Like Winning the Lottery

About a month ago after I finished running my second half marathon the idea of running a full marathon started to creep into my mind. I've known that I wanted to run a marathon for some time now but it still never seemed real. But today that far-fetched dream of mine started to become a reality.

I have dying to announce it to the blog world, and to everyone in general that I will be running the 2012 ING New York City Marathon!

I have expressed my feelings about this race before and when I say that running this race is an absolute dream come true I really mean it. I have dreamed about this race since the first time I heard about during my freshmen year of college but I wasn't sure if I would ever get the chance to run it because of the lottery system.

Right after I decided that I wanted to try to run a fall marathon my cousin, who works for the NYCM informed me that she would be able to get me into the race even if I didn't get in through the lottery. I applied for the lottery assuming I wouldn't get in and that I would just have my cousin use her super powers to get me in.

Except when I logged on today I saw that I had been accepted. I would have never tried to run this great race this year partly due to its ridiculously high cost and the slim chance that I would actually get in. And as corny as this sounds, I really feel like it was fate. 

As excited as I am to start this new adventure I am still in triathlon training. I am going to finish my training and then switch over to MARATHON training! And I can promise that I am going to document every aspect of the journey. This is something that I never want to forget.

Taking A Break from Running

If you read my post about my triathlon training last week you may have noticed that I didn't run at all. Not even once. And I didn't miss it in the slightest. After having two terrible runs two weeks ago I just wanted a break. I was struggling to run at what my normal recovery pace is. Luckily, my main focus isn't running right now so there is no reason to suffer through miserable runs. It also worked out well that this past week ended up being a recovery week. 

At first I was pretty scared about my lack of desire to run. I love to run and have big goals when it comes to running. I am not supposed to enjoy taking off time from running so much. But after a few days I started to realize that this small break from running was just what I needed. After a full week of no running I am now looking forward to going out for a run. 

I don't think I was physically burned out since I really wasn't running too much. I think I was burned out mentally though. I experienced the same sort of thing after running my first half marathon back in the fall but I didn't give myself the break that I needed. Instead I tried to muster through it. Then I jumped into training for another half marathon with no motivation to run. Not the best plan.

Running isn't supposed to give me stress, it's supposed to relieve stress. My first sign that I should have given myself a break was that running was suddenly causing me more stress than it was relieving. Now that I have taken a break from running I feel absolutely no pressure regarding training. I am loving biking and switching up my training. And I am going to only run when I want to and for only as long as I want.

I have big running plans for the fall that I will fill you in on soon (!) and I want to be ready to take on that challenge with no pressure. I want to be ready to focus on running and if that means cutting back on running now than so be it.

Triathlon Training Week 4

There isn't anything too fabulous about this week but here we go:


Monday:
Since Monday's high was 90 degrees I decided biking inside in the air conditioning was the way to go. I did my longest ride on the trainer so far: 60 minutes! My rides have been getting significantly better, although I can't measure speed. They are definitely feeling easier though. My hip flexors were a little tight throughout the day so I stretched and iced after my ride.


Tuesday: 
I ended up skipping my planned morning run in favor of some much needed sleep. My apartment has air conditioning but it was still almost 80 degrees inside which made sleeping nearly impossible for me. I was finally able to sleep in the morning so I went with it. I did a hard 30 minute trainer ride in the afternoon though. I was shocked at how quickly the time flew by.


Wednesday:
I took a much needed rest day on Wednesday since my left leg/hip was really wonky. It was incredibly nice to do nothing all afternoon and just hang out on the couch.


Thursday:
Thursday was another rest day, as I had decided to make week four a recovery week. By late Thursday I was really itching to get a workout in though, which made me excited for the next week's training.


Friday:
I finally swam! I did my first swim of triathlon training and realized that I am much more out of shape than I thought. It was still a really nice swim that left me wanting more though. I focused mainly on pulling drills and kicking and ended up with 1,800 meters for the day.


Saturday:
Friday night my boyfriend and I went camping with some friends and were planning on going hiking on Saturday but our plans got derailed by a full day of heavy rain.


Sunday:
Sunday completed my super rest week. I spent the majority of the day in bed sleeping and relaxing with the boyfriend. I really should have done something on Sunday but sometimes you just need to be lazy all day and do nothing.


