Everything's Coming Together

This past week was another big training week for me, with both my longest bike ride ever and my biggest week in terms of overall hours. More impressive than the hours put in is how great each individual workout was. I feel like all of the hard work I've been doing is finally starting to show and I couldn't be happier about it, especially with my next race just around the corner. Here's how the week played out:

Monday: 2800 yd swim

Strength

~19 mile easy bike in the rain with the Gung Ho beginner ride

Tuesday: 2000 yd swim

60 min yoga

7 miles track (15 min w/u, 10 x 400, 15 min w/d)

Wednesday: 3 mile recovery run

15 min abs

Thursday: much appreciated rest day

Friday: 3200 yd swim

Strength

5 mile run with negative splits (9:35, 8:57, 8:44, 8:43, 8:34)

Saturday: 42 miles bike @ 15.8 avg

Sunday: 6.61 mile run with negative splits (9:54, 9:12, 9:07, 8:51, 8:43, 8:31, w/d)

Both Monday and Friday's swims were really strong and huge confidence boosters. I've talked about it before but I have a pretty strained relationship with swimming and am often scared of really pushing myself because I know no matter how hard I train I will never see the speeds I did when I was competing. This week I was able to put these thoughts aside and really make some progress in the pool. I'm also starting to chase some of my former training times, all in good spirit. I know I won't get back to where I was but it's fun to see how close I can get.

My long ride this week was my longest ride ever and was very enjoyable. After last weekend's super hilly ride I chose something a little flatter but with some climbs mixed in. My legs were not feeling any of the hills but felt great on the flats. I was hoping to do this ride a bit faster but my main goal was to keep the pace steady and that's what I did so I'm calling this a success. I also came up on what looked to be a pretty bad biking accident. I couldn't see how bad it was but the guy was rushed off in an ambulance. Really hoping to hear some good news.

This week's runs were the best workouts of the week. While the goal of Tuesday's track workout was more about consistency than speed I was happy to see how easy it felt to hold a sub 9:00 pace the whole time (including warm up & warm down). The real magic happened on Friday and Sunday's runs though. I wasn't expecting much out of either run since most of my runs this summer have been less than stellar. Instead I surprised myself by starting off slow and descending down to 8:30 with relative ease. Strong yet relaxed.

This week certainly left me with a lot of confidence in the work I've been putting in heading into my next race. I'm fairly clueless about what I'll be able to do given the course and the insane humidity in Virginia but I know that I did the work. Could I have done more? Yes, such as longer runs, but I was being cautious with my hip and regardless I did what I could with what I was given. Now it's time to relax and enjoy a lighter week because Saturday is race day!

When Little Things Add Up to Something Big

I think the most rewarding thing about training for endurance events is seeing progress after training really hard. I don't want to say I was in a swimming rut but at the same time I didn't really think I had much progress to make unless I started putting in a ton more hours than I wanted to. Even if it was only for a quick 1500 yard swim I have been swimming regularly since February and was reminded yesterday why.

LOVE open water swimming

During the middle of training for the Nike Women's Half Marathon (which seems like it was so long ago!) Mike started having me swim 1-2 times a week. I wasn't thrilled about being back in the pool but figured it was good cross training since swimming is so easy for me. Some workouts I did pretty easily, some I worked harder. I pretty just went with how I felt that day. I figured getting a head start on swim training would make it easier to focus on running and biking during the triathlon season.

Just like those of you who grew up runners and know your running inside and out, I have a few ways to measure how swimming is going for me. The first is the obvious time. Yesterday I did a workout that I did a couple weeks ago but this time I did it much faster and with more ease. A month or so I was really struggling to see 100s at 1:10 but now 1:11-1:12 is a pace I can hold for 10-15 repeats. I haven't done an all out 100 in awhile but I'm betting that time would be considerably faster than the last time as well.

My second favorite type of pool

To go along with the first way, another way I measure my swimming fitness is how long I can hold a certain pace, or how strong I feel at that pace. Holding 1:11-1:12 I felt really strong and quick, like I could have kept going. I didn't feel like I was holding on for dear life and struggling. They felt strong and in control.

