March 18, 2012.
I'm officially signed up. I think I'm going to puke.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Hello little blog
...I know, I know. It's been awhile. I may or not be cheating on you, little blog, with another blog. Shocker, I know. Sometimes I seem to forget or not have time to catch all of you up on this blog but I'm going to try to do a better job at that.
Some things that have been happening in my life recently:
I decided not to do the sprint triathlon. The day I was going to sign up, I drove the route and the bike route is out and back on 3 different roads. All hills. And I don't mean just slight inclines, I mean big hills. Steep hills. Long hills. Long and steep hills. From the beginning. I just knew there was no way I could handle those hills and then run the 5k - also hilly.
I'm thinking about signing up for another half marathon. This scares the crap out of me. Part of me says to wait until I build up my mileage and I feel more confident. The other part of me says go ahead and sign up. Not only is it cheaper, it will give me the extra push to make sure I'm running and building up my mileage because I'm committed. Then I also wonder what if no one comes and no one is there to support me. I know that's stupid but I think about it. It's a thought. Deal.
I really want to do a half Ironman. I've mentioned this before but I really want to do it. I need to find one that's not terribly far away and do-able. Although we all know how much I hate running when it's hot so the fact that there aren't fall races in cooler states makes me a little sad. But I guess I'm going to have to just deal with it and run in the heat.
I'm coming up on 3 years being a homeowner. That is just weird.
I think those are the big things. Another realization I've had - it's never too late to go after you want. You're never too old, too anything to go after your dream. Hello. Look at the 40 year old Olympic swimmer. Never give up on yourself. Always keep trying.
Until next time, blog world.
Some things that have been happening in my life recently:
I decided not to do the sprint triathlon. The day I was going to sign up, I drove the route and the bike route is out and back on 3 different roads. All hills. And I don't mean just slight inclines, I mean big hills. Steep hills. Long hills. Long and steep hills. From the beginning. I just knew there was no way I could handle those hills and then run the 5k - also hilly.
I'm thinking about signing up for another half marathon. This scares the crap out of me. Part of me says to wait until I build up my mileage and I feel more confident. The other part of me says go ahead and sign up. Not only is it cheaper, it will give me the extra push to make sure I'm running and building up my mileage because I'm committed. Then I also wonder what if no one comes and no one is there to support me. I know that's stupid but I think about it. It's a thought. Deal.
I really want to do a half Ironman. I've mentioned this before but I really want to do it. I need to find one that's not terribly far away and do-able. Although we all know how much I hate running when it's hot so the fact that there aren't fall races in cooler states makes me a little sad. But I guess I'm going to have to just deal with it and run in the heat.
I'm coming up on 3 years being a homeowner. That is just weird.
I think those are the big things. Another realization I've had - it's never too late to go after you want. You're never too old, too anything to go after your dream. Hello. Look at the 40 year old Olympic swimmer. Never give up on yourself. Always keep trying.
Until next time, blog world.
Monday, August 29, 2011
August and the Mortal Man Tri
For those who don't iknow, I took on the challenge of the Mortal Man Tri for the month of August. Basically you complete the distance of a full Ironman over the course of a month. Everyone who is participating is linked on a shared spreadsheet where you update your distance as you go and it tells you your percentage complete, how much farther you have left to swim, bike or run and I have to say - it's pretty awesome. I was off to a pretty good start the first of the month...and then I went to Raleigh for my cousin's wedding the weekend of the 13th and I just lost my motivation. I finally got it back after the month was about 2/3 of the way over but I am done not finishing things. I looked at what I had left and knew if I was diciplined enough, I could do it. As I write this wiith 3 days left in August (including today), here's what I have left and how I will accomplish it:
Today: Bike 15.1 miles, zumba
Tuesdasy: Bike 15 miles, run 3.1
Wednesday: Bike 15 miles, swim 974 yards
Then I will be done. I worked hard over the weekend (covering a full sprint tri), another 15 miles on the bike and line dancing. I may have completed the sprint tri backwards (run-bike-swim instead of swim-bike-run) but that didn't make it any easier. About 10 minutes into the bike, my legs were killing me and I wished I had stretched but 1- I was trying to simulate race day conditions and 2 - if I stopped the bike to stretch,all my distance would be wiped from the bike. Side note - I think it's a bit ridiculous that the bike gives you about 5 seconds of stopping before it resets itself. I wanted to quit so many times and contemplated doing so, but I knew I needed to knock out this big chunk to get me ahead in the mortal man tri but also with irene coming, I knew I wouldn't be able to get any training in the next day and was just hoping the roads would be clear and the gym open on Sunday. All that to say, I'm SO glad I did the distance. My total time for all 3 was 1 hour 50 minutes 51 seconds. Obviously this was all done inside and it will be different outside on race day but I've already made improvements and I have some more things to work on but I'm pretty proud of myself. I think I may do a mock tri again in about 3 -4 weeks to measure my improvements and maybe even do it in the correct order. August has been a challenging month but well worth it. I'm finishing August strong with my training and completing the full Ironman distance. How are you finishing the month strong?
