Things I Love: Ultra Swim Shampoo

When I was a kid I had white-blonde hair.  When I'd swim in the summer it would turn green from the chlorine.  As I've gotten older and my hair has gotten darker, it has stopped turning green but gets kind of 'straw-like' after swimming.  A few days of build-up and I've got quite the rat's nest on top of my head.  For several years now, more years than I can count, I've been using chlorine-specific shampoo to get the gunk out: Ultra Swim.

I like this stuff because it's not thick, it gets the chlorine and chlorine smell out, and it leaves my hair feeling super soft.  I've tried other chlorine shampoo before and it's just not the same.  And the best part is that I can find Ultra Swim at any grocery or pharmacy and it's only a few bucks.  If you're a swimmer, give it a try!

Foto Friday

Yada yada yada....pictures.

Y'all having a kid is so cool (most of the time).  Anderson does some of the funniest things.  Can you figure out this picture?  He has taken all his trucks, tractors, buses, trains, characters, etc. and laid them all upside down or on their sides to go to sleep.  He does this before most naps and at night.  If he's asleep, everyone and everything is asleep.

I can't even.  This picture is so cute I think I'm going to frame it.

It's a good thing we have another 14-ish years before Anderson gets his license.  He's a terrible driver.  Every week we let him drive the tractor.  He usually drives it into the street or into a bush.  Yesterday my dad let him drive the tractor.  He was still terrible.  :)

Thursday Thoughts

Yesterday was National Running Day.  Real holiday?  Hallmark holiday?  Made-up holiday because runner's are cool?  (Yeah right.  We're like the nerds of jocks.)  Whatever way you slice it, I didn't get to participate.  Stupid hip.  I'm already so over being injured.

So, did you participate in National Running Day?  If so, what did you do?  How far did you run?  Did you run an extra mile for your injured friend *wink wink*?  Are you going to run an extra mile for your injured friend today since you forgot yesterday *wink wink*?

Big Boy

It's funny.  I wrote yesterday about struggling with life choices and then later in the day I actually sent Dave a text that said,

"I am NEVER EVER having a second child."

Yesterday was a rough day for Anderson and me.  He's usually such a good boy that when we have off days it really throws me for a loop.  Anderson and I have something in common: we both love to sleep and are really good at it.  Anderson has slept through the night since he was 3 months old and takes a solid 2-3 hour nap every day.  We used to take our nap (yes, I nap too) together in the same bed every day, but in the last couple of months he's wanted to sleep in his crib.  Although I miss him fiercely, we probably both get better sleep.  Yesterday, for whatever reason, Anderson didn't want to nap.  He was in his crib, talking, singling, yelling, walking around.  He was pretty much doing everything except napping.  I went in and tucked him over and over and over.  Then I hear this loud THUD and crying.  Shit!  I ran as fast as my broken hip would allow me down to his room and found him on the floor.  He had climbed/fallen out of his crib.  He had never done this before, nor even tried.  We called nap time over and just hung out and played the rest of the afternoon.

Later that evening Dave and I tucked him into bed and it was more of the same - screaming, yelling, telling us he was scared - and even with us standing there he kept trying to climb out of his crib.  He would put his foot up on the spindle and try to climb.  He would stand on his pillow and throw a leg over the railing.  We went from never, ever trying to even climb out of his crib to not wanting to be in his crib at all.  We went from baby to big boy in the blink of an eye.  After trying for an hour to get him to settle down and sleep, we threw his mattress on the floor and let him sleep there.

We haven't used the baby monitor in almost a year but I wanted to make sure he was okay and not just playing all night or hurting himself.  About an hour after he fell asleep, he was on the floor, awkwardly.

Being the good parents that we are, we totally took a picture of this before putting him back in bed.  Not even five minutes later, he was back on the floor.

And that's where I left him for the rest of the night.  I covered him up and moved his pillow down and he slept the remainder of the night. 

Today, with a heavy heart, we said goodbye to the crib.  I got my hand-me-down Sauder-esque toddler bed out of the basement and put that bad boy together all by myself (without any instructions - I deserve an award).  I got a railing to help keep him from falling out and a baby gate to keep him in his room.  Anderson loved it.  And he took a great nap in it for nearly three hours.

We put some sheets from another bed on it for the short term, but bought him a super cute truck set.  He's gonna love it.

I'm not going to lie.  Dave and I shed some tears as we watched him sleeping in his big boy bed for the first time tonight.  He looks so little in that big bed.  He's growing up so fast and I'm just not ready.  Stay little forever buddy!

Time Tunnel Approaching

Listen, I'm not doing too well growing older.  I guess I just never thought about life after 30.  When I was younger I had plans - college, career, husband - all by the age of 30.  Now that I'm sorta nearing 40, I feel like time is running out. 

No, not running out like that.  I just feel like, maybe, I'm starting to run out of time for the things that are important to me.  Let's start with running.  I have been marathon running since I was 23.  I've run 17 marathons.  My PR was set six years ago.  I've had a goal for years to go after my dad's marathon PR of 3:21, but with only three years until things, perhaps, start to start sliding back downhill I worry that it may not happen (even though he set that PR when he was in his late 40s).  Now I'm injured and facing a LONG recovery and rebuilding time.  Will I ever get back to the runner I once was?  Does it seem stupid that it's THAT important to me? 

And now let's talk about societal pressures.  One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone asks me if Anderson is my first child.  Yes he's my FIRST.  He's my ONLY.  I have ALWAYS said that IF I have a child, I will only have one.  And I waited a long time to have one.  My sister and I did not get a long (ie - could not even be in the same room without arguing) until we were in our 30s.  Dave and his brother are nine years apart so it's not like he had a sibling close in age that could be his best friends.  So, both Dave and I are okay with one child.  But I have felt a lot of pressure from the "world" that I HAVE to give Anderson a sibling.  If I want to do this (and really I don't), I better get a move on.  It was hard enough to get pregnant the first time and now being over 35 it could be way, way harder and a lot more dangerous. 

I feel stuck.  Running goals or family expanding?  I feel like there's only room for one.  I'm really conflicted.  I think about it every day, a lot every day.  I really don't know how to be okay with either make.  And I don't feel like I can make both choices.  What to do???

May Totals

The month started off so strong.  I was getting back into running after taking time off after the Athens Marathon.  I was excited about trying again at the Cleveland Marathon.  Unfortunately, I started having some pain in my hip.  We all know how that turned out: broken and torn.  The end of the month consisted of lots of nothing and then the beginning of a bunch of swimming to come.

