Dear Diary.....

Last night I was having an email discussion with my coach about my (stupid) right quad and when things started going South.  I sat and thought and thought and thought, then I remembered my training journal!  I've always kept track of workouts in some way, sometimes haphazardly or inconsistently but this year is a bit different.  For Christmas I asked for this amazing training journal! I've been using it since the year began and I write a bit more about the workouts and rest days. How I felt before, during and after and if I went to the chiro or had a massage and if I'm cross-training and keeping my promise to stretch every day. It has helped my training a ton and I'm able to have a bigger picture of what I'm doing, how I'm doing, what works and what doesn't.

If you don't have a physical journal to track all this stuff I'd suggest you get one! It doesn't have to be anything fancy if you don't want it to be but a training journal does a few wonderful things, in addition to tracking workouts and mileage.  First, you can see patterns in your training and overall wellness.  You can track things like weight or measurements, heart rate and your cycle, for the female athletes out there.  A little note each day about your overall wellness such as "tired legs!" or "feeling stuffy" or "quick legs!" helps when you go back to look at what you've been spending your time doing.  Maybe you don't realize that those hill repeats are really taxing your system and leaving your legs spent, but when you take a look back at your comment about the days following a tough workout you'll pick up on the subtleties that you might otherwise miss. This leads to the next important reason, recovery! This is something that I struggle with on many levels. Just like nutrition, especially race day nutrition, is something that takes some figuring out and practice so does recovery.  By looking at the wellness updates and subsequent run performance you can see how well your current recovery plan is working.

My favorite reason to have a training journal is to see how you are evolving!!! It can be extremely rewarding to look back over past runs and see the mileage increase or the pace decrease.  It is especially helpful when you've hit a plateau or just barely missed that PR.  Taking a look back at all you've achieved over the past weeks, months and years can be just thing to make that frustration not feel so important and encourage you to keep moving forward! This record can also help encourage goals.  By looking at where you've been you can more easily set realistic goals about training and racing and where you hope to go.  The journal I have encourages you to set a monthly goal and record how you think you are going to accomplish it.  It also has a section for long term goals.  It is one thing to sit and dream and set a goal but the journal holds you accountable and asks you to think abut how you plan to get there which is a wonderful way to begin your work!

Here's what I did last week:

2/18 - rest; not feeling well

2/19 - 45:02 3.38 mi 13:20/mi ECP mixed trail and pavement; stretched am and pm

2/20 - 1:20:58 5.21 mi 15:32/mi NCR mixed; stretched 

2/21 - rest

2/22 - 46:08 2.87 mi 16:06/mi ECP - 8 downhill repeats sore quad

2/23 - 2hrs core and yoga workshop

2/24 - 48:04 3.34 mi 14:24/mi chagrin river park gravel; sore quad; massage; stretched; motrin and ice

Total miles: 14.8 

Weekly Training and Moving Day!

Phew what a week! On Saturday we moved!!!! The house is still in a bit of chaos but hopefully things will slowly come to order. :) It was a busy and hectic week and weekend so my training got a little messed up. :( The highlight of this week, besides moving, was that I ran my longest ever run on Wednesday!!! :) Woohoo! :) It was super icy in spots so I literally walked for almost a mile because every time I ran I would slip and slide! But overall it was a great run! I added some new sections to my run and it was nice to see a new part of the park (and not get lost) and get my miles in. I've also been sticking to my goal of stretching almost every day which is a HUGE accomplishment.  It is the first thing to go once I start getting busy. I'm still having some issues with my right quad so I'm going to keep at the stretching and hopefully things will work themselves out. :) I was originally scheduled to do a 50 min tempo run this week that I had saved for Saturday.  Moving day really kicked my ass and I just didn't get it in.  I had an 1:45 endurance spin class and 60 min hot yoga class Sunday morning so by the time I was able to get in a run I was pretty spent. The bright side is that I was still able to get in 4 days of running.


2/11 - 56:09 4.30miles 13:04/mi ecp mixed trail and paved. Yoga 45 mins. Stretched

2/12 - rest day! chiro; 2 hr yoga class

2/13 - 1:45:25 7.43miles 14:22/mi it was super icy in spots so I had to walk almost a mile due to ice :-/ ncr paved and trail; stretched

2/14 - recovery run. 23:29 1.92 miles 12:13/mi sidewalks

2/15 - rest day. Packed all day

2/16 - moving!!! Rest day

2/17 - 1:45 spinning endurance ride; 60 mins hot yoga; 25 min run 1.60 miles 13:45/mi; treadmill

Total miles: 15.25

This morning, I got up early made a dessert for my work lunch and then headed out for a run.  I haven't been running in the morning for a long time! It was always so dark in the morning and I didn't have a headlamp at that point.  It also seems to put me way behind and then late for work.  I'm teaching a private yoga client tonight so I didn't really have time to go tonight. I've been feeling a bit rundown lately and tired.  This afternoon I started thinking about what I had to do today after work, which is often a run, and realized that since I had done my run this morning I didn't have much to look forward to this evening. :( Obviously, that isn't true but my first thought was hmm, I'm going to go run, wait no I'm not. :( Tuesdays aren't my normal run day anyhow but I just felt super crappy yesterday and my asthma was acting up and I couldn't even think about running so I decided to run this morning.  It was a nice run and the park is so busy. :) Everyone is friendly and says hello. Needless to say it started my day off on the right foot! :) 

Week 5, my current training week, is a cutback week per my Coach Salty.  I was kind of excited to run beyond the 7.30 mark this week but that will have to wait until next week. My legs will enjoy the break until then. :) 

Weekly Training Log 2/4-2/10/13

This past week the weather was up and down and weird. But I still got my miles in! :) I ran twice with Karen and let me just say that having her there for my long was SUPER helpful! As much as I love winter, the sneak preview of spring that we got recently is making me hope the groundhog's prediction comes true!

