December has been nuts! I have been so insanely busy that I was no way ready for Christmas and was a total Grinch. But... after some shopping, Christmas tree and house decorating, and gift wrapping - I am beginning to get in the mood.
I started coaching swim this month unexpectedly and the kids are great. I love them. Swimmers rank up their with cross country runners... just really really sweet kids. I was extremely worried about coaching this team but I do the work outs two days a week and have a helper who comes in once to teach skill work and technique. She went to college on a swim scholarship and is amazing! I try to soak up all her tips as well. The bad thing is practice is from 7:30-8:30 which leaves for a late night. I can't decide if I like it or hate it. It is good that I can do my own work out, get dinner for the kids, etc before practice but then it is bad because it makes for a very long day.
I also finished off my run club with the St. Jude kids marathon. It was a really emotional day for me. The Lausanne kids were so pumped to be running and just being down there for that cause is just an amazing feeling. The kids run ran along the marathoners for a bit and as we rounded the corner and saw the stadium they were so excited. I have not done St. Jude in years but next year I am pretty sure I am going to run the half. I loved being part of the crowd and they did an awesome job with the kids race and after party.
We have celebrated Christmas big time this week as the kids will be with the other parents for the week before Christmas. We all had a secret Santa this week and we hid presents around the house for each other. We ended the week with a reveal party with way too much food and by then everyone had figured out who was who. Noah definitely took the prize for the most creative gifts. It was so fun buying for everyone. At our kids age it is hard to get them in the Christmas spirit. When they were younger, we had santa visits, enchanted forest, alpine village, etc to get them excited. As teenagers it is hard. This year I put a bunch of activities in a bowl. Make cookies, Make snowman ice cream, watch a Christmas movie, play Christmas Pictionary, Christmas Cake eating contest, go look at lights, etc and we picked one every morning to do that night. Lots of fun and all the kids had a great time.
Stewart rewarded ourselves with a quick trip to NOLA leaving the 19th and coming back the 22nd so I have a busy week getting everything ready for Christmas day!
And on the training front... I have hired my old coach Liz starting in January. I have been free wheeling it and doing just enough for a while now. With Boston and Ironman on the horizon figured it was time to get back to work. I do plan on doing the CC winter series which I have not done in forever so excited about that!! I am extremely nervous how I am going to fit IM training in my life so decided it was time to hand that back over to a coach. Liz is great, knows me, believes in undertraining vs overtraining and in the past she produced lots of PR's. January will be back to hitting the training in a more structured way ...
Happy December!!
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Fiery Gizzard Trail Race
MY LEGS ARE SORE! WONDERFULLY SORE! I was very excited to be racing. I had not raced since July and was ready to get back to it. There have been some races that I have wanted to do but they always fell at the wrong weekend. When I received the email from John Hardwin that they were doing this trail race, I was pumped! John is crazy! His races are always fun and he always puts in a little extra to make sure you receive the full trail experience. To make it even more perfect it was on the weekend we would be in Mont Eagle. I began training using the First Plan. I love that plan as I only have to run 3 days a week and 4 is my max I ever run so it is perfect. I also like the track work outs but the tempo runs not so much. I felt like I was in pretty good shape going into this race. The week of the race I started with my typical I don't feel good sickies. This is usually a sign of nerves and a good race but this week I was surrounded with kids at school with the stomach bug, a stepson with the flu and my molar's filling broke the day I left for Mont Eagle. I just knew I would either be sick or in major tooth pain by the time race day dawned We spent the days before the race hanging in Chattanooga and spending time in Mont Eagle with about 35 of Stewart's extended family. Let's say I went into this race extremely carbo loaded. I am still not sure that race took care of all that food!
Race morning dawned and it was perfect. Chilly but not too cold. John talked to us about staying on the white blazed trails, not getting shot by Hunters, and making sure we did not get lost in the Gorge. He also told us the half was going to be about 14 miles, a fact I was very glad I knew at the end of the race. My goal was to be top 3 women. I never have a time goal really for trail races. I just try to run the pace that I need to run to stay up front. I started the race in 2nd, moved into 1st followed some guys on a wrong turn and quickly moved back to third as we got back on the right trail and worked my way to first. Where I soon began to realize the 2nd place girl who eventually won was messing with me. She pulled one of my moves way too well. She stayed right behind me until the last mile and a half. It was nice to have someone to talk to. I was pretty sure I knew her plan but thought maybe she was just struggling to keep up. A couple of times I would pick it up and she was right there. And she ran like a damn Indian. She was so quiet I would think I dropped her and nope she would be there. I even caught and passed some guys during this time and she would go with every surge. Then I knew she was F@&king with me. I have to say once she made the final pass, I was just relieved and had already talked myself into being happy with second female. This is where maybe my lack of racing or fitness got me. Lack of racing because I had forgotten how to push or hurt and to not just give up easily. Lack of fitness because I know now I should have trained on some Hillier trails. The course was described as few parts having climbing and the rest of it mostly flat on the ridge line. I trained mostly flat and always forget that Chattanooga mostly flat does not equate to Memphis mostly flat until I am racing it. I do believe although this chica was 20 plus years younger than me if I would have ran more at the forest, stanky, and herb I could have beaten her. My legs were tired We did have some great creek crossings and pretty much hand and knee rock climbing at parts. It was gorgeous!!! More than one waterfall. As we were heading back, I caught up with a guy who was a climber on those trails so he was able to give me a nice play by play of what we had left. In true hardwin fashion instead of running the trail straight back to the finish, he had us take the climbing acess all the way down and then climb all the way back up. This was hard but great for many reasons. First it was beautiful, we had the huge foster falls waterfall roaring behind us, lots of rock climbers were out on the trail climbing and they all spoke to us, and Stewart, Richard, and Stewart's uncle had hiked down to wait on me which was a big surprise. I was very happy to see them Although I miss Stewart running and racing with me he has been an incredible Sherpa these past few months. Even mtn biking on my long runs and carrying all my fuel and he is a great race day supporter.
I was pleased to be second female. Last tri season I decided I would never end a race with should have -could haves and just be grateful that I did the best I could on that day. I also am extremely grateful to have the ability to continue to do what I love. Things could be a lot worse than missing an overall win by a minute. They had do e sweet awards. We all know I love an award and am always happy when they are a little over the top. I also got a breakaway gift card. Yay for some new racing flats
I am not sure what is next. I had thought about taking it willy nilly for the month of Dec but I also Am looking at the herb parson half and the village creek 25k. Whatever I choose I continue to work on just enjoying and doing what I love. I. I of course will continue with my new boxing craze until tri season starts
Happy Running!
Race morning dawned and it was perfect. Chilly but not too cold. John talked to us about staying on the white blazed trails, not getting shot by Hunters, and making sure we did not get lost in the Gorge. He also told us the half was going to be about 14 miles, a fact I was very glad I knew at the end of the race. My goal was to be top 3 women. I never have a time goal really for trail races. I just try to run the pace that I need to run to stay up front. I started the race in 2nd, moved into 1st followed some guys on a wrong turn and quickly moved back to third as we got back on the right trail and worked my way to first. Where I soon began to realize the 2nd place girl who eventually won was messing with me. She pulled one of my moves way too well. She stayed right behind me until the last mile and a half. It was nice to have someone to talk to. I was pretty sure I knew her plan but thought maybe she was just struggling to keep up. A couple of times I would pick it up and she was right there. And she ran like a damn Indian. She was so quiet I would think I dropped her and nope she would be there. I even caught and passed some guys during this time and she would go with every surge. Then I knew she was F@&king with me. I have to say once she made the final pass, I was just relieved and had already talked myself into being happy with second female. This is where maybe my lack of racing or fitness got me. Lack of racing because I had forgotten how to push or hurt and to not just give up easily. Lack of fitness because I know now I should have trained on some Hillier trails. The course was described as few parts having climbing and the rest of it mostly flat on the ridge line. I trained mostly flat and always forget that Chattanooga mostly flat does not equate to Memphis mostly flat until I am racing it. I do believe although this chica was 20 plus years younger than me if I would have ran more at the forest, stanky, and herb I could have beaten her. My legs were tired We did have some great creek crossings and pretty much hand and knee rock climbing at parts. It was gorgeous!!! More than one waterfall. As we were heading back, I caught up with a guy who was a climber on those trails so he was able to give me a nice play by play of what we had left. In true hardwin fashion instead of running the trail straight back to the finish, he had us take the climbing acess all the way down and then climb all the way back up. This was hard but great for many reasons. First it was beautiful, we had the huge foster falls waterfall roaring behind us, lots of rock climbers were out on the trail climbing and they all spoke to us, and Stewart, Richard, and Stewart's uncle had hiked down to wait on me which was a big surprise. I was very happy to see them Although I miss Stewart running and racing with me he has been an incredible Sherpa these past few months. Even mtn biking on my long runs and carrying all my fuel and he is a great race day supporter.
I was pleased to be second female. Last tri season I decided I would never end a race with should have -could haves and just be grateful that I did the best I could on that day. I also am extremely grateful to have the ability to continue to do what I love. Things could be a lot worse than missing an overall win by a minute. They had do e sweet awards. We all know I love an award and am always happy when they are a little over the top. I also got a breakaway gift card. Yay for some new racing flats
I am not sure what is next. I had thought about taking it willy nilly for the month of Dec but I also Am looking at the herb parson half and the village creek 25k. Whatever I choose I continue to work on just enjoying and doing what I love. I. I of course will continue with my new boxing craze until tri season starts
Happy Running!
Monday, November 17, 2014
Training....
Training these days has been amounting to not much . I am really trying to take it easy and follow no schedule as I know with Boston and Ironman things are going to get pretty hectic soon. This is what I have learned about myself and training over the years... less is definitely better and if I do too much too soon, I will get frustrated and burned out. I have been running 3 days a week to prepare for a trail half marathon on the Fiery Gizzard trails over Thanksgiving weekend. Super excited as I have hiked part of these trails and they are beautiful and it has been way too long since I have raced and especially on the trails which are my favorite. I have been doing the First plan and I finally feel like I have some decent fitness. Not for a 5k but definitely for a 10k to a half. At least I feel that ways most days. I can do a great tempo run and then feel like a freight train during a speed work out or vice versa. I do like that running 12 miles seem no longer like a chore and yes I can finally run the last miles at faster than race pace. For a while there, I was not sure if I was ever going to get that feeling back. The long runs just seemed LOOONG and SLOOW and TRUDGING ALONG at the end. Yesterday despite the cold and rain, my 12.5 mile run was good.
I have been mountain biking some which I love even though my bike is crap, I wreck often and I have thrown myself over the handlebars once already this season. I continue to mess around at boot camp, lifting weights, and the occasional swim. I was actually loving swimming and then found out if I want to keep my expensive Brazillian Blow out - I better get out of the pool. My cheapness won out but I find myself really missing swimming. So much so that I am trying to decide to get another one in December. I am polling everyone in person and I am sure a poll will pop up on Facebook soon.
I have also been going to 9 rounds... my new obsession. I freaking love it! I have told Stewart that this may be my last season as a triathlete and I may go into the MIA fighting ring. :) I love it so much that even though Riley reported my booty looked a little like J-Lo and Stewart said I was looking a little thick - I continue to go back. I have told Stewart - please... the words girl and thick should never be used in the same sentence.
After this half, I will goof off even more which is becoming easier and easier for me to do on the training front until January/February where I begin to train for Boston and then I will began my build for tri season. I really think I will push the start of my tri season until June even though I will miss some good early season racing. I am just so afraid of wanting to hang up my bike and swim suit by July/August when I should be hitting my peak training. I am actually really looking forward to Ironman training. How easily we forget!!
I have also decided to train for Boston as I want to re qualify so all my workouts will be geared toward that pace but then on race day, ditch the garmin, run by feel and whatever happens happens as I am not really sure I ever want to go back.
I have been missing my injured training partner soon and can not wait for him to get back out there. It is really hard to get out of bed on cold mornings when I am the only one getting up. Luckily he has started swimming, biking and yoga so running should be able to start soon. Most of the family plans to run the cross country series this year which should be fun. I have not done it in ages so it will be fun to mix that in.
As for the cold, I am over it! My asthma sucks worse than in the humidity and I miss throwing on shorts and a sports bra. Plus my old lady bones are just frigid.
Happy running!
I have been mountain biking some which I love even though my bike is crap, I wreck often and I have thrown myself over the handlebars once already this season. I continue to mess around at boot camp, lifting weights, and the occasional swim. I was actually loving swimming and then found out if I want to keep my expensive Brazillian Blow out - I better get out of the pool. My cheapness won out but I find myself really missing swimming. So much so that I am trying to decide to get another one in December. I am polling everyone in person and I am sure a poll will pop up on Facebook soon.
I have also been going to 9 rounds... my new obsession. I freaking love it! I have told Stewart that this may be my last season as a triathlete and I may go into the MIA fighting ring. :) I love it so much that even though Riley reported my booty looked a little like J-Lo and Stewart said I was looking a little thick - I continue to go back. I have told Stewart - please... the words girl and thick should never be used in the same sentence.