Weekly Totals

• Swimming: 1,800 yards
• Biking: 1 hour 30 min
• Running: 0 miles
• Total hours: 2 hours 15 min

Thoughts
This week consisted of a lot more rest than I had anticipated but I'm not too worked up over it. My body feels completely recovered and I have no lingering soreness anymore. I am really glad I took this rest week and now I am looking forward to three more weeks of hard training.

A Much Needed Wake Up Call

Even though I am in week four of triathlon training today was the first day I went to swim since December. It was a beautiful day with temps in the low eighties- my favorite outdoor swimming weather. When I woke up I didn't really want to swim but I brought my stuff with me anyway because I knew I would feel guilty about having it with me and not actually swimming. I intended on doing a 1000 yard time trial so I could measure my progress as I train but the pool was set up in meters. The dilemma that I have with this is that UMBC's pool is going to be set up in long course meters throughout the end of the semester but the pool that I will be swimming at over the summer will be in short course yards. Still figuring out what to do about that.

This has happened to me on so many occasions. 

One of the many reasons why I love swimming.

I jumped in the pool and was instantly happy. An outdoor swimming pool is my happy place. I feel calm and at home, like I am exactly where I am supposed to be. It sounds strange, but I feel the most like myself at a pool. After jumping in I did a little warm up to get used to being back in the pool. I knew it was going to be challenging since it was long course but I was astounded with just how hard it felt. My arms were screaming after only a few hundred meters. This is not how swimming is supposed to feel for me. After a minor panic attack about how I can no longer swim, I regrouped and decided to focus on some pulling drills and kicking.

After I calmed down a little things started to feel smoother. I was more relaxed and I just focused on form. I am so used to the way I used to swim when I did it competitively that sometimes I get myself too worked up over not being able to swim as strongly. I remembered after my first two surgeries when I was just getting back into swimming the main focus was on form and technique rather than speed. And after doing some pulling drills I could already feel my stroke becoming stronger.

Maybe this guy can help me swim faster.

I have such a strong background in swimming that I often forget that I still need to put in the training. Today's swim showed me that I still have a lot of training to do before this triathlon rolls around in July. I am really excited to have a goal to work towards and not just be swimming for the heck of it anymore though.

A Necessary Recovery Week

I have been trying to be flexible with my training this cycle so that I don't feel any pressure and don't get stressed out about not being able to do a certain workout on a particular day. What I did make sure to schedule was recovery weeks. When I was a swimmer I was always the one to get injured so I am trying to be proactive and prevent any potential injuries.

I was planning on taking a recovery week next week since I have started off pretty slowly with training. I would normally do three hard weeks followed by a recovery week but week two of training hard pretty low volume so I figured I could get away with pushing the recovery week back.

When I got back to school on Sunday night I discovered that my hip flexors were pretty sore. They were only sore to touch though, so I iced them for a little and didn't think about them again. Then on Wednesday as I was walking down the stairs after class I was having this weird pain in my left leg. It felt like a joint was inflamed or something. I'm still not sure what it was but it was pretty darn uncomfortable.

I decided to take an unplanned rest day on Wednesday since I didn't want to do anything to further aggravate my leg. I was surprisingly tired and went to bed at 10, much earlier than my normal 12-1 bedtime. On Thursday when I was thinking about my workout for the day I just especially lacking motivation. It wasn't my normal I-would-rather-sit-on the-couch-than-workout. It was more of an I-need-a-break-before-I-have-a-mental-breakdown-and-quit-school feeling.

Then I realized that my body was craving a rest week. The thought of a rest week excited me so much that I knew it was for the best. And after two full days of rest I am now itching to get back out there for a workout.

In past training I was stuck in vicious cycles of not sticking to the plan, getting burnt out, taking a few days off to rest, feeling guilty for taking rest days, and consequentially not taking any rest weeks so that I could try to make up my missed workouts.

At the beginning of the week I ignored my small aches and pains and lack of motivation and tried to power through. But I'm glad that I listened to my body and took a necessary rest week so I can go into the next training segment with enthusiasm and ready to tackle my upcoming workouts.

Inspired by the Boston Marathon

As I'm sure all of you know by now, yesterday was the Boston Marathon. Up until a year or two ago when I first became interested in running I didn't know anything about the Boston Marathon. Yeah, I knew it existed. But I had no idea that there were qualifying times to run it. I didn't know the race had such a history. I couldn't comprehend how much it represented in the running world.

