Dana Burland

Wow, I had a great racing day today. Today was the Grand Rapids Sprint Triathlon, an event I've been training for 8 weeks for. And man did that training pay off. This was my fastest GR Sprint Tri EVER! I had my best swim time by a minute, best bike time by a minute and a half, and fastest run time by about half a minute. PR'ing was not my goal, my goal was to relax and enjoy the race, though focus in and push the bike portion. This was my first time racing with cages on my pedals allowing me to push down and pull up and maximize my cycling, the first time I spent nearly all the race in my highest/toughest gear setting, and the first time I spent nearly all the race in my lowest handlebar hold crouched position. Best of all, this race felt relaxed and fun (mostly). On the swim I wasn't trying to sprint, but was able to relax more than I think I ever have in open water. I wasn't panicked or fighting it. On the bike I tried to stay in the moment and push, focused on gettin...

I just finished week four of an eight week sprint triathlon training plan. We’re halfway, baby! This training plan is broken into four, two week chunks. Each chunk asks more of me than before—increased mileage and speed work. Here’s what my workouts looked like in the last two weeks: Monday : 3 mile run, with 4 sets of 2 min fast/2 min slow Tuesday : 45 minute bike ride, with 4 sets of 3 min fast Wednesday : strength training Thursday : rest day Friday : 30 minute swim, moderate pace Saturday : 30 minute bike ride + 15 minute run Sunday : 55 minutes easy endurance (walk or easy bike ride) I’m finding the first week of each new chunk totally wipes me out. The step up from the week before is so tough. I’m sore and exhausted. The second week though, while still plenty of effort, is much more manageable. Most days I can easily find a time to get my training in, but one day this past week was comical. I needed to be home for an afternoon service appointment. With work and kid stu...

It’s go time, baby! I just finished two weeks of an eight week sprint triathlon training plan, prepping for early June’s GR Tri. I can’t state enough how much I love training. So much more than the race itself. The daily challenge, the discipline of my paper plan coach, watching progress build–it's rewarding. This year’s training plan is in chunks where I repeat workouts for two weeks before building on. These past two weeks haven’t asked more of me on a daily basis than what I’m capable of, but the nature of triathlon training is to do the next day tired from the day before, and boy was I tired after week one. Monday I ran. Tuesday I biked. Wednesday I lifted. Thursday I rested. THANK GOD. Friday I swam. And ok, just to say, middle-aged-Craig tried to recruit me for the YMCA Masters Club team again, so your girl’s still got it! Saturday I biked and ran. Sunday I did an endurance bike ride. Early bedtimes happened. Snoozing morning alarms happened. Foam rolling while wi...

 ...and the last one of the season! This is indoor triathlon 3 of 3 of the monthly races my local YMCA puts in the winter. It's an excellent kick-start to the Sprint triathlon training I'll start soon. My goal at this race was similar to others this year--race strong and steady, but not so fast I injure myself. About a week ago I was suffering from some gnarly hip/butt pain from over use and lack of stretching. I'd been taking time off, slowly rehabbing and strengthening. I didn't want this casual indoor race to back track that work. And, success!  I swam strong, feeling good in the water for 18 lengths. I biked 6 miles in just over 20 minutes, my typical slow/steady leg. I felt comfortable and in control during the 2 mile run. The hightlight, as always, was having my boys there to time me and watch me do it all. They were so supportive, and I love that they get to see Mom do tough stuff.  In 2 weeks I'll start an 8 week training plan for the early summer Sprint tri...

I should voice-to-text this. It hurts to hold my arms up to type. Yesterday was the second of three winter indoor triathlons at my local YMCA. Where Jan’s goal was to have fun & complete it, yesterday I wanted to go farther in each leg. (This is structured so you swim/bike/run as much as you can in 15 min each.) And I mean, I did that, but also almost passed out in the process. The first half of the swim felt good but hard. When I checked the clock I realized I needed to keep on pace to better my distance. I was COOKED getting out of the water swimming 41.5 lengths in 15 min (up from 38.25 last month). Biking is my weakest leg. I took it easy at the Jan race, and have been doing more spin classes since then, but biking after that swim was so challenging. I completed 4.25 miles (just up from 4.2 in Jan). I was NOT well heading into the run. Thought about sitting it out. Thought about walking it. Thought about disappearing to a local diner for a stack of chocolate chip pancake...