After this half, I will goof off even more which is becoming easier and easier for me to do on the training front until January/February where I begin to train for Boston and then I will began my build for tri season. I really think I will push the start of my tri season until June even though I will miss some good early season racing. I am just so afraid of wanting to hang up my bike and swim suit by July/August when I should be hitting my peak training. I am actually really looking forward to Ironman training. How easily we forget!!
I have also decided to train for Boston as I want to re qualify so all my workouts will be geared toward that pace but then on race day, ditch the garmin, run by feel and whatever happens happens as I am not really sure I ever want to go back.
I have been missing my injured training partner soon and can not wait for him to get back out there. It is really hard to get out of bed on cold mornings when I am the only one getting up. Luckily he has started swimming, biking and yoga so running should be able to start soon. Most of the family plans to run the cross country series this year which should be fun. I have not done it in ages so it will be fun to mix that in.
As for the cold, I am over it! My asthma sucks worse than in the humidity and I miss throwing on shorts and a sports bra. Plus my old lady bones are just frigid.
Happy running!
Monday, September 29, 2014
Ironman- one more round
I have to admit that I am in a little bit of shock that I just registered for ironman. I have always equated ironman with childbirth. In both instances I have said I am never doing that again and then all the bad fades and the euphoria sticks around. You begin to think it really wasn't that bad.
Not only am I shocked that I signed up but a little scared too, ok a lot scared. Can I so that again?? I had a stinking suspicion that I was going to register before heading up to chatt but I am still a little surprised that I actually pulled the trigger
I know what Ironman training details. Some times it is great and sometimes it is pure hell. Working a full time job and being mommy is a lot and then throw in a bunch of training that you have to do and you can get a little crazy. I have cried during some ironman work outs and I have thrown quite a few temper tantrums because sometimes it is just too much. Mentally too much. Your tired, hungry, hurting, sick of waking up early, etc but this is when I believe your true character shows. You can give up because things are hard or you ca push on because you have made a commitment and you will see that commitment through. Plus good things are never easy. I always feel like Ironman not only teaches me a lesson but my kids a lesson as well. I love for my kids to know that hard work reaps big rewards! Nothing in life worth having comes easy.
I also felt like I was due to attempt a big goal. I have been floundering for a couple of years with no plan. I am ready to focus on a goal and once again see what my body can do. I also sometimes secretly love those long runs and bikes. Lots of fun times can happen on those. The swim not so much. I have already requested my Christmas present. An iPod for the water.
I also feel a little unfinished with the ironman. I am not going to say I did not try my last 2 ironmans but I also messed around and wasted a bunch of time. My first ironman Florida I was so afraid of not finishing, I took things extremely easy and also spent time waiting on friends on transition, the run etc. I always felt like I could have had a better time so here comes Wisconsin and I had goals. I wanted to finish in a certain time but I also wanted to have a great time. My main reason for doing the race was to race with a friend who had been very ill and almost died. He wanted to do this race. We signed up and I was going to try harder this time. Well throw in a broken bike frame and i went without a bike for weeks. As soon as I received my bike, a piece of wood went through my foot and I was was out again. Screw my goals I began to doubt if I even wanted to do this race but with help of friends, I made it to the start line. Once again I felt I enjoyed the race too much. The race was on 9/11 and I got caught up in festivities. I talked to people a lot. I ran/walked the first loop with my friend and went way slower than I would have liked. I actually negative split the marathon in an Ironman. So this year I already have a goal in my mind and I hope to see it through. I am so excited to experience all these firsts in Stewart's training and there is talk of doing the race side by side with Mr Crais As Riley says we might as well be conjoined
The good news is I have a while before the madness starts but ready excited and scared for the challenge.
Not only am I shocked that I signed up but a little scared too, ok a lot scared. Can I so that again?? I had a stinking suspicion that I was going to register before heading up to chatt but I am still a little surprised that I actually pulled the trigger
I know what Ironman training details. Some times it is great and sometimes it is pure hell. Working a full time job and being mommy is a lot and then throw in a bunch of training that you have to do and you can get a little crazy. I have cried during some ironman work outs and I have thrown quite a few temper tantrums because sometimes it is just too much. Mentally too much. Your tired, hungry, hurting, sick of waking up early, etc but this is when I believe your true character shows. You can give up because things are hard or you ca push on because you have made a commitment and you will see that commitment through. Plus good things are never easy. I always feel like Ironman not only teaches me a lesson but my kids a lesson as well. I love for my kids to know that hard work reaps big rewards! Nothing in life worth having comes easy.
I also felt like I was due to attempt a big goal. I have been floundering for a couple of years with no plan. I am ready to focus on a goal and once again see what my body can do. I also sometimes secretly love those long runs and bikes. Lots of fun times can happen on those. The swim not so much. I have already requested my Christmas present. An iPod for the water.
I also feel a little unfinished with the ironman. I am not going to say I did not try my last 2 ironmans but I also messed around and wasted a bunch of time. My first ironman Florida I was so afraid of not finishing, I took things extremely easy and also spent time waiting on friends on transition, the run etc. I always felt like I could have had a better time so here comes Wisconsin and I had goals. I wanted to finish in a certain time but I also wanted to have a great time. My main reason for doing the race was to race with a friend who had been very ill and almost died. He wanted to do this race. We signed up and I was going to try harder this time. Well throw in a broken bike frame and i went without a bike for weeks. As soon as I received my bike, a piece of wood went through my foot and I was was out again. Screw my goals I began to doubt if I even wanted to do this race but with help of friends, I made it to the start line. Once again I felt I enjoyed the race too much. The race was on 9/11 and I got caught up in festivities. I talked to people a lot. I ran/walked the first loop with my friend and went way slower than I would have liked. I actually negative split the marathon in an Ironman. So this year I already have a goal in my mind and I hope to see it through. I am so excited to experience all these firsts in Stewart's training and there is talk of doing the race side by side with Mr Crais As Riley says we might as well be conjoined
The good news is I have a while before the madness starts but ready excited and scared for the challenge.
Monday, September 22, 2014
ON Running....
In the past I always thought of myself as a runner then I began to think of myself as a triathlete but I like to think of myself as a runner but actually I just pretend to be one. AND lately that pretending has been a struggle. Running use to be effortless for me and most work outs always felt easy and doable. The run and I have not been friends lately, in fact it has made me down and out grouchy. I really would like to start seeing some improvement in my fitness so during a longer run the other day I began to contemplate why I was having so much trouble?
The first reason and the one that seems so easy to blame is I am carrying 2-3 lbs more than I normally do during running season. I know this seems like nothing but when you are my size, this can be a lot. When I am weighing lighter, I just feel effortless. Not so much lately. I thought about what I needed to do to drop these pounds and feel like my eating is fine it actually has to do with my alcohol consumption. I really shouldn't drink wine every night and then some nights If Stewart and I are out, I may throw in a couple of cocktails. I definitely am not getting any younger and these drinks are adding up. I decided to only drink on the weekends and I think that decision held until about 6:00 on a Monday night.
The second reason that popped in my head was that I have not been using my inhaler. This drives Stewart crazy as I am a huge self medicator and am always playing doctor. I decided a while back that I was tired of the inhaler and just was not using it. Well lungs need air to breathe and even more so my muscles need oxygen to work. I have since started using the inhaler again on a daily basis. I love playing doctor, I convinced Stewart to quit taking his cholesterol medicine. He goes for a physical next week and I am sure his doctor is going to agree with my decision. :)
The third reason is most of my runs are done with Stewart and they are never easy. I think I began to get grouchy because I know I am never going to get to go out and run a 9 minute pace at a leisurely stroll no matter how tired my legs are and my legs are tired. Some days I just want to run easy but then I just run by myself for the WHOLE run rather than HALF the run. Then I get grouchy if Stewart stays back with me because I definitely do not want to effect his training. The other day we ran 16 miles and I saw him the first mile. With about 4 miles left, he stopped to ask if I was going to be ok to finish my run because he was running on... not sure what he had been doing the rest of the run. In fact some days we start together and then we just run in totally different directions and meet back at the car.
Fourth - I want it to feel easy - just for a couple of runs. I just need that motivation that I am making progress. I had a treadmill run the other day of 7 miles with 5 at my half marathon pace and it was so hard. I kept trying to figure out how I was going to run 13.1 at this pace as I was struggling with 5! I am hoping it was the treadmill that was mentally draining. I do have some bright moments when I surprised myself on my mile repeats (they could be faster) or when I finished my last mile up hill of my longer run at a 7:50 pace but those moments are few and far between.
Fifth - my legs are tired. I love 9 rounds and think it is making my legs stronger but it also leaves them tired and sore every time I go. I hope when I back off and then taper for one of my upcoming halves, I will gain some benefit. Right now they just are tired.
Sixth - I need speedwork and I miss the track. I just am having a hard time getting there between kids and coaching. Fortunately coaching is over soon and I now have another driver in the house who on most days I can convince to taxi some kids around.
Seventh - I need to race to see my progress but then I also need to rest. I have two half marathons planned but then I am back to taking a break and adding back in some biking etc to refuel and be ready for the training for Boston Marathon and if the mood strikes next weekend I will be signing up for Ironman Chattanooga 2015
Eight - I am getting older - accept it and most importantly I should be happy to be out there physical able to do something I love! On days when I am up in Mont Eagle or the trails and it is just so beautiful, I know it really doesn't matter if I ever run close to my half PR again. It is just a beautiful day and I have a life full of many wonderful things. My life is complete and crazy and fabulous. I have a Great Husband, let me repeat that a Great husband, super kids who are growing up to be great adults who still leave me little love notes around the house and tell me they love me on a daily basis multiple times in front of friends etc., great stepchildren who are such fun to be around and we are becoming such good friends and a life full of adventure... .
But a few mile repeats in the mid 6's wouldn't be so bad either..... hell maybe even one mile in the 6:xx's....
The first reason and the one that seems so easy to blame is I am carrying 2-3 lbs more than I normally do during running season. I know this seems like nothing but when you are my size, this can be a lot. When I am weighing lighter, I just feel effortless. Not so much lately. I thought about what I needed to do to drop these pounds and feel like my eating is fine it actually has to do with my alcohol consumption. I really shouldn't drink wine every night and then some nights If Stewart and I are out, I may throw in a couple of cocktails. I definitely am not getting any younger and these drinks are adding up. I decided to only drink on the weekends and I think that decision held until about 6:00 on a Monday night.
The second reason that popped in my head was that I have not been using my inhaler. This drives Stewart crazy as I am a huge self medicator and am always playing doctor. I decided a while back that I was tired of the inhaler and just was not using it. Well lungs need air to breathe and even more so my muscles need oxygen to work. I have since started using the inhaler again on a daily basis. I love playing doctor, I convinced Stewart to quit taking his cholesterol medicine. He goes for a physical next week and I am sure his doctor is going to agree with my decision. :)
The third reason is most of my runs are done with Stewart and they are never easy. I think I began to get grouchy because I know I am never going to get to go out and run a 9 minute pace at a leisurely stroll no matter how tired my legs are and my legs are tired. Some days I just want to run easy but then I just run by myself for the WHOLE run rather than HALF the run. Then I get grouchy if Stewart stays back with me because I definitely do not want to effect his training. The other day we ran 16 miles and I saw him the first mile. With about 4 miles left, he stopped to ask if I was going to be ok to finish my run because he was running on... not sure what he had been doing the rest of the run. In fact some days we start together and then we just run in totally different directions and meet back at the car.
Fourth - I want it to feel easy - just for a couple of runs. I just need that motivation that I am making progress. I had a treadmill run the other day of 7 miles with 5 at my half marathon pace and it was so hard. I kept trying to figure out how I was going to run 13.1 at this pace as I was struggling with 5! I am hoping it was the treadmill that was mentally draining. I do have some bright moments when I surprised myself on my mile repeats (they could be faster) or when I finished my last mile up hill of my longer run at a 7:50 pace but those moments are few and far between.
Fifth - my legs are tired. I love 9 rounds and think it is making my legs stronger but it also leaves them tired and sore every time I go. I hope when I back off and then taper for one of my upcoming halves, I will gain some benefit. Right now they just are tired.
Sixth - I need speedwork and I miss the track. I just am having a hard time getting there between kids and coaching. Fortunately coaching is over soon and I now have another driver in the house who on most days I can convince to taxi some kids around.
Seventh - I need to race to see my progress but then I also need to rest. I have two half marathons planned but then I am back to taking a break and adding back in some biking etc to refuel and be ready for the training for Boston Marathon and if the mood strikes next weekend I will be signing up for Ironman Chattanooga 2015
Eight - I am getting older - accept it and most importantly I should be happy to be out there physical able to do something I love! On days when I am up in Mont Eagle or the trails and it is just so beautiful, I know it really doesn't matter if I ever run close to my half PR again. It is just a beautiful day and I have a life full of many wonderful things. My life is complete and crazy and fabulous. I have a Great Husband, let me repeat that a Great husband, super kids who are growing up to be great adults who still leave me little love notes around the house and tell me they love me on a daily basis multiple times in front of friends etc., great stepchildren who are such fun to be around and we are becoming such good friends and a life full of adventure... .
