A tale of two FAILS

In my past two posts, I talked about two different things I wanted to try out - swim lessons for beginner triathletes and hot yoga. Well, for various reasons, I won't be doing either. Yup. FAIL.

I had gotten an e-mail from a local women's triathlon group about the swim lessons - every Sunday at the YMCA. It was the same Y where I did an indoor triathlon and a combination indoor/outdoor triathlon, so I just figured that particular Y was very "triathlete friendly." Which would be nice. And the price wasn't bad either, $60 for 6 lessons, so $10 per lesson. But, when I re-visited the e-mail to find out how to register, I realized I'd missed some of the fine print the first time around. It turns out, the lessons were only for people who were already full members of the Y. I am definitely not any type of member of the Y, because it's so dang expensive. There went my brilliant idea for getting back into swimming. I guess I will have to motivate myself to do it on my own!

As for the hot yoga Groupon, I was sort of talked out of purchasing it. I checked out how far away the studio was, and it was about a 40 minute drive. It would be relatively impossible for me to make any classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so I'm not sure how economical a month of unlimited classes would be. So I didn't buy it. 

However, a friend told me she has guest passes to her gym, which offers hot yoga, so she promised to bring me along some time. Which means, technically, that I will get to at least try hot yoga. I'd love to belong to the gym she goes to - it has multiple pools, including a separate kids pool so swimmers don't have to deal with splashing children, plus it's just super nice, but of course, it's uber expensive. I might try to convince the fiance to join after the new year, if we can get a deal on a family plan, but...I'm not hopeful.

Maybe I should have called this post "a tale of three fails" instead of just two, because now that I think about it, this whole week has been a giant workout fail. Only two workouts so far, and it's already Saturday. A 3-mile run on Tuesday, and 60 minutes of plyometrics on Friday. FAIL!

Losing my mind over Groupon

I seriously think I'm losing it. I've been so out of it all week long, and I don't know why. So far I've locked my keys in the car (Wednesday), walked out of the house without my purse and didn't even realize it until I had to get gas (Thursday), forgotten about the time change for a meeting (also Thursday), and misplaced a paycheck (day unknown). 

Maybe I'm just tired, although I shouldn't be, because I'm sleeping later this week than I have in months. Maybe my brain is sharper the less sleep I get? Wouldn't that be something.

Anyway, does anyone else love Groupon as  much as I do? I have a legitimate problem when it comes to getting roped in by super discounts. If something is 50% off, I will buy it, and I don't even care what it is or if I need it. Considering that everything on Groupon is 50% to 90% off, that's dangerous. 

However, today's deal is awesome. $40 for a month of unlimited classes at a hot yoga studio. I've always wanted to try hot yoga, even though I'm slightly afraid of overheating and passing out, plus someone told me that they shut the door to seal in the heat and don't let you out of the room even if you're about to die. (I don't think that's true, but still, just thinking about it makes me feel claustrophobic).

My yoga experience is limited to Jillian Michaels and P90X dvds, and one or two crappy classes at my crappy gym. I'm nervous that if I decide to go to hot yoga I'll make a complete fool of myself, but the studio specifies which classes are for beginners, and I can totally hold the crane pose for a full minute, so surely I'll be fine...right?

If I decide to go ahead and get the Groupon deal, I'll be trying out hot yoga and triathlon swim classes all in the month of November. It could be a great way to switch-up my exercise routine so I don't get bored, which I think I need to do since I got bored with running only and switched to P90X, then got bored with P90X only and switched back to running. I definitely need to mix it up.

Although maybe all of the "mixing it up" is what's driving me to so much distraction that I keep forgetting simple things...

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.

Oh hi! Yes, it's me, it's really me. Where I have I been for the past 5 months, you might ask?

I wish I had a good answer for you. I wish I could say I'd been abducted by aliens, or become a member of the CIA and sent out on a top-secret mission. That would be a lot cooler than the truth, which is...well, I haven't been doing much worth mentioning for the last 150 days (roughly.) 