Swim - 15,300 yards ~ 8.7 miles

Bike - 38.64 miles (all indoor on the trainer)

Run - 57.5 miles

Strength - 0.25 hours

YMCA Visits - 17
Cost per Visit - $5.02

Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to meet my goal of 1000+ miles of running this year.  That's okay.  It's better to take care of myself.  I might get a thousand miles of swimming, though. 

Week in Review

Listen, I can't sit still.  If I sit still I'm going to weigh 400 pounds.  Plus, working out is good for my sanity.  Even though I received the devastating news that my hip was is jacked up this week, I still did some good workouts. 

I started the week with a half hour spin on the trainer before learning I wasn't allowed to bike.  I also did some weight training with this workout.  I did 3 x 10 bench presses at 30 pounds, ball crunches, and dips off the weight bench with my legs on the stability ball.

The rest of the week all I did was swimming and all of it pulling with a buoy.  Stupid hip.  The first day I did 4 x 500 with :30 rest.  The next day I did 2000 yards straight pull.  And on Saturday I did 20 x 100 pull with paddles with Dave.  He didn't use any toys but we still swam together.

I'm committing myself to as much swimming as I can handle until I've been giving the green light to do something else. 

Now if I could commit myself to eating better.  Much, much better....

Hip Update #3

The doctor walked in on Thursday and said, "unfortunately, I don't have good news for you."  Yeah, somehow I already knew that.

From the diagnosis:

Incomplete medial right femoral neck stress fracture.
Nondisplaced right acetabular labral tear.

Awesome.

There is some good news in all of this.  The doctor is not really concerned about the labral tear.  He said they're very common and shouldn't affect my running and that's probably not what is hurting me.  He said if they had done an MRI on the other hip they probably would have found one there too.  So, for now, we're just going to treat the stress fracture.  Unfortunately, he said because of the location and severity it was going to be a long slow healing.  He told me to expect to not be running for a full 12 weeks.  Y'all, that's the whole summer!  When I do return it's going to take me another 12 weeks to even get to maybe 5-10 miles of running!  And because you can't just cast a hip and let it heal on it's own, I've been forbidden from just about everything.  I'm allowed to walk for daily activities, but no walking for exercise.  No biking.  No anything.  I'm allowed to swim with a pull buoy and lift weights sitting down.  I have another appointment in four weeks to see how the healing is going, and then I might be able to add in some more swimming and MAYBE some spinning.

I've had a lot of people asked me how this happened.  The doctor didn't speculate and neither will I.  I'm a runner.  Injuries happen.  This isn't my first trip down Stress Fracture Lane.  In 2004 I had both a stress fracture in my fourth metatarsal of my right foot and a tibia stress fracture in my left leg.  I was training hard and maybe not taking my nutrition and recovery to the level of my training.  I probably do not have the strength I need in my lower core and outer legs to be at the level of training I was doing.  These are things I will work on when I return.  But, I also know that I have to heal.  As badly as I want to get back out there and as sad as I am to miss basically the rest of the year of racing, I have to get healthy and take care of myself if I want to come back. 

Thursday I was sad and upset.  I had a margarita and ice cream.  I cried and gathered hugs from my boys.  Yesterday I got back in gear.  I ate healthy and went to the pool.  It's going to be a long road, but, for now, I have a positive outlook.  This is certainly a devastating blow, however, I'm trying to think about the positives.  I get to spend the whole summer with my little guy.  I get to enjoy the sunshine and the pool.  I have no set schedule and can do or not do workouts as I please.  I will find new recipes and work on getting healthier, trimmer, and leaner.  I will find lots of books to read.  I will work on getting the house {finally} in order.  And I'll dream of all the races I'm going to do when I get healthy.

Foto Friday

You'd think in all my new-found time not running that I'd be taking a few more pictures.  Well, I'm not.  Or I haven't, yet.  I want to.  Soon.  Maybe.

Anyway, here's one from Anderson's last gymnastics class yesterday.  He's "smiling" and showing off his ribbon he earned.

Thursday Things I Shouldn't Admit

Alright Internet.  Go put on your Depends and grab a seat.  This confession might cause some pee-soaked laughing.

Last Thursday I did something I have never done before.  Ever.  At the age of 37. 

Ready for this?

I mowed the lawn for the first time.

Ever.

Embarrassingly, it was on a riding lawn mower.  My husband had to give me a lesson on how to use it.  And, in the processes of zipping around the yard, I shredded the newspaper at the edge of the driveway and had to spend fifteen minutes cleaning up tons and tons of slivers of paper from the neighbor's yard.

It wasn't that bad, though, and now I guess I'm willing, I GUESS, to help with the yard work a little more.

Medals, Medals EVERYWHERE!!!

In my hiatus from running I've decided to pursue cleaning up this house.  We moved here over a year ago and basically just dumped stuff everywhere.  We STILL have things in boxes!  If your stuff stays in a box for over a year you OBVIOUSLY do not need it.  So, I've taken the task for unloading the boxes, throwing away, and donating stuff.  I'm a minimalist living with a hoarder and well, I'm the one home all day so I win.

Last week I tackled all the running medals we have accumulated in the gazillion years we've been running.  I searched and searched all over the internet for some place I could donate the not-so-important ones but came up empty.  So I hatched a plan to display all of them in the workout room in the basement.  I found two pot racks we had purchased from Ikea nearly 15 years ago and NEVER opened or used and yet have moved them over and over again.  Our basement has been waterproofed so the walls are plastic and not drywall so I had to find a way to hang them.  I was able to hang them from the rafters just about our makeshift trophy case.  And after nearly 90 s-hooks later this is how it turned out:

The ones on the left of the picture are from 2001-2009.  The ones on the right are from 2010 to 2014.  Either we're running more races or they give out medals for EVERYTHING!!!  How the heck am I going to fit another five years on that rack?

That giant trophy?  That's for winning a 5K years ago.  That's a BIG trophy for a tiny 5K.

Do you display your awards/medals?  Do you toss them in a box and forget about them?  Do you donate them or toss them?  Do you think they give medals for WAY too many races?