But a few mile repeats in the mid 6's wouldn't be so bad either..... hell maybe even one mile in the 6:xx's....
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Back to School.....
School started and with it came the craziness! The long days, the stressing out over students, parents,etc, worrying about sports, hiring coaches who can pass a drug test :), ordering uniforms, forming teams, and answering email after email. I could not imagine answering more emails if I was a director of a large corporation and not just director of lower school sports. I love the chaotic and the stress and I would not have it any other way. I love going to work everyday and could not imagine staying at home. I am not sure how I stayed at home for the 15 years of my marriage. I often say if I would have worked I maybe would have stayed married. I doubt it but it would have helped. When Stewart and I got married, many questioned if I would return to work. Oh yes, oh hell yes for many many reasons. The main reason is I love being dependent and responsible for my own self. Another is I need to be busy, I like down time but can not take too much in a day or I would lose my mind. Summer was incredible and fun but work is also good. It also makes me appreciate the incredible and fun that much more. The first week of summer almost drove me nuts! Stewart came home everyday and I was grouchy!! All I did was cook for the kids, entertain the kids, run the kids everywhere, etc. I just can't handle it on a day to day basis. Not working also turns me into a very traditional person. And over time I know this can lead to a lot of trouble and resentment. I am LUCKY LUCKY to be married to an extremely neat and clean man who thinks nothing of cleaning the house, doing laundry, doing dishes, cooking, etc without even being asked. He makes the bed daily followed by breakfast. But over the summer I began to slowly take on the role as housewife. I clean and cook and clean and cook. I get up and make Stewart's breakfast and lunch. I make casseroles to freeze. This is wonderful for a short time but something I can only take in small doses.
Tri season is over and I had a blast! I am running for fitness and running enough to do a few half's along with Stewart as he prepares for the full. I am doing kick boxing, yoga, and some weights. No real schedule and it is heavenly. The girls have gymnastics three days a week for 3 hours. They don't even leave school until 7:30 on these nights. Yay for making team! The boys are both running cross country, I am coaching with Stewart as a co coach and I oversee 6 lower school soccer teams, tennis, flag football, run club, and yoga. I love it. My days usually start at 5:00 and end around 7:30. Some days I am lucky and get home earlier but not often. What I love the most about my job is teaching kids. Talking to them about healthy bodies and exercise, making good choices that will effect them for life. I am lucky to get to teach wellness to 1st-4th this year as well as PE. I love talking to my cross country kids about reaching goals, going after hard things, pushing when things are hard, and never giving up. All lessons that not just go to running but I can apply to their school work and their life as they get older. I know 99% of them aren't listening but I keep on anyway because one day it will sink in with one of them or 6 months from now they may remember it when things get tough. I LOVE teaching my runners to yell I am a BEAST when they feel like giving up. Nothing better than hearing middle schoolers yelling I am a BEAST in the middle of 400's at 6:45 on a school morning. Mostly I just like making an impact on their day. I love when the kids talk to me in the hall, send me texts, send me emails, or for the little ones give me hugs. I love today as I walked through the cafeteria a group of 3rd grade girls yell come eat with us and I did and it was maybe my best lunch date this year.
So I am back in full swing and the school year has led me to a couple of bottles of wine this year but it also has offered so much more....
Tri season is over and I had a blast! I am running for fitness and running enough to do a few half's along with Stewart as he prepares for the full. I am doing kick boxing, yoga, and some weights. No real schedule and it is heavenly. The girls have gymnastics three days a week for 3 hours. They don't even leave school until 7:30 on these nights. Yay for making team! The boys are both running cross country, I am coaching with Stewart as a co coach and I oversee 6 lower school soccer teams, tennis, flag football, run club, and yoga. I love it. My days usually start at 5:00 and end around 7:30. Some days I am lucky and get home earlier but not often. What I love the most about my job is teaching kids. Talking to them about healthy bodies and exercise, making good choices that will effect them for life. I am lucky to get to teach wellness to 1st-4th this year as well as PE. I love talking to my cross country kids about reaching goals, going after hard things, pushing when things are hard, and never giving up. All lessons that not just go to running but I can apply to their school work and their life as they get older. I know 99% of them aren't listening but I keep on anyway because one day it will sink in with one of them or 6 months from now they may remember it when things get tough. I LOVE teaching my runners to yell I am a BEAST when they feel like giving up. Nothing better than hearing middle schoolers yelling I am a BEAST in the middle of 400's at 6:45 on a school morning. Mostly I just like making an impact on their day. I love when the kids talk to me in the hall, send me texts, send me emails, or for the little ones give me hugs. I love today as I walked through the cafeteria a group of 3rd grade girls yell come eat with us and I did and it was maybe my best lunch date this year.
So I am back in full swing and the school year has led me to a couple of bottles of wine this year but it also has offered so much more....
Sunday, August 17, 2014
One last tri report of the season and finding some motivation...
I am not even sure where to start with this report. My mind is bouncing all over the place. First, I have to say this was a great put on race, extremely organized, nice course, great goodie bags, and awesome awards.
I guess I will go back to the start and with registering for the race. Last year, tri season was no good. I was having a lot of personal issues and stress and I hung my bike up in the middle of a long ride while training for a half, after some lackluster races and wasn't sure if I wanted to race again. This season was great but there was just no motivation. Sure I had motivation to train. I love to eat and drink and I didn't want to gain 100 pounds. I love meeting up with friends for a good bike session but I just had no motivation and really no goals. I would sign up for a race and just didn't really care if I won or not. I would go do a tempo run with Stewart because he is training for the St. Jude full and I would pick a tempo pace. If I ran it, Great! If I didn't and I missed the pace by 10 or 15 seconds it was all good. There was a time when I would have killed myself to hit that pace and it was really beginning to bother me that I just didn't care. My main motivation was to try to run or bike to Stewart as close as I could so he wouldn't have to wait on me too long to finish. As for swim motivation, I swam two days a week, everything easy, lots of pulls ( my favorite) and low yardage. Enough to insure I would not drown in my next race. I was loving racing and loving the experience but I was missing my passion to want to win or to hit a goal or to hit a pace. One thing I know is you can not force motivation.
Then we received an email from the race directors for Possum town and the shirts were so cute. They had a little possum on them. The race was close, it fit in our schedule, and we wanted to do one more race. As we registered, I had this little spark! I want to do really well in this race. I would love to win this race! I would love to end the season on a good note! Some motivation!! I would love to say I went out and began training like a fiend but I did not. School was starting back and I am always over worked at the start of the season, cross country had started and I had just signed up for the new gym 9 rounds and I was having a blast kicking and punching bags. BUT I kept our minimal training and because I was training with Stewart, I was always working hard. As Stacey said on a bike ride one day, you keep riding with him and you are either going to die or become one hell of a rider.
School started and I actually did not give the race much thought. Every thought was tackling my huge to do list. Planning for classes, ordering uniforms, forming teams, making rosters, hiring coach after coach, etc. As we were leaving on Friday I was like shit! I haven't even been hydrating. In fact, I had attended three happy hours that week and seemed to be doing the exact opposite.
We made it to packet pick up with about two minutes to spare, drove the course, explored Columbus and then hit dinner. We had some awesome pizza and a very small ice cream cone. Both of these could be problem foods for me but felt like I didn't eat too much and I should be fine. Around 3:00 in the morning , I woke up and my stomach was killing me and I felt nauseous and sweaty. Two days prior, I had the same issues but figured that was to an overload of tequila. I did a quick assessment, Was I that nervous about the race? Was it my girl time causing these problems? Maybe the pizza and ice cream were a mistake? Maybe I did have some type of bug and this was related to the other day? The start of school always brings fun things. I have lots of sweet dirty hands holding mine, hugging me, touching, my whistle, etc. I tried to go back to sleep and see what happened. I woke up feeling crappy and could not stay out of the bathroom. Tried eating some different foods and every time I ate something, it sent my digestive system reeling and I went straight to the bathroom. I couldn't decide if it was race day nerves. I didn't even feel nervous but I was starting to get nervous about my stomach. We made it to transition very early. This new 5:00 am wake up call has me turning into a morning person so we had plenty of time to relax, warm up, and chill. And oh yes visit the bathroom. Thankfully the park had some real toilets away from the race site that I pretty much had to myself. After my heart rate feeling extremely high on the run and the bike warm up and my arms feeling like lead on the swim warm up, I thought this is going to be a crappy day. With about 5 minutes to race start, I ran to the bathroom again and came out and told Stewart I was not sure I could race. I loved that he looked right at me and said You are a champion and you can do anything. Well... when you put it like that I have to at least try. I lined up for swim start and reminded myself that some of my best racing came after shitty warm ups. That I too had spent a morning in the bathroom before a race many years back and went on to do fine. The thought of a DNF on my last race of the year was taunting me. I have never had a DNF and did not want to finish that way. I said a quick little prayer to let me get through the next hour and half and to do my very best. The swim was uneventful. I tried to draft where I could, it was foggy and hard to see but despite feeling a slight bit of nauseous on the last part of the course, it was good.
I had a quick transition, hoped on the bike and quickly caught 3 girls. About mile 4, I caught another girl and left the park for the meat of the ride. The what I assumed was the race leader for the girls was in my sights farther down the road at least I thought it was her. She had a bright hot pink areo helmet and was easy to spot. I decided I was going to chase her and catch her. If one thing riding with Stewart this season has taught me, is I can chase and chase really well. I passed a few guys and kept on riding. I finally caught the lead girl about mile 10 or 11. I was feeling really good and knew I was having a good bike. I was pretty confident I could keep her off. With two miles to go and not knowing how far back the second girl was behind me, I began to think of my run strategy and my plan especially if she was a runner when Holy Crap.. .some girl blew right past me and not the girl I thought. I wasn't sure I could repast her because I knew I was pretty much at max, I just decided to go with her and stay as close to her as I legally could. As we approached transition, I decided to leave my bike shoes on as my spot was pretty close to the bike entry and thought this would save me time. I wanted to beat her out of transition. My second transition was 25 seconds. I always say my life prepares me well for transition, I am always in a hurry, rushing from one thing to the next so this helps me with no dily daly in the tri world of transition.
I did beat the girl out and started the run. I was running scared because I knew I was in the lead and now had two girls hot on my trail.. I heard feet and thought shit and luckily it was a guy in a duck speedo. Heard more feet and did not want to turn around to see who it was when I heard Stewart's voice. Thankful! I wanted to ask how far the girls were back but he flew by me like I was standing still. I thought I was having a good run and at each turn around accessed how far the girls were behind me. The original leader with the pink aero helmet had now moved into second. I just kept repeating pick them up - put them down in terms of my feet. I felt strong and was told I looked strong but was disappointed to find that this was my slowest run of all tri season but luckily it was fast enough to beat second by 1:30.
The best thing as I entered the chute was knowing I was about to win and have a girl yell out at me "You have great abs!" After 3 kids, I will always take that compliment. I am sure they looked even better after my many bathroom trips. I finished and was immediately interviewed and won't tell you what happened next but it was not very lady like.
I was very happy to have found some motivation and push! Maybe it is returning because I felt a little fired up and after seeing my run split, I reminded myself that I need to get faster! I was happy beside feeling sick once on the bike In addition to the swim, I felt ok. I felt really tired on the run but not sick. I was also grateful that I was able to stomach the gus during the race.
It was a great day and a great way to end my season. I am happy that after a very relaxed season I may have big plans for next season and this is just what I needed. I learned a lot from this season. I was able to see Stewart accomplish much and share in his joy. I wouldn't trade a thing and it could not have ended on a better note!
I guess I will go back to the start and with registering for the race. Last year, tri season was no good. I was having a lot of personal issues and stress and I hung my bike up in the middle of a long ride while training for a half, after some lackluster races and wasn't sure if I wanted to race again. This season was great but there was just no motivation. Sure I had motivation to train. I love to eat and drink and I didn't want to gain 100 pounds. I love meeting up with friends for a good bike session but I just had no motivation and really no goals. I would sign up for a race and just didn't really care if I won or not. I would go do a tempo run with Stewart because he is training for the St. Jude full and I would pick a tempo pace. If I ran it, Great! If I didn't and I missed the pace by 10 or 15 seconds it was all good. There was a time when I would have killed myself to hit that pace and it was really beginning to bother me that I just didn't care. My main motivation was to try to run or bike to Stewart as close as I could so he wouldn't have to wait on me too long to finish. As for swim motivation, I swam two days a week, everything easy, lots of pulls ( my favorite) and low yardage. Enough to insure I would not drown in my next race. I was loving racing and loving the experience but I was missing my passion to want to win or to hit a goal or to hit a pace. One thing I know is you can not force motivation.
Then we received an email from the race directors for Possum town and the shirts were so cute. They had a little possum on them. The race was close, it fit in our schedule, and we wanted to do one more race. As we registered, I had this little spark! I want to do really well in this race. I would love to win this race! I would love to end the season on a good note! Some motivation!! I would love to say I went out and began training like a fiend but I did not. School was starting back and I am always over worked at the start of the season, cross country had started and I had just signed up for the new gym 9 rounds and I was having a blast kicking and punching bags. BUT I kept our minimal training and because I was training with Stewart, I was always working hard. As Stacey said on a bike ride one day, you keep riding with him and you are either going to die or become one hell of a rider.