I did a few triathlon-related things over the summer, but the one thing I didn't do was...er...a triathlon. Oops! However, I did manage to complete two 800 meter open water swims, so that's something. I even managed to limit my consumption of bacteria-laden lake water to a few gallons.

Then, somewhere in July or August, the wheels came off. Not the wheels of my gorgeous pink bike (though that would have been a handy excuse for my lack of triathlon training) but the figurative wheels that kept my motivation moving forward. 

I could sit here and list a bunch of excuses but...no scratch that, I think that's exactly what I'll do! Let's see...there were vacations, illnesses, wedding planning, important family happenings, (like both of my sisters abandoning me to live elsewhere, cough, cough) and you know, general laziness.

I even let my running mileage get drastically low. For a while, when I couldn't motivate myself to run, I followed the P90X program religiously. I got it for my fiance for his birthday, and we started it together. Let me tell you, that thing WORKS! I could see and feel the changes in my body after 30 days. 

But then, I got a cold and didn't do P90X for a few days. And after I got over the cold, I somehow decided I needed to start building my running mileage up again so I can run a fall marathon in 2011. And after that I got an e-mail from a local women's triathlon club offering 7 weeks of swim training for beginners or people who haven't swum in a while. Sounds good to me! 

So that's basically where I stand. The cold I mentioned, well, I just got over it a few days ago. I've run twice this week and have at least one more run planned with a friend. The swim sessions start on November 7th, so I'd better register. 

Let's see if I can get that motivation rolling again...and also maybe talk about other life happenings, such as how much my sisters suck for leaving me, (cough, cough) wedding planning, and how much I love looking at pictures of food and recipes for things I'll never cook. Food gawker, anyone?

Also, my fiance is still following the P90X program and I plan on doing a review of it in the near future. So keep an eye out for that.

I am an athlete, and I have feet

Does it make sense, then, that I have Athlete's Foot? (Feet, actually, because it's both of 'em).

I've never had it before, so I can't be sure that's what this is, but DAMN, they itch. That kind of itch that you can scratch but that only makes it worse and eventually you might draw blood and it still won't stop itching. 

When I say it started suddenly, I'm not exaggerating, as most people are when they use that phrase. I mean it was instantaneous. My feet felt fine all day, I was wearing clean socks, an old pair of sneakers, and even went for a couple of long dog-walks. Then I was walking to my house from my car after work and BAM it hit me. My feet itched. 

At first I thought it was because the sneakers I'd been wearing were super old, and so much walking in them had just irritated my skin. But it was SO bad that night that I had to rest the soles of my feet on ice packs. They felt a little bit better the next day, so I figured it was a minor thing that would run its course. But the day after that, I was about ready to scratch my skin to shreds, so I decided to hit up CVS.

I couldn't find what I was looking for at first. I knew there were products called Lamisil and Tinactin (saw them on commercials - "Tough actin' Tinactin!") but the only things with that name I could find were for Jock Itch. Er...ok...I was pretty sure it was the right product, but I didn't want to be rubbing cream meant for a guy's groin on my feet if I wasn't supposed to. I finally had to ask the woman at the pharmacy where I could find something for Athlete's Foot (I totally whispered that part in the store because there were other people around, and really, who wants to admit they have fungus growing on their feet? I was wearing flip-flops for goodness sake.) Turns out Lamisil for Athlete's Foot and for Jock Itch are the exact same thing with the exact same ingredients, because the two infections are caused by the same fungus. Honestly, I'd rather have fungus on my feet than in my crotch!

Anyway, I have been back to CVS twice since then for different remedies because nothing's working. So far I've tried Lamisil cream, Tinactin spray, and Goldbond medicated powder. Each has a different active ingredient, and each says to apply twice daily - morning and night. Also, each claims to stop the itching and burning. OK...maybe they stop the itching and burning for an hour. But am I supposed to wait seven more hours until the nighttime application to relieve it again?