The last is my technique. During my swims in the spring I did some type of technique or form work during the majority of my swims. I think the best way to see improvements on the swim is by focusing on technique first, not speed, and so I did a lot of my slower swims with my technique in mind. When I first started swimming back in the spring my technique would start to waiver during longer intervals, even if they were easier. The longer I swam, the worse my technique would get. Now that doesn't happen anymore. I still make a conscious effort to pay attention to my stroke even during hard repeats though.

Besides just steady and consistent swimming I have also been doing regular strength and conditioning, focusing on my shoulders, arms, upper back and core. I had shoulder surgery a few years ago because of swimming and my other shoulder isn't in great shape so if I want to be able to swim healthily and also get better I need to take care of my body. Besides a noticeable physical difference, I can tell that all this work is showing in the pool. Seeing progress like this is what motivates me to keep training hard.

You Might Surprise Yourself

I have learned so much about myself both as a person and as an athlete this year. I am a control freak and when I cannot control things I get very anxious and irrational. My big resolution for 2013 was to be more risky and take more chances though. I don't want to have regrets or miss out on things because I was too busy being OCD about every little thing. There have been countless things that I swore I liked or disliked only to find out that the opposite is actually true.

Friday I had a swim workout on the schedule. 3 x 500. Going into the workout I was not looking forward to those 500's. If it were up to me (it's not), I would do shorter repeats like 50's or 100's. I thought anything more than a 200 was terribly boring. After I finished my warm up, I got to work on those 500's. I had spent the entire warm up thinking of ways to mentally entertain myself so I wouldn't get insufferably bored.

Those 500's were something I needed to do, not only because I am in the middle of triathlon training and need to swim regularly, but because I felt like myself for the first time in years. Yes, years. A part of my heart will always belong to swimming and the pool will always be my home. When I quit swimming I felt like I didn't belong in the water anymore. I felt like a fake. 

During those 500's I felt so at peace yet so fired up at the same time. I felt strong and graceful. I realized during those 500's that although I will never be the swimmer I used to be I am still a swimmer and have every right to be in that pool. I may never be as fast as I once was but I am still a heck of a lot faster than most people will ever be. I know how my body works in the water in ways that most people will never figure out.

This pool will always give me butterflies in my stomach

I spent years resenting swimming and avoiding it like a math exam but after Friday's workout I can say that the pool and I are on better terms. During high school the 500 was one of my best events. I knew how to pace it and it was the perfect distance for me. I loved everything about the 500. While I was doing my 500's on Friday I had that indescribable feeling where you know that you are exactly where you are supposed to be and that everything is going to be okay.

During the last 500 was when I realized that this was the most I've enjoyed a workout in the pool. There was actually a moment where I said to myself "I can't believe how much I love doing these longer sets. I thought I hated workouts like this." I know it's cheesy to say that triathlon and running are metaphors for life and blah blah blah but I never would have expected to learn so much about myself from this sport. 

My Rocky Relationship with the Pool

In addition to training for the Nike Women's Half Marathon, I have been putting in some base mileage for this summer's triathlon season. I've been swimming and doing trainer rides about twice a week for over a month now. Originally I didn't like the idea of jumping beyond my upcoming half. I wanted to only run with a little yoga and core work thrown in there. I quickly came to my senses and realized that all I was doing was a little cross training. I still was nervous about starting swimming again so early in the year.

I came from a strong swimming background and left the sport in a pretty ugly way. I have since struggled to get in more than a few swims each month even during the triathlon season. In fact, I didn't swim at all between my first and second triathlons which were almost two months apart. The last time I had been in the pool was September and I was perfectly fine with not returning until necessary.

Much to my surprise I have actually been loving swimming lately. The first week or two were pretty brutal. I felt really out of shape and pretty defeated. But soon enough my body remembered what to do and got to work. My times are nothing impressive. In fact, I'm not even sure what they are. For the most part I've been focusing on my technique during all of my workouts as well as getting stronger.

I'm not sure if it has anything to do with competitively swimming for 10 years or not but between running, biking, and swimming I have the least amount of trouble getting out of bed when I'm headed to the pool. Lately swimming has been almost like meditation for me. Maybe it's because it's so early and my mind hasn't woken up yet but I kind of zone out in the pool. It's my time to not worry about my upcoming exams and unwritten papers.

