in! I do my workouts outside because I have yet to figure out where to hang it inside, however, I can use my TRX at my new gym! 🙂 Happy happy joy joy!

I totally found an absolutely killer TRX workout I want to try.

We’ll see if I survive!

Next week will be a much better update as I get back into my routine. This weekend I’m going to sit down and write out a 4-week plan for myself because I need to start getting ready for Ironman base training that begins on January 1, 2013! 🙂

~ Happy Training!

Weekend Wrap-up: The Fall Edition

Posted on October 22, 2012 by kmichaud87

Finally, we had a half way decent Fall weekend in Maine. Once again I have been focusing on procrastinating writing my health policy paper that is due at the end of the month. But, seriously I did start it last night… be proud. Be very, very proud.

Friday night I spent at home relaxing from some very stressful few weeks. A friend called asking me if I wanted to go out and grab a drink, but I just wanted to stay home and not do anything. The past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind for me and I’m hoping that my luck will turn around soon. Thinking positive thoughts! 🙂

I got quite a few pumpkins from my CSA farm and didn’t know what exactly to do with them. My father wasn’t going to allow me to do what I really wanted to do – to use them for target shooting with his rifle. I guess my father doesn’t trust me with a gun. But, what he fails to realize that I actually have a halfway decent shot!

Target shooting in Montana – August 2010

Look at that aim! Okay, so I’m not that good…

So, I did what every respectful pumpkin owner would do – attack it with a giant knife! I’ve never craved a pumpkin before, but because I’m the ambitious type I decided that I was going to crave my bike shop’s logo into the pumpkin and give it to them. Aren’t I just the best person ever? (Don’t answer that…)

The before…

Tracing the pattern onto the pumpkin

The After!

I did have a couple oopsies, but luckily toothpicks do a good job of holding up the fallen pieces. I think it came out pretty good for my first time. I give it about a C+. The boys enjoyed it and that’s all that really matters. (Although, I’m sure they were secretly hoping for something yummy to eat).

I wanted to get a lot done on Saturday so I decided to get my butt out of bed super early and hit the gym. I pulled into the parking lot at 6:01 only to find out that the gym opens at 7:00 on the weekends. Duh! Panera opens at 6am so I got breakfast and read a couple of articles out of Inside Triathlon then headed back over to the gym. I had a good workout despite the fact that my abs and glutes were still super sore from my first crossfit experience on Thursday evening. More on that later this week.

On Saturday mornings Lululemon offers free yoga classes at their showroom in Portland so I decided to hit up a class. One of my off-season goals is to do as much yoga as possible to help with my flexibility, or more like lack there of. I’ve also found that I really enjoy yoga. When I first tried yoga in college I really wasn’t keen on it. I found it boring and painful. My attention span isn’t very long so I had trouble staying still in poses. I stopped yoga for a while and picked it up again last fall when I was injured. I fell in love with it. I didn’t do much over the summer because I found it hard to fit it into my training schedule. But, I think I’m going to try to make it a priority to at least hit up one class a week throughout the winter/early spring months. I’ve finally found that mind/body connection in yoga and for the most part I can forget about things in class. It’s a good feeling. Living in the Now.

After class I walked back to my car only to find a parking ticket. Awesome! See, bad luck. Dropped the pumpkin off and headed home. I had to work in the evening. It was busy for the first couple of hours, but after 6:30 usually it’s dead. I spent a good hour or hour and half just pacing back and forth trying to figure some stuff out. Next year I’m hoping to launch phase one of my dream business so mentally I’ve been working up a business plan in my head. Of course, I really ought to put in on paper. So, stay tuned for hopefully a launch during the spring! 🙂

Sunday was a gorgeous Fall day. My initial plan was to ride my bike up to Pineland to watch some of the cyclecross races, but I honestly haven’t been very motivated to ride my bike lately. Part of it is because I don’t have a workout to do and the other part is the lack of a riding partner.

Instead, I decided to run! 🙂 I ran a mile on the treadmill Saturday at the gym to test out my foot. It hasn’t bothered me in a little while so I figured I’d give her a little test. I didn’t feel like running on the road. I decided that a little trail running would be fun! Plus, I could bring my dog! Normally, I would go down to the Eastern Trail, but I’m tired of that and Bradbury is a little to “rooty” for my foot at the moment. I decided to hit up Twin Brooks. It was a bit muddy, but both Reagan and I had a blast. I wore my Garmin just to see what my pace was although I wasn’t running for pace. It was painfully slow, but such as life. I ended up running about 3.5 miles overall. And, the foot held up pretty good! 🙂 So, hopefully that means I can start to resume some run training. I’d like to run the Turkey Trot and also the Thanksgiving 4-miler in November.