School started and I actually did not give the race much thought. Every thought was tackling my huge to do list. Planning for classes, ordering uniforms, forming teams, making rosters, hiring coach after coach, etc. As we were leaving on Friday I was like shit! I haven't even been hydrating. In fact, I had attended three happy hours that week and seemed to be doing the exact opposite.
We made it to packet pick up with about two minutes to spare, drove the course, explored Columbus and then hit dinner. We had some awesome pizza and a very small ice cream cone. Both of these could be problem foods for me but felt like I didn't eat too much and I should be fine. Around 3:00 in the morning , I woke up and my stomach was killing me and I felt nauseous and sweaty. Two days prior, I had the same issues but figured that was to an overload of tequila. I did a quick assessment, Was I that nervous about the race? Was it my girl time causing these problems? Maybe the pizza and ice cream were a mistake? Maybe I did have some type of bug and this was related to the other day? The start of school always brings fun things. I have lots of sweet dirty hands holding mine, hugging me, touching, my whistle, etc. I tried to go back to sleep and see what happened. I woke up feeling crappy and could not stay out of the bathroom. Tried eating some different foods and every time I ate something, it sent my digestive system reeling and I went straight to the bathroom. I couldn't decide if it was race day nerves. I didn't even feel nervous but I was starting to get nervous about my stomach. We made it to transition very early. This new 5:00 am wake up call has me turning into a morning person so we had plenty of time to relax, warm up, and chill. And oh yes visit the bathroom. Thankfully the park had some real toilets away from the race site that I pretty much had to myself. After my heart rate feeling extremely high on the run and the bike warm up and my arms feeling like lead on the swim warm up, I thought this is going to be a crappy day. With about 5 minutes to race start, I ran to the bathroom again and came out and told Stewart I was not sure I could race. I loved that he looked right at me and said You are a champion and you can do anything. Well... when you put it like that I have to at least try. I lined up for swim start and reminded myself that some of my best racing came after shitty warm ups. That I too had spent a morning in the bathroom before a race many years back and went on to do fine. The thought of a DNF on my last race of the year was taunting me. I have never had a DNF and did not want to finish that way. I said a quick little prayer to let me get through the next hour and half and to do my very best. The swim was uneventful. I tried to draft where I could, it was foggy and hard to see but despite feeling a slight bit of nauseous on the last part of the course, it was good.
I had a quick transition, hoped on the bike and quickly caught 3 girls. About mile 4, I caught another girl and left the park for the meat of the ride. The what I assumed was the race leader for the girls was in my sights farther down the road at least I thought it was her. She had a bright hot pink areo helmet and was easy to spot. I decided I was going to chase her and catch her. If one thing riding with Stewart this season has taught me, is I can chase and chase really well. I passed a few guys and kept on riding. I finally caught the lead girl about mile 10 or 11. I was feeling really good and knew I was having a good bike. I was pretty confident I could keep her off. With two miles to go and not knowing how far back the second girl was behind me, I began to think of my run strategy and my plan especially if she was a runner when Holy Crap.. .some girl blew right past me and not the girl I thought. I wasn't sure I could repast her because I knew I was pretty much at max, I just decided to go with her and stay as close to her as I legally could. As we approached transition, I decided to leave my bike shoes on as my spot was pretty close to the bike entry and thought this would save me time. I wanted to beat her out of transition. My second transition was 25 seconds. I always say my life prepares me well for transition, I am always in a hurry, rushing from one thing to the next so this helps me with no dily daly in the tri world of transition.
I did beat the girl out and started the run. I was running scared because I knew I was in the lead and now had two girls hot on my trail.. I heard feet and thought shit and luckily it was a guy in a duck speedo. Heard more feet and did not want to turn around to see who it was when I heard Stewart's voice. Thankful! I wanted to ask how far the girls were back but he flew by me like I was standing still. I thought I was having a good run and at each turn around accessed how far the girls were behind me. The original leader with the pink aero helmet had now moved into second. I just kept repeating pick them up - put them down in terms of my feet. I felt strong and was told I looked strong but was disappointed to find that this was my slowest run of all tri season but luckily it was fast enough to beat second by 1:30.
The best thing as I entered the chute was knowing I was about to win and have a girl yell out at me "You have great abs!" After 3 kids, I will always take that compliment. I am sure they looked even better after my many bathroom trips. I finished and was immediately interviewed and won't tell you what happened next but it was not very lady like.
I was very happy to have found some motivation and push! Maybe it is returning because I felt a little fired up and after seeing my run split, I reminded myself that I need to get faster! I was happy beside feeling sick once on the bike In addition to the swim, I felt ok. I felt really tired on the run but not sick. I was also grateful that I was able to stomach the gus during the race.
It was a great day and a great way to end my season. I am happy that after a very relaxed season I may have big plans for next season and this is just what I needed. I learned a lot from this season. I was able to see Stewart accomplish much and share in his joy. I wouldn't trade a thing and it could not have ended on a better note!
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Another Relaxed Day at the Races.... " I am sure it will be fine"
Relaxed was the key to this race and the words " I am sure it will be fine" seemed to be my mantra! I noted yesterday that after racing, yes my fitness could be better because I am tired at the end of the bike and I am tired at the end of the run BUT although my training has been limited - it is keeping my fitness consistent. I am not getting any better but I am not getting any worse. I am very OK with this. VERY OK. Coming into a season that I wasn't even sure I wanted to race and sick of spending so much time training, this has been a great season! I plan on racing once more this season and then moving over to boot camp, yoga, and just running. I found this winter that I LOVE bootcamp and looking forward to getting back to some strength training. Stewart will be training for his very first marathon so I am sure I will be getting my long runs back up to run with him. I do hope to hit the trails this fall and winter as trail racing is my all time favorite.
Stewart and I spent the night in Arkansas. Yes, it is a short drive but we are not morning people and rather than stress about getting up, leaving on time, and getting to the race. We opted to stay in a crappy hotel to not worry about this. As per seasons pass, I had no pre race anxiety. My throat didn't hurt, I didn't really give the race much thought. As we put my race wheels on the bike, Stewart said go test them out. This would be the first time I muttered " I am sure they will be fine." Under Stewart's guidance, I did do a quick pre race check down the street and back. They were in fact fine. Now, don't get me wrong, I still go into a race to do and try my best. I feel like nothing is worth doing if you are not giving 100% but the perspective is all different. Not once this year have I beat myself up after a race wishing I was faster, stronger, done this differently, etc. I take each day for what it is. I did my best on that day and that is all I had. It does not effect who I am just because I was not the fastest I could be. I have learned that there are too many, many great things in this life instead of worrying about swim, bike, run. It took me a long time to realize why yes this is just a hobby, I am far from being a pro, it is something I enjoy and it keeps me healthy. I also had a great time seeing lots of friends yesterday as this was my first local race this season.
As Forrest City is not a hopping metropolis the dinner choices were slim. We chose Don Jose.... Mexican and beer the night before the race. I first said hmm.. I don't know if this is a smart choice but then muttered I really have no stomach problems " I am sure it will be fine". We had a great time at dinner. We never run out of ways to entertain each other, hit up the dollar general in the hood which was interesting to say the least and went back to the room.
On race morning, we hit T2 to drop off our run shoes. I say to Stewart this is where I usually do a quick warm run up here before leaving because we won't have shoes up in T1. Thought about it for a minute and said " Our legs will be plenty warmed up by the time we reach here. I am sure it will be fine". Dropped our shoes off and headed 13 miles up the road to T1 and the start of the race. This is where I felt my only moment of panic because we were having trouble pumping my tires. Sure, I am relaxed but I still would like to race on tires with air. It was also taking quite a bit of time and I was having flashbacks of 4 years back when I got T1 and there were no spots left for my bike.
We got the tires pumped -( I hoped ) and got on the bikes and rode up to the swim start. When we got up there, everyone was taking their bikes out for a warm up. I said " Do you think we should go do a warm up? Well, we did ride our bikes up here so I guess that can count." And I bet you can guess what I said next " It will be fine".
I then grabbed my brand NEW goggles... never worn before today and headed for the lake. I did want to get in a lake as I have not raced in a lake all year. Once again, I questioned should I wear new goggles on race day but concluded it would be fine.
It was actually cold exiting the water as we waited for the race to start. This was glorious in July!!! We stood on the dock and watched and cheered on others as we were numbers 233 and 234. It was finally our time to start and the swim was great. The most relaxed I have felt in a sprint swim ever. Yes, I was about a minute slower than the last time I did this race but I sure felt good and I was swimming pretty much on track. I veered off at the very end but caught it before I got too far off track. Tom O'Kelly did swim by me with about 100 yds left and gave me a huge mouth full of water but gave us something to talk about as we exited the swim together.
The rest of the race was uneventful. I was racing from the back which I love! Gave me lots of people and groups to focus on and it all went by very fast. Stewart exited the water right after me and passed me on the first hill and I loved getting to say hi. I heard him finish as I made the block to hit the finish myself which was fun!
I finished 7th female, was happy to be in the top 10.
Pleased with my times, had fun hanging with friends, ate great Cracker Barrel biscuits on the way home, so excited for Stewart to be First overall in the beginner category, hung out with my kiddies the rest of the day, and then had a great night with Stewart and Riley and guess what....
It was all fine.... in fact more than fine!!
Stewart and I spent the night in Arkansas. Yes, it is a short drive but we are not morning people and rather than stress about getting up, leaving on time, and getting to the race. We opted to stay in a crappy hotel to not worry about this. As per seasons pass, I had no pre race anxiety. My throat didn't hurt, I didn't really give the race much thought. As we put my race wheels on the bike, Stewart said go test them out. This would be the first time I muttered " I am sure they will be fine." Under Stewart's guidance, I did do a quick pre race check down the street and back. They were in fact fine. Now, don't get me wrong, I still go into a race to do and try my best. I feel like nothing is worth doing if you are not giving 100% but the perspective is all different. Not once this year have I beat myself up after a race wishing I was faster, stronger, done this differently, etc. I take each day for what it is. I did my best on that day and that is all I had. It does not effect who I am just because I was not the fastest I could be. I have learned that there are too many, many great things in this life instead of worrying about swim, bike, run. It took me a long time to realize why yes this is just a hobby, I am far from being a pro, it is something I enjoy and it keeps me healthy. I also had a great time seeing lots of friends yesterday as this was my first local race this season.
As Forrest City is not a hopping metropolis the dinner choices were slim. We chose Don Jose.... Mexican and beer the night before the race. I first said hmm.. I don't know if this is a smart choice but then muttered I really have no stomach problems " I am sure it will be fine". We had a great time at dinner. We never run out of ways to entertain each other, hit up the dollar general in the hood which was interesting to say the least and went back to the room.
On race morning, we hit T2 to drop off our run shoes. I say to Stewart this is where I usually do a quick warm run up here before leaving because we won't have shoes up in T1. Thought about it for a minute and said " Our legs will be plenty warmed up by the time we reach here. I am sure it will be fine". Dropped our shoes off and headed 13 miles up the road to T1 and the start of the race. This is where I felt my only moment of panic because we were having trouble pumping my tires. Sure, I am relaxed but I still would like to race on tires with air. It was also taking quite a bit of time and I was having flashbacks of 4 years back when I got T1 and there were no spots left for my bike.
We got the tires pumped -( I hoped ) and got on the bikes and rode up to the swim start. When we got up there, everyone was taking their bikes out for a warm up. I said " Do you think we should go do a warm up? Well, we did ride our bikes up here so I guess that can count." And I bet you can guess what I said next " It will be fine".
I then grabbed my brand NEW goggles... never worn before today and headed for the lake. I did want to get in a lake as I have not raced in a lake all year. Once again, I questioned should I wear new goggles on race day but concluded it would be fine.
It was actually cold exiting the water as we waited for the race to start. This was glorious in July!!! We stood on the dock and watched and cheered on others as we were numbers 233 and 234. It was finally our time to start and the swim was great. The most relaxed I have felt in a sprint swim ever. Yes, I was about a minute slower than the last time I did this race but I sure felt good and I was swimming pretty much on track. I veered off at the very end but caught it before I got too far off track. Tom O'Kelly did swim by me with about 100 yds left and gave me a huge mouth full of water but gave us something to talk about as we exited the swim together.
The rest of the race was uneventful. I was racing from the back which I love! Gave me lots of people and groups to focus on and it all went by very fast. Stewart exited the water right after me and passed me on the first hill and I loved getting to say hi. I heard him finish as I made the block to hit the finish myself which was fun!
I finished 7th female, was happy to be in the top 10.
Pleased with my times, had fun hanging with friends, ate great Cracker Barrel biscuits on the way home, so excited for Stewart to be First overall in the beginner category, hung out with my kiddies the rest of the day, and then had a great night with Stewart and Riley and guess what....