I'm thoroughly grossed out at the fact that I might have fungus on my feet. But I'm trying so hard to keep them clean! I already shower daily, but now I'm washing my feet with seperate soap (Dove), drying each foot completely with it's own paper towel (don't want to infect our bath/hand towels!) and applying one of my medicinal treatments twice daily. I'm sprinkling Goldbond into my socks. I've sprayed all my shoes with Tinactin. Today I washed the bathmats with bleach (don't worry, they were already white) and mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors with a bleach solution (since I walk around the house barefoot). 

Well it's been a full week and I have seen no improvement! What's a girl to do!?!? Should I just go to the doctor and get something stronger? The packages on the various treatments say to "see a doctor if there is no improvement in four weeks." Four weeks!?!? This insatiable itch is maddening. I can not wait four weeks!

Anybody have some tips/tricks/homeopathic remedies?

P.S. If you're wondering where I might have picked it up, I have two words for you. Public pool. And here are two more words. High school. I went (for the first time) to open swim at a local high school's pool on a Wednesday, and that BAM moment came on Friday. Need I say more??

Anyone Can Tri! A race report.

On Sunday, May 2, I proved the name of the race, and completed the Southern Saratoga YMCA's "Anyone Can Tri" triathlon. It was a combination indoor/outdoor tri, because it's still a little too chilly to do an open water swim (although it certainly felt warm enough on Sunday!) The whole event was a 350 yard (or meter maybe?) snake swim in the pool, followed by an 11 mile bike ride and 3.2 mile run outside. There was a central transition area just outside the pool, where competitors could quickly (or not so quickly in my case) switch from swim gear to bike gear, and finally to running gear.

Here's the thing. I've been so distracted by other happenings in my life lately that I hardly thought about the triathlon until the morning of the race. And then I didn't feel like racing. At all. It just didn't seem important, and I didn't feel hyped up for it. But I'd already forked over a $55 registration fee, and as you all know by now I'm cheap frugal and didn't want to waste the money. Seriously, I actually think $55 is a ridiculously high price for a sprint triathlon, but it's the YMCA, which is supposed to be a not-for-profit civic service organization, and is actually more like some exclusive health club. In my opinion. I just wrote a story about a local branch of the YMCA that was able to borrow nearly 6 million tax-exempt dollars because of its "non-profit" status, using an organization meant to give money to companies that actually serve the poor, not just pretend to. Anyway, tangent and rant over, I'd paid the exorbitant fee and I was going to get my money's worth.

I got up at 5:45 a.m. on Sunday, and ate half a banana and a piece of whole wheat toast with almond butter. I absent-mindedly (you'll find out just how absent-mindedly in a few paragraphs) gathered the things I'd need for the race. I put on a sports bra under my bathing suit, and packed a pair of long spandex shorts (that I bought in the little boy's section of Target) and my Pearl Izumi cycling tank. I stuck a pair of (mismatching) socks into my running shoes and threw them in the car. My Garmin was already in my purse. I stuck an organic toaster tart in my purse in case I got hungry. I filled up my 20 oz water bottle. I grabbed a towel from the heap of laundry in the attic, gave it a few sniffs, and threw that in the car. Bike and helmet were already in the trunk. I shoved my feet into my sandals, and off I went, dragging my sister along with me.

I got to the Y before 6:30, and stood in line to pick up my packet, bib, and chip, and get marked with a Sharpie.  I was number 68, and as the guy was writing it on my leg, I started to wish I'd shaved within the last 3 days. If you're wondering what on earth I was thinking, just remember I wasn't thinking about the race. After getting all my stuff (lamest swag bag ever, by the way, the only thing in there besides some pamphlets promoting the Y was a mini men's Degree deodorant) I had about an hour to kill before my "safety meeting."

I went to the transition area to get a spot for my bike and set up my gear, but by the time I got there, the racks were full, so I just leaned the bike against a fence. I wouldn't have done that, but a few other bikes were already there, so I figured it was OK. I pulled out my garbage bag (the one thoughtful thing I packed), spread it on the ground, and put my shoes, socks, shorts, and shirt on top of it. I draped my towel over the handlebars. I gave my water bottle to my sister.