Today: Bike 15.1 miles, zumba
Tuesdasy: Bike 15 miles, run 3.1
Wednesday: Bike 15 miles, swim 974 yards
Then I will be done. I worked hard over the weekend (covering a full sprint tri), another 15 miles on the bike and line dancing. I may have completed the sprint tri backwards (run-bike-swim instead of swim-bike-run) but that didn't make it any easier. About 10 minutes into the bike, my legs were killing me and I wished I had stretched but 1- I was trying to simulate race day conditions and 2 - if I stopped the bike to stretch,all my distance would be wiped from the bike. Side note - I think it's a bit ridiculous that the bike gives you about 5 seconds of stopping before it resets itself. I wanted to quit so many times and contemplated doing so, but I knew I needed to knock out this big chunk to get me ahead in the mortal man tri but also with irene coming, I knew I wouldn't be able to get any training in the next day and was just hoping the roads would be clear and the gym open on Sunday. All that to say, I'm SO glad I did the distance. My total time for all 3 was 1 hour 50 minutes 51 seconds. Obviously this was all done inside and it will be different outside on race day but I've already made improvements and I have some more things to work on but I'm pretty proud of myself. I think I may do a mock tri again in about 3 -4 weeks to measure my improvements and maybe even do it in the correct order. August has been a challenging month but well worth it. I'm finishing August strong with my training and completing the full Ironman distance. How are you finishing the month strong?
Friday, August 5, 2011
2 steps forward, 1 step back.
Sunday marks the end of the 4th week of my triathlon training. I haven't really mentioned it because, quite honestly, it scares the crap out of me and because of that - I'm training but I have yet to sign up for the race. Maybe part of me is hoping it fills up so I don't have to actually take the step and maybe part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop but the other part of me checks the race website daily to see how long I can go before I have to sign up because I want to do this...what can I say, I'm a complex person. Yes, I've done a triathlon before but this is me coming off of a year of sporadically working out. The last time, I had been consistently working out for months before even thinking about taking on this challenge.
I'm scared I can't do this. I'm scared I'm going to fail. I'm scared I will be disguting in my swimsuit - last time I felt like my legs were strong and no matter what, that's what I saw when I looked in the mirror. Now? Not so much. I'm afraid I'll be slower than I was last time. I'm afraid of the new course since it's starting from a new location. Yes, the other one had a massive hill to climb but the new course has rolling hills - lots of them.
What has happened to me? What happened to the girl that could take on anything and was ready for anything that came her way? I miss that person, but I know I'm slowly getting that person back. One thing I've struggled with and had to come to terms with is: I'm not where I used to be and that's a really hard thing to accept...it's like now that I'm "back on the wagon" so to speak, I feel like I should be kicking butt and taking names. There are days where I feel like that and then there are days where my legs feel like stumps which take every ounce of energy I have to simply take a step. Some days it's really hard for me to wrap my head around everything and when that happens I just have to keep telling myself to keep going - keep moving forward. DON'T go back. I did that long enough. Never again. Never.
I'm scared I can't do this. I'm scared I'm going to fail. I'm scared I will be disguting in my swimsuit - last time I felt like my legs were strong and no matter what, that's what I saw when I looked in the mirror. Now? Not so much. I'm afraid I'll be slower than I was last time. I'm afraid of the new course since it's starting from a new location. Yes, the other one had a massive hill to climb but the new course has rolling hills - lots of them.