It was all fine.... in fact more than fine!!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Another Happy Race Report - Pulaski Monster Triathlon
I have to start off the report giving kudos to Pulaski. What a beautiful, sweet town. I raced there in 2006. Same swim, different bike and run. In 2006, I drove in on a Friday night, raced and drove back home. This time I was able to experience some of the small town hospitality. Friday night by the race director's rec, we went to a local place on the square. The food was good and the race people happen to be there so before we knew it, we were being introduced to the owner and the locals. How fun! We all know how much I love meeting and talking to people. Post race, we ate at another local diner and sat at the bar and talked to the owner for about an hour. She and her husband run the place. More race people were there and before you knew it we were talking to the postman, the locals, etc. We found out that one of the Mars brothers from Mars candy had a huge farm and mansion in Pulaski or he did at one time. We drove out and toured the grounds, the barns, and parts of the mansion. They now use it for weddings mostly and they were preparing for this quaint country chic wedding and I loved it!! We also spent some time driving through the historical part of the city and looking at the houses which were adorable. Pulaski gets a thumbs up! Not only for putting on a nice, organized race but for being a true southern charm small town.
As for the race! I have to say it was a good day and a pleasant surprise for me. The race is part of the southern championship series and as we entered the transition, you could see there were quite a few fast people there. Especially a lot of fast men. The famous Bruce Generai from Franklin was there and so fun to watch him kill the course. I was excited and ready to get the day started. I was very relaxed, so relaxed that I followed a whole group of men into their locker room instead of mine. OOPS! Stewart yells "Baby there are naked men in here!" Sorry, I guess it is time to wake up and focus. But that is the great thing about this season. I don't really have a focus, I am just there to enjoy the day. Prior seasons I went into every race, giving myself goals. " I want to be in the top 10, I want to win masters, etc" Now my only goal is to do my best and do what I can do. That may be a bad thing but after 8 years of the sport, I am happy that I can relax. It is not all about tri anymore. Yes, I still love it but it is not all consuming. Like years past, I still write my training schedule every Sunday night. In years past, if it was on paper, it was getting done or I was one huge stress ball. I can not tell you how many work outs I miss a week now. Quite a few. I guess I am just still caught up in my love struck phrase because I love spending time with Stewart, the kids, and friends and training just gets pushed to the back. To be honest, if I wasn't afraid of gaining 20 pounds, I would probably be doing even less than I am now.
I made it into the girls locker room and was happy to see that we had real working in door plumbing. I hate a port-a-potty. We had about 6 toilets but NO stalls. They were all just wide open. Well, I have this new obsession with Orange is the New Black and jail has become this cool thing to me. I always wonder, could I go the bathroom in front of all those people??? Well, today I found out why yes, I can go the bathroom in front of all those people. Twice in fact and carry on a conversation with Stacey while doing it. The race is a 200 yard pool swim, after the snorting of the water up the nose in Arkansas, I was concerned about my interest and decided I was going to jump in holding my nose. Who cares if I looked six. Lucky for me, we ran in down the stairs but I still managed to get some water up my nose. I think it is because I take one big deep breath before going under. Beside that the swim was very uneventful. I stood in line and talked to those around me, met a nice lady from Madison Wi. who was down here with her mom in the hospital. Despite changing my swim stroke, I am still slow and always will be. I do think I swam a little slower because I was caught behind a guy and just could not get around him. The joys of a pool swim. I felt good and despite the water being really warm I have nothing to complain about. When you only swim 2 times a week, you begin to let go of all swim expectations.
The bike was just beautiful. We drove the course the day before and it was extremely hilly but all in the countryside and just gorgeous houses, farm land, and scenery. We rode about 4 miles on the very hilly highway but were very lucky to get the rural back roads for most of the race. On the bike, I just worked hard!! At mile 6, I began to feel tired and had to give myself a pep talk. I could see Rob Hyde and a group of guys in front of me for a while and was happy to focus on them but after a huge downhill, I lost all sight of them. The downhills were great! I think I hit 39 as my max speed more than once!!! I passed 2 girls and about 8- 10 guys so I thought I may be doing ok but really had no idea. Stewart passed me at mile 10 and it was fun to get to talk to him briefly as he went by. It also gave me something to focus on in the distance for the next little bit until I lost sight of him as well. Even though the bike was hard, I enjoyed it. I am really loving my bike right now.
The run was an out and back. Through a cemetery, around a gravel track, and luckily a little shaded path for part with a bubbling creek next to you. It was hot, hot, hot and the creek was just a tease. I was dying to drink and dying to pour some water over my head and thoughts of jumping in the creek were in my head constantly. I felt awful on this run. The worse I have felt running in a while. It was not a hard course but I think I was just still fatigued from the bike and dehydrated. I also made a fatal mistake in taking of a gu. When it says, take with water, I know you really need to take with water. As I started the run, I could see the aid station ahead. I took the gu in anticipation of getting water. When I got to the stop, they gave me this water balloon. I squeezed it, shook it, could not get the water out of it. So then I thought, hmm... maybe this is like a sponge and I am not suppose to drink it and I stuck it down my top. It didn't really feel that cold so I thought this could not be right. I took it out and dropped it all the while just thinking I need water!!!
Sure enough as anticipated the cramp that comes with gu without water settled in by my right rib cage along with a cramp in that little teardrop muscle down by my knee. I felt like it was taking me forever to get to the turn around and as people were running back towards me, I wanted to ask them how far to the turn around but just had no energy. Stewart actually ran by me at this point and it took me a minute to realize that was him! I felt like I was moving through molasses and all these strong girls were running towards me. Finally made it to the turn around and was given another balloon and I asked the guy desperately what do I do with these???? He said use your teeth to bite it. I had to run forward to some cones and he was yelling go around them... I almost went in front and back tracked to go around because in a race I always want to feel like I am doing the course exactly as it is set up. As I ran by the man again, he says "U understand??" YES! YES! little streams of water were squeezing out and I could drink it and pour over my head. Not sure if it was because I knew I was on the way back., I finally got some water, the cramps were subsiding some but I felt like I picked it up. I actually passed one guy. Finally!! It was short lived but I did come to another table and actually stopped and they had old fashioned cups as well as balloons. I drank one, poured one over my head, grabbed a balloon and bit - drank and sprinkled more and just wanted to be done. As I ran up the final hill to the finish, I thought Thank God. Crossed the line, they immediately threw a wet cloth on me and gave me more water. You think I was really dehydrated??? After recovering, I go to see Stewart, his parents, and his family. Stewart killed me by about 4-5 minutes and then he says your results are up. You are third overall!! What??? All those girls looked so strong?? Surely it is a mistake and my run that I thought was a 9:00+ pace was actually a 7:20 pace.
Stewart did an awesome job. He had so many tough men in his age group. Guys that I knew from years In racing and he managed to finish 5th in his age group on his second race. I was so proud of him and what he has accomplished in such a short time.
So, the day is great. I do love tri but I also have found that I love so many things as well... I love doing short, quick work outs, I love just lifting weights with Noah, I love doing an exercise video with Riley, I love yoga, and tomorrow after doing hill repeats with the girls. (Mainly just doing them because I want to see the girls). I am starting a women's tennis clinic. Something I have wanted to do for a while. I am just sad that I don't have a tennis skirt yet. Last year, I really wanted and thought I was done with tri. I am so glad that I have found a way to keep it in my life with out it being all consuming.
Like I heard in a movie today, we are only here for a short time, you need to feel it with as much joy as you can.
As for the race! I have to say it was a good day and a pleasant surprise for me. The race is part of the southern championship series and as we entered the transition, you could see there were quite a few fast people there. Especially a lot of fast men. The famous Bruce Generai from Franklin was there and so fun to watch him kill the course. I was excited and ready to get the day started. I was very relaxed, so relaxed that I followed a whole group of men into their locker room instead of mine. OOPS! Stewart yells "Baby there are naked men in here!" Sorry, I guess it is time to wake up and focus. But that is the great thing about this season. I don't really have a focus, I am just there to enjoy the day. Prior seasons I went into every race, giving myself goals. " I want to be in the top 10, I want to win masters, etc" Now my only goal is to do my best and do what I can do. That may be a bad thing but after 8 years of the sport, I am happy that I can relax. It is not all about tri anymore. Yes, I still love it but it is not all consuming. Like years past, I still write my training schedule every Sunday night. In years past, if it was on paper, it was getting done or I was one huge stress ball. I can not tell you how many work outs I miss a week now. Quite a few. I guess I am just still caught up in my love struck phrase because I love spending time with Stewart, the kids, and friends and training just gets pushed to the back. To be honest, if I wasn't afraid of gaining 20 pounds, I would probably be doing even less than I am now.
I made it into the girls locker room and was happy to see that we had real working in door plumbing. I hate a port-a-potty. We had about 6 toilets but NO stalls. They were all just wide open. Well, I have this new obsession with Orange is the New Black and jail has become this cool thing to me. I always wonder, could I go the bathroom in front of all those people??? Well, today I found out why yes, I can go the bathroom in front of all those people. Twice in fact and carry on a conversation with Stacey while doing it. The race is a 200 yard pool swim, after the snorting of the water up the nose in Arkansas, I was concerned about my interest and decided I was going to jump in holding my nose. Who cares if I looked six. Lucky for me, we ran in down the stairs but I still managed to get some water up my nose. I think it is because I take one big deep breath before going under. Beside that the swim was very uneventful. I stood in line and talked to those around me, met a nice lady from Madison Wi. who was down here with her mom in the hospital. Despite changing my swim stroke, I am still slow and always will be. I do think I swam a little slower because I was caught behind a guy and just could not get around him. The joys of a pool swim. I felt good and despite the water being really warm I have nothing to complain about. When you only swim 2 times a week, you begin to let go of all swim expectations.
The bike was just beautiful. We drove the course the day before and it was extremely hilly but all in the countryside and just gorgeous houses, farm land, and scenery. We rode about 4 miles on the very hilly highway but were very lucky to get the rural back roads for most of the race. On the bike, I just worked hard!! At mile 6, I began to feel tired and had to give myself a pep talk. I could see Rob Hyde and a group of guys in front of me for a while and was happy to focus on them but after a huge downhill, I lost all sight of them. The downhills were great! I think I hit 39 as my max speed more than once!!! I passed 2 girls and about 8- 10 guys so I thought I may be doing ok but really had no idea. Stewart passed me at mile 10 and it was fun to get to talk to him briefly as he went by. It also gave me something to focus on in the distance for the next little bit until I lost sight of him as well. Even though the bike was hard, I enjoyed it. I am really loving my bike right now.
The run was an out and back. Through a cemetery, around a gravel track, and luckily a little shaded path for part with a bubbling creek next to you. It was hot, hot, hot and the creek was just a tease. I was dying to drink and dying to pour some water over my head and thoughts of jumping in the creek were in my head constantly. I felt awful on this run. The worse I have felt running in a while. It was not a hard course but I think I was just still fatigued from the bike and dehydrated. I also made a fatal mistake in taking of a gu. When it says, take with water, I know you really need to take with water. As I started the run, I could see the aid station ahead. I took the gu in anticipation of getting water. When I got to the stop, they gave me this water balloon. I squeezed it, shook it, could not get the water out of it. So then I thought, hmm... maybe this is like a sponge and I am not suppose to drink it and I stuck it down my top. It didn't really feel that cold so I thought this could not be right. I took it out and dropped it all the while just thinking I need water!!!
Sure enough as anticipated the cramp that comes with gu without water settled in by my right rib cage along with a cramp in that little teardrop muscle down by my knee. I felt like it was taking me forever to get to the turn around and as people were running back towards me, I wanted to ask them how far to the turn around but just had no energy. Stewart actually ran by me at this point and it took me a minute to realize that was him! I felt like I was moving through molasses and all these strong girls were running towards me. Finally made it to the turn around and was given another balloon and I asked the guy desperately what do I do with these???? He said use your teeth to bite it. I had to run forward to some cones and he was yelling go around them... I almost went in front and back tracked to go around because in a race I always want to feel like I am doing the course exactly as it is set up. As I ran by the man again, he says "U understand??" YES! YES! little streams of water were squeezing out and I could drink it and pour over my head. Not sure if it was because I knew I was on the way back., I finally got some water, the cramps were subsiding some but I felt like I picked it up. I actually passed one guy. Finally!! It was short lived but I did come to another table and actually stopped and they had old fashioned cups as well as balloons. I drank one, poured one over my head, grabbed a balloon and bit - drank and sprinkled more and just wanted to be done. As I ran up the final hill to the finish, I thought Thank God. Crossed the line, they immediately threw a wet cloth on me and gave me more water. You think I was really dehydrated??? After recovering, I go to see Stewart, his parents, and his family. Stewart killed me by about 4-5 minutes and then he says your results are up. You are third overall!! What??? All those girls looked so strong?? Surely it is a mistake and my run that I thought was a 9:00+ pace was actually a 7:20 pace.
Stewart did an awesome job. He had so many tough men in his age group. Guys that I knew from years In racing and he managed to finish 5th in his age group on his second race. I was so proud of him and what he has accomplished in such a short time.
