Hurdle Competitor

Physically, I think I can match the goals I lay out for myself. Mentally, not so much. For three years I have set my marathon goal as 3:30. I truly believe the only thing that has held me back from obtaining that goal has been my mind. I certainly can run that fast and have been in really good shape for several marathons. I just think knowing that a 3:30 marathon is a 8:00 pace really messes me up.

Coach recently said on her blog that you have to train your mind like you train your body and then your mind will know what to do with your body on race day. This is something I'm working on this time around. When I'm running and I'm struggling I think of key words to help me get through the run. And it has also been very helpful to have a coach to talk to and have her set me straight about my abilities.

The workouts have been rough, I'm not going to lie. But, I'm seeing real results and I'm excited about that. Hopefully in a few short weeks I can get over that mental hurdle and achieve the elusive 3:30 goal I've been after.

Thursday Thoughts

I have been watching the Olympics nonstop now for two weeks. And seriously, I need a nap. There have been a lot of great moments from the telecasts. My favorite moment was probably last night when Haley Ishumatsu was interviewed after she failed to qualify to finals of the platform diving and she broke down and cried. So often the athletes almost seem like robots in the way they compete and interview. It was nice to see a real moment.

So, what has been your favorite moment from the Olympics?

Malfunction

I keep getting e-mails from my real-life friends asking me if I'm dead. No I'm not dead....I just don't have much to say.

Here's a story from a run last week, though, that y'all might find interesting and warning...there are bodily fluids involved.

I am 30 years old and I have the bladder of an 80 year old. I usually get up several times during the night to empty my bladder and the daytime can be ever worse. Usually my bladder is pretty quiet while running, but not while I'm running slowly. And since my coach almost exclusively only lets me run in zone 1, I've had to go to the bathroom A LOT while running.

Last Friday I set out to do my 17 mile run with 8 miles of it at race pace. My plan was to run from my house to the school, 8 miles around the track (yes, I need a Garmin!), and then run home. I got to the school all in zone one and two and then stopped into the bathroom. I then ran 2 miles at race pace, but the whole time I felt like I had to pee and it was really painful and burning. I went in to use the restroom again, but nothing came out. I tried to run again, but the pain was unbearable. I tried the restroom one more time and again, nothing happened. So, I started to run home, but I couldn't get past the pain. For most of the miles home, I walked. Throughout my shower and lunch the pain persisted and got worse. By the afternoon, I could barely sit and started to wonder if I should call the doctor. Here's the thing, though. :) I am friends with my doctor. I run with him on occasion. We are on a first-name basis. I was worried that if I was going to the doctor for pain "down there" he was going to become "more than my friend" and I was going to have to find a new doctor. :) So I self-diagnosed and came up with a urinary tract infection. I then took a nap.

When I woke up, 2 hours later, I had a huge urge to pee. And that I did. For like 5 minutes straight. And every since then, I have had no pain and no sudden urges to go to the bathroom. Coach is convinced it's a UTI; Dave and I think I passed a small kidney stone.

All I know is, I'm not sure I ever want to experience natural childbirth. :)

Thursday Thoughts

Question: What do these two pictures say about what happens in my world?

Big Shout Out!

Have y'all been watching the Olympics? Dave and I have been glued to our TV. And last night we stayed up really late to watch Ohio State alum Raj Bhavsar and the men's gymnastics team totally kick butt to earn the bronze medal. Raj was an NCAA all-around champion while at OSU. From the Buckeye nation, congratulations and....


O-H!

Totally Stoked!

I don't know if it's the upcoming Olympics or the fact I am working with a coach for the first time, but I am more motivated than I have ever been. I am three weeks into my training schedule and I haven't missed a workout yet. I have been following all the rules--HR zones, nutrition, weight training, rest, ice, etc. And yesterday, I surprised myself.

This week has been a week of tempo workouts and yesterday's was the hardest one I have ever done. The workout was 8 miles with the middle 6 miles descending at 7:50, 7:40, 7:30, 7:20, 7:10, and sub-7:00. Since I seem to be the only runner left on planet earth without a Garmin, I had to run this on a track and keep track of my own pace. Want to know how I did it? Quarter mile splits and a piece of athletic tape. :)



The first three intervals went pretty well and then I started to freak out about how quickly the intervals were getting. But you know, what? I hit them. No, I destroyed them.

Interval 1 = 7:43
Interval 2 = 7:41
Interval 3 = 7:25
Interval 4 = 7:14
Interval 5 = 6:56
Interval 6 = 6:47

I have only run a handful of sub-7:00 miles and yesterday was the first time I have ever done them in a workout and the first time I have done two of them at once.

Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about all the good things to come.

July Totals

Here is what I accomplished in July. There will be a whole lot more running going on from now on.

Swim = 16,950 yards
Bike = 124.55 miles
Run = 61.35 miles