Or alternatively titled: The Triathlon That Wasn’t Supposed to Be. We were supposed to be skiing up north, unfortunately missing the first of three monthly mini indoor triathlons at the YMCA. Instead it snowed with sub 0 temps for nearly 2 weeks, making a drive and ski up north too dangerous. Boy were we bummed to cancel our trip. BUT, a surprise weekend at home meant saying “yes” to a few things we turned down thinking we’d be out of town. Like A’s basketball game, where he spent the entire game GLUED defending his opponent, only occasionally breaking to butterfly swing his arms while running to the opposite side of the court. Six year olds playing sports are truly the best. Also: the indoor tri. At A’s basketball game, my brother and I realized we could and probably should try to sign up late to compete, or we’d regret it. About 16 hours before the event we were signed up and ready to go. Now… I’m not in shape for this. Because… Christmas cookies. The goal was to compete...

Training update... we've hit a little glitch. All was going swimmingly (pun intended) until I pinched a nerve in my back two weeks ago while picking up A. Yep, I'm pinch-a-nerve-when-picking-up-your-kid old.  And man, I hadn't experienced that before, and it sucked. So there's the bad news, and thankfully that's all the bad news.  The good news is I had such a strong base of fitness already, and this happened 7 weeks from race day. I can recover from this and get to the starting line just fine.  If my goal wasn't already to run a healthy, happy race (not PR), it is now!  I scaled back training. I've been rehabbing. I already feel a lot better, but not perfect. I'm taking it workout by workout--paying a bit more attention to what feels right and stopping when it feels wrong.  I'm aiming to get back to the training plan...ish, this upcoming week. Maybe not the full workout each day, but closer to it. 

Here we go again. I’ve kicked off another sprint triathlon training plan. I’m locked into a routine for the next eight weeks, prepping for the Grand Rapids Sprint Triathlon on June 7. I love training. The race is fun, but have you ever challenged and surprised yourself on a near daily basis? The discipline, the athletic mindset of it all–THIS is the best. Except this morning. After eating roughly 6 pounds of chocolate covered matzo leftover from Passover , track sprints at 5am just didn’t sound fun… or feel fun, frankly. Some of these workouts just get done vs get done beautifully. My goal for this tri is fun, healthy completion. I specifically would like to NOT PR. I’d like to prove to myself I can train and race with enjoyment, without needing to prove anything to myself. The other challenge, of course, is the family calendar. Piano and soccer and weekend activities all pick up in the Spring–just as my workouts will go from 30-40 minutes to 50-70. It’ll be a balancing act, for s...

You know, stationary biking for more than 15 minutes is rough. Even with a crowd of others. Even with loud good music. Nothing makes up for the fact that you're going nowhere. And my quads burnout. And I'm slow.  Anyway. Today was the last YMCA winter indoor tri of the season. This one was a 450m swim, 6 mile bike, 2 mile run.  My goal for today was to put in an effort but not race it/go nuts. It's fun to be able to walk for the rest of the day (and the next day) after. It's nice to not be out of it for more than a 5 min cool down. I don't need a medal.  Overall I'd call today a success. The swim was fast and easy. The bike hurt and took forever. The run started off rough but I settled into a pace I was pleased with and got it done. Best of all Cam and Adrian were my counters (with Ben handling the actual start to finish stop watch to make sure the time was right :) ). I finished the whole thing in 50 min, 51 sec.  Look at what a tight age group race it was! Of ...

Yesterday I ran the East Grand Rapids Irish Jig 5K. Can you believe it was cloudy and 55 ° F for this race? In West Michigan! In mid-March! What a treat. I wanted to have a fun race, comfortable with no effort for a personal best, and I did just that. I ran it in 27:09. Of course I immediately wished I had poured in a bit more to get under 27, but that was a fleeting thought. I'm trying hard to race for fun vs pressure of PR, and noticing along the way when I do I'm not that far off where I thought I'd be if I raced anyway.  Better than the run itself was doing it with coworker/friends/my brother. Good chatter before the race, fun to catch up and grab brunch after. That's a PR in 5K fun.