We are moving this Saturday so things have been busy and a bit stressful.  There is still a decent amount of work left to do but I know it will work out fine.  I'm just feeling so ready to move! :)

I've been feeling pretty decent overall but sore and tired off and on too. I feel like it takes me a while to recovery from the long runs.  My schedule makes things a bit difficult too because I do most of my runs between Wednesday and Saturday. So this week I have a couple of goals:

1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night! Listen folks this is TOUGH for me. I've never been good at sleeping more than 6-7 hours and i usually can't do it for days in a row.

2. STRETCH!!!!!! I used to be SOOOO good at this and then I got busy and felt ok and stopped.  I'm trying to get back to stretching at least after every run and spin if not every day!

My coach switched out my XT for a 20 minute recovery run the day after my long run.  This means that I will run 4 days in a row this week. Hopefully this helps out! :)

Here's what I got in this week:

2/4 - 2.74 mi 38:53 14:12/mi - ECP paved trails - legs were tired; yoga 45 mins (i got out of work late so i had to cut my run short)
2/5 - XT DAY! 30 min jillian micheals six week ab dvd; 60 mins endurance cycle; 60 mins yoga
2/6 - 6.17 mi 1:30:02 14:36/mi - Chagrin River Park - gravel; stretched!
2/7 - REST DAY
2/8 - 4.04 mi 48:25 11:50/mi - ECP paved; stretched!
2/9 - 3.75 mi 51:04 13:31/mi - wilson mills trail head, pavement; stretched! 75 min yoga, 60min massage
2/10 - 60 min yoga

total miles: 16.73

Running Buddies!

What a week! This weekend was my YTT teaching practicum so all week I kept tweaking my class and teaching it to whoever I could! :) I got all my runs in and then basically spent the weekend doing yoga! Yesterday I was at the studio for about 10 hours! And while it has been such an amazing experience, I'm so glad that it is (almost) done!

White Pine Loop after fresh snow! 

This week, I did something that I've never done before and totally pushed myself outside of my comfort zone. I ran with someone. EEK! You are probably rolling your eyes at this one, but seriously I was super nervous. I'm a social person but the idea of running with someone was super intimidating and honestly, when we were planning our run I kept giving her opportunities to decide she actually didn't want to run with me. haha BUT she did and so we went, first on Wednesday and then again on Saturday. Karen has some tendinitis in her foot so she needs to slow down a bit to help her foot heal. Running with someone has been great and once I got over my fear of being too slow, it has been a lot of fun! Here is my advice, run with someone or a group sooner rather than later! Put yourself out there and recognize that no one cares how fast or slow you are they just like your company. :) Running with someone who is generally faster than you is ok as long as you are clear about what pace you are planing and they are fine with going a bit slower. It helps tremendously to maintain a more consistent pace when you have someone there to keep moving forward. :)

Now that things are calming down a bit with YTT and I'm getting a handle on packing, I feel like I will be able to be more consistent with my XT and strengthening exercises I'm supposed to be doing! I have an hour endurance spin class tomorrow for my XT for this week. Stretching is another area that I need to dedicate more time to!!! So that is also on my list for this week. The weather has been super snowy and great! It has made for some incredible snowy runs and I love it!!! We should be getting a bit more snow over the next two days or so which thrills me! OH! I also finally got a new heart strap so I can start paying attention to that too. :)

Here's the rundown for last week:

1/28 - 3.55mi; total time: 47:19 pace: 13:20/mi - ECP pavement Avg HR: 148
1/29 - strengthening exercises
1/30 - 6.36mi; total time: 1:27:20 pace: 13:44/mi - NCR mix of trail and pavement Avg HR: 161
2/1 - 3.34mi; total time: 46:20 pace: 13:52/mi - NCR pavement
2/2 - 2.91mi; total time 45:31 pace: 15:38/mi - NCR trail Avg HR: 155

total time: 3:46:33
total miles: 16.16

Training 1/21-1/27/13 and an amazing winter run!

This week was a bit hit or miss with the running.  I got my runs in but none of them were for the coach prescribed time.  But I got them in! This week presented some challenges with the cold weather but by my second run of the week I had mastered my gear and was toasty warm for the rest of my runs. :) One thing that made an incredible difference was using a turtle to cover my nose and mouth.  The bitter cold temps here was aggravating my asthma but once I covered my nose and mouth and warmed the air that I was breathing it became almost a non-issue. 