Hip Update #2

This morning I had my MRA, magnetic resonance angiogram.  An MRA is a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to provide pictures of blood vessels inside the body.  (Thank you Google.)  It started on an X-ray table with the radiologist injecting dye directly into my hip.  He cleaned my hip three times with iodine, covered it with a sterile dressing, and then used a GIANT needle directly into the hip.  First he started with a numbing agent, injecting it and then advancing it further and further into the hip, the whole time using the x-ray to make sure everything was going in the correct area.  Then he injected the dye directly into the joint between the hip and the femur.  The more dye he injected the more it burned and hurt.  I found myself moaning and apologizing and giggling all at the same time.  After the dye was injected they took two x-ray pictures.  This is when I noticed how badly my hip hurt and was heavy and swollen.  The doctor wanted me to take only a few steps, which they escorted me to the bathroom so I cut my scrubs back on.  This was SO painful!  I could barely lift the leg and it was crazy hard to walk.  I even had to have the tech put my shoes on for me and she was so sweet she even offered to help me dress.

After the angiogram procedure and getting my scrubs back on, they wheeled me to the MRI.  The medical center where I had this done was beautiful but unfortunately a little bit under construction, so the MRI was actually done in a mobile unit out back.  It was hilarious to be wheeled to a tractor trailer, put on an industrial lift, and escorted inside a truck.  So funny!  The MRI took 35 minutes and was uncomfortable.  The tunnel felt tight, and even with ear plugs it was loud.  It's so hard to lay flat on your back, not moving, and feel comfortable.  I tried to close my eyes and relax.  I was in pain, though, and it was not fun.

Finally it was over and they wheeled me back to the changing room.  My hip was still extremely painful, swollen, and tight which made getting in my clothes and hobbling out to my car almost humorous.  I wish I had valeted my car or brought somewhat with me, but you've got to do what you've got to do.  It's just great that Dave took a half day off to watch the baby and allow me to get this done so quickly.  The pain in my hip persisted for a few hours.  It was so bad when I got home that I had Dave meet me in the garage with my crutches.  But by lunch I was able to hobble around on my own and now, at 5:00pm, I am able to walk just fine (minus the pain of tripping over the dog yesterday and re-aggravating it).

Thursday I have my follow up with my regular doctor.  I'll find out the results then.  I must say, I don't have my hopes set very high, but you never know.  Wish me luck!

Holiday Weekend Camping

Well, I've been camping.  I'm happy to be home.

Actually, it wasn't that bad; it's just not my cup of tea.  This really wasn't camping.  This was definitely glam-ping.  We were staying at an "RV Resort" where there were less than 10 tents and all the rest were giant campers and RVs.  Even my sister's pop-up camper was dwarfed!  Although we could have stayed with my parents in their camper, we decided to stay in the tent.  The first night it was cold!  We had put Anderson in his pack-and-play in the camper and we froze out in the tent.  (I should say, I froze; Dave snored.)  Luckily, my parents had loaned us a space heater and I used that sucker.  The second night Anderson stayed in the tent with us and it was much warmer. 

The weekend was filled with family activities.  We played on the playground.  Dave played basketball with my niece, nephew, and Dad.  The family went swimming while I went to the grocery.  We had s'mores over the fire.  And the kids rode their bikes around and around and around the campground. 

We left a day early to come back and get some projects done around the house.  Our bathroom is still ripped apart (SIX MONTHS we've been without our master bath!!!), so we wanted to do some work on it while we had the time. 

Honestly, I didn't take many pictures.  It was more about constantly keeping my eyes on Anderson and making sure he wasn't doing anything or going anywhere he shouldn't have.  Here's a few that were taken:

Homemade lawn Yahtzee.  This was fun.  Unfortunately we ran out of daylight and didn't get to finish the game.

Anderson and Ashtyn were inseparable all weekend.

I don't know if there will be more camping this summer.  Maybe in the backyard.  Well, Dave and Anderson.  If I'm steps away from my comfortable bed, I'm sleeping there.

MJ's Memorial Day Fun

In my former life my nickname was MJ.  And during college I would have a little party at my parents' house on Memorial Day weekend where we would cook out, play volleyball, and hang out.  Nowadays I prefer to spend my holidays quietly at home getting things done.  This weekend we're doing something completely different.  We are going camping.

My parents are nearing retirement and bought themselves a monstrous 5th-wheel camper.  My sister has a pop-up camper.  We have a tent.  So this weekend the whole family is going camping together.  I should say, we're going camping with a side of glam-ping.  We will be staying on my parents' site and will have accommodations like a kitchen and whatnot.  This is the first time I've gone camping since Dave and I were dating.  I've got to say, I don't really like camping.  And camping with a two year old scares the devil out of me.  Luckily, we're only going about 15 miles away and we're paying by the night instead of the whole weekend so if it doesn't go well we can always just come home.

Anyone got any tips for camping with a toddler?  Anyone got any tips for those camping with someone who doesn't like to camp?  :)

Expect pictures soon!

Hip Update #1

This morning I went to the doctor again.  We started off with a few strength tests.  Or maybe I should call them "lack of strength" tests.  I laid flat on my back and was told to lift my leg.  Um, yeah, I can't.  Then he moved my leg inward and outward which caused quite a bit of pain.  Next, it was time for x-rays.  Two x-rays were done - one where my legs were straight out with my toes turned in (ouch) and one with my leg bent and knee rested outward.  I love my doctor's office.  Everything is digital and the doc went over the x-rays as soon as they were done.  Surprisingly, there was nothing.  No stress fractures, no fractures, no impingement, no arthritis.  Nothing.  So next up I will be having some fancy MRI with contrast dye injected into my hip to rule out a labral tear..  It's not scheduled yet, but hopefully it will be done in the next week.  For now, there is no running.  Shoot, I'm barely walking.  But, I might get in the pool and pull.  I have to do something.  I'll go insane!!

Cleveland Marathon 2015

Let's be real.  I had no business doing this race.  I've been lying to myself and everyone else around me about how injured and painful my hip had become.  I saw the doctor twice last week and had ART done on it, did about a million PT exercises, stretched, and iced like crazy.  My last run was on Thursday which allowed my hip two days to return back to feeling okay.  See, every time I ran hard or basically at all I would spend the rest of the day limping around.  Some days were worse than others.  Still, I was determined to get through the race.

Sunday morning brought warmer temperatures and HUMIDITY!!!  Regardless, I was "all in" and ready to tackle the race.

I don't like professional basketball, but go Cavs?!

I didn't mess around either.  I started between the 3:25 and 3:30 pace groups and took off way quicker than I am used to.  Although I did not hang with the groups for long, I was moving.  My miles were consistently in the 7:50s to 8:10s.  I was hot and sweaty but I was moving and doing okay.  But then my hip started to ache.  Not hurt like shooting pains, just ache and I found that it was getting more difficult to lift my knee.  I felt like my leg was dragging.  It was going to be a long day at this rate.  