I still do not know all that much about the Boston Marathon, but what I do know is that I want to qualify for it someday. I am by no means a fast runner and I am okay with that. For the time being. One day I want to experience for myself what all the hype is about. I want to wear the finishers jacket with pride everywhere I go. I want to be a part of something that it so influential and powerful in this community.

This is the 2012 color of the jacket.

Yesterday was the 116th running of the Boston Marathon. 116 years is not any kind usual anniversary but this year's race was truly special because it marked the 40th anniversary of women being allowed to run in the race. It also marked the 45th anniversary of a female, Kathrine Switzer, running the Boston Marathon.

Even though I have only been running for about a year now, there has never been a time when I felt like I wasn't a runner or an athlete simply because I was a female. I am lucky to be a part of a community where being female is not a bad thing. Most races now are mostly comprised of female runners in fact!

Besides the history aspect of the race, yesterday's Boston Marathon was special because of the record setting temps. The high in Boston yesterday was around 90 degrees, which is unthinkable for this time of year. The race organizers put out multiple warnings about the dangerously hot weather and advised people to not go all out during the race.

It was 90 degrees here in Baltimore yesterday and I can tell you 90 degrees is really effing hot. I can't even imagine running a marathon in those temps. I was sweating as soon as I went outside and opted for a trainer ride in the air conditioning instead of braving the heat for a run.

Despite the offer to transfer your entry until next year due to the heat, many people ran anyway because they had already payed to travel all the way there. Everybody who ran in yesterday's race amazed me. I am not sure what I would have done if I was in that situation but I do know it wouldn't have been pretty. To those of you who stuck it out and ran despite the heat, you deserve and extra medal. You should be more than proud of yourselves. And to those runners who opted to not run the race and chose the deferment instead, you are very smart. Don't think you quit or took the easy way out. Running in those temps is very dangerous and not worth it. There is always next year.

Dealing with Bad Runs

Ever since I ran the Rock N' Roll USA Half Marathon back in March I have been having some pretty crappy runs. Yeah, I have had a few good runs but the majority of them have been absolutely dreadful. At first I thought it was because I was eating badly. What you put into your body affects how your body performs right? I thought a few weeks of eating too much junk food for a lifetime was the culprit of my craptastic runs. But after cleaning up my diet and loading up on some healthy eats there was no improvement.

I am still not sure why I have been having such sucky runs lately but I am not going to let it get me down. I am training for a triathlon that is three months away. I have been having great trainer rides and have been loving switching up training and adding in some variety. I know everyone goes through spells of crappy runs but this is the first time this has happened to me. There have been times where I have lacked the motivation to go out for a run but the physical part was always there. Lately, though, I feel like I have been fighting my body. I struggle to do runs at my normal easy/recovery pace.

It has occurred to me that this may be my body's way of telling me that it needs a break. My calves have been feeling pretty tight and swollen lately, but nothing has been feeling particularly sore or painful. I have been especially proactive over the last few days if this is the case. My foam roller has become my new best friend and I have spent more than one night icing myself to sleep in this dreadful heat. I have also been stretching any chance I get.

I know this spell of bad runs will eventually end, but for now I am going to not stress over it since running is not my priority right now. On the schedule for this week are mostly really short recovery jogs that will hopefully loosen up my legs. I am also going to ditch my garmin this week since I really don't want any reminders of how slow I'm running.

Triathlon Training Week 3

Monday:
I woke up Monday morning with a really stiff neck that hurt with pretty much every movement I made. I was originally planning on running Monday morning but with how stiff my neck was all activity was out of the question. Unfortunately Monday ended up being a rest day.


Tuesday:
I got in a 45 minute ride on the trainer while studying for my Russian test and watching reruns of Friends. This was the longest ride I had done on the trainer so far but the time flew. It wasn't a hard workout but I did switch up the intensity multiple times to keep things interesting.


Wednesday:
Wednesday was a 30 minute easy recovery ride on the trainer. I really did not want to do this ride but I didn't want to see another rest day for the week. It wasn't the best ride but I'm still glad I got it done.


Thursday:
My first brick! I did an easy 45 minute ride on the trainer followed immediately by a four mile run. Based off of this workout I am very excited to do more brick workouts. I also tried my first energy gel during this workout!


Friday:
I woke up on Friday and my hip was really weird feeling. It wasn't particularly sore but the joint felt messed up. I was originally planning on going for a short run on Friday and making Saturday a rest day but I just decided it was better to switch them and make Friday the rest day. 