I was in Toronto this weekend for some YTT funness so I took Friday off and did my long run that day.  Oh my goodness! What an amazing run!!! Honestly, I'm so frequently in awe of just how beautiful the park is.  Sometimes I'm just breathless and so appreciative of the beauty that surrounds me.  It was still snowing when I started my run and I've been trying to get in pavement and trail running so I started off on the multipurpose trail and ran until I encountered a trail in the woods.  I picked that up and ran until it ended following the foot prints and ski tracks until I reached a road.  Then I ran down that to the paved trail and was able to pick up the trail inthe woods that I had hoped to explore.  I was able to see all sorts of the park that I have never seen.  I do most of my running at night and have a very HIGH propensity to get lost so I stick with trails I know at night so I don't end up lost, alone and in the dark. It was so awesome to run during the day and without a plan.  I did get a bit lost and ended up out there a bit longer than I was scheduled but I didn't care it really was just such an amazingly beautiful run.  I feel so lucky to be able to run and even more blessed that I get to do it in such a beautiful place! I feel so calm and peaceful and pull so much energy from the ground below me.  It is a feeling of such amazing oneness with nature. here are some pics from my awesome run!

runjan - how to make a free slideshow

I have a coach for my first half marathon and she's added some other activities to my schedule.  Things are pretty busy at work and I'm wrapping up YTT this coming month so hopefully it will become easier.

M 1/21 - chiro; 36:24 - trail - 14:51/mi - 2.45 mi; 45 mins spinning and 30 mins yoga

T 1/22 - 30 mins jillian micheal's six week abs; strengthening exercises

W 1/23 - 46:59 - pavement - 14:14/mi - 3.30mi

R 1/24 - rest

F 1/25 - 1:22:28 - pavement/trail mix - 15:27/mi - 5.34mi; massage

S 1/26 - 28:00 - pavement (downtown toronto) - 14:11/mi - 1:98mi; yoga 75 mins

S 1/27 - yoga 75 mins; strengthening exercise

total mileage: 13.07 miles

Winter Running

Yesterday afternoon I headed out for my scheduled afternoon run.  The weather was a bit chilly; it was about 19 degrees but with the wind chill it felt like it was about 5 degrees.  I think the temps dropped slightly as I ran.  I only lasted 40 minutes or so and had to call it a day.  Winter running is pretty amazing! I love all of the seasons but Spring and Winter are my favorites.  Whenever I'm out running in the snow, I remember something from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass:

I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."

It seems that the snow is letting the plants and grass and trees and ground kind of wait and rest and be calm until Spring comes forcefully in, making things grow.  I took a bunch of pictures last night but my phone died mid-run so I wanted to share them here. The snow really just makes everything so still and peaceful!  It is like a moving meditation to run with no one around and no other sounds besides your breathing, feet hitting the ground and the wind. :) I hope that all of you enjoy Winter running as much as I do!!! :) 

Tracking My Progress & Training Log 1/14-1/20/13

For Christmas I asked for a training journal.  My brother got it for me and I've been using since the beginning of the year.  I love it and it feeds my need to track all my workouts.  I also use a garmin and runkeeper. :) It may seem redundant but it is nice to have both of them while running.  I like having the audio cues in my ear when I'm just running and not paying attention to time or distance and I enjoy being able to look at my wrist to see how fast I'm actually moving as compared to my perceived pace.  I LOVE to track things.  I can't help it! It might be a sickness. ;) Anyhow, tracking has provided insight into patterns, changes in training and a way to see my accomplishments.  I think it is beneficial for anyone! Now that I'm working with a coach and will be including strengthening and cross-training into my weekly schedule, tracking will help demonstrate the impact that these activities will have on my running.

This week I had pretty decent runs.  My favorite run was Wednesday.  I felt the most amazing on Monday but in terms of scenery, Wednesday was by far the best run of the week.  Wednesday I usually do my long runs and I do them at the same place most weeks.  This week the sunset was AMAZING!  I had to stop and take a picture it just was that beautiful. 

1/14 - 3.35 mi GREAT feeling run 11:52/mi 39:48 pavement/trail mix; 30 mins yoga
1/15 - yoga 60 mins
1/16 - 5.11 mi 13:19/mi 1:08 trails
1/17 - strengthening exercises; 45 mins cardio
1/18 - 2.68 mi windy; tired legs pavement 13:31/mi 36:17
1/19 - 3.24 mi 13:26/mi 43:34 trails tired legs
1/20 - yoga 60 mins

total miles: 14.38 miles

Training Log 1/7-1/13/13

This weekend was my official last weekend of yoga teacher training.  It feels like it went by so fast! We've been working since September and now all we have left is our teaching practicum the first weekend of February! I'm sooo excited! I also taught my first official class at the studio this weekend! We've added two kids classes and I get to teach them both. :) Hopefully, the class will grow! It is so much fun to teach kids and interact with them! They are incredibly flexible and open to what yoga offers.  And I can't tell you how rewarding it is to see someone "get" a pose and accomplish something they've never done before! I even got my class to om! :)

My house got hit with the stomach flu and try as I might I eventually succumbed.  I thought the worst was over by Saturday evening but after I ran the 4M Prediction Run, I wasn't feeling myself.  My fever was back by the afternoon and I ended up calling in sick on Monday morning and resting all day.  I still was able to get some decent miles in and while I had to scrap my training plan for the week, I felt good about squeezing in 3 runs.


1/7 - sick1/8 - chiro/rest1/9 - 5 miles - icy/slushy/soupy trails 1:14:17 - 14:52/mi; 30 min yoga, 20 mins on the foam roller1/10 - 3.13 miles - pavement 38:52 - 12:25/mi; 20 min yoga1/11 - rest1/12 - 2.38 miles - pavement/trail mix 31:02 - 13:02/mi; 2 hours yoga - legs were tired!!!1/13 - rest 1.5 hours yoga


total: 10.51 miles

The weather this past week was incredible! It was nice to be out and feel the sun but I'm ready for winter to come back.  Tomorrow the temps should dip back into the 20s. Then all we will need is snow! :) Have a great week!!!