I saw Dave at mile 9 and called it a day.  This time he didn't fight me on it.  It wasn't going to happen today.  I didn't even want to turn off with the half marathoners and at least get that medal.

Having spent the day not being able to walk (seriously, I had to get out the crutches to get around and couldn't sleep last night because I was in so much pain), I'm really glad I stopped.  I have talked to my coach (um, yeah, I didn't tell her about my hip until after the race) and my doctor and it's time to do more testing.  Coach is concerned it may be a torn labrum (that would SUCK!!!).  I'm hoping it's just a strain and inflammation.  Tomorrow I go in for some x-rays and there will probably be an MRI in the future too.  Suck.  

Not achieving my goals this year has been heart-wrenching.  I have put all of myself in my training, been more consistent than ever, and I just haven't won the race "lottery."  All the stars must align to go after big dreams and my hip was a star that was WAY off the target.  Hopefully the hip is just a minor bump in the road and there will be more great races ahead this summer and fall.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Foto Friday

The kid likes pudding...

New Kit

I still haven't signed up for Nationals yet but in case I do decide to do triathlon this summer, I went ahead and got my coach's team kit.  I didn't take a selfie but here's what it looks like laid out on my floor.

Pain in the Rear

Every since I had the baby, I've had some trouble with lower leg lateral strength and therefore, I've gotten injured.  I've had some bad shin splints and foot pain and for the last several months I've had some hamstring tightness I just haven't been able to shake.  I've been able to put up with it but it certainly tugs when I'm doing speed work or drills on the bike.  Since my marathon last month, however, the pain has moved into other places.  I've had some pain in my SI joint along with some really bad pain in the same hip.  Some days are not bad and then there are other days, like after my sprint workout last week, where I could barely walk every time I stood up.  Having been around this block a few times, I immediately started doing some PT exercises I knew along with icing like an Eskimo.  Fed up with it not feeling better and starting to feel nervous about the race this week, I called the doctor.

The doctor did a few strength tests, flexibility tests, and then jammed his fingers into my leg.  My doctor does ART (active release therapy) and he went to town on my hamstring.  Gosh, it hurt so bad (good).  It stung for most of the day but did feel pretty good overall.  He also gave me a few more exercises to do.  And we set up another appointment for more ART later this week before the race.

I haven't tested it out on another run yet.  That will come tomorrow.  Either way, I'm doing the race even if I have to be hyped up on a zillion Advil.

Week in Review

I had every intention of writing every day last week, but I blinked and before I knew it a whole week had passed.  Where did it go?  So, I'll try again this week.  Here's what I was up to this week.

Swimming - 5300 yards
Two longer swims this week, one of which was 3000 yards.  I had a biopsy on my ear this week so wearing a swim cap and goggles was not exactly pain free or fun.  My favorite part of my swims this week was the monkey toy on the bottom of the toy that would smile at me with each passing length.

Biking -14.33 miles
Honestly, I can't tell you anything about the bike rides.  They were at the beginning of the week and they were uneventful.  I do remember that I stepped up the heat acclimation with them by not only riding with long sleeves and no fan, but this time I added a winter hat.

Running - 23.76 miles
Running was full of highs and lows.  I had a great track workout where I really tackled my demons and felt great and was moving with speed.  I also had a "long" run that was just terrible.  It was HOT and my hip was hurting (more on this soon) and I just didn't want to do it.  I have no idea what is going to happen in my upcoming marathon.  Training has been crazy sporadic since my last race.

I guess you could say this upcoming week is full-on taper as my marathon is next Sunday. 

My Husband - A Photogenic Runner

The husband ran the Cap City Half Marathon this morning.  He ran a good, smart race and did really well considering his lack of training.  My job was spectating and paparazzi which is a really weird position for me.  I'd much rather be runner.  But, the husband makes it easy as he might be one of the most photogenic runners ever.  Check it out:

I don't know about you, but I've never looked that good in a running picture.  Yeah, he's kinda cute.  ;)

Foto Friday

Anderson has been spending some time with his cousins the last couple of weeks.  He spent the weekend with my parents when I ran with my marathon and then has gone to a few of my niece's softball games this past week.  My sister's youngest child is like BFFs with Anderson.  Anderson loves her just as much.  Here's a couple cute pictures of them two of them from the weekend of my marathon.

April Totals

Even with a taper, a marathon, and a complete week off while on vacation, I still managed some good numbers this month.  There were probably a few workouts I missed, but what is done is done and nothing would have changed the outcome of my marathon except for some better weather and a lobotomy.  Here we go...

Swimming - 13,350 yards ~ 7.6 miles
Sure, it wasn't the swimming of last month, but had I done some of the swims that were assigned during the week after my marathon, I would have been closer.  I think I also didn't do some swims at the beginning of the month because I had a head cold.  Seven miles of swimming is still quite a bit when the main focus is still running.

Biking - 78.94 miles
I had one bike this month that was actually supposed to be outside.  Unfortunately, it was a mere 30 degrees that day so I did it inside.  Hence, I still haven't taken the bike outside yet this year.  I had a few bike rides I missed while I was on vacation, but I have ridden my cruiser up and down the neighborhood.  Does that count?

Running - 78.64 miles
Isn't it amazing how closely my running and biking numbers are?  It's been like this for most of the year.  Wild!  I am right at 400 miles for the year so still on target for over 1000 miles.  That's kinda cool.

YMCA - 12 visits
YMCA Cost Per Visit - $7.11

I can't believe April has come and gone.  What will May bring us (besides flowers)?

Heat Acclimation

I remember back in the day when I some friends training for Ironman Hawaii who did some crazy things to try to get ready for the heat.  I think Sonja used to do trainer rides in the bathroom while she had the shower on and HOT.  Other friends used to overdress during workouts.  And as I mentioned previously, my friend Star (Clove on Salty Running) is utilizing the sauna to help her train for Badwater.

Now, I don't know if my next marathon is going to be hot or even warm, but I want to be prepared in case it is.

I don't have the luxury of making the bathroom super hot and humid and doing a workout in there.  I live a little more rurally and have a well so I don't really want to waste water.  But I can overdress for workouts and I do have access to a sauna, so with a few weeks to go until my next attempt, I've started to put these into practice.

First I started with a trainer ride this week where I wore a long-sleeved Under Armor shirt and did the workout without a fan.  After the initial shock of, "oh my gosh, this is hot" the workout was okay.  It became a contest (with myself, of course) to see how big the pool of sweat could get on the floor.  Seriously gross.