I'm sure it won't stay like this but for now I'm going to soak it in. I must say, it's quite nice to be on good terms with the pool and swimming again. Non-swimmers might not understand this but the pool feels like home to me. It's where I'm the most comfortable despite all of my struggles with the sport and as much as I have fallen in love with running swimming will always be my number one.

Good Days & Bad Days

This week has been full of ups and downs. I started the week on very little sleep and stomach cramps that made me want to stay in bed all day. Despite feeling like complete crap I managed to get in a pretty good trainer ride Monday night. Maybe it had something to do with watching the Biggest Loser Season Finale.

Tuesday morning I had a 50 minute endurance run on the schedule. No big deal, or so I thought. This run was rough from the minute it started. I couldn't settle into a pace and felt like I was working way too hard for the pace I was going. I thought slowing down would help but that just felt worse. I'm pretty sure I counted down the minutes as soon as I started running. I desperately wanted to have a great run but it just wasn't happening.

I then went to the pool to get in a swim. Despite having such a bad run I figured I would feel okay swimming. Wrong. Not only were my legs tired but my arms felt like I had bricks attached to them. I started to feel better the longer I swam but I still felt far from normal.

I went back to the pool yesterday for my longest swim in probably a couple years. When I started swimming I realized my crappy workouts weren't just reserved for Tuesday. I felt even worse and was getting frustrated. I was coming off of a rest week so there was no real reason to feel so depleted. Yet I struggled to complete each and every one of those 3600 yards.

track running in the dark

I had a track workout scheduled for last night that I was increasingly nervous about given how bad I'd been feeling. I went into the workout dreading it, not because it was the first time back at the track since last summer, but because I didn't know if I could deal with another terrible workout.

Armed with my new Saucony Mirages I went to the track not expecting to get much out of it. During my warm up I thought about my shoes and making sure there was no pain or discomfort. When I checked my watch to see how much I had left I saw I was averaging 8:39 like it was no big thing. I started thinking that maybe this would be the workout I so desperately needed to give me a confidence boost.

LOVE the Mirage

The main set of my workout was 4 x 400 at 1:50 with 200 jog recovery. I was confident I could hit these paces but was surprised by how well I did.

1:39, 1:35, 1:37, 1:35

This workout was better than good. I left the track full of confidence and my faith restored in my ability to not completely suck at all things running and swimming. Honestly, I needed this workout in more ways than one. Before those few days of shitty workouts I needed a confidence boost. Couple low self-esteem with 3 consecutively terrible workouts and the result is not pretty. And instead of being nervous about tomorrow's long run I'm actually really excited because even though I know it's going to be challenging, I know I can do it.

How do you get through a bad workout? Have you ever had a period of bad workouts that really got you down?

Embracing Rest

This week is somewhat of a rest week for me. I still have daily workouts, the intensity and duration are just cut back some. I feel like I have been increasing  my workload every week since I started training so this bit of rest was a welcome change. Well I thought it would be a nice change. Instead I have been anxious about not putting in enough work. I spent the first few days of the week trying to sneak in extra workouts. I figured as long as they were short and easy there wouldn't be any harm. Luckily midterm week prevented me from doing much of anything else other than study.

Legs up, compression sleeves on. Feels so good.

Last night something clicked for me. I have 6.5 weeks until race day, which means I probably will not have anymore rest weeks until its time to taper. Those last six weeks of training need to be my hardest. I know things will be ramping up so it would be wise of me to take my rest while I can.

In my attempt to fully embrace rest I skipped my evening class yesterday in favor of a nap. I have been doing much better with doing morning workouts but I haven't been very good about getting to sleep earlier. I try to go to bed earlier but I just lay awake, unable to sleep. The time change over the weekend didn't help. So when I could barely keep my eyes open before class yesterday I opted to go back home and get some much needed shut-eye.

Where you can find me at 7:45 in the morning

I was planning on spending all last night getting ahead on homework and apartment things before heading home for spring break next week. Instead, after my nap, I relaxed all night. I caught up on some TV shows and started reading a new book while sipping a hot mug of tea. I ate foods I wouldn't normally eat and enjoyed being done with midterms.