So, the day is great. I do love tri but I also have found that I love so many things as well... I love doing short, quick work outs, I love just lifting weights with Noah, I love doing an exercise video with Riley, I love yoga, and tomorrow after doing hill repeats with the girls. (Mainly just doing them because I want to see the girls). I am starting a women's tennis clinic. Something I have wanted to do for a while. I am just sad that I don't have a tennis skirt yet. Last year, I really wanted and thought I was done with tri. I am so glad that I have found a way to keep it in my life with out it being all consuming.
Like I heard in a movie today, we are only here for a short time, you need to feel it with as much joy as you can.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Aim High Tri !!!
Before I start my report I am going to back up a bit. Last summer I had decided I may be done with tri. I was unmotivated and having no fun. Sick of always feeling like I had to train and what if I missed a work out??? I even had signed up for a half ironman which I changed my mind about and ended my season early. I found out later that if you are unhappy in a major area of your life, it is hard to be happy in the minor areas. As this season approached, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to race I was insanely busy. I mean insanely with work and kids and moving and trying to figure out this married life thing. I would train here and there and all of it seemed fun. Stewart and I began to discuss doing a tri together. First as a relay and then him doing his own. I always suggest a pool swim as your first. No matter how much time you spend growing up in the lake, it is just not the same as racing in one. Last year, I did this race because it is a great season opener and I was sick of freezing at Rebelman. The joke was on me when I came over here to 37 degrees in May. I figured lightening could not strike twice so we signed up and began to train some when life would allow.
As race week approached, I didn't even think of the race. Nothing hurt,my throat felt fine ( a sure sign I was racing ) and on Thursday night I thought " do I even want to race?" " you aren't even stressed or thinking of it?" I guess when u don't stress over training, you don't stress over racing
I really wanted to go in with a relaxed attitude. It was a little hard because I was overall female winner last year and I didn't want that hanging over my head. I had no idea where my fitness was as I was still lucky to get In 2 swims and 3 runs in in a week. I had been outside on my bike 4 or 5 times but I did know by keeping strength as part of my training, I was seeing nice things and chasing Stewart "mr natural" on the bike was keeping me only toes.
I got to the race and was happy to see Joy and Damie. There, the thought of overall winner was no longer even looming so I didn't have to worry about that. I actually felt releived and knew then I could just race for myself
The swim was awful and by the grace of God, I managed to only swim12 seconds slower than last year. Stewart and I talked about how to enter the water. He started about 50 people behind me so was able to watch my swim. I jumped in and got copious amounts of water up my nose. I wanted to pop my head up and say Do Not Enter like that. Right away my breathing was off and my anxiety was high. The first 200 yards I was thankful I was not in a lake because I maybe would have drowned. I should have stopped, cleared my nose, breathed again but it only took 300 yds to get it right. The last 100 were relaxed and fine
The bike was hilly but no wind! Loved loved every minute of it. Was much faster this year. Almost by a minute per mile. Had a great time and my only mishap was a couple of traffic incidents I had to stop for and dismounting WAY before the dismount line and looking like an idiot as I ran by the crowd. I just yelled I was overzealous
The run is hilly but after tripping on some rocks coming out of transition, I felt Great! I knew I was running well and working but not suffering so maybe I should have ran a little faster but regardless I received my faster run split in triathlon in a long time. It helped as the only guy that passed me on the bike said " I knew u would be a strong runner"as I passed him up a hill. It just made me pass with my authority and think sorry u can't handle the suit
Finished in time to get the camera and catch Stewart. He really wanted to beat me and as he rounded the corner where I was standing he asked "what is your time?" I was kind of scared to tell him as if we were close, he did have some time to get me. I ended up beating him by 50 seconds. I got him in the run and swim- he got me on the bike
To top it off, I finished 5th female, 16th overall, 1st master with 4 minutes faster than last year! That I will take and I had NO should have/could have!! Loving this new low key racing! Happy!!!
We both had a great race and spent the day eating, sleeping, and shopping. Tonight we head to downtown Little Rock for some dancing. A successful day all around!!!!
As race week approached, I didn't even think of the race. Nothing hurt,my throat felt fine ( a sure sign I was racing ) and on Thursday night I thought " do I even want to race?" " you aren't even stressed or thinking of it?" I guess when u don't stress over training, you don't stress over racing
I really wanted to go in with a relaxed attitude. It was a little hard because I was overall female winner last year and I didn't want that hanging over my head. I had no idea where my fitness was as I was still lucky to get In 2 swims and 3 runs in in a week. I had been outside on my bike 4 or 5 times but I did know by keeping strength as part of my training, I was seeing nice things and chasing Stewart "mr natural" on the bike was keeping me only toes.
I got to the race and was happy to see Joy and Damie. There, the thought of overall winner was no longer even looming so I didn't have to worry about that. I actually felt releived and knew then I could just race for myself
The swim was awful and by the grace of God, I managed to only swim12 seconds slower than last year. Stewart and I talked about how to enter the water. He started about 50 people behind me so was able to watch my swim. I jumped in and got copious amounts of water up my nose. I wanted to pop my head up and say Do Not Enter like that. Right away my breathing was off and my anxiety was high. The first 200 yards I was thankful I was not in a lake because I maybe would have drowned. I should have stopped, cleared my nose, breathed again but it only took 300 yds to get it right. The last 100 were relaxed and fine
The bike was hilly but no wind! Loved loved every minute of it. Was much faster this year. Almost by a minute per mile. Had a great time and my only mishap was a couple of traffic incidents I had to stop for and dismounting WAY before the dismount line and looking like an idiot as I ran by the crowd. I just yelled I was overzealous
The run is hilly but after tripping on some rocks coming out of transition, I felt Great! I knew I was running well and working but not suffering so maybe I should have ran a little faster but regardless I received my faster run split in triathlon in a long time. It helped as the only guy that passed me on the bike said " I knew u would be a strong runner"as I passed him up a hill. It just made me pass with my authority and think sorry u can't handle the suit
Finished in time to get the camera and catch Stewart. He really wanted to beat me and as he rounded the corner where I was standing he asked "what is your time?" I was kind of scared to tell him as if we were close, he did have some time to get me. I ended up beating him by 50 seconds. I got him in the run and swim- he got me on the bike
To top it off, I finished 5th female, 16th overall, 1st master with 4 minutes faster than last year! That I will take and I had NO should have/could have!! Loving this new low key racing! Happy!!!
We both had a great race and spent the day eating, sleeping, and shopping. Tonight we head to downtown Little Rock for some dancing. A successful day all around!!!!
Monday, April 14, 2014
Today I Love the 5k!!
A race report...what this blog was originally intended.. all things race and training. It is just a small 5k report but fun to be able to write one.
Normally I hate a 5k because me and short bursts of speed do not go together. I really am not a fast runner but the only thing I really have going for me is to be able to hold a relatively fast speed for longer periods of times. Give me a long trail run over a 5k any day. Things were different this 5k and dare I say I actually enjoyed it??? I think I enjoyed it for so many reasons. One, I felt like a new racer. I went in with NO expectations and found that is a great place to be. I also really enjoyed racing with Stewart. As last year approached, I was really down on training and racing. I thought long and hard about giving it up. I didn't enjoy any of it and felt like it was becoming a chore. I also had a lot going on personally so wasn't sure if that led to part of the feeling but whatever the reason, I needed a break! Racing and training with Stewart has been so much fun. I think mainly because it is such a fresh feeling. It's new and fun to him which makes it more exciting for me as well.
Anyway, I digress a little more. Training has really not been happening much since my marathon in January. I tried to do some type of activity 4-5 days a week mainly for my mental health and not to just fall completely out of shape. With the cold temps, those were mainly treadmill runs or work outs in the gym. I was missing my beloved bootcamp so much! I thought I wanted to do tri this season so I even hired a coach, got the first month of workouts and thought I was ready to go. On the 5th of the month, I realized I was suppose to be following this plan and I hadn't even opened it! OOPS! Training was put on the back burner again and I just went with the flow of things. The one plus in this time is I lost all my anal obsessive type of behavior when it came to training. If I missed work outs for days on end or only ran 4 miles on the treadmill, the world did not come to an end.
About 5 weeks ago, things began to settle down and I thought now I am ready. I began to hit the pool and brought my bike in to work and placed it on the trainer. I was happy if I got one work out in a day. Gone were the 2 a day's that pretty much told me that I was in tri training. Training life was good. About 2 weeks later, Suzy says come do this 5k - they have bloody mary's and mimosa's after the race and a great post race party. I was like sure. I then decided I would add a little structure to my runs in the form of fartleks, hill work outs, and the dreaded 400's. Stewart would often say why are we doing this again? And I loved my new answer - " For the sense of accomplishment" No longer was I training to be fast or to win a race. I was running these to get that feeling from a good hard work out. Some weeks, I have a really good week and I get 3 bikes, 3 runs, 2 swims, and some strength workouts. Some weeks, I am lucky to get one of each. It all depends on work, the kids activities, and if something more appealing is planned. I have now adopted the do what you can and it is a sweet place to be. It has also been so much fun teaching Stewart to swim. Yesterday, we went out on the road bike for the first time and seeing his excitement was great! We got home and he was like I could do that all day! Music to my ears. As I predicted, he was a natural on the road bike. He has always been a mountain biker so I did not feel the least bit guilty as I drafted him on the windy stretches.
So back to this 5k. I got to the race and did a little mile warm up with a couple of fast striders. It was nice to warm up on the back part of the course so I could see what the finish looked like and surprisingly it had a few more pop of hills than I anticipated. Mostly, it was fun just to talk and see some people from the run scene that I have not seen. We lined up on the line and I had no expectations. I told Stewart and meant it that I would be happy with something in the 22's. I thought I could do that but would not be upset if I hit in the 23's. My goal was to try and do about a 7:15 or 7:20 first mile and see how I felt. The gun went off, race adrenaline kicked in, Stewart was already ahead of me and I looked down and saw on my garmin that I was running an 6:18 pace... uhm no. So I backed it down to what felt comfortable and saw 6:40 and thought well just go with it and never looked at my watch again. The course was not as flat as I thought, lots of turns, and windy in places. I ran with a trainer from biomechanix for the first 2 miles and at one point he said are you drafting me?? And I said yes I am. I haven't raced in awhile but I still remember some tricks. At the very beginning, the first place girl flew by me. There was only one girl in front of me beside first place and I just kept my sights on her. It is funny, how mental the 5k can be. I could tell I was gaining on 2nd place girl and thought I could catch her if she wore out before I did. As we approached mile 2, I began to get so tired and the mind starts those tricks. You don't need to catch that girl, you are only running this for fun, you are going to win one of those cute awards regardless, etc and then I thought about what I tell my track team. You can do anything for xx minutes, push yourself, don't give up and I went for it. Caught her ran behind her and then passed her. As we entered the golf course, I was so happy to know where I was from my warm up. As I approached the end I saw the clock click to 21:00 and thought holy crap, you are going to run pretty close to your 5k PR.
At the end of the race, I was so happy even though I ran a 5k like you should never run one, a big positive split but was happy that I pushed myself when I wanted to quit, I ran for fun and was so relaxed, I ran a whole race and didn't stare at my garmin to see what I was doing. It was great and it was great to see Stewart at the finish line waiting for me. It was even better that he beat me. It was a great feeling to leave a race and not think about it again. To not say I should have done this and I should have done that. To not beat myself up for being faster or better. I hope this is an indicator of what I can expect in racing triathlon this summer because it is such a good place to be.
As for tri;s this summer. I am not really sure what I am training for AND it is great. I have a few races in sight and if the feeling is right, I will do them. I do plan on introducing Stewart to a nice little pool race soon. As for long term who knows. I will tell you a little birdy in the form of Suzy is whispering Ironman in my ear and it is starting to sound really good.
Normally I hate a 5k because me and short bursts of speed do not go together. I really am not a fast runner but the only thing I really have going for me is to be able to hold a relatively fast speed for longer periods of times. Give me a long trail run over a 5k any day. Things were different this 5k and dare I say I actually enjoyed it??? I think I enjoyed it for so many reasons. One, I felt like a new racer. I went in with NO expectations and found that is a great place to be. I also really enjoyed racing with Stewart. As last year approached, I was really down on training and racing. I thought long and hard about giving it up. I didn't enjoy any of it and felt like it was becoming a chore. I also had a lot going on personally so wasn't sure if that led to part of the feeling but whatever the reason, I needed a break! Racing and training with Stewart has been so much fun. I think mainly because it is such a fresh feeling. It's new and fun to him which makes it more exciting for me as well.
Anyway, I digress a little more. Training has really not been happening much since my marathon in January. I tried to do some type of activity 4-5 days a week mainly for my mental health and not to just fall completely out of shape. With the cold temps, those were mainly treadmill runs or work outs in the gym. I was missing my beloved bootcamp so much! I thought I wanted to do tri this season so I even hired a coach, got the first month of workouts and thought I was ready to go. On the 5th of the month, I realized I was suppose to be following this plan and I hadn't even opened it! OOPS! Training was put on the back burner again and I just went with the flow of things. The one plus in this time is I lost all my anal obsessive type of behavior when it came to training. If I missed work outs for days on end or only ran 4 miles on the treadmill, the world did not come to an end.