Saturday:
The plan was to do a six mile easy run but things didn't quite go as planned. As soon as I started off I knew it was going to be a tough run but I thought as long as I kept my pace easy I would be alright. Around a mile and a half in, though, I started cramping and became really dizzy. I stopped and walked for a little bit and then tried to run again but there was no change. It was really hot outside and I didn't have my phone with me so I didn't want to chance passing out with no way to call for help. I just walked the rest of the way back to my car, which was actually quite pleasant. I ended up running 1.83 miles and walking 1.83 miles. Not ideal but I didn't want to take any chances.


Sunday:
After how crappy I felt during Saturday's run I decided to do a short 2 mile recovery run on Sunday. I was super excited to try out my mom's Brooks Pure Cadence shoes during the run but unfortunately my legs still felt like dead weights. After that disaster of a run I went for a 2.5 mile walk with my mom and with Gracie. I think Gracie had the most fun on the walk


Weekly Totals

• Biking: 2 hours
• Running: 7.83 miles
• Walking: 4.33 miles
• Total Hours: 4 hours 30 min

Thoughts
This week was full of ups and downs. I loved my bike rides on the trainer and my legs are loving them too. The rides are feeling more comfortable and are becoming quite enjoyable. I had a really great brick workout on Thursday and I pushed myself to get in workouts that I normally would have just skipped. On the downside, though, my runs this week were pretty craptastic. My legs, particularly my calves and lower legs, feel really tight and swollen and therefore very heavy. I wasn't sure whether I should try to run through it or just rest my legs. I tried to do some active recovery but that didn't seem to help much. I am going to make it a point this next week to foam roll and stretch every day in hopes of that helping. I know everyone has bad runs so I am hoping that is all it is. My nutrition this week was pretty good too, and I even tried my first energy gel! Next week is going to be a pretty tough week training wise so I am really going to monitor everything that goes into my body to make sure I am being fueled properly.

Avoiding the Pool

Even though I am in my third week of triathlon training (weeks one and two), I have yet to make it to the pool. Actually, the last time I went to the pool was back in December. I was hoping that starting triathlon training would motivate me to finally get myself to the pool for a much needed chlorine high. I have made plans every week to go to the pool for a workout, yet I still haven't gotten my swim on.

Excuses for not swimming

• The swim is by far my strongest leg of the triathlon and I am well aware of it. When I wake up in the morning exhausted with no motivation to get out of bed I often tell myself that I can sleep in since I don't have to worry about the swim portion. So far I have sacrificed swimming for running, studying, club meetings, but primarily sleep. 
• The locker rooms on campus are notorious for theft. I know this is a dumb excuse but it still worries/scares me. I have a lock but I lost the combination so I need to buy a new one. This is really nothing more than an excuse and something that I can easily remedy. On the to-do list for this weekend: buy a new lock.
• The indoor pool is crowded and cold. I have always loved swimming outdoors but was never a big fan of swimming indoors. Luckily for me, UMBC just opened their outdoor pool. I can no longer use this excuse!
• I don't want to have to carry around my swim stuff in my school backpack. This can easily be remedied with the purchase of a lock, so that I can leave my swim bag in a locker for the day and pick it up before I go home. 

Solutions!

Not make excuses any more, duh! As I was leaving campus today I walked by the outdoor and was craving a nice swim. I realized I am trying to force myself to wake up early to jump into a cold pool for no real reason. UMBC's outdoor pool is open for a few hours in the afternoon and a few hours in the evening every day. The main reason I love swimming outdoors so much is that I get to feel the sun beating down on me but am not hot because I am in the pool. I absolutely love this feeling and I think that if I try to schedule some swims for when the sun is shining and the air is warm I will happily hit the pool for a swim.

A Day of Firsts

Today I completed my first brick of my triathlon training cycle and it was glorious. It was a day off first for me and I loved every one of them. I started the workout off 45 minutes on the trainer. I kept the resistance light since I wasn't sure how my legs would feel on the run. During the ride I drank sips of nuun every couple minutes since I hadn't had much to drink all day.

Between the ride and the run I had my first energy gel. I few weeks ago I bought a bunch of different types of gels and chews to try during training but I hadn't tried any until today. I ended up having a Clif Shot Gel, I think the Razz flavor. It was an interesting taste and consistency but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I chased my gel with the rest of my nuun.