For the next few days I am going to continue to embrace rest. Today is my longest day of classes. I don't have class on Friday's so I like taking that opportunity to do my long runs before the weekend. My boyfriend is doing his first bike race early Saturday morning, which I am beyond excited about. I want the day to be about him and not have to worry about when I can squeeze in a workout.

Bring on the rest!

Swimming, I Love You

After quitting swimming almost two years ago (I can't believe it is already almost two years!) I never thought I would truly like swimming again. With no team and no real reason to swim I just couldn't find any motivation to hit the pool. Every time I tried I became bored within minutes and felt relieved when I was done. I felt like I no longer belonged at the pool. For the first month or so of triathlon training I avoided the pool because swimming is supposed to be my strength. But after I did my first swim in four months I knew my days of being dry were over. I felt incredibly weak in the pool and started to panic that I would not have enough time to properly train for the swim leg of my triathlon.

If I had this pool I would swim every single day.

Scratch that. I would just live in the pool.

On Monday I went back to the pool for the second time this year and had a great workout. I stayed in until the pool closed and felt myself get stronger with each stroke. I was a little worried that after only 200 consecutive meters, though, my arms were pretty tired. However I left the pool feeling confident and happy. And then I swam again on Wednesday. This time I focused less on pulling drills and more on actual sets. I know that the sets that I did with my swim team are not necessarily the best for triathlon training since they focus on shorter distances, but for now I am sticking with what I know.

I was planning on swimming today also but last minute I decided not to, as my arms were pretty shot after Wednesday's swim and I didn't want to overwork them. My arms also got a really good workout during Insanity on Tuesday so I figured it was best to give them a day off to recuperate. Normally I would have just gone to the pool to swim anyway and done an easier workout, but a few years ago I had a partial tear in my rotator cuff from swimming so now I try to play it safe. There is no need to do any unnecessary damage.

Swimming outside in the dark is the best.

Please try it.

But as I was walking past the pool today I wanted nothing more than to be in the pool getting my swim on. I was jealous of all of the people in the pool enjoying the beautiful sunshiny day while I was stuck inside taking exams and being smart and resting.  For the first time in months I actually truly wanted to swim. Swimming was such a huge part of my life that when I quit I avoided it like the plague so as not to bring up any unwanted emotions. But I have come to accept that I am no longer that same swimmer. Now I am a swimmer who swims as part of triathlon training. I swim because I feel at home in the water. For some people a nice long run clears their head and relieves their stress. For me, going for a swim serves the same purpose.

For the first time in years, I am looking forward to the next time I get to swim because I want to see how much I can improve. I want to see what I am capable of in the water. And I no longer have any desire to compare my times to what I was able to do when I swam competitively. I want to see how much I can improve from my first swim in April. For a long time while I was swimming competitively I dreaded going to practice. I didn't realize it at the time but I was no longer in love with swimming. And now after two years off I can finally say that I swim because it is something that I love and it is a part of me.

Making Progress In the Pool

The last time I swam was a little bit of a disaster. I finished the swim feeling nervous and stressed out.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to complete the 1500 meter swim leg of the General Smallwood International Triathlon on July. I knew that I would need to spend a lot of time in the pool in order to fully feel prepared. I do want to disclose that I know I will be able to actually complete the swim leg. As someone who has a history as a competitive swimmer I doubt that I will ever have trouble with the swim part of a triathlon. But I need to feel strong in the water. I know what my stroke feels like when I have strength, power, and am in control.

So my goal for today's swim was to focus on feeling strong and powerful and in control. I did a quick warm up and then jumped into pulling drills. By the end my arms were burning and it felt oh so good. One thing I like to do to measure my progress is to do a 100 freestyle before doing the drills, and then again after each round of drills. I didn't want to do the 100 all out but rather at a speed that I felt like I could maintain for a few hundred meters. I did the first 100 after my warm up in 1:34. After the first round of pulling drills I did the 100 in 1:32, and the 100 after the second round of drills in 1:30.

I am really pleased with these times since the last time I swam I did a 100 all out in 1:29. I can tell that after 1000 meters of pulling drills that my stroke has improved tremendously. By the end of the workout I felt so much better and I was no longer freaking out about my triathlon. My race is still nine weeks away, which means that I will have plenty of time to work on my stroke. I want to spend a solid chunk of time in the pool focusing solely on building strength and my form so that I will feel ready to workout on building endurance.