I spent the next 30 minutes or so standing barefoot in the hallway of the Y, surreptitiously picking the bathing suit wedgie out of my butt crack every time it rode up, because the sports bra underneath it made it a really tight fit. Finally it was time for my heat's meeting. The triathlon was going off in heats, and the heats were going off in waves. Each heat had to go to a meeting first, to find out how the snake swim worked, and to be told to watch out for cars while biking and running, because the roads weren't closed. 

We all filed into the pool in a single line, in numerical order. The first person in the heat would start, and 30 seconds later, the announcer would tell the next person to go. I had been getting worried that people would need to pass me during the swim, but it seemed like 30 seconds was a decent head start. The announcer said "68, go!" and I slid into the pool and went on my way. I felt tired almost immediately, which was not a good sign. I just tried to focus on keeping my breathing even and my form smooth. I was doing a pretty good job of it until I was swimming one way in my lane, and someone else was swimming in the other direction, and we collided. Ooooops. I made it a point to stay super close to the lane marker from then on. I think I caressed it a few times after that. 

I finished up the swim and my breathing was a little labored, but nothing too horrible. I ran out the door to find my bike, and after adjusting to the blinding sunlight, I quickly toweled off my feet, shoved myself into my shorts, tank, and socks, and laced up my sneakers. Then I realized I had no water. My sister had my water. And she wasn't allowed into the transition area. Shit. I saw her running near the fence, waving the bottle. One of the race officials saw her too, and took the bottle from her and gave it to me. How nice of her. But then I realized I still had an 11 mile bike ride and a 3.2 mile run to finish, and I hadn't eaten for over two hours. Where was my toaster tart? In the car. In my purse. With my Garmin. I made a wild "nibbling" gesture to my sister, intended to mean "Go get me my bar!" but she didn't understand, so I had to tell to her to go get it. While she was doing that, I put on my cycling gloves and helmet. She ran back, threw the bar to me over the fence, and I frantically took two big bites. Then I had to wait a minute while I tried swallow with an incredibly dry mouth.

OK, transition one was finished. I shoved the other half of the bar into my waistband, jogged my bike over the timing mat, and climbed on. About seven pedals later, I heard a faint "thwumping" noise, looked down, and realized the bar had fallen out of my waistband and was now lying in the road with my bike's tire track sliced through it. I probably should have stuck the bar in the back pocket of my cycling tank, since, you know, that's what it's made for.

Someone told me the bike course was "relatively flat." Well that someone was a LIAR. Seriously, their pants are on fire right now. It was actually rather surreal out there on the bike, because everyone was so spread out that it was like I was just out for a jaunt by myself. Every once in a while at an intersection an official would point me in the right direction, but for the most part it was just me, my bike, the road...and my thoughts. Mostly those thoughts went like this: "What the F? It's so hot out here. There's no shade. OMG. Is that a huge hill coming up? Seriously? Another one? Ow. I think I just got a bug in my eye. I hope it doesn't crawl into my brain. Am I going the right way? So. Hot. OMG, another big hill. Pedal. Pedal. Pedalllll. Don't. Stop. Quads are burning. Pedal. Pedal. Pedalllllll!"

Thankfully I didn't have to stop in the middle of a hill anywhere, because that would have been really embarrassing. Though there was one point, in the middle of a hill, where I think I was averaging one full pedal every 30 seconds, and some guy flew by and said "Good luck." In that tone that really means, "Ha, good luck sucker!"

Anyway, I made my way back to the transition area after what seemed like an eternity, hopped off the bike, and jogged it over the timing mat. Now, being an extreme amateur, I had actually worn my running sneakers for the bike ride, and didn't have to change them during transition two. I just gulped some water, briefly considered dropping out of the race, and ran over the next timing mat to start the run.

I have just one word to describe the entire run: HOT. It was brutal out there. The high that day was 87 degrees, and there was seriously no shade on the course. Luckily there was a random water stop, which consisted of one volunteer handing out warm cups of water, and what I can only assume was a resident of a neighboring house yelling out "Congratulations! You can do it!" in a thick Spanish accent.