About 5 weeks ago, things began to settle down and I thought now I am ready. I began to hit the pool and brought my bike in to work and placed it on the trainer. I was happy if I got one work out in a day. Gone were the 2 a day's that pretty much told me that I was in tri training. Training life was good. About 2 weeks later, Suzy says come do this 5k - they have bloody mary's and mimosa's after the race and a great post race party. I was like sure. I then decided I would add a little structure to my runs in the form of fartleks, hill work outs, and the dreaded 400's. Stewart would often say why are we doing this again? And I loved my new answer - " For the sense of accomplishment" No longer was I training to be fast or to win a race. I was running these to get that feeling from a good hard work out. Some weeks, I have a really good week and I get 3 bikes, 3 runs, 2 swims, and some strength workouts. Some weeks, I am lucky to get one of each. It all depends on work, the kids activities, and if something more appealing is planned. I have now adopted the do what you can and it is a sweet place to be. It has also been so much fun teaching Stewart to swim. Yesterday, we went out on the road bike for the first time and seeing his excitement was great! We got home and he was like I could do that all day! Music to my ears. As I predicted, he was a natural on the road bike. He has always been a mountain biker so I did not feel the least bit guilty as I drafted him on the windy stretches.
So back to this 5k. I got to the race and did a little mile warm up with a couple of fast striders. It was nice to warm up on the back part of the course so I could see what the finish looked like and surprisingly it had a few more pop of hills than I anticipated. Mostly, it was fun just to talk and see some people from the run scene that I have not seen. We lined up on the line and I had no expectations. I told Stewart and meant it that I would be happy with something in the 22's. I thought I could do that but would not be upset if I hit in the 23's. My goal was to try and do about a 7:15 or 7:20 first mile and see how I felt. The gun went off, race adrenaline kicked in, Stewart was already ahead of me and I looked down and saw on my garmin that I was running an 6:18 pace... uhm no. So I backed it down to what felt comfortable and saw 6:40 and thought well just go with it and never looked at my watch again. The course was not as flat as I thought, lots of turns, and windy in places. I ran with a trainer from biomechanix for the first 2 miles and at one point he said are you drafting me?? And I said yes I am. I haven't raced in awhile but I still remember some tricks. At the very beginning, the first place girl flew by me. There was only one girl in front of me beside first place and I just kept my sights on her. It is funny, how mental the 5k can be. I could tell I was gaining on 2nd place girl and thought I could catch her if she wore out before I did. As we approached mile 2, I began to get so tired and the mind starts those tricks. You don't need to catch that girl, you are only running this for fun, you are going to win one of those cute awards regardless, etc and then I thought about what I tell my track team. You can do anything for xx minutes, push yourself, don't give up and I went for it. Caught her ran behind her and then passed her. As we entered the golf course, I was so happy to know where I was from my warm up. As I approached the end I saw the clock click to 21:00 and thought holy crap, you are going to run pretty close to your 5k PR.
At the end of the race, I was so happy even though I ran a 5k like you should never run one, a big positive split but was happy that I pushed myself when I wanted to quit, I ran for fun and was so relaxed, I ran a whole race and didn't stare at my garmin to see what I was doing. It was great and it was great to see Stewart at the finish line waiting for me. It was even better that he beat me. It was a great feeling to leave a race and not think about it again. To not say I should have done this and I should have done that. To not beat myself up for being faster or better. I hope this is an indicator of what I can expect in racing triathlon this summer because it is such a good place to be.
As for tri;s this summer. I am not really sure what I am training for AND it is great. I have a few races in sight and if the feeling is right, I will do them. I do plan on introducing Stewart to a nice little pool race soon. As for long term who knows. I will tell you a little birdy in the form of Suzy is whispering Ironman in my ear and it is starting to sound really good.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Life is Good!!!
Life is good - insanely busy but very good!
Sometimes I have a hard time coming to turns with how good it is and keep waiting for something bad to happen. I am not sure if it is allowed for things to be almost perfect. Someone who was trying to be mean told me one day that Karma was coming back to me. Well I must have done some really good things because this Karma is great!! I do have those frazzled, stressed work days at least once or twice a week to keep me in check and to bring my heads out of the clouds.
On work life - crazy crazy busy. Managing about 9 lower school teams and coaches, coaching middle school and varsity track, and teaching. Just know that a day never goes by when I am wondering what to do next or am sitting around counting the hours. Each day flies by and I constantly feel I need more time! I had to cancel a hair appointment last night due to I just couldn't get away and I have three kids ask me why my hair is turning brown and they do not like it. Next Tuesday can not get here soon enough. But as stressed as I get, I know I perform well like this and would be crazy nuts if the day moved at any slower pace.
On the training front - after being TYPE A for so so many years. I have finally relaxed and relaxed big time. No longer do I want to be out training every morning bright and early. My Saturdays are the days that I want to just hang out with Stewart all morning and not rush off somewhere. Thus my legs really haven't been on a bike and I do have races planned but I don't really care. I am just doing what I can do when I want to and it is great! I do have a debut ride planned for this Sat. and I will most likely get dropped but as long as I get back to the car all is good. I have been swimming some and helping Stewart and it is great. I think by me stressing to him the right technique - I am focused more on mine and doing the right thing. I am still slow as molasses but some things will never change. Also since I have let it go, I really enjoy swimming
Running has been well and I have started adding the dreaded 400's every Tuesday. I hate them but so glad when they are done. I just feel like I accomplished something. AND I have yet to run them on a track so I feel like when I do get there, they are going to feel so much easier. I am doing a 5k next week - mainly because of mimosas and bloody Mary's after the race but my goal is to hold in the mid 7's range. Gone are the days of staring at the garmin and killing myself to see a 6:xx. I hope to be pleasantly surprised but if not, I am out there with friends and having fun!
I have also been giving Stewart work outs and I no longer can keep up ( SIGH) I guess that means I am a good coach. All I see is his back in every 400 and on all the hill repeats, tempo etc. I can still get him slightly on a longer distance but who knows for how much longer.
I do have some races scheduled for this summer but not expecting great results. This may be the year I have to retire my you just got passed by a girl suit because I may not be passing anyone. I still have plans to just retire completely and be a lifetimer when it comes to boot camp.
On the marriage and family front, I am not even going to begin to write something to describe that. The adjectives that come to mind are Perfect and Spoiled. Life is very good and I have to admit, we have quite the set up. The kids have never been happier. They are loving it. They always have someone to entertain them, talk to, hang with. And I could not be happier that Noah has a boy to hang with. It does my heart good to see him playing basketball, shooting guns, riding bikes - he was definitely tired of always having girls around. The weeks we don't have the kids are fantastic, it is like one big vacation and we still get to see the kids everyday and afternoons at school. The weeks we have the kids are usually crazy and chaotic but I love it. I always wanted a house full of kids and now I have it.
Life is extremely good!!! And the countdown to summer vacay is on!!!
Sometimes I have a hard time coming to turns with how good it is and keep waiting for something bad to happen. I am not sure if it is allowed for things to be almost perfect. Someone who was trying to be mean told me one day that Karma was coming back to me. Well I must have done some really good things because this Karma is great!! I do have those frazzled, stressed work days at least once or twice a week to keep me in check and to bring my heads out of the clouds.
On work life - crazy crazy busy. Managing about 9 lower school teams and coaches, coaching middle school and varsity track, and teaching. Just know that a day never goes by when I am wondering what to do next or am sitting around counting the hours. Each day flies by and I constantly feel I need more time! I had to cancel a hair appointment last night due to I just couldn't get away and I have three kids ask me why my hair is turning brown and they do not like it. Next Tuesday can not get here soon enough. But as stressed as I get, I know I perform well like this and would be crazy nuts if the day moved at any slower pace.
On the training front - after being TYPE A for so so many years. I have finally relaxed and relaxed big time. No longer do I want to be out training every morning bright and early. My Saturdays are the days that I want to just hang out with Stewart all morning and not rush off somewhere. Thus my legs really haven't been on a bike and I do have races planned but I don't really care. I am just doing what I can do when I want to and it is great! I do have a debut ride planned for this Sat. and I will most likely get dropped but as long as I get back to the car all is good. I have been swimming some and helping Stewart and it is great. I think by me stressing to him the right technique - I am focused more on mine and doing the right thing. I am still slow as molasses but some things will never change. Also since I have let it go, I really enjoy swimming
Running has been well and I have started adding the dreaded 400's every Tuesday. I hate them but so glad when they are done. I just feel like I accomplished something. AND I have yet to run them on a track so I feel like when I do get there, they are going to feel so much easier. I am doing a 5k next week - mainly because of mimosas and bloody Mary's after the race but my goal is to hold in the mid 7's range. Gone are the days of staring at the garmin and killing myself to see a 6:xx. I hope to be pleasantly surprised but if not, I am out there with friends and having fun!
I have also been giving Stewart work outs and I no longer can keep up ( SIGH) I guess that means I am a good coach. All I see is his back in every 400 and on all the hill repeats, tempo etc. I can still get him slightly on a longer distance but who knows for how much longer.
I do have some races scheduled for this summer but not expecting great results. This may be the year I have to retire my you just got passed by a girl suit because I may not be passing anyone. I still have plans to just retire completely and be a lifetimer when it comes to boot camp.
On the marriage and family front, I am not even going to begin to write something to describe that. The adjectives that come to mind are Perfect and Spoiled. Life is very good and I have to admit, we have quite the set up. The kids have never been happier. They are loving it. They always have someone to entertain them, talk to, hang with. And I could not be happier that Noah has a boy to hang with. It does my heart good to see him playing basketball, shooting guns, riding bikes - he was definitely tired of always having girls around. The weeks we don't have the kids are fantastic, it is like one big vacation and we still get to see the kids everyday and afternoons at school. The weeks we have the kids are usually crazy and chaotic but I love it. I always wanted a house full of kids and now I have it.
Life is extremely good!!! And the countdown to summer vacay is on!!!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
My turn.....
So I originally developed a blog to give training and race reports. Over time, I have used it to express my thoughts and feelings on various topics. I enjoy it and I like that it gives me a voice. Today I am going to use that voice.
If you didn't know I am a pretty self confident person. I don't ever feel like I have to explain my actions or thoughts to anyone. Although I may seem in the clouds lots of times, I really am not and on important decisions I spend a lot of time thinking them through. As a adult, I have been through many situations that have made me the person I am. I will never feel like I owe an explanation for anything I do BUT one thing I do not like is people who know nothing about a situation making judgement on what they think is going on
So for the past few months, I have been the topic of conservation by many. Mostly behind my back and to each other. Let's start with the first round of gossip that gave so many people to talk about.
Stewart and I. No, we haven't had this on going relationship full of sex and escapades for as long as all of you would like to believe. I know it is much more fun to think I was cheating on Chuk but that is not the case. What we did have was a great friendship that spans back about 4 years, yep we have gone to happy hours, sporting events, parties, et. We have taken the kids to the zoo, movies, skating, you name it. We did talk to each other a lot and on the phone but all as friends and that is what makes what we have now oh so great!!! Yes, chuk and I broke up in August and he lived with me for a while. Because I am not 10, you may have seen us interact and talk to each other and yes I did start dating Stewart while he was still living in my house. Cheating, no. Sorry to disappoint you
So last week, I had a person, definitely not a friend even though she referred to me as one make cryptic Facebook posts about me and getting other friends all fired up.
She referred to me dumping my puppies at a shelter because they didn't fit my new lifestyle. You are right, Amanda they did not. After chuk left, I realized no one was home with the dogs ever!! On a good day we leave the house before 7 and am home by 6. When home, we say hi to the puppies and then all run upstairs where they are not allowed. It broke my heart to see how alone they were feeling. It was evident by the things they began to chew. Secondly, I love how she said Stewart wouldn't allow it. She doesn't even know him. Grow up!!! Yep, he is not a dog person but he is a Leslie person and would never make me do something I didn't want to do. We spent a lot if time talking about the situation About caring for these dogs that we now have 4 kids to take to various events, we no longer live 5 mins. Where we can run home between school and various activities. We talked a lot and felt like we made the right decision. The dogs were neglected and this was evident how they soaked up attention when we were there. I cried, Stewart cried, Morgan cried. Thanks to all of you making judgements and sending me nasty texts to make the situation easier.
As for dumping the dogs, I didn't dump them anywhere. I took them to a great lady who was recommended by Angie. If she recommends it, I trust it. Since then I have seen pictures and they are happy
Sorry to all of those who choose to believe that I am a horrible person. All my decisions were made in the best interest. I also have human children and human needs that have to be taken care of first
I hope someone else has a life event soon so you can talk about them and get your fix. Just remember things are not as always as they seem
And yep if you think I sound bitter then I am but in the meantime I will just continue to bask in my new found happiness. It has been a long time coming
If you didn't know I am a pretty self confident person. I don't ever feel like I have to explain my actions or thoughts to anyone. Although I may seem in the clouds lots of times, I really am not and on important decisions I spend a lot of time thinking them through. As a adult, I have been through many situations that have made me the person I am. I will never feel like I owe an explanation for anything I do BUT one thing I do not like is people who know nothing about a situation making judgement on what they think is going on
So for the past few months, I have been the topic of conservation by many. Mostly behind my back and to each other. Let's start with the first round of gossip that gave so many people to talk about.