Apparently I am on a Finding Nemo kick today

I have two more swims scheduled for this week, weather permitting. I am not sure how many times I will be able to get to the pool next week due to the irregular finals schedule. When I go home for summer break I will be joining the local YMCA since it is the only place where I can both swim and go to the gym for weight lifting. Luckily for me I can join at a specials college rate, since YMCA's are normally pretty expensive. I would prefer to have a place to swim outdoors in the summer but this is really my only option.

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.

Putting Together a Triathlon Training Plan

Even though I have not officially decided on which Olympic distance triathlon I will be doing this year, I am almost certain about the Terrapin Sprint Triathlon on May 6. Assuming I do the General Smallwood International Triathlon on July 8, I have 15 weeks to train. I am jumping right into triathlon training on Monday, though, since I only have 6 weeks to train to the Terrapin Triathlon.

Luckily I have a somewhat solid base in running and have a rock solid base in swimming. The problem for me is the bike. Last year I bought a nice hybrid bike which I will use since I can't justify paying $1,000-2,000 for a road or tri bike when I have never done a triathlon before. I know how to ride a bike fine and I actually really enjoy riding, the problem for me though is climbing.

Even though I have never done a triathlon before, I decided to create my own training plan. I have a lot of circumstances that do not fit into the majority of the training plans I found online and I don't want to pay for custom training. I know my strengths and weaknesses and I don't necessarily care about how speedy I am.

I have put together a plan of sorts but I decided to only lay out which workouts I want to do each week. My schedule changes from week to week and I have found that I get stressed out when I can't do the workout that is written for a particular day. I am also going to be revising and editing the plan based on what is and isn't working, and if I fall behind at all.

Swim
I am a very strong swimmer and even though I haven't been to the pool since December I know that this is by far my strongest leg and that I don't need to put much time into training for this leg. Since I was a swimmer for such a long time I really don't have to worry about much. I love doing freestyle but I also like backstroke and butterfly and like doing kicking and pulling drills. Just because triathlon has long open water swims I am not going to limit myself in the pool. I am planning on swimming twice a week for 30-45 minutes and focusing on enjoying something that I have spent my entire life doing.

Bike
This is the tricky part for me. I know the bike is my weakest leg so I want to really spend a lot of time getting myself comfortable in the saddle. The big dilemma that I have is that I don't live in a very safe area so riding outside is not really an option until classes end and I come home to Pennsylvania for the summer. I have a bike trainer and I strangely really enjoy riding on the trainer, but I know that getting outside is crucial. Luckily I should have enough time after school ends before the General Smallwood International Triathlon to get in the proper time on the roads. I also need to get comfortable using my clipless pedals. I can use them fine on the trainer because I can't fall over, but going out on the road with them terrifies me.

If only this was me..

Run
The run in a sprint triathlon is 3.1 miles and the run in an Olympic distance triathlon is 6.2 miles, both of which I know I can successfully complete. Because I am running the Rock N' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon in September I don't want to lose a lot of my running fitness while triathlon training. I really struggled to do the long runs while training at school though so I am excited to be able to focus on shorter distances. With that being said, though, I want to establish a nice base for when I transition back to half marathon training.

The plan:

• 2 30-45 minute swims a week 
• 4 bike rides a week, including a brick, a long ride, a recovery ride, and a hard ride
• 5 runs a week, including a brick, a longer run, a recovery run, an interval run, and a whatever run

I know there is more running than what most people incorporate into triathlon training, but I am setting some big goals for myself for running this fall and I want to go into training as prepared as possible. I am also planning on adding open water swims when possible and doing two bricks a week in the summer.

The part of my training that I need to work on the most is my nutrition but that will be a whole other post so stay tuned! 

January Goals

January is a big time for New Year's resolutions. Even though I did set some goals for 2012, I think it is a better idea to set monthly goals or resolutions. That way you are only committing to 30 days, not 365. Furthermore, the things I want to accomplish in January and probably going to be very different from what I want to accomplish in August. A year is a long time and a lot can change.

Some of my January goals are based off of my yearly goals, while others are just fun things that I want to do throughout the month.