My legs felt like rubber bands that might snap at any moment for at least the first mile of the run. They were wobbly and I felt like I couldn't control their direction or pace. Were they even still attached? I couldn't tell. I did have the extreme pleasure of passing the sarcastic "Good luck" man during the run, and trust me, I wished him some luck himself. Ha.

I had absolutely no idea what pace I was running. At all. Usually I'm really good at feeling out a pace, but I could have been running anywhere from 7 minutes per mile to 15 minutes per mile, and I don't think I would have known the difference. It was too hot to even care. I just wanted to finish. 

And finally, finally I rounded a corner to see a woman ringing a cowbell (the only crowd support on the course besides the Spanish congratulations lady!) and the finish line was in sight. I'd like to say I "kicked it in" but I really didn't, because it was so hot, and also I couldn't feel my legs.

I got my medal, got some water, and said, "Hey, I'm a triathlete!" And then I went to Starbucks and got an iced coffee. 

Here is the breakdown of my results:

Swim (350 m) + T1 - 10:58 

Bike (11 mi) - 42:59 (approx. 17 mph)

T2 - 1:39

Run (3.2 mi) - 25:16 (7:54 per mile)

Total time - 1:20.51

April in Review

I'm definitely a few days late with this post, but oh well, better late than never, right?

Here are the stats:

Swim total: 2,000 meters

Bike: 4.5 hours/43.66 miles

Run total: 56.7 miles

Strength: Didn't keep track this month, but if I had to guess I'd say approx. 2 hours

Race: 5 miler, 35:55, 7:11 per mile average pace

I very obviously slacked way off on the swimming. My regular pool was still closed for renovations the entire month (but it supposedly opens tomorrow), and I only managed to sneak into the local college pool free of charge twice. I swam 1,000 meters each time, hence the 2,000 meter total. I did, however, discover the benefits of evening swimming. Easier to sneak in, hardly anyone else in the pool, and extremely relaxing before bed. Hopefully I'll put it into practice a bit more often this month!

I'm feeling pretty good about my biking for the month of April. I did an hour and 25 minutes more than I did in March, and since I was able to take the bike off the trainer and get outside, I got to track my mileage. I still definitely need to work on the biking, my quad muscles are just not all there yet for the sport. I need to do some 20+ mile rides, and work on my technique on the hills. I better hit the bike path this month!

I was really worried about my running in April, after suffering from some pretty bad shin splints. I took a couple of stretches of 3-5 days of off running completely. But I'm surprisngly happy with my total mileage, after all. I'm less than a mile off of what I ran in March. I attribute that to less "junk miles." Yeah, I took some extra days off, but I only skipped shorter runs, and I made up for it by running longer on other days. My long runs are all on track for my half marathon in June! 

I totally stopped keeping track of my strength training because I was less structured about it in April. Normally it's at least 45 minutes per week in a class at my gym, but I think I only made it to the class once, possibly twice, and the rest of the time I just did some strength and core work at home whenever I had the time/motivation. 

The one race I ran at the beginning of April was a 5-miler, and I "bandited" it. That means I didn't register, or pay, and I ran without a bib. I just veered off the course right before the finish line. The time is what I registered on my Garmin (and yes it did tell me I had gone the full 5 miles when I stopped my watch). If you're wondering why I decided to bandit, there are a few reasons, not the least of which is that I'm cheap frugal. I was iffy about the whole thing because of the shin splints, and I thought it'd be a waste to pay the registration fee only to have to drop out halfway through because I was in pain. Luckily adrenaline kicked in and I was totally fine, and didn't injure myself further. Also, the race was sponsored by (and I think benefited) my company's competitor, but really, that had nothing to do with me not paying the fee...really...honest...

So that's April. Once again, I find myself needing to create more balance. I'm always much further ahead in one aspect than another, and I just need to be more consistent across the board!

Luckily I started May off with a bang...well, with a triathlon, actually. Stay tuned for a race report!