You know, I just don’t enjoy swimming and hardly get in the pool as an adult. Too many years of 5am swim practice, two-a-days, never not smelling like chlorine. I just… prefer not to, now. I’m not sure what got into me but when I saw a YMCA event aiming to get a group of swimmers together to collectively swim the 118 miles it would take to cross Lake Michigan, I thought–alright, let’s do it. And of course I made my brother sign up, too. Welp, I’m sad to report as a group, the FOUR of us who signed up, did not come close to swimming across. BUT, individually I beat my goal of swimming 2 miles by swimming 3 miles (5,400 yards, or 216 lengths of the pool). I haven’t done that kind of distance since college swim practice in 20… well, nevermind the year and how long it’s been. I can’t believe I cranked that out. BIG emphasis on crank. Good lord were my shoulders absolutely fried not even a third of the way through. We ended up in the water for a little shy of 2 hours. It was fun to do...

Braggy 5K alert! Sorry, you can skip this, but posting for documentation. I ran a fast 5K today. It was hard, it hurt, I'm happy! 24:53. 9 seconds off my 5K PR. (Man, couldn't I have gone just 9 seconds faster today!?) Good for 36 out of 330 in my age group (females 30-39), and 80 out of 1,191 females racing. I'm faster than I was at 25. Heck yes. I'd be remiss not to humbly mention I later spent 4 hours of this same glorious day painfully trying to switch cell phone providers. And also my 4 year old coughed directly into my mouth.  Rest assured I've been quickly put back in my place. (...but 24:53, though) :) 

And just like that we're 1.5 weeks away from race day. The last 3 weeks especially I've been putting in hard, hard work.  5am treadmill runs I didn't think I could finish. Brick workouts (bike + run) daunting on paper but within the realm of my capabilities. Swims... well, it pays to be a former competitive swimmer even though I'm still scared of seaweed.  This training plan is still a challenge for me. I'm grateful for that. I love showing up each day to something tough and knocking it out. The training remains as much, if not more, enjoyable for me than the race itself.  Maybe harder than the physical work was last week's unplanned rest. I got knocked off my feet for a few days and needed some actual, do nothing rest days. I'm not a good rester outside of training. It took discipline to sit and ignore a few workouts. Probably because I did exactly that, when I got back to it this week it was no big deal. No great fitness lost. An interesting, important...

Ok, I’ve heard of it all now. I’ve done a zillion sun salutations all in a row. I’ve tried a headstand. I even did hot yoga once. (You too would call it one and done if you received a splattering of sweat from your 70-year-old male yoga neighbor while minding your own downward dog business. I gag just at the memory.) Last night’s yogaventure was thankfully free of sun salutating and other’s body fluid. I tried a flying yoga class with a coworker, hosted in a strange warehouse in town. I did this! Didn't look like this, though The idea is that large silk ribbons dangling from the ceiling and forming a loop at about hip height will help you achieve a deeper stretch in traditional yoga poses. Oh, and they also help with somersaulting in midair in semi-terrifying circus-like moves. The beginning of the class was great. The instructor led us through lots of hip opening and hamstring stretching moves. Then stuff got kinda weird. We dangled in the air, stood on top of our...

No, not a physical, human trainer; a bike trainer. With this puppy placed right in front of the TV, I hardly have an excuse for missing New Girl episodes—unfortunately Ben can say the same thing about football games.