1. Run 70 miles. This is the most important goal for me because of half marathon training. I want to break two hours and I know that I need to stick to my training plan. I added up the miles I have planned for January and 70 is a few less. This way I still have a little wiggle room in case I miss some runs.

2. Bike 180 miles. This is just a rough estimate goal since I will only be biking on the trainer and I can't tell how fast I'm going while on the trainer. I am just basing this off of the assumption that I will be biking at 15 mph. The main goal here is just to start spending time in the saddle to prepare myself for triathlon training.

3. Swim 9,500 yards. This one is like the first two. Having a concrete number that I need to meet will help me get my butt to the pool on the days that I don't want to. This number could be way off depending on when the college pool reopens so forgive me if this goal just doesn't work out. Let's hope it does though.

4. Start strength training. I started strength training a few years ago as part of physical therapy after I had rotator cuff surgery but I stopped after I quit swimming. I know how important strength training is and I always see great results with my running and swimming while training regularly. I also know this will help me develop power and speed while on the bike.

5. Read two books. I absolutely love reading so I have decided to try to read 15 books this year. I know once school starts it will be hard to find the time to read, which is why I am going to read two books and get in the habit of reading instead of watching tv. Hopefully this will carry over once I start school.

6. Go ice skating. This is one of those for fun goals. I have been ice skating once before but I was pretty young so I don't really remember much. I think this will be a fun date for the boyfriend and me, and will be a great way to enjoy the winter weather.

7. Learn to ski. I have always been weary about learning to ski or snowboard because I am afraid of getting hurt, but I don't want my fears to hold me back anymore. My boyfriend is a regular snowboarder and has been begging me to learn to ski so we can go together. This goal is really more for him than me, but I do think it will be something fun to do together.

8. Organize and clean my apartment. I am going to go to my apartment before the spring semester starts to do some serious cleaning and finally get my apartment organized. I am hoping that by starting off the semester all nice and organized it will help me stay organized. This is by no means a fun goal, but it is really necessary.

9. Go to the National Aquarium. For my birthday my boyfriend got us a couples membership to the aquarium at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. I absolutely love going to the aquarium and have been begging him to go with me. January is the perfect time to go since neither of us will be in school and we will have the time.

10. Meditate for one hour once a week. I have always been intrigued my meditation but have never really tried it out. A few summer ago I would meditate for a few minutes here or there but never consistently. This is something that I can only commit to for one month but I am interested to see the results. I think it will also be good for me to slow down and teach my mind to relax.

11. Track food at Sparkpeople.com. I hate to be cliche and say I want to lose weight this year, but I really do. I don't want to just lose weight though, I want to be at a healthy weight to racing and training for triathlons and half marathons. By logging my food I can see where I am slacking and where I need to cut back. Tracking my food will also make me feel guiltier if I start to get off track.

12. Cook one meal a week. I hate cooking. Not only do I hate cooking, I am terrible at cooking. However, I want to go into the spring semester able to whip up some delicious meals. I am not counting breakfast because I already make breakfast pretty successfully. I am only going to try to cook one meal a week because I am currently staying with my parents, who are always doing the cooking. The goal here is learn how to make healthy dishes that I can make at my apartment when I don't have anyone cooking for me.

A Few Pieces of News

I am sad to report that my 25K Swim Challenge is no longer happening. Due to finals and the Christmas break the pool at UMBC will be closing in a few days, which does not provide me ample time to finish this challenge.

I am still going to continue swimming as often as I can because I am really starting to enjoy my time in the water again. And I fully plan on retaking this challenge once I know the pool will actually be open for enough time.

In other news, I went for a 6 mile run yesterday during a downpour and it was incredible. It was so therapeutic to just run soaking wet while every one else is cozy inside. I felt truly unstoppable.

This run left me pretty sore and my IT band pretty angry but I needed those 6 miles. That is the longest I have run since the Baltimore Half Marathon. I was so proud of myself for just getting out there and running for as long as I felt like and as slow as I felt like.

Now I am off to finish the massive amount of homework I have to do and to start studying for finals!

Swim and Run Sunday

Today has been a great day. No reason in particular, but I woke up a little more cheery this morning ready to start my day. Unfortunately, it has been a pretty busy day full of cleaning, schoolwork, and some swimming and running on the side.