Gone with the wind

I really do not like running when it's super windy outside. Sure, you feel great going in one direction, with the wind at your back, but going the other way it feels like running on the treadmill, because you're practically going nowhere. Only it's worse than running on the treadmill, because the wind is whipping leaves and other crap into your face.

Plus, if you're like me and have a bad haircut, it's nearly impossible to keep some of the strands under control. I never should have listened to the hairdresser when she called me a chicken for never doing anything "different" with my hair. I ended up with some long bangs that I can't do anything with! They're that annoying length that is just the tiniest bit too short to go into my ponytail. I'm thinking of getting a new hairdresser.

But anyway. Today when I went out for my run I stuck a few bobby pins and a thin elastic headband in my hair and hoped for the best. The wind was howling like crazy, and soon my bangs were flopping in my face. I felt the top of my head to make sure the bobby pins were still there, and they were. But the headband wasn't. I hadn't even felt it fly off! Now, granted, it could have been due in part to the fact that I have a giant head, and headbands have never fit me well. (It's true, I really do have a big head...my sisters and one mean boy used to call me bobble head).

I've decided to finally go ahead and order some Bondi Bands. Supposedly, they stay put, and wick sweat away, too, so you don't get any dripping in your eyes. Now I just have to decide which to order...I'm debating between three. Should I order the one that says "I love running; I hate running; I love running; I hate running." Or "Run now...wine later." Or "I run for chocolate." Or all three?

Does anyone have these? Do they work? Are they worth the $8 each?

Sparklies!

This post has NOTHING to do with running or triathlons, except for the fact that I now have something to worry about losing while I'm exercising.

 

That's right, I got ENGAGED on Friday!!!!!!!! (That definitely deserves 8 exclamation points). I've only been waiting for ohhhh 2 years or so. In our typical fashion, darling fiance (as he will henceforth be referred to) and I got engaged in our bathroom. Yes, our bathroom. You see, I was rushing around to get ready for a dinner he told me we were going to with a couple of his friends and their significant others. I was late getting home from work, in a lousy mood, and was in the bathroom straightning my hair and grumbling to myself about not wanting to spend the evening in mixed company. Darling fiance was in the kitchen and I called out to him that I planned on getting tipsy off of wine and initiating a serious conversation about "our future." Which I knew he would know meant I planned to nag him about not being engaged after dating for 3+ years. Well, right after the words were out of my mouth he appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, pulled the ring out from behind his back, and asked me to marry him, thereby eliminating the need for me to nag him all night (I still don't actually know if he had planned on proposing before dinner, or if he decided to do it on the spot then because he didn't want to listen to me complain all night). I spent about a solid minute doing the typical "OMG OMG ARE YOU SERIOUS IS THIS A DREAM OMG ARE YOU FOR REAL?" and squealing and jumping around. And then, we went to dinner (alone) and toasted our future with champagne and lots of food.

So there you have it. Darling fiance has warned me about 20 times already to take the ring off when I'm swimming, biking, or running because he doesn't have it insured yet and I'm notorious for losing things. I once lost a ring (NOT a diamond one) when I was getting ready for bed, and apparently took it off and absentmindedly threw it in the garbage instead of putting it in the jewelry box. Whoops.

That's OK, though. It'd be hard to get used to working out lugging all this extra weight around on my hand, anyway! 

For what it's worth, I do not plan to start using this blog to talk about wedding details. I may start a new, separate blog for that, so stay tuned for the link if you are interested.

P.S. Sorry for the relatively crappy picture. I got my camera stuck on some weird setting and can't figure out how to change it back.

Sneakers? What sneakers?

Yeah...I have what some may consider a "sneaker hoarding" problem. But I KNOW I am not the only one...in fact, I personally know a few people who have a far bigger collection than I do! It's just so hard to get rid of a pair of shoes that has served me so well (and cost me a pretty penny), and that I can use for other things after they're too worn out to run in. 

Pictured: 3 pairs of Asics Gel Cumulus 11s