Then earlier today I used the sauna at the Y for the first time.  I'm not much of a hot tub or sauna girl.  I don't like to be hot, nor do I want to share that space with other, potentially gross, people.  But I did it anyway.  I walked in and thought I was going to die.  It was so damn hot!  So hot!  I looked at the thermometer on the wall and it said 140.  That was as high as it went so who knows how hot it really was in there.  Anyway, my goal was to be in there for 15 minutes.  I took in a water bottle and drank every couple of minutes.  I was sweating like a beast.  I had water pouring off my face, arms, and legs.  I have never sweat like that before.  Holy moly!  I made it to about 10 minutes and then I thought my nostrils were catching on fire.  Thank goodness the weird old dudes in there started a conversation with me or else I'm not sure I would have made it the last 10 minutes.  Although I didn't enjoy it and felt like it was pure torture, I know it's going to help.  Probably.  I hope.

What lengths have you gone to train/plan for the unexpected?

The Characters at the YMCA

I used to go to what I'll describe as a "fancy" gym.  The women were decked out in head-to-toe Lululemon, had less body hair than I don't know what, I were pumped full of silicone.  They even did their makeup BEFORE their workout.  I never really felt like I fit in there but I enjoyed knowing I was like a thousand times fitter than those chicks.  That gym was expensive too.  We didn't really realize what we were spending until we did a cost analysis on our costs per visits.  It was insane.  That's when we terminated our membership and joined the YMCA for a lot less.

The Y had a whole host of different characters.  There's the trainer that has tanned so much she looks leather and her hair is so feathered and sprayed it doesn't move.  There's the old people who do more socializing than working out.  There's the meatheads who somehow are there in the middle of the day.  Don't you all have jobs?  And then there are the stay-at-home moms, like myself, who take their kids to Child Watch just so they can have an hour to themselves once a day.  But my favorite peopl I've met in the pool.

I go to the gym mid-morning which seems to be a busy time.  There must be a popular aerobics class for all the moms because Child Watch is usually full of kids.  The pool too is pretty busy during this time.  There's always one swim aerobics class going on, which involves more socializing and standing than actually working out.  And for me it's super weird because many of the now-retired school teachers I had in high school and parents of friends from high school attend that class.  There are usually about six lanes of lap swimming and they are usually all full.  The "real" swimmers during the daytime leave a lot to be desired.  Usually they're doing elementary backstroke or a version of breaststroke or just walking in the lane.  If I have to share a lane, I try to find someone who is actually swimming but those folks are usually hard to find.

But what is it that makes it seem I want my workout interrupted to have a conversation with a complete random person?  There's a gentleman who goes out of his way to awkwardly say hi to me every time I walk in.  There was the strange woman who said my workout was very "scientific."  (What the hell does that mean?)  Sometimes I'll have a person tell me I have a good stroke or swim really fast.  A few weeks ago I had a great conversation with a guy in the lane beside me.  Turns out he was a "pure runner" like myself who happened to dabble a little in triathlon.  He was a really good runner.  He had run Boston last year in 2:50.  Holy wow!   We talked for a long time.  I could talk running all day.  Plus my kid was in Child Watch.  Adult conversation!!!!

Then yesterday I had a very strange conversation.  I was about two-thirds of the way through my workout when I guy asked if I was almost done.  I said no but he could share my lane anyway.  I swear I did another 300+ yards before he actually got started doing one lap.  My last set of intervals had specific send-offs and I'm sure he had to have seen me looking at my watch and counting down to my next send-off.  Regardless, he still interrupted me to ask me what I was training for.  And then the conversation went way off on a tangent about sailing.  He is part of a local sailing club and invited me to come sailing with him sometime.  Um, pedophile much??  He told me his name and to ask for him.  He told me what to wear and what to expect.  And blah blah blah.  Um, sure random dude.  I'd love to come sailing with you.  Weirdo.

Next time I'm wearing a full head-to-toe burka and maybe then people will leave me alone.

Do you belong to a gym?
Do random people talk to you at the gym?
What's the weirdest conversation you've ever had at the gym?

Florida

Just a few hours after finishing my marathon last week, Dave, Anderson, my parents, and I hopped on an airplane and headed south to Florida.  We vacation every spring in Venice where we have friends and where my parents hope to retire soon.  There's not a whole lot to do in the town, but that's kind of the point of some vacations.  My plans were to lay on the beach and chill out in the evenings.  Unfortunately, with the little one off his normal schedule he was exceptionally challenging which did not lend itself to relaxing, but it was fun nonetheless.  Here's some pictures from the trip.

Lessons Learned from the Marathon

When I worked as a beginning engineer, I had a manager who would sit with me after every meeting I chaired to give me a "lessons learned" session on what worked and what didn't and how I can improve.  He was a great boss.  Too bad I got laid off.  Whatev!

Now I have a coach to do the same thing with my running.  Last week after a few days of sulking and then getting pissed, we broke the marathon down into things that worked and things that didn't.

My training was spot-on for a PR and/or Boston Marathon qualifying.  My fitness was not the issue.

This was my 17th marathon and I've been using the same nutrition throughout.  Although my stomach hated me during the race, I don't believe my nutrition was the issue either.  I could have helped my stomach problems earlier in the race by eating some Tums.  I had them in my bag.  I should have asked Dave for them.  This one was my fault.  Next time, I'll carry them with me.

One thing that did affect me during the race was the heat.  Sure, it wasn't that warm, but the starting temperature was 60 and the ending temperature was over 70.  I'm not sure I've done one run this whole training cycle in the 70s, except for inside on the treadmill.  You can sure use fans and hydrate a lot to help that when training indoors.  If the temperature had been in the 40s or 50s, I would have been golden.  Spring marathons are a mystery.  You train through terrible conditions (at least, if you live in the midwest like I do) and then you might get lucky with a beautiful 50 degree day or it might be 85 and hotter than hell.  I got unlucky.  My friend Star is an amazing ultrarunner who is currently training for Badwater.  I know she does a lot of sauna training and whatnot.  Coach and I have developed a plan for the next one that includes some heat adaptation.