Training Log 12/31/12-1/6/13 and a Race Report!

Gorgeous mid-day run!!!

The first week of January is done! Woohoo! I hope all of you have had wonderful holidays and the happiest of New Year's! The first week of 2013 started off with (technically) 2 races, some beautiful running days and  the stomach flu. Monday, the last day of 2012, I ran the GNYER and then went to a fun NYE party and celebrated with some great friends. Tuesday was a family day and Wednesday I was back at work - boo!  Wednesday was a trying day and I just felt off.  Thursday I spent the day at work feeling dizzy and weird.  Friday I was able to get in a beautiful run around lunch time that was MUCH better with the aid of my new yaktrax.  As soon as I finished, my stomach hurt.  By the afternoon I was certain that I was getting sick and by 7pm I had a decently high fever and the stomach flu. Saturday I was pretty drained and still not feeling well but determined to do my first official race of 2013.

Post race reward :) 

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good and got everything together and out of the door with time to spare.  Today was the Dirty Snowflake 4M Prediction Race.  That's right, prediction, no watches and you predict your time!  Luckily, the race started on time! :) I started off in the last third of the pack as there weren't a ton of racers and they all looked super fast!  Once we made our way onto the Ledges trail and it became mostly single-track I wished I had toughed it out and tried for middle of the pack.  There were a lot of traffic jams and I had to walk quite a bit in the beginning.  Eventually the route got a bit wider and I was able to move around some.  I underestimated my race by 9 minutes! :( But I had a great time and the course was AWESOME and super beautiful.  I left right after I came in because my stomach started getting all weird and nauseous. Can I just say that the thing I dislike about doing races South of here is that there are hardly any Starbucks?!  I know that sounds ridiculous but there is nothing better after a good run than a hot cup of tea!  So after I found a Starbucks, I headed home to get some yoga, stretching, lunch and a shower. It was a great race and good practice at running without a watch which honestly made me a bit crazy mostly because I didn't know the distance.  I feel like if I hadn't got held up at the beginning I might have gotten closer to my goal.  I also think due to the conditions on the course I probably should have added 5 minutes or so to my time. ;)

Weekly Training 12/31/12-1/6/13

12/31/12 - W9 D3 - 3.15 miles at 12:21 - Great New Year's Eve 5k - road

1/2/13 - 1.73 miles at 20:08 ouch!- NCR snowy trails

1/4/13 - 3.57 miles at 15:32 - not bad for the flu! - NCR snowy trails but with yaktrax! :) 

1/6/13 - 4.13 miles at 14:26 - CVNP Ledges and Pine Grove Trails

Weekly Total: 12.58 miles

Ups and Downs of Training

Let me first say friends that I really don't like complaining. I especially don't like complaining here but today was one of those days! Work wasn't great and I wasn't ready to go back after what felt like a very short 7 days off of work. After a day full of annoyances and just plain blah I realized as I was changing that I had forgotten my running shoes.  I was scheduled to get in 60 mins and then head home, shower, eat something and then head over to my yoga student's house at 7pm.  Which meant that to do this comfortably and not be rushing I had to be done with my run no later than 5:45pm.  Needless to say I was NOT happy when I discovered my missing shoes.  :( I rushed home and then got held up due some family stuff and didn't get to the park until 5:30pm.

I soooo needed this run.  I needed my run to fix everything that had gone wrong today.  I needed to go out and run hard and fast and feel strong and forget everything not great.  I needed to get dirty and sweaty and breathe the cold winter night air.  Some of that happened but most of it didn't.

This past Monday, I PRed. This past Monday the weather was shit and I ran great and hard and felt so amazing after the run.  Sure I pushed myself and there were parts that were a bit difficult and things I could have done differently but overall it.was.great.

Two days later and I couldn't find my footing.  I couldn't hit my stride.  My form sucked and I hated every minute I was out there. And honestly, I wanted to cry. If it hadn't been 20 degrees outside I would have.

I'm not a quitter. And I'm terrible at not meeting my goals or expectations.  I'm just really bad at disappointment.  Today I just couldn't take it anymore. I love the snow! It is one of my favorite things!!! But this year running in it sucks.  Every time my foot comes down it lands on something uneven and slides to one side. I can't stand up as straight as I normally do because my gait changes so much from the snow and ice.  I go from a midfoot strike to a toe strike and a mile in my left knee starts to hurt.  But most of all I get frustrated and disappointed in my running (or lack of). Then I quit. Mentally and emotionally, I quit.

All I kept thinking was, "Why did you decide to run a half in May, in Cleveland, when you have to train through the winter?!" "Why did you decide to do this for your FIRST half?" "Why do you always have to pick difficult things?" "Why can't you just be good at this?" "How are you going to run that 4 mile race on Sunday, when you can't go more than 4 or 5 steps without losing your footing?!"

I tried really hard not to get frustrated and give up.  I really did. But I just felt like I wasn't accomplishing what I wanted to or what I needed.  I had placed crazy amounts of expectations on this run.  It was going to make me better.  But it really only added to my day of frustrations.

After 1.7 miles or so I walked back to the car.