I then set out for a four mile run. When I first started running I forgot that I had just been biking and was frustrated with how tired and heavy my legs felt. But then I remembered I had just biked for 45 minutes and my legs weren't supposed to feel fresh. I worked hard to keep the pace easy at the beginning of the run since the first mile is all downhill.

I was surprised with how much better my legs felt as I kept running. I was also surprised with my pace compared to how I felt; I was able to keep the run at a 10:00 average pace. The last mile was pretty tough but not the worst I have endured. Overall I was pleased with the entire workout, especially the run.

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	39:51.2	4.00	9:57
1	9:53.7	1.00	9:53
2	10:06.2	1.00	10:06
3	9:27.9	1.00	9:27
4	10:22.0	1.00	10:21
5	:01.3	0.00	10:07

I am not sure how I liked the energy gel but since it was only my first time I am going to keep trying different brands and flavors. I was, however, happy that my stomach didn't reject the gel. It went down easily and I never really felt out of energy during the run.

I Think I'm Starting to Like Cycling

I have always liked biking. As a kid my dad would always take my sister and I on long bike rides on this great trail that runs from Hunt Valley, Maryland into York, Pennsylvania. We would go out for the whole day and stop for ice cream half way through. We also do a lot of bike riding when we go to the beach every year. I like biking for fun at super slow paces as a way to explore and enjoy nature.

What I have not always been a fan of is cycling indoors. When I had surgery a few years ago I would ride a stationary bike for two hours during swim practice every day for over a month. My coach would walk by and tell me in increase the resistance and ride harder. While I didn't mind the stationary bike at the time, I have never had a strong desire to get back on one.

After I got my hybrid bike last spring I fell back in love with biking outdoors. I didn't like going for many rides by myself but I loved going with my dad in the evening. He is the perfect company and is right around my pace. After last summer I was really excited to do my first triathlon. I got a trainer for Christmas that I took to my apartment at school so I could do rides during the winter.

With all of the beautiful weather we have been having lately I had been craving to get outside using every excuse possible. The only problem is that I don't live in an area conducive to riding outside and I am too much of a baby to scope out somewhere to ride nearby.

That means that all of my training rides have to be done inside on my trainer. My first ride was miserable. My butt hurt and I was bored in the first few minutes. I didn't have much hope for my other rides but I knew I needed to get them done if I seriously wanted to do this triathlon.

But lately I have actually really been enjoying my trainer rides. While my butt still hurts as soon as I get on the bike I have not been getting insanely bored. My legs feel refreshed and happy after my rides.

I never thought I would say that I like doing trainer rides but I do! Good thing I have many more to look forward to. I am hoping that this means that I am going to enjoy riding outside that much more. Only six more weeks of school!

Triathlon Training Week 2

Week 2 didn't go as well as week 1 but there were a few highlights:


Monday:
I'm not sure what was going on but my stomach was a mess all day. I would try to eat but then just feel nasty afterwards. I was going to try to get in a ride on the trainer but I decided no just make Monday a rest day in hopes of feeling better for the rest of the week.


Tuesday:
Since Monday was a rest day I started off the week with a 30 minute hard ride on the trainer. I put on Biggest Loser and I must have been motivated by their trip to the White House to visit Michelle Obama because I was feeling great! I still haven't figured out how to set up my bike computer so I have no idea what my pace was but I felt so much better than my last ride.


Wednesday:
Started the day off with my longest morning run to date: 4 miles! I was still a little sleepy but felt pretty good. Right now I am working on building up my endurance so I'm not worrying so much about my pace. I am really starting to enjoy these morning runs too! I finished off the day with a 30 min easy trainer ride. My legs were a little tired but started to loosen up during the ride. Followed up the ride with some foam rolling, which felt so good!


Thursday:
I was planning on doing another trainer ride on Thursday but I when I woke up my stomach was pretty sick so it ended up being another rest day. I actually didn't even go to class and just slept all day on the couch. Hopefully my stomach calms down soon and everything goes back to normal.


Friday:
I was hoping to get in a morning workout before heading home for Easter but my body just wanted to sleep. I think I am fighting some sort of stomach bug because food isn't settling with me well and I am always tired. Anyways, I listened to my body and slept in. I did go for a two mile walk with my dad and my puppy once I was home though.