Obviously, my head got in the way too.  Ever since Ironman Louisville, my head has been kind of a mess when it comes to racing.  I used to enter races confident or at least oblivious to the pressure at hand.  The one thing I love about running is it allows me to turn off my brain and just be.  I don't hear anything; I don't see anything; I just breathe and move my feet.  But recently, I've had a hard time turning off the chatter.  When things started happening, when things got bad, I just thought about how horrible I was feeling, and would I be sick, and were they going to have to pull me off the course, and how much of a disappointment I was, and how this was a waste of time, and how much time I've put into this and not spending time with my son, and on and on and on.  Aside from physically removing my brain, obviously not an option, I'm not sure how to get back to the confident, carefree runner that I was.

But, we have come up with a plan.  For my PR/BQ attempt, I need a bigger race - one with spectators and lots of runners and undulations to the course.  I need to feel the energy and move with the crowd.  I need others to call out for me and push me.  I want to go out with a pace group and see what I can do. 

Yes, there is another marathon on the schedule in a few weeks.  For now, I'd like to keep the details to myself (to my Maine friends who think I might be coming to join their party, unfortunately, no).  I basically took the whole week off after the marathon (I was on vacation) but did do one very, very short run when I got home.  It felt great.  I mean, good grief, I walked a TON of that marathon.  This week we are going to take it day-to-day to see how I'm feeling and how much more running my body can handle.  The heat adaptation with start two weeks out from the race. 

I want to try again.  I deserve the race I trained for!  I'm pissed that everyone else I know had great spring marathons and mine sucked.  I want to be added to that list! 

See you at the starting line...

Athens Marathon 2015

Well shit.

The Athens Marathon was not the PR party or Boston qualifier I had hoped or trained for. Unfortunately, I did not win the weather lottery and it took its toll.

PS - I would have loved the weather they had for the Boston Marathon.

Let's start from the beginning. Although nervous I felt like I was doing well the morning of the race. I was able to eat breakfast, got to the race site easily and calmly, and I took some port-a-John stops and snacked on some gummies. I lined up and felt relaxed. I turned on my iPod and it was Taylor Swift's "Fearless", my power word of the day. It was going to be a good day.

Seriously, look how much leaner and fitter I look than my last marathon.

The plan was to start out easy, take the first hour to warm up, and start to build pace. The first mile was mostly downhill until you got to the trail and then the rest of the race was flatflatflat. My pace felt easy. I felt relaxed. Everything was going to be great. After mile 4 I noticed how warm it was getting. My pace was around an 8:16 average but it wasn't feeling easy. Although I was carrying water I used the water stops (few and far between as they were) to dump water on myself. I saw Dave before the half marathon turn around and let him know that it was just going "okay."

 This is my look of "I don't know how this is going to happen."

And then my stomach started bothering me. I started panicking. I was dry heaving and freaking out. I was hot, my pace wasn't falling, and I just felt horrible. I told myself that it would pass, that I always felt low in the first part of the race. Unfortunately, it wasn't passing and the voices in my head were starting to talk. Near the halfway point I decided I was going to drop out. This was ridiculous. There was no way I could set a PR, no way I could qualify, and it was going to suck for quite a bit longer. Dave, being the voice of reason said no and made me continue on. 

The next couple of miles were not slow but I was already doing some walking. It was too early to be doing any walking. The next time I saw Dave I was toast. Done. Finished. DO NOT WANT TO RUN ANYMORE!  I was at mile 16ish and there was still a long way to go. I stopped and tried to reason with him. He was having none of it. The medical staff calmed me down, gave me a bag of ice (awesome) and somehow, I started moving again. The ice was a godsend. It stuffed it down my sports bra and sucked on some. I, obviously  needed to cool down. 

Note...it wasn't 'that' hot. But it was in the 70s and that's way hotter than anything I have trained in this winter. 

For a while after I saw Dave I was able to get my head back in the game. I was running pretty well and holding some sort of a pace. Although there weren't many people on the course (gosh this race was small), I was starting to pick off people. At mile 19ish I saw Dave again and he said I looked like I had perked up a little. He gave me some Coke to settle my stomach and ran with me for a few minutes. The next time I would see him would be the finish. 

Those last couple of miles were long. There were points where I did not see anyone in front of me or behind me. I tried using tricks like counting my steps or finding landmarks to focus on but all I could focus on was the pain - my stomach, my feet, my legs, my head. I turned off my watch. Just move forward, Meredith. 

The finish seemed to take forever to get to. It was incredibly windy and there was nothing to block the wind. I swear I would have been faster walking faster than the doing whatever shuffle I was mustering. There was one last water stop at mile 26 and I yelled to the volunteer "Jesus Christ where is the finish?!?!"  I apologized to him for the language. I apologize to you. 

Finally, there was a left turn onto a patch of grass (stupid), down a homemade ramp (even dumber), and then onto the track for the finish.

 That look pretty much says it all.

4:02. Ugh!!  Pathetic, pitiful, disappointing, but mostly sadness. I worked too hard for this result. I had great training. I sacrificed so much time.  I gave up drinking. I ate better. I recovered like a boss. Whatever.  I really cried. I cried a lot. I cried most of the day, actually. I was so disappointed. 

But then there was this...

Only one woman went under 3:30. I was the 10th place female and second in my age group (my award was a travel mug). The conditions got to everyone. You've got to work with what you're given and this was the best I could do that day. Disappointing, but there will be other races.

One of the ugliest marathon medals ever.

Seriously, a travel mug?  I think I would have preferred a cheap trophy instead.

Tomorrow, more on what I learned about this marathon and thoughts on my next attempt. 

37

Today is my 37th birthday.  It feels so weird to be 37.  I don't feel 37.  I don't think I look like what 37 looks like.  I remember when my parents were this age.  All very weird.

Anyway...

We had a little celebration tonight at home with my parents, Dave, Anderson, and me.  Dinner was spaghetti and garlic bread.  I mean, of course, I'm tapering!  There was also chocolate cake, which Anderson loved.  Me too.  Then I got a few presents.  My parents got me some construction/garden gloves.  These will come in very handy at this house.  They also got me a VISA gift card that I plan to save for something special.  (Not that I've figured out what that something special is yet.)  Anderson drew me a picture which he said is a picture of cake.  The kid loves cake.  Dave got me a new bikini (oh yeah, have I mentioned that a few hours after my marathon on Sunday we're hopping on a plane to the beach for a week?), some new Lululemon running shorts, and signed us up for a glass blowing class in a few weeks.  How cool is that? 

I think the start of 37 was great and I can't wait to see how the year unfolds.

Marathon Outfit

The weather is looking not so great for Sunday (rain - more on that later in the week), but temperatures are going to be great for a PR attempt.  And here's what I'll be looking fab in...