What has happened to me? What happened to the girl that could take on anything and was ready for anything that came her way? I miss that person, but I know I'm slowly getting that person back. One thing I've struggled with and had to come to terms with is: I'm not where I used to be and that's a really hard thing to accept...it's like now that I'm "back on the wagon" so to speak, I feel like I should be kicking butt and taking names. There are days where I feel like that and then there are days where my legs feel like stumps which take every ounce of energy I have to simply take a step. Some days it's really hard for me to wrap my head around everything and when that happens I just have to keep telling myself to keep going - keep moving forward. DON'T go back. I did that long enough. Never again. Never.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Change, change, change
As I was driving home the other day, I realized this summer marks my 6th year here in Richmond...which ties with the longest I've lived in a place before...which was Richmond from when I was born until I was 6. Most of y'all know I've been searching a lot lately for a new job and what exactly will make me happy. Lately I've been thinking maybe I could make it in the Peace Corps or maybe Americorps - meeting a lot of new people, helping, making a difference. What more could a girl ask for? All I know is I'm ready for a change, to be out of my comfort zone and to do something that makes me happy. I'm still trying to figure all of this out and find the best place for me. Have any ideas? Pass them my way. The unknown can be scary but it's also exciting and hopefully the change I'm seeking and hoping for will happen soon.
Friday, July 15, 2011
A little bike ride and a few thoughts
Richmond has been hit with two days of absolutely beautiful weather! What was I supposed to do...stay inside at work? I don't think so! I took the day off today so I could enjoy the weather. Seriously, can you blame me?
I decided I was going to get a quick bike ride in and head down to the park Ronnie and Deana showed me a couple weeks ago. The only part I forgot was having train tracks to go over and not knowing if they were smooth or if I'd faceplant on my way to the park. I was only about 5 minutes into the ride and all I could think was how miserable it was, how much my legs hurt and how I still had 30 minutes left to bike. But I kept going...and for a lot longer than 30 minutes. I finally made it to the park and I loved every second of it and on the way back, I saw so many things that made me smile - kids playing in the park, a tractor pulled over so the guy could go in and talk to the guys at the service station, an F150 logo from the back of a truck that had fallen off, etc. It's so easy to go through your day and not take in all these small things and get annoyed at that biker you can't get around because there's traffic coming the other way. (Yes, you're welcome cars on Purcell and Mountain.) Me? For today and right now, I'm thankful I was on that bike, slower than in a car, so I could see and experience those things, being reminded how amazing the small things can be sometimes and to enjoy just being outside, being a biker, being 28, being me.
I decided I was going to get a quick bike ride in and head down to the park Ronnie and Deana showed me a couple weeks ago. The only part I forgot was having train tracks to go over and not knowing if they were smooth or if I'd faceplant on my way to the park. I was only about 5 minutes into the ride and all I could think was how miserable it was, how much my legs hurt and how I still had 30 minutes left to bike. But I kept going...and for a lot longer than 30 minutes. I finally made it to the park and I loved every second of it and on the way back, I saw so many things that made me smile - kids playing in the park, a tractor pulled over so the guy could go in and talk to the guys at the service station, an F150 logo from the back of a truck that had fallen off, etc. It's so easy to go through your day and not take in all these small things and get annoyed at that biker you can't get around because there's traffic coming the other way. (Yes, you're welcome cars on Purcell and Mountain.) Me? For today and right now, I'm thankful I was on that bike, slower than in a car, so I could see and experience those things, being reminded how amazing the small things can be sometimes and to enjoy just being outside, being a biker, being 28, being me.
Monday, July 11, 2011
I will not burn out....hopefully
I've come to the conclusion on why I get burnt out so much when I train for something. I love having a goal to work towards and a culmination of all the hard work when I know I can relax but sometimes I seem to get too focused. The closer I get to a big race, the more afraid I become of getting hurt so I stop doing the "fun" things like combat or zumba or anything that might tweak any part of my body. That's when the fun goes out. So now I'm making an effort to keep the fun things when I'm training. Especially if it's a lite training day, I can throw in a fun class or every few times, throw out a lite day for some cross-training. It truly seems to be a mental game and hopefully this way, when the race is completed, I'm still in the gym, having fun. Yes, I can take time off to recover from the running and biking and whatnot, but I won't get burnt out. At least this is the plan.
I mentioned this is the year of Elaine and 2 weeks in, it's going pretty well. ;) I'm slowly taking back my life and doing things for me. When I get up the guts to tell the world a few things I have on the burners right now, it will just keep the momentum going for this to be a kick butt year!
I mentioned this is the year of Elaine and 2 weeks in, it's going pretty well. ;) I'm slowly taking back my life and doing things for me. When I get up the guts to tell the world a few things I have on the burners right now, it will just keep the momentum going for this to be a kick butt year!
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