Saturday:
After 11 glorious hours of sleep I headed out to the trail near my parents house for an easy four mile run before meeting my dad for another three miles. I ended up with seven miles for the day, which I am very pleased with. I took it easy and felt pretty good the whole time. This was also the longest run since my half in March.


Sunday:
Sunday was my scheduled rest day and between celebrating Easter with my family and going back to school I didn't have any time to get in a workout.


Weekly Totals

• Swimming:
• Biking: 60 minutes
• Running: 11 miles
• Other: 2 mile walk
• Total Hours: 3 hours 30 min

Thoughts
Week two was pretty rough overall but I still managed to get in a few good workouts. I'm really happy that I  ran seven miles on Saturday and that I felt so good doing so. I definitely had more rest days that planned but I knew resting was best. I didn't do so great with my nutrition with all of the Easter goodies but I did have a fantastic Easter dinner. I thought my upset stomach last week was due to poor food choices but now I think I may have been fighting a small stomach bug. I was really tired all week too, so I think multiple rest days were necessary.

On Peer Pressure

I want to start this post off by saying how much I truly love being a part of the blogging community. Everybody is so supportive and friendly and I love the sense of community that there is.

I first started blogging about a year ago after I had my third surgery in as many years. I was officially done swimming competitively and felt pretty lost with my life. I had always been defined as a swimmer but all of a sudden I could no longer compete. At this time I made a bucket list of all the things that I wanted to do since I didn't really have any commitments anymore. I specifically remember thinking about putting an Ironman on my list but then decided that it would be too hard and took it off my list.

After I started reading running blogs, though, I started thinking that running a marathon or completing an Ironman were no longer out of the question. I was reading about people like Page and Aron who were gearing up to run their first Boston Marathon, and people like Emily who was training for her first Ironman. I was constantly reading about ordinary people doing extraordinary things and this made me aspire to be like them. All of a sudden I found myself thinking about what it would be like to run a marathon.

I took this inspiration and decided to sign up for my first half marathon. I loved that I was doing that required training and was considered an endurance event. And as much as I truly loved every moment of running my first, and even second, half marathon I felt like I wasn't a true runner or endurance athlete yet. So many people were doing more than I was and reading their blogs only reminded me of that.

After I ran the Rock N' Roll USA Half Marathon a few weeks ago I was trying to decide what I wanted to do next in terms of running. I knew I wanted to focus on completing my first triathlon but I felt pressure to do more. I am a pretty strong swimmer, and even though I have done some road races I still do not consider myself a strong runner. I spent hours trying to come up with some training plan that would enable me to complete a fast triathlon.

After a few very stressful days, though, I realized that it really doesn't matter how fast I complete anything.  Of course I love reading about super speedy runners and triathletes but they also have a lot more experience than I do. I was putting so much pressure on myself to perform at a level that was comparable to my favorite bloggers. But that just isn't realistic.

I am making a pledge to myself to spend the rest of this training cycle solely focusing on myself. No more comparing myself to others. No more telling myself that I am not an athlete. Just because I am not the fastest doesn't mean that I am not doing something amazing. It is so easy to get caught up in what everyone around you is doing but that is not going to help you at all.

I often forget that I have been running for less than a year. I am not expected by anyone to go run a BQ marathon with such little running experience. I fell in love with running last year because it came with no pressure and because I truly enjoyed it. I think it is great that Page is training for her first Ironman and Aron is running her first 50 mile ultramarathon this weekend but that is them. I need to focus on making myself proud and doing the things that push my limits.

The Art of Being Chicked

Because I am not the fastest runner I have not chicked many guys. For all of you nonrunners, getting chicked is when a guy gets passed by a girl. In the past when I have chicked guys I have not had trouble with them. I just kept running past them and they stayed at their pace. Well, that was not the case this morning.

I woke up at 7:15 this morning so I could get in four easy miles in before my 10 AM class. For a college student this was pretty early. I started my run still pretty sleepy and not very aware of what was going on around me. After the first two miles I started to wake up some and noticed an older couple jogging a ways in front of me.

I could tell that they weren't moving very fast so I decided to try to catch up to them. After only a few minutes I had almost caught up to them but then they went into a parking lot, which essentially was just a shortcut. The couple was in front of me again. I felt frustrated but decided to just try to catch up with them again.

This time I actually started to pass the couple but when I tried to pass the man, he sped up significantly. I got annoyed so I sped up even more and passed them both. I kept up my faster pace so that I could just be rid of them once and for all. I continued on my way, ready for this run to be over.