What’s life without its simple joys? Fuzzy slippers, holding the remote control, the rare occasion when someone else gets the mail—instant smile creators, I tell ya. Lately I’ve been on a kick with a few different joy inducers. Nothing is groundbreaking, but if you’re looking for something to add a little spice to your life, start with this Dana approved list. OMG yum: Jif Whips Peanut butter (or chocolate peanut butter, in my case) in a light whipped consistency? Yes, please. Upon hearing about this from a coworker, I quickly picked up a tub of my own. The chocolate/PB version was a perfect companion to sliced apples, graham crackers and (oops) fingers. Rumor has it the PB version has a lower calorie per serving ratio than regular Jif PB, too. Ouch, ooouch: Cursty squats Squats are boring, curtsy squats are not. I like the balance element this exercise adds and that it’s more dynamic than its standard squat cousin. When I do add weight to this move, it’s usually 5lbs and i...

A bun, a yoga mat and a whole lotta pain Mornings. That's what's up. I’m finally forklifting myself out of bed early enough for pre-work workouts. It’s nothing intense, just enough time for a 30-minute AM sweat. Sometimes I run(/walk), sometimes I do circuits and sometimes I show up sleepy eyed at the gym and jump on a bike. I’m never excited to start; but I always, always feel ready for the day afterward. After work, I try to find a little time for a less intense round two. Sometimes that’s a few yoga poses (which—ouch), sometimes it’s planks and push-ups while watching Chopped , sometimes it’s P90X Ab Ripper in which case I spend the rest of the night whimpering while rewarding myself with ice cream. Hey, just being a honest blogger up in here. What helps is the unavoidable black bin in the living room. Most of our workout gear is stored away but a stretchy band, some light weights, my foam roller, massage stick and yoga mat live in this bin by the TV. It's...

Ouch! : Saturday morning Ben was feeling particularly restless—and as it turns out, extra trusting. I took him over to the local track and put the both of us through a nice high intensity circuit workout. Boy was it nice to avoid the Chuck Taylor wearin’, weight droppin’, so-muscular-they-can’t-hold-babies, ultra-dudes at the gym. 30-minute full-body circuit Run 1 lap around the track (pick it up the last quarter) 10 squats 10 lunges (on each foot) 10 burpees 20 iso-crunches (forcing the small of your back to the ground) 10 pushups (20 if you’re Ben) Repeat! Travels : Sunday we spent the afternoon in the charming little town of Saugatuck. After lunch, exploring, shopping (and, oops, gelato) adventures I spotted an uber eclectic antique shop. Now, I’m not really in the market for more stuff, but I dig finding treasures that have meaning to me. For that reason it felt especially great to snag these vintage license plates. They scream for the state I love, and bring a little c...

Sunday morning was deviously deceiving. The lake out back looked peaceful with a finally fully frozen lid; and the way the sun hit the dust of snow on the deck made it glitter. The temp was 15, with a feels-like temp of 1. It’s colder (and snowier) now, but the air seems to lazily stand still. Maybe like we’re only capable of hearing to a certain frequency, we’re only capable of feeling up to a certain deep freeze. For that, I’m thankful… I think. I really was thankful, on Sunday, when B put in a request for chili. I opted for this no-frills, fast slow-cooker recipe mostly because it was a third of the calorie count of some frillier recipes I found. I set it up in the morning and by early afternoon had a nice cozy pot of—watery chili. Blerg. I thickened it with a quick cornstarch mix and was surprised to find it was actually good. The only other to-do item on my Sunday agenda was to get a run in. Single digit temps meant it would be at the gym. Treadmills kill a runner’s sens...

Part of my high school shower routine was a quick scrub with that season’s new Bath and Body Works scent and three sneezes. Every shower. Without fail. Why? Orange Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash. Thirty seconds into every washing I’d sneeze, sneeze and sneeze. At some point I quit using it, and moved on to other random products that either stung, dried or smelled funny. Why should it take such a miracle cocktail of chemicals to produce smooth, clean skin? Well, it doesn’t. I found that out one day over lunch with my former boss—a spunky 50-year-old lady with flawless, wrinkleless, smooth skin. And even though she once told me about a wickedly expensive facial in Europe all done with rare, collected nightingale poop, her normal skin care routine was simple and inexpensive. More often than not she used warm water—no soap; but sometimes she used olive oil. And she’s not the first person with baby’s butt skin I’ve heard jump on the olive oil bandwagon, either. Last year on a mad chemi...