I was so discouraged.  The weather hasn't stopped me yet from running.  When I have a run scheduled, I run , no matter what.  But lately the snow has been really challenging for me.  Being outside, on a trail is what I need but lately what I need isn't helping me, it is making me crazy.  I'm going to get a pair of yak trax but I'm not sure that will solve it.

Running is pushing me in lots of ways.  It's just like when I used to train for tris or throughout the evolution of my yoga practice.  Running is forcing me to look inward so I can excel, change and grow.  Tonight might not have been the run I wanted but it was the run I needed.  It was the run that reminds me that not every run is great and that that is ok.  It reminds me that things can be tough but that is the exact reason I do them.  I reminds me to keep moving forward no matter how much I want to stop.  Through adversity we learn the most about ourselves.  Running helps keep me honest. ;) It makes me see myself and the ways I want to improve. I haven't had a lot of cheerleaders in my life to encourage me to pursue the things I wanted to.  I've had to do that myself and today was a reminder that it is important to be your own cheerleader sometimes.

Remember, for every uphill climb there is a fast downhill waiting! :)

December Training Round Up, a Race Report and a New Year!

I meant to post all this last night but the weather was crappy and I got home late from the race and needed to get to a fab NYE party. Sooo first, let's get the training report out of the way!

12/17/12 - W7 D2 - 3.28 miles at 13:25 - trail - NCR

12/19/12 - W7 D3 - 4.77 miles at 13:55 - trail - NCR

12/21/12 - W8 D1 - 2.26 miles at 15:24 - trail - ECP

12/23/12 - W8 D2 - 2.37 miles at 14:53 - trail - Frohring Meadows

12/24/12 - W8 D3 - 5.13 miles at 13:38 - Frosty 5 Miler - road

12/26/12 - W9 D1 - 1.89 miles at 13:14 - trail - ECP

12/28/12 - W9 D2 - 1.65 miles at 16:57 - trail - ECP

12/31/12 - W9 D3 - 3.24 miles at 12:21 - Great New Year's Eve 5k - road

Total Miles: 24.59 miles

Great New Year's Eve Run

I LOVE this race! SARC puts on such great races! They are well supported and always have great giveaways. I was looking for a PR so I knew where I needed to be and was able to stick with my pace for most of the race.  I still started off a bit too fast and was trying hard to slow down.  I managed to stay between 11:30-12:00 for the first mile which felt good at the time but I knew I couldn't maintain.  I just kept pushing so I'd PR.  I got slowed down in the beginning because I couldn't get my garmin to find the satellite but once I got it working everything was fine. Here are my splits: 12:29, 12:38 and 12:46.  I was hoping for 12:30 consistently so I need to make sure for my next race that I don't go out and run 10-11 for the first half mile. Overall, I'm happy with my race! :) 

So it is a new year and I'm so so so excited about all that 2013 has in store for me! I'm going to begin working with my coach for the half this month and I'm still working out my race calendar for next year. I hope all of you had amazing holidays!!! :) 

Boot Camp Hero

So I've been (pathetically and half heartedly) attempting to lose the extra weight that I put on after my hip flexor injury, for the past two years. This year was a waste because I didn't have the time to train like I needed to and I didn't have the extra cash to pay for the races I wanted to do so instead I was a real trooper and did........nothing. :(

I've lost about 8-9 pounds since July which isn't very much but good enough since I haven't been as dedicated as I should be. My buddy IronG introduced me to Tracy Anderson and I totally was diggin it and will say the my month long three-four sessions per week along with a little bit of diet changes really helped with the loss of those 8-9 pounds. However, with my new job, longer hours, darkness arriving early and longer drive time I've found every excuse in the book to NOT workout during the week. So when G showed up with this NEW thing she was doing and it had a deal with it I was game.

It just helps me more when I'm paying to be somewhere and have that blocked out on my schedule. I'm totally a routine kind of person and need the accountability of being in a class or working out with other people to keep me motivated. Desire is not my problem, its the need to be everything to everyone else but myself and this fear that if I'm not then somehow I'm a bad person or not enough or not worth the love that I get back. And while it's REALLY REALLY hard, I've drawn the line and waived the white flag and am committed to committing to myself.

I love triathlon and the friends that I've made through it and all that comes with it but most of all I love how I feel when I finish a race. I love that feeling that I've accomplished something, something challenging and hard and I did it! Me, me who has always been the shortest girl on the team or never quite fast enough or never quite strong enough. Triathlon gives me an opportunity to push myself against myself and I don't have to measure up against other people if I don't want to. And it is for that reason that I'm committed to making my 'off-season' something productive so that I can be part of something that I love again.

I signed up for a cycling clinic every other Sunday for two hours from January to May. But I still need more before I get to January so I can cycle for two hours and not die. I also am sick of looking at a closet full of clothes that don't fit and feeling like I need to hide inside a big sweater. SO.OVER.IT!

Last night was my first Boot Camp at Cleveland Fitness Boot Camp. I did pilates from 6-6:45pm and then headed over to the boot camp facilities. Nervous and excited at the same time. It was that first day of school feeling. It was a great work out and challenging and fast paced which I loved. One thing that was shocking to me was that I did MUCH better than I thought I would. Now this is not to at all indicate that this workout was wimpy or that I flaked out cuz I didn't. In fact my classmates were surprised to find out that last night was my first class. I was able to hang with the peeps that have been doing this for a few months and that made me feel good. When I finished every muscle in my body was dead. It wasn't even that I was sore, my muscles were tired - really tired. And today, not so sore but still tired. I'm sure that tomorrow morning will be a different story but tomorrow is my second night of boot camp. Right now I'm in and love it!