After another few minutes, though, I realized that the couple was once again in front of me as they had taken a different side street then I did to get to the main road. I take the long way to get extra mileage in but they took one of the shorter ones.

I saw that they were heading in the same direction that I was so I ran on the other side of the street so I wouldn't have to deal with passing them again. Even though I was not physically next to them, I began to pass the man once again (he was pretty far behind the woman). I then saw him look over to where I was and then start to speed up again.

So of course I sped up too. I was getting really irritated but I was almost to my apartment so I just focused on finishing. For a final time I started to pass the man once again, but this time I wasn't going to let him take anymore shortcuts to get back in front of me. We were running up a hill and at this point I was really pushing it but I didn't care.

I looked over at the man, made eye contact, and then ran right past him. He started sprinting to keep up but I made sure that he never caught me. I couldn't have been happier to be back at my apartment after this little game of cat and mouse. This man had made me so irritated that I was no longer enjoying my run. Not cool.

But I did learn a few things about how to properly chick someone:

1. Make eye contact as you pass them. I felt like I was telling the man that I was going to pass him and there was nothing he could do about it. And it kicked ass.

2. Don't let them get to you mentally. I was so frustrated with this man that I let it ruin my run. Don't ever give someone else the power to make a good run bad.

3. Pass with confidence. I felt so strong and badass as I passed that man. Be proud!

Have you ever chicked someone? How did they respond?

Triathlon Training Week 1

I know a lot of others bloggers do weekly recaps and honestly, I love reading them! I love seeing them address their training with honesty and owning up to their mistakes. I am going to do my best to post a weekly recap documenting my triathlon training so that I look back and see what did and didn't work.


Monday:
Monday marked the first day of triathlon training for me! I wanted to a time trial in each of the three tri sports to establish a base so I can track improvement. I did my run time trial on Monday, which was a 5K. My current 5K PR is a 26:57 from the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, but I smashed that time going 25:41! This was also my first run after my half marathon so I'm surprised with how strong and fast my legs felt. My stomach was causing me more trouble than my legs!


Tuesday:
Tuesday was a 2 mile recovery run. The goal was to try to keep my heart rate as low as possible and as a result my pace was super slow. But it was a really enjoyable run minus the cold temps. This was my first morning run in a very long time too! My legs were pretty tight the rest of the day so I was glad to have the afternoon off.


Wednesday: 
The plan was to do my bike time trial on Wednesday but I couldn't figure out how to set up my new bike computer. I decided to switch Sunday's planned easy ride to today instead. I did 30 minutes on the trainer in a really easy gear. The outside of my left lower leg was really sore so I wanted to keep it easy so I didn't aggravate it anymore.


Thursday:
I received some incredible news Wednesday night that had me dying to go for a run. I knew I wanted to do an interval run but I was debating how many repeats to do. In the end I settled on 3 x 800 with both a warm up and cool down for 3.1 miles total. I started off way too fast but the last two repeats were more consistent. It wasn't the best run I've ever had but I knew this workout would be worth doing regardless.


Friday: 
I was up pretty late Thursday night so Friday ended up being a rest day. It was nice to take an afternoon nap and not worry about fitting in a workout.


Saturday:
I wasn't quit sure what I wanted to do on Saturday so I decided to just see what I felt like as the week progressed. I settled on 4 miles easy since I wanted to go for a run. My knees were bothering me during this run so I made sure to keep the pace really easy and in control. I also iced and foam rolled after the run to give my knees a little extra TLC.


Sunday:
I was pretty pressed for time on Sunday so I was going to do the Insanity Cardio Recovery workout but I only made it about half way through. Something is better than nothing though.


Weekly Totals

• Swimming: 
• Biking: 30 min
• Running: 12.27 miles
• Total Hours: 3 hours

Thoughts
I wanted to still take it pretty easy this week since it was my first week back to training since my half marathon. Last time I jumped back into training too quickly and ended up irritating my IT bands. I am pretty happy with the workouts that I did get it, although I wish I would have biked more than once. I am especially pleased with Monday's run and I hope that was an indicator of things to come. I did a pretty good job getting enough sleep this week, which made it easier to workout in the mornings. What I need to focus on for next week is my nutrition though. This week I just kind of ate whatever and whenever. I know that my upset stomach on Sunday was a result of my poor eating choices. Overall, though, it was a decent week and I am excited for next week!