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.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
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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