Day 1: I think I might throw up....

So today was Day 1 of my 30 day Tracy Anderson Challenge! I was going to start on October 1st but I didn't get up early enough which was good because, J and I went to Red Robin for dinner last night. Yum is all I have to say about that!

Getting back to business! I've read through most of the book and decided it was time to begin the supposed torture. Let me say that my trepidation is not unfounded as she writes this about what to expect from the first few days:

"Be prepared: The first and second days of Sequence 1, you can expect to feel almost like you have the flu. It won't be the usual kind of area-specific soreness, like "My abs are really feeling it," or "My arms are really sore." It's an all-over-tired feeling." pg 65

Hmm, doesn't that just make you sooo want to start this program! :)

So I began with the mat workout and was shocked not only at how much it hurt but my response to it. I had watched all of the moves on Thursday and while I thought that they seemed a bit challenging I didn't feel the same when I was doing them. I basically thought that Tracy was NUTS! Seriously, I was supposed to do 20 reps of each movement and was LUCKY to get those in. I really had to push on a few of the movements. So just when I thought it couldn't get worse, the arm segment came. Now I consider myself to relatively strong. I'm not going to win any strongman competitions but I can lift a decent amount of weight. Holy shit! I was lucky to get 10 reps in for each of the movements. By the time my 30 or so minutes was over and I had completed all of the movements I seriously thought I was going to throw up. I've only felt that before on the bike when it's a super hot and humid day and I'm working my butt off.

The second requirement is the CARDIO! This was initially what I was worried about and it turned out so much better than I had thought it would. I have decided to follow the moderate workout plan and in that the first few days you don't do the full routine for the cardio. You step touch the movements and can't jump. It was hard because the cardio part was alot of fun and I wanted to jump around like a freak, just like Tracy was doing. I completed my 40 minutes of cardio and headed for the shower.

Overall, I thought it was challenging and a good workout that I enjoyed except for the parts when I thought my muscles were going to break like a rubber band stretched too far!

Tomorrow: repeat of today!

Special Delivery!

Today when I got home from work this was in my mailbox:

This was inside the envelope:

I'm super excited and ready to begin! Wish me luck......with Tracy Anderson, I think I'm gonna need it!

New Kicks

Because Morris is the BEST cat ever in the entire world (I hope you all are sensing the sarcasm) I had to buy new shoes today. A few weeks ago, I came home from work and found the following:



Yes and the cat did this and yes I do feed him, alot, probably too much. Anyhow, I have been sick and then busy and then sick AND busy so I haven't been running so it wasn't an issue. Until today.

Last week was my (hopefully) last week of antibiotics and I was in a celebratory mood. I searched out some running plans and a tri plan to start in a few weeks. So tomorrow I start over....again. But that is ok, starting over is fun!

However, running tomorrow morning with those shoes wasn't going to happen. So I headed over to Second Sole and grabbed a new pair of kicks. I have been getting the same pair of new balance trainers for years, the 1000 series. This year's model is 1063 and they look snazzie!!!



I've never been a great runner or a big fan for that matter, so I'm going to start slow and do some intervals for a few weeks and see how things are going. I grabbed a plan off runnersworld.com and got a tri plan off of trifuel.com. Right now here is the plan: do an 8 week moderate build on the running front, with a simultaneous bike build. I grabbed my goal mileage bike wise for the week ending on April 26th (my first scheduled race) and wanted to do 30 miles for a weekly total. I reduced my weekly goal by about 10% each week to bring me to tomorrow. This is going to be way less than what I was doing before I got sick but with the added runs it won't matter too much.

As I'm sure you all have noticed, there was no mention of swimming. That's because I'm not swimming right now. I have alot of craziness going on at work and have multiple grant applications that I'm working on, so it takes up alot of my free time as well as keeps me very busy throughout the day. Swimming only once a week isn't going to add anything plus my lungs aren't totally full force yet and can't handle what I'm used to in the pool. As a result, I'm going to focus on my running because it is my weakest area. Then when I get to a point were I feel more comfortable there and in a good routine I'll add my swims. I build fast in the pool so playing catch up won't be too bad. :)

I have to head over to the clinic either tomorrow or Tuesday and get another set of chest xrays to verify that the fluid and swelling are gone. Fingers crossed!!! For now though, I'm off to change my sheets (yippee!) and play some rockband before bed.

Happy training everyone!

2009 Races and Goals

I began my race schedule yesterday and while I'm sure it is going to change because life happens that way, I'm pretty happy so far with what I've set up! Here is the schedule, with the possibility to change:

• Buzzard Bi - April
• Silver Springs Bi - May
• Blossom Time 5 miler - May
• NEO Tri Kickoff - June
• Sunday in June Ride - June
• SummiTri - June
• She Rocks Tri - June (maybe)
  
• Lighthouse Tri - July
• Bright Side of the Road - August
• GCT Sprint - August
• Vermilion Harbor Tri - August
• Portage Lakes Tri - September
• Cleveland Race for the Cure 5K - September
• Pigskin Classic 5K - November
• Reindeer Run 5K - December
• The Great New Year's Eve Run 5K - December

It kinda stinks that the swim got cut last year from the GCT because I'm revisiting two tris of my three last year and I would love to be able to compare my times and see if I've improved. I also decided that I'm going to shoot for 5 tris this year, that way I have a better chance of actually getting to complete more tris with swims. ;)

Here are some of my goals:

1. Get a 10K under my belt - one that I get to finish!
I would really like to do the Dirty Dog again but I feel like I need a 10K finished first and one that is easier than the DD. So I'm shooting for the Towpath 10K in October. I love the Towpath and I know it is going to be a very nice run with awesome scenery! Then I can try the Dirty Dog again in 2010 with my ladies and tear it up out there!