Shorts, tank, compression calf sleeves, my socks which I call my "Buckeye socks", and my super fast Kinvaras.  The sunglasses will be if the weather is nice (not likely) or I'll wear my lucky Boston 2006 hat. 

Foto Friday (on a Tuesday)

(I have other posts planned for later in the week so I'll show some pictures of the kiddo earlier.)

We're starting him on the path toward triathlon early.  He's been in swim lessons for a year and a half, loves to run races, and now this...

And then look at this cuteness.  He said he was watching the clouds.  I just love him.

Week in Review

The taper started this week.  I caught a cold.  I lost my mind.  I missed some workouts.  Whatever.  I'm trained and ready.  Nothing I do now will change the results next week.

Swimming - 3000 yards
I had three swims on the schedule this week, but I only did one.  I lost motivation to get over to the Y and do the swims.  Plus I was sick and yuck and I didn't want to take the little one to childcare only for him to catch his millionth cold this spring. 

Biking - 24.28 miles
I did two indoor bike rides this week - one shorter, one longer.  Neither of them were especially hard.  Mostly they focused on cadence.  Oh how I wish all bike rides were like taper bike rides.  That'll change in a few weeks.

Running - 24.29 miles
Monday was the long run where I hit the intervals but felt terrible.  I also tried a track workout that was disastrous.  Finally, the week ended with a fun, strong run with friends. 

Strength - 0 hours
There were no strength workouts this week.  Yahoo!!!

One more week!!!

Running Friends - Good for the Soul

The last time I ran with friends was at the end of December when Amanda came home for the holidays and joined us.  I have done 100% of my training since that time by myself.  I don't mind training alone, it builds character, but sometimes I miss my friends.  For my last weekend run I got a babysitter and headed up to Highbanks to see my friends and enjoy a group run.

It was so good for the soul.  Having a cold this week and being in the taper, I was feeling quite blue about my race next week.  But six miles with my friends was a great pick-me-up.  Plus it was a fast pace and I was able to hang quite easily (and it didn't hurt that they told me I looked as fit as they've ever seen me).  This run was a turning point in this taper and I'm now very excited for the marathon.

I love having a coach.  It takes the thinking out of training and keeps me accountable to my training plan and goals.  But every once in a while it's nice to share a run with my friends and enjoy a lovely Saturday out on the trails. 

Do you run with a group or a friend?
How much training do you do solo?

Foto Friday

This week we had some typical spring weather - warm, wet, and stormy.  We also discovered that Anderson may be afraid of storms.  Wednesday we put him down to sleep and just a few minutes later he was screaming and crying and telling us he didn't like the thunder.  I rocked him and soothed him to sleep and he slept through the night and the storms.  I hope this isn't a 'thing'.  We get A LOT of storms during the night.

And check out how big he is.  Good grief he is tall.

Thursday Thoughts

Back in the day when I had a job that paid real money and Dave was working too and we were childless, I found that I liked to afford luxuries.  One of my favorite luxuries was having a house cleaning service.  Once or twice a month we would have someone clean our house top to bottom.  When I was a kid my mom used to have specific chores for my sister and I and we weren't allowed to do certain things until those chores were done.  And Saturdays were house cleaning day.  The house got cleaned before anything else got done.  When I live alone in an apartment I kept to this schedule.  I always got the house cleaned every week and everything was put away.  When I got married and bought a house this type of discipline fell to the wayside.  My life partner, aka The Husband, doesn't have the same feelings as me of always having the house clean and picked up and minimalism, etc., so I've slacked too.  If I'm not getting help why should I do all this for two?

Anyway, I loved having someone clean the house.  It was a luxury I wish I could still afford.  Or frankly, have the motivation to do myself.

If you had the money, what luxury would you indulge?

The Taper - It's Driving Me Crazy!

I guess I'm officially tapering now.  And it's already driving me crazy!  I headed out to the track to do a pretty simple, short ladder workout and my head was already a mess not even two miles into it.  Part way through the first interval I decided to modify the workout.  And two intervals in I decided to call it a day.  I've still got a lingering cold which has induced a cough and a tight chest and a Nyquil coma. 

Is this taper thing going to my head?  Is the cold effing me up?  Am I crazy or just a few days out from my major race?

I've had such a good training cycle.  Everything has gone really well.  I've hit all my intervals and workouts.  I've got stronger, leaner, fitter, and faster.  Next week I'm going to kick ass at the marathon...if I can get there.  I'm feeling like things are falling apart! 

Am I going crazy?  Is this just the taper talking?  Am I going to get over my cold in time?  What the hell is going on???

Not All Workouts Are Great Workouts

I have to admit, my training has pretty much gone off without a hitch.  I'm nailed, like, 99% of my workouts.  I have rested, recovered, nutritioned (it's a word), and caught every stinking cold my son has had (although I've gotten better quickly and missed very few workouts). 

Seriously kid.  Can you stay healthy for one week?  You don't go to daycare.  What the heck?

Anyway, yesterday was my final longish run.  I ran just shy of 15 miles and to be honest, it kind of sucked.  It sucked right from the start.  I'm fighting another tiny cold and Aunt Flo paid her monthly visit too.  Then, I was not even a mile from home and it started raining and pretty much kept raining the rest of the run. 

I warmed up for about a half hour and then the middle hour had some intervals that were to be done at marathon pace and then faster.  And, those intervals went pretty well.  I hit all of them, although maybe a little slower than last week.  Then things just fell apart.  After the last one, I took a bathroom stop at the library.  When I came out it was pouring.  I was in the last 30 minutes of the run and heading home.  My legs had other plans, though.  Everything stopped working.  My calves felt like rocks, my hamstring said "are you stupid", my hip didn't want to go, and overall I wish I had just stayed at the library and called the husband to come get me. 

I finished the run and felt terrible.  My husband massaged my legs, I put them up against the wall, I rolled them on the foam roller, and then had a terrible time sleeping I was in so much pain.  It was like I had run a whole marathon in racing flats (which I will; I just shouldn't feel that awful after a training run). 

My friend D (gah, I can't find her blog!!!) mentioned recently she wished more people wrote about their bad workouts instead of being all rainbows and sunshine.  Well here it is, folks.  I had a bad run less than two weeks out from my marathon.  And that's okay.  I think you should have bad runs.  You need it to learn what not to do and what works for you.  What did I learn today?  I learned I hate running in the rain.  Looking at the forecast for next week I had better learn to like it quickly.  I learned that I always feel fat and slow when I first start my period.  Thank goodness I'll be missing that for my race.  I learned and should have learned this lesson long ago that I should not work out when I'm sick.  And most importantly, I learned to live for another run.  There is a better one around the corner.  Don't sweat just one bad run. 