Stewart and I. No, we haven't had this on going relationship full of sex and escapades for as long as all of you would like to believe. I know it is much more fun to think I was cheating on Chuk but that is not the case. What we did have was a great friendship that spans back about 4 years, yep we have gone to happy hours, sporting events, parties, et. We have taken the kids to the zoo, movies, skating, you name it. We did talk to each other a lot and on the phone but all as friends and that is what makes what we have now oh so great!!! Yes, chuk and I broke up in August and he lived with me for a while. Because I am not 10, you may have seen us interact and talk to each other and yes I did start dating Stewart while he was still living in my house. Cheating, no. Sorry to disappoint you
So last week, I had a person, definitely not a friend even though she referred to me as one make cryptic Facebook posts about me and getting other friends all fired up.
She referred to me dumping my puppies at a shelter because they didn't fit my new lifestyle. You are right, Amanda they did not. After chuk left, I realized no one was home with the dogs ever!! On a good day we leave the house before 7 and am home by 6. When home, we say hi to the puppies and then all run upstairs where they are not allowed. It broke my heart to see how alone they were feeling. It was evident by the things they began to chew. Secondly, I love how she said Stewart wouldn't allow it. She doesn't even know him. Grow up!!! Yep, he is not a dog person but he is a Leslie person and would never make me do something I didn't want to do. We spent a lot if time talking about the situation About caring for these dogs that we now have 4 kids to take to various events, we no longer live 5 mins. Where we can run home between school and various activities. We talked a lot and felt like we made the right decision. The dogs were neglected and this was evident how they soaked up attention when we were there. I cried, Stewart cried, Morgan cried. Thanks to all of you making judgements and sending me nasty texts to make the situation easier.
As for dumping the dogs, I didn't dump them anywhere. I took them to a great lady who was recommended by Angie. If she recommends it, I trust it. Since then I have seen pictures and they are happy
Sorry to all of those who choose to believe that I am a horrible person. All my decisions were made in the best interest. I also have human children and human needs that have to be taken care of first
I hope someone else has a life event soon so you can talk about them and get your fix. Just remember things are not as always as they seem
And yep if you think I sound bitter then I am but in the meantime I will just continue to bask in my new found happiness. It has been a long time coming
Monday, January 20, 2014
Finally... A race report... Baton Rouge Marathon
I finally have a race report for my new blog. I love that the first report will be favorable as well. We headed to Baton Rouge for the holiday weekend for me to do the full and Stewart to do the half. I was very excited to have Stewart share this weekend with me. This whole racing scene and that part of my life is still kind of a mystery to him. Nothing I wanted more than for him to be there and began to see what this is all about. I also will not lie, we are in that honeymoon stage where we can't get enough of each other so another road trip was great. I was very excited that he was going to do his very first half
We all know, I am not a big fan of the marathon and I have only done 3 open marathons in my running. Not counting 50k's or ironmen. During The race yesterday, I figured why I was not such a fan. Anyway, I disgress. I originally trained for a trail marathon back in Oct that didn't happen. I felt very fit so I thought, why not?? Do a road marathon and try to qualify for Boston. Training was going great and then travel and the holidays hit and I started missing or changing a lot of runs. 4 weeks ago, I had a great 22 miler and felt confident. I still had my peak week coming before I started taper. My peak week happened while in Corado and I ran 3 times and nothing over 8 miles. I figured I could catch up the next week. Came back to do my long run combined with the herbs half marathon. It was cold and rainy, I did the half and ran straight to the car- no extra miles. As I went Into this race, I knew I hadn't ran long in 4 weeks. I had a 13.1 and then everything was about 8 miles. I did know I had 3 things going for me. I had years of endurance and a ton built up this summer, all my short stuff was done fast so I knew I had really good general fitness, and I knew I had determination and a strong mental game. I would need all 3 to get this BQ. I also knew that even though 3:45 was my qualifying time, with this crazy new registration - I needed a buffer.
The day was beautiful and the course was beautiful. I pretty much cruised through the first 16 miles, feeling great and chatting to others. Things started to get a little harder but I knew I just needed to stay focused, make it to 20 and then start the countdown. I was extremely happy to see 20. The next 2 weren't too bad. The last 4 were hell. I reminded myself how lucky I was that I was out here running and doing something I loved. I reminded myself often how grateful I was that I had this ability. I also repeatedly told myself how strong I was. My pace began to drop as the effort increased but I was happy to see that I was still running a 3:45 pace so I was safe. The math was going through my head There was nothing more that I wanted then was to stop. Nothing more I wanted to see the finish line. I began to count how many laps this would be on the track. I wasn't talking, I wasn't smiling, I was focused. I told myself do this and u can run whatever at Boston, relax and have a good time. I realized then why I didn't like the marathon- it is hard - the focus it takes- the will to push when u feel like shit cuz if u slow down u could blow all the work u did the first 22 miles. I was never so happy to see mile 25. I knew I could do anything for a mile and I would soon start feeling the finish line adrenaline. I thought of my past 2 marathons, my first which was a pure mess, my second which I did get a BQ of 3:47 - needed 3:50 at the time which I hated and this one which I maybe kind of enjoyed. I saw the finish line and was thrilled to be able to stop running. Thrilled to have a 3:39 which gave me over a 5 minute buffet so I knew I could get in Boston and I got to see Stewart and see how his experience went
He did well and really enjoyed it. Something that made me extremely happy. He was already talking about the next one 😊 and actually training. If my training slacked, his really did. He ran twice in the last month. We spent the day laying in the grass enjoying the beautiful weather and then much eating and drinking followed. A perfect day and weekend.
We all know, I am not a big fan of the marathon and I have only done 3 open marathons in my running. Not counting 50k's or ironmen. During The race yesterday, I figured why I was not such a fan. Anyway, I disgress. I originally trained for a trail marathon back in Oct that didn't happen. I felt very fit so I thought, why not?? Do a road marathon and try to qualify for Boston. Training was going great and then travel and the holidays hit and I started missing or changing a lot of runs. 4 weeks ago, I had a great 22 miler and felt confident. I still had my peak week coming before I started taper. My peak week happened while in Corado and I ran 3 times and nothing over 8 miles. I figured I could catch up the next week. Came back to do my long run combined with the herbs half marathon. It was cold and rainy, I did the half and ran straight to the car- no extra miles. As I went Into this race, I knew I hadn't ran long in 4 weeks. I had a 13.1 and then everything was about 8 miles. I did know I had 3 things going for me. I had years of endurance and a ton built up this summer, all my short stuff was done fast so I knew I had really good general fitness, and I knew I had determination and a strong mental game. I would need all 3 to get this BQ. I also knew that even though 3:45 was my qualifying time, with this crazy new registration - I needed a buffer.
The day was beautiful and the course was beautiful. I pretty much cruised through the first 16 miles, feeling great and chatting to others. Things started to get a little harder but I knew I just needed to stay focused, make it to 20 and then start the countdown. I was extremely happy to see 20. The next 2 weren't too bad. The last 4 were hell. I reminded myself how lucky I was that I was out here running and doing something I loved. I reminded myself often how grateful I was that I had this ability. I also repeatedly told myself how strong I was. My pace began to drop as the effort increased but I was happy to see that I was still running a 3:45 pace so I was safe. The math was going through my head There was nothing more that I wanted then was to stop. Nothing more I wanted to see the finish line. I began to count how many laps this would be on the track. I wasn't talking, I wasn't smiling, I was focused. I told myself do this and u can run whatever at Boston, relax and have a good time. I realized then why I didn't like the marathon- it is hard - the focus it takes- the will to push when u feel like shit cuz if u slow down u could blow all the work u did the first 22 miles. I was never so happy to see mile 25. I knew I could do anything for a mile and I would soon start feeling the finish line adrenaline. I thought of my past 2 marathons, my first which was a pure mess, my second which I did get a BQ of 3:47 - needed 3:50 at the time which I hated and this one which I maybe kind of enjoyed. I saw the finish line and was thrilled to be able to stop running. Thrilled to have a 3:39 which gave me over a 5 minute buffet so I knew I could get in Boston and I got to see Stewart and see how his experience went
He did well and really enjoyed it. Something that made me extremely happy. He was already talking about the next one 😊 and actually training. If my training slacked, his really did. He ran twice in the last month. We spent the day laying in the grass enjoying the beautiful weather and then much eating and drinking followed. A perfect day and weekend.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
New life hapenings...
Well in case you missed it on Facebook :) - I am engaged!! Yes it seems like quite a surprise to most of you but over here in Leslie land, it was not a surprise. Many of you are saying " Who is this guy?" Well... he has actually been one of my very closest friends for about 4 years now. We have spent a lot of time together being friends, talking to each other through problems, hanging out with the kids, and just having a good time. He was that guy that I could always talk to and feel 100% comfortable. And on a little side note, about 3 years ago - we did date for a very, very brief time and things just did not click. This time after some casual dating and lots of talk of moving slow ( which we obviously we did not heed) - things clicked and things clicked big time! I guess when something is right it is just right! I also know plenty of you think maybe this is all too fast but as an adult, things to me are much different than when I was dating in my younger years. I guess you are just older and smarter. AND I will admit, I am head over heels in love and if you know me that is kind of new and even harder for me to admit but there you have it....
It also brings me to the real reason I blog... training... I have a marathon next week. I originally was training for the black and blue and felt like I was in some of the best race shape I had ever been in and then I went out of town and missed the race. I did not want to leave all this training to naught so I took a couple of weeks off, backed down my training and then begin to train for the Baton Rouge Marathon. I figured if I was going to do a marathon, I may as well try to BQ so BQ bound I will be next weekend. Sometimes I look at my training and think this will be a piece of cake, other times not so much. I have got in a bunch of really good training and some nice long training runs but I have missed quite a few. Last week was my peak week and we all know what I spent doing that week... playing in Colorado. My long run which should have been 22 miles consisted of 6 miles with repeats followed by 5 miles of snow shoeing. I kind of thought at almost 10,000 feet altitude that surely evened out, right??
Well as I like to say the hay is in the barn, nothing I could do right now will make a difference. I had hoped to run 20 this past weekend but it was cold and rainy and I was wimpy. So I did the trail half marathon instead. It was wet and sloppy and I held about an 8:10 pace and felt good and it felt easy. Surely if I can hold that - I can hold an 8:30 pace for 26.2 miles, right? Well, we all know even in the best of circumstance, lots can happen in a marathon. 3 hours plus is a long time and good, bad, and both can occur during that time. I am hoping for all good.
Either way, I would not change a thing. A while ago I decided to not be so obsessive about my training and I have really worked on it. Sure, I did get up one morning at 4:00 to run 20 miles because I knew I was going to be out of town but for the most part, I just do what I can do. As I have often been told " you are not getting paid for this" Even though I have won a couple hundred bucks, a few gift cards, and some sweet bling over the years, I have to remind myself to just do what you can do often.
Next Friday, I am off to Baton Rouge... dreaming of great times with friends and BQ!!
Happy Running......
It also brings me to the real reason I blog... training... I have a marathon next week. I originally was training for the black and blue and felt like I was in some of the best race shape I had ever been in and then I went out of town and missed the race. I did not want to leave all this training to naught so I took a couple of weeks off, backed down my training and then begin to train for the Baton Rouge Marathon. I figured if I was going to do a marathon, I may as well try to BQ so BQ bound I will be next weekend. Sometimes I look at my training and think this will be a piece of cake, other times not so much. I have got in a bunch of really good training and some nice long training runs but I have missed quite a few. Last week was my peak week and we all know what I spent doing that week... playing in Colorado. My long run which should have been 22 miles consisted of 6 miles with repeats followed by 5 miles of snow shoeing. I kind of thought at almost 10,000 feet altitude that surely evened out, right??
Well as I like to say the hay is in the barn, nothing I could do right now will make a difference. I had hoped to run 20 this past weekend but it was cold and rainy and I was wimpy. So I did the trail half marathon instead. It was wet and sloppy and I held about an 8:10 pace and felt good and it felt easy. Surely if I can hold that - I can hold an 8:30 pace for 26.2 miles, right? Well, we all know even in the best of circumstance, lots can happen in a marathon. 3 hours plus is a long time and good, bad, and both can occur during that time. I am hoping for all good.
Either way, I would not change a thing. A while ago I decided to not be so obsessive about my training and I have really worked on it. Sure, I did get up one morning at 4:00 to run 20 miles because I knew I was going to be out of town but for the most part, I just do what I can do. As I have often been told " you are not getting paid for this" Even though I have won a couple hundred bucks, a few gift cards, and some sweet bling over the years, I have to remind myself to just do what you can do often.
Next Friday, I am off to Baton Rouge... dreaming of great times with friends and BQ!!
Happy Running......
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