As many of you know, the weeks after Thanksgiving break mean finals for college students.  Unfortunately, finals also means teachers cramming in all of the stuff they forgot to teach us earlier in the semester.

Over the next two weeks I have a final in all five of my classes plus two French papers, and French quiz, a French test, three psych papers (I'm taking two psych classes so all three papers are not for just one class), and a Russian quiz.

I have an eight page psych paper on immigration and how immigrants adapt that's due tomorrow plus a Russian quiz tomorrow. Needless to say, I have spent most of my day writing and studying.

I decided to head to the pool for a swim before even starting any of my schoolwork so that I wouldn't get overwhelmed and not go at all.

I only did 1,500 yards before swim lessons took over the pool causing me to call it a day early. Today marked the first swim of my 25K Swim Challenge, which means 23,500 yards to go!

I came back to my apartment and knocked out a serious amount of writing before I decided to head out for an easy three mile run.

I ended up doing three miles at a 9:38 pace, which is really good considering I really haven't been running that much in the past few weeks.

I knew I would get swamped with schoolwork this week so I decided to plan my workouts in advance so there is little chance of missing a workout.

Now I am ready to tackle the next two weeks and have a great Christmas break!

25K Swim Challenge

I have mentioned before how I have struggled with getting back into swimming since I had surgery. Inspired by Mama Simmons swim challenge, I decided to create a swim challenge for myself.

Mine won't be nearly as intensive as her's but my goal is to swim 2-3 times a week until the end of the semester for a total of 25,000 yards by December 21. Each swim will probably be only between 1,600 to 3,600 yards.

I really like setting goals for myself and I thought would be the perfect way to start swimming again. 25K yards by December 21 is not a very high number but it is enough that I will not be overwhelmed but still able to succeed.

I want to try to incorporate some speed work as well as stroke work into my swimming. When I was a swimmer, butterfly was my best stroke. I want to focus on doing other strokes than just freestyle.

I really love kicking & pulling so I also want to make sure I do a lot of both. Ultimately, I just want to get back into the pool and get over whatever mental block has been preventing me from swimming this past year.

I Love the Smell of Chlorine

Yes, it is true. I do love the smell of chlorine but that is simply because I was a swimmer for so long. When I walk into a building that smells like chlorine I am instantly comforted and feel like I am at home.

After my surgery in January I have had a very difficult time spending time in the water though. After this surgery was when I realized I can no longer swim competitively and that really drove me away from the pool.

Initially I had hopes of swimming all the time but after a few days in the pool with no motivation or goals I stopped going. I swam a few times a month but never anything really spectacular.

When I was at the beach over the summer I discovered how much I love open water swimming. I had never tried open water swimming so I was surprised when I absolutely loved it.

But living in Baltimore makes opportunities for open water swimming minimal. I swam a few times here and there once school started at the college pool but stopped so I could really focus on half marathon training.

Today I went for a swim. And to my surprise I really enjoyed it. It was only about 55 degrees outside but the school heats their outdoor pool so I swam outside. I like swimming outdoors a million times more than swimming indoors so I was ecstatic about this.

As soon as I got in the water I was at ease. I felt comfortable, relaxed, and unfortunately, slow and weak. But I didn't worry about that. I didn't stress myself out about anything. I just swam.

Today I ended up having one of the best swims I have had in a long time. I am not used to just going to the pool with nothing to train for but that doesn't mean I can't set goals for myself.

I am going to swim as many times as possible before the cooler weather forces me inside. More importantly, I want to find my love of swimming again, to go along with my love of the smell of chlorine.

Some Catching Up

This week has been so crazy! I had my first quiz, and of course it was in my Russian class so that made it a million times harder than a regular quiz, I have been preparing for two more tests this weekend (online class), and have been trying to get some solid training in on top of all the homework and classes I have to go to.

I went out for a run on Wednesday but was rather unsuccessful because my knee was bothering me on the hills and I didn't want to push it. It kind of feels like it is going to dislocate when I go up the stairs or uphill so I am trying to keep that under control and avoid hills like crazy.

I am going home this weekend so I am going to knock out my long run and hopefully a short tempo run on the nice, flat trail near my house. I really miss running there, actually.

With my knee bothering me I have been unable to go to any of the runs put on by the running club but I am hoping that next week everything will be feeling better and I will be able to go out with them a few times.