Week in Review

My weeks have been all screwed up for a while.  I do some workouts from a week ago; some from this week and then put them in whatever order makes sense.  In the end, I do all the workouts and that's what is important.  Right?

Swimming - 4750 yards
Only two swims this week - one long, one shorter.  The longer one was about 150 yards longer than expected as my coach can sometimes not add correctly.  At least it was only 150 yards and not 1150 yards longer.  Glass half full!!!

Biking - 24.49 miles
I actually had a workout that called for outside biking this week.  Unfortunately, it was 35 degrees outside.  Um, no.  I'm not that hardcore.  And also unfortunately, the kiddo keeps ripping apart his train tracks while I'm on the bike (and Dave's not home) so every few minutes I had to get off the bike and fix the tracks.  I'm not sure the bike rides were very productive this week.  I may need to put the baby back in the chair and show cartoons while I ride so I can do my workouts continuously.  Any of you have any good suggestions for keeping the kiddo occupied when I need to do my workouts at home alone?

Running - 22.84 miles
Yes, I know this is not a lot of miles, but really, I've still got a workout or two to do this coming week that were part of last week.  I like to think of my workouts not as weekly but as a collection of the bigger picture.  I get them done.  Whatever.  I had a great 11 miler earlier in the week that included a lot of faster running.  My overall average was faster than my last half marathon pace (of course, that was in the snow).  Mid-week I had another speedy workout that Dave and Anderson were able to join me on (on the bike).  It was nice to have company for once.  I have done this entire training cycle alone.  One last semi-long run that I'll do today and then I guess I'll officially be tapering!!!

There were no strength routines this week, although I did do some pushups and core routines by myself during TV commercials.

Almost there.  Almost there.  Almost there.  Almost there.  Almost there.

Happy Easter

Speaking of Second Thoughts...Anderson is 2!!!

Anderson turned two last week and we had a weekend of celebrating.

On his birthday, Dave and I took him to Red Robin where they sang to him and gave him some ice cream.  Kid loves ice cream!  And he loved them singing.  I thought it was nice to celebrate just the three of us.

Then on Saturday, when he asked for cake for breakfast, we got him a donut with lots of sprinkles.  That's close to a piece of cake, right?

Later in the day my parents, Dave's parents, and my sister and her husband came over to celebrate Anderson.  We ordered pizza, he opened presents, and we had cake.  He got a cool signing elephant, a bubble mower, some clothes, a camp chair (see picture from yesterday), a life jacket, and we got him a HUGE train table with tons of trains.  He was in boy heaven!

On Sunday, Dave's brother was able to come over, had a meal with us, and gave Anderson some cool cars.  One of them is a car carrier with four little cars.  He drags it around and says "BIG CAR!!!"  It's so cute.

Happy birthday Big Boy! 

Foto Friday

My kid is such an intellect.  He loves to read.  Or he likes to pretend he's reading.  There's, obviously, no pictures in this book.  :)

This is compromising.  We came home from the Y and got ready for lunch.  Anderson did not want to take off his rain coat.  I 'compromised' and let it wear it on his head.  Then he didn't want to sit in his high chair.  So, I let him sit in a big-boy chair (and found the booster seat shortly after I took this picture).  This day was a battle.  

Anderson got his own camp chair for his birthday.  (More on his birthday tomorrow.)  He loved that it had a holder for his cup.  I think he's ready for camping or bonfires.

This might be my favorite picture I've taken in a while.  Here he is "mowing" in his sweats and trucker hat.  I love this picture so much I made it my screensaver on my phone.  So funny.

I like this picture because he put his hat on himself.  Backwards.  Like a hillbilly.

Finally, my favorite time of every day (and not just because he's going to bed and I get a few hours to myself/with Dave).  I love watching him and Dave get ready for bed.  So cute.

Hope you all have a great Friday!!!

An Evening We Don't Want to Remember

It started on our drive home from Anderson's swim lessons on Tuesday.  Dave's phone started ringing.  It was a 1-800 number.  We thought it was just crap so we didn't answer.  Then they left a message.  Then a text.

Our debit card number had been used for an $800+ purchase.

Great.

When we got home Dave got out his wallet to get his card to call our financial institution.  Both the credit card and debit card were gone.  Physically stolen.

Great.

As we were calling the bank, the bank called us.  We were able to stop the credit card and debit card, which were being used as we were talking to them...Chipotle, gas station, etc.  They were able to reverse the charges (thank god).  We then called the YMCA where we believed the theft happened based on the location of the charges and the timing.  Of course, they couldn't do anything but we at least wanted to alert them that it had happened.  Then Dave, at 9:30pm, headed to the local police station to fill out a report.  Because we were able to do all of this so quickly after the theft, they were going to give all the information to a detective so he/she could pull tapes from Target (where the $800 purchase was done) and the Y and the gas station and whatnot.  Hopefully they catch those little boogers.

So how did this happen?  We don't really know.  We're always really careful to lock our stuff up at the Y.  And Dave said he did.  I believe him too.  They only took the credit and debit card and nothing else.  Not even Dave's iPhone 6+.  Did they take them out of his back pocket?  Seems kinda crazy, but then again this whole thing was kinda crazy.  In the end, we don't know and we're not going to fret about it.  The good news is, (a) they went and made a HUGE purchase which alerted our bank and (b) because of that we were able to stop those bastards quickly and get our money back.

Having Second Thoughts

I have enjoyed the multisport training I have done this winter.  Swimming and biking has been good addition.  It's helped me get stronger and faster without piling on the miles and risking injury.  In fact, I haven't had a single week of training for this marathon where I've reached 40 miles in a week.  Yet, I'm running faster than I have in a good six years.  Of course, as soon as this marathon is over the focus will actually be triathlon.

I have a confession, though.

I have only signed up for one triathlon.  And it wasn't Nationals.  And, I'm having some second thoughts regarding actually doing triathlon.  I'm not very confident when it comes to triathlon.  I'm not very good.  That frustrates me.  I easily talk myself out of doing well and that's just dumb.  And to be honest, I'm doing really well at running right now, why would I want to switch over to triathlon?

I'm just being ridiculous, right?  Why would you turn down your chance to race at Nationals?  I just need to pull on my big girl panties and suck it up.  Sign up for those races already, Mer!!!