2. Swim, Bike, RUN
I did 3 tris in 2008 and I was never able to completely run the run. I always did intervals or walked at quick pace. I was just always so slow and when I would time my pace I realized that I could walk as fast as I was running so I walked. This year I really want to run at least one of the 5Ks at the end of my tris.

3.Get the excess off!
As you all know, I was diagnosed with PCOS in the Spring of 2007. It came after some serious and quick weight gain that didn't seem to be impacted by what I was eating or my level of exercise. I worked hard over 2007 and was able to lose about 20 pounds of the weight. After my stupid hip flexor injury in February of 2008, I wasn't able to run at all or even swim (for more than 30-45mins) until about May and the weight started to creep back up. So this year, I'm hoping I can put a dent in the number on the scale and at least get half of the excess off. I would love to get it all off! But I also want to set realistic goals and not put myself in a position to be disappointed. Although silently I'm rooting for more! ;)

While, three goals might not seem like alot, I think they are good solid goals to start with and very within my reach! Plus, these all fall into my overarching goal of taking better care of myself (i.e. going to bed early, eating better, getting my workouts in no matter what the house looks like, etc.)

So bloggy friends, what does your 2009 look like? What are you hoping to achieve???

December & January

So I have been just overwhelmed with tons of stuff! Work has been going well but just plain busy. We are working on getting things ready for our door to door inspections and also grant applications that have to go out at the end of February. Also, I have recently joined the board for the CTC and have been busy with all of that. Here is the run down:

December

The CTC had its first annual winter banquet and we had a blast! The food was great and we all had a great time. One of the fun things we did was give out awards to our members, some for achievements and others just for fun. Bike Authority was also generous enough to give away a great Trek bike to raffle off. I was crossing my fingers and hoping that I would win so I could give it to Steve. He has expressed some interest in racing and the clunky old bike he rides now is really only good for short commutes. Because it is so old and clunky and heavy it is just not good for racing. Guess what!? I won!!! I was so excited and Steve didn't really believe me until we made the trip to BA. So thank you, thank you, thank you BA!!!

The holidays were good but long and exhausting. I got a great gift card from my mom and was able to pay for almost all of a new fluid trainer!!! My friend Chris came in for New Year's to visit and it was so great to see him and be able to catch up!

January

Gosh 2009! Thing have been so busy for me so it has been hard to get virtually any training in. I'm planning on changing that this weekend! Steve and I setup our bikes on our trainers in the office and keep saying we are going to start getting some miles in but just haven't had the time.

So now that it looks like this outside


we can still get some time in on the bikes!



I have decided that since I was able to get in 3 tris last season that 5 would be totally doable this year. I have to watch my food more and just really commit to making time for workouts. Over the first half of 2008 I gained back a significant amount of weight that I had worked hard to get rid of in 2007. So that is of course a goal too!

I have been trying to get the CTC Race Calendar updated on the website and that has been a much bigger job than I anticipated. At least most of these events are yearly and next year all we will have to do is change the date and the rest of the info will be there. As I do this I'm also trying to get a schedule together for the new race series the CTC Cheetah Series and of course my own race schedule. Sheesh! I feel like I'm busier than ever!

If I can just get in a better workout groove then everything else will fall into place. Getting my swim time in has been really hard because of the frigid temps here. I of course have to be outside alot for my job so by the end of the day I'm ready to go home and snuggle with the cats!

Tomorrow we have our first of three indoor tris. I'm hoping it goes well!!! I'm going to attempt to be productive for the rest of the night and then get to bed early since I have to be in Macedonia by 6:45am.

Thanks for reading after a million year absence! I promise to return to blogging again consistently!

weekend prep!

Sunday I have the Lorain Tri! I looked at the course map today so I knew where I was going. I worked another tri in Lorain (same course I believe) a few months ago and had alot of complaints about the course not being marked or difficult to follow. I totally understand that sort of frustration but I also think that we have to check things out beforehand so we are informed racers!!! Just to be safe, I'm going to print out directions for the bike and ziptie them to my bike so I don't get lost. I need every minute I can get people! :P

Here are the stats for the bike:




Here are the stats for the run:



OUCH!!!

Hopefully things won't be too bad! I'm also hoping that it isn't a terribly humid weekend. (fingers crossed)

So tomorrow, I get a new dryer. Hopefully, I was specific enough about what I need that I get the same thing I have now. The fridge was such a disappointment, a slap in the face really. June would never have bought something like that. It isn't practical; it is sooo small! There is so much money left in the estate, why scrimp on something as necessary as a fridge? I digress! More finger crossing for a good dryer with multiple temperature settings. I mean that isn't too much to ask!

Then my neighbors invited us for a cookout on Saturday evening! Dana and JT moved in a few months after I did. They have two adorable little girls that are always pretty much full of giggles and smiles so that should be fun! :)

Sunday I have the tri (EARLY) and then Steve and I will return home, shower and head over to my friend Chrissy's house for a BBQ. Her parents are coming as well as mine and my gram. It will be nice to see my nephew Jak, since I haven't seen him since June. Little ones grow soooo fast!

Steve is going to the NIN concert tonight and mom wants to do dinner. I have to do some things for work this afternoon and I figure I can wash all my race stuff that is hang dry today so I can pack everything up tonight. I just feel better on race morning when everything is in my bag! :)

Enjoy the weekend everyone!!!

on your LEFT, no the other left

After a very hot and very long week, I was looking forward to the weekend; which in fact turned out to be just as hot and long! Steve's grad party was Sunday so we were prepping for that all weekend and the day was spent running around trying to make sure everything was done and all the guests were happy. We finally got home around 10:30pm.

Last night Steve and I rode the path at Euclid Creek. It was fun except for a few things. I only got in about 5.5 miles because after walking up the giant hill, I was faced with another small hill and was thinking that I couldn't do anymore hills!

So we were riding along and I swear, everybody and their brother was out last night. I mean seriously you'd think they were giving out free stuff or something!

After my frustration of conceding to the hill (without trying for fear of falling over), I stopped at the top and had some water and caught my breath. We rode up a bit further did one smallish hill and turned around. Steve is always concerned that I will fall and spends a ton of time looking over his shoulder. I told him to go ahead that I would be fine and to look AHEAD!

I left myself get up to 18 mphs and I had to slow down a bit. The hill is pretty steep so I was just coasting for some time with light pressure on the brakes to maintain 18mphs. It was pretty funny because I felt like all I did on the last mile or so was coast because of the momentum from the hill. I was trying to make my presence known without being too obnoxious so I would just let all the walkers know that I was coming and then thank them for moving.

Everything was fine until I caught up with these three kids.

The oldest was probably around 12 and then there was a little girl (?) around 5 and then a boy around 9 or 10. So I say, "on your left" and she moves all the way to left and stands there. Then the boy who has this huge stick (like 5 feet tall) is on the right. So I try to split the difference and ride in the center. As I move to the center so does he! Seriously, I slam on the brakes and am almost at a complete standstill with him inches from my front tire. I didn't really know what to do. I mean I'm clipped in and going pretty fast and he is just standing there like a deer in head lights!!! So I seriously thought I was going to hit him. Finally, at the last possible minute, he jumps out of the way and I kept going.

As I continued, I thought about how things would have played out if I had hit him. I mean how do the police handle something like that. I could just see it on the front page of the Plain Dealer, "Boy killed by over-zealous cyclist; charged with vehicular homicide."

As I continued, I kept up my notifications and one group of older women responded in a way that made me go, "Hmmmm." As I passed I said excuse me and thank you and they said, "No problem, thanks for letting us know you were there!!!"

Obviously, we all know who they were referring to. So as I caught up with Steve, I recounted my almost crashing and killing a kid story and then said, "Have you been practicing good cycling etiquette??"

He looked at me sideways and stumbled a bit and said, "Um, yeah, why?" I told him what the ladies had said and he looked at the ground for a minute and said that he thought he had been good at notifying everyone that needed to move. Suuuuuurrreee! ;)

All in all it was a good ride. I practiced going fast and not getting scared AND I practiced shifting which I think I'm finally getting the hang of! Oh and I was clipped in on both feet and didn't fall! :)

Baby steps!!!

lessons learned, except for the sunscreen one...

This Sunday I met up with BH, JE, and MN for a ride of the Fairport course. I didn't get to do the entire course but all in all it was a good ride and I learned alot. Here are some things I identified as needing to work on:

1. clipping in and out - Seriously folks, I HATE my stupid shoes and my stupid pedals. I totally wiped out right at the beginning of our ride because I was so busy worrying about clipping in my damn right foot that I couldn't get up the hill. So then I just gave up and put down my right foot and as usual slid across the pavement and fell. Oh well, I haven't fallen in a while and at least I got it out of the way early! :)

2. gears - I'm still working on what is the right 'place' for me gear-wise and knowing when to change.

3. mileage - Practice, practice, practice! Nuff said.

4. hydration - My cages are pretty tight and as a result you really have to yank hard to get the bottles out. Therefore, I don't usually drink while riding cuz the last time I tried it, it felt like I was trying to rip the bike out from under me. I have a camelback that I might start wearing because not hydrating is just plain silly!

The girls were great, as usual, and Monica was my personal coach! She kept trying to give me hints on how to ride better and was the perfect, Momma Hen as cars approached.

Also, as Beth's email stated this AM "Holy head wind Batman!" Seriously, going down Fairport Nursery Road, sucked major ass on the way back in. The wind was pretty strong and I felt like such a weakling.

I still am not sure what the rest of this season is going to bring me (yes I know it is almost over). I often feel as though I will NEVER be ready to compete and the times when I say I can I feel like I just might be in denial. Basically, I just need to focus more on getting my mileage up and becoming more comfortable.

Oh I almost forgot!

5. sunscreen - It isn't that I never learned this nor that I choose to not do it on purpose, but in my defense, I couldn't reach all the areas on my back that needed sunscreen and didn't think to ask any of the ladies before we got started. So as a result, I have a completely bright red upper back with a LOVELY white racerback design. Gotta love it! ;)