I am looking forward to being able to swim some more next week even though the temperatures are still supposed to be on the cool side. The outdoor pool is heated so I am going to take advantage of that for as long as I can.

I got an email from the Baltimore Running Festival reminding me that my first half marathon is now less than 30 days away. I have been working so hard toward achieving this goal and I am getting more excited than ever. I really think once I get back into a running groove that I will get even more excited.

I am trying to really pay attention to my nutrition too now that I am back at school. I don't want a repeat of last year where I gained 10 pounds because of the all you can eat dining hall. I am trying to make healthy choices at every meal and only eat junk food in moderation. I have been doing well so far but it is only a few weeks into the semester.

I will be reporting back sometime this weekend with how my long run went so be on the lookout!

Transitioning into College Life

There are only 2 days left to vote for me to become a member of the Refuel With Chocolate Milk team! Please vote for me so I can afford to keep training and racing on a college student salary! I would really appreciate the support on something so important to me! Vote for Shannon Mulcahy!

I know, I know, I have been absent for awhile again but in my defense I have been spending a lot of time adjusting to being back in a college setting. I am really excited for all the new things I have lined up and that I get to experience, but sometimes it all feels overwhelming. I have been really struggling to stay with my half marathon training because I really don't know the area in which I am living and don't want to end up some place unsafe. This is kinda inexcusable to me though. I knew going into this that I was going to be in the peak of my training and that I was going to have to find a way to make sure that I was hitting all of my long runs each week.

Even though I haven't been running nearly as much as I should be I have been getting in a fair amount of time in the pool. UMBC has an outdoor heated pool that stays open through October and with the temperatures being in the 80's lately I have been really enjoying swimming outside. One of the things I missed most about not swimming competitively anymore was swimming outside. I think it is the perfect way to enjoy the summer, and quite frankly my summers have been feeling incomplete without swimming outside. The problem is that there are no outdoor pools near my house. Now that I have the opportunity to swim outside again I have going all out. I have been pushing myself more than usual and even did some swimming with the UMBC swim team yesterday. This may not make sense to all you non-swimmers, but I feel alive again in the pool. Swimming was something that was more important to me than school or pretty much anything else and then it get ripped away from me in a horrible way. Until just recently I have had a bad relationship with swimming because of the way things ended. Being able to swim outside again though has reaffirmed my love for swimming and I couldn't be happier about it.

With all of the new things going on in my life I am really starting to realize what is important to me and what I want to achieve while in college. I have been discovering new passions and rediscovering old ones. I really can't wait to bring you guys along on this journey and I promise to blog more consistently. I hope to have a few more posts this week about some of the awesome things that I am doing so stay tuned!

First Open Water Swim

Last night I hit the beach for an open water swim. Despite being a swimmer for 12 years, I have never done any type of open water swimming. I wore a cap and goggles and slowly walked into the water not sure what exactly I was going to do. I obviously know how to swim, but add in the waves, murky water, and lots of fishermen I really wasn't sure what my game plan was. I decided to play in the waves until my body was warmed up so I wasn't freezing during my swim. The boyfriend wanted to go kayaking next to me as I swam just in case, which was really comforting. I miss swimming with friends and having people to share in my love of the sport. After a couple minutes in the water I decided to just go for it and see what happened.

I tried putting my face in the water but I couldn't see anything. I didn't freak out though. I actually didn't mind that I couldn't see but I was nervous that a wave would come and crash on me. Luckily for me I have enough swimming strength to swim with my head out of the water and not feel like I'm going to drown. So that is what I did. I still would "breathe" to the side to look for the waves and then look forward to see where I was going. At first I felt really awkward but eventually I got used to it. I decided to swim to the lifeguard stand, which was about 400 yards away. I was getting pretty frustrated because the salt water was really burning my throat. When I made it to the lifeguard stand I took a couple minute break to let my throat calm down some, and then I started swimming back. I was amazed at how challenging it was swimming against the waves and the current. What I was the most unprepared for was how beautiful it was going to be. By keeping my head out the water I could see the sunset over the bay across the street. It was absolutely gorgeous.

I hope to get back in the water for some more swimming throughout the rest of the week. I really enjoyed it and want to get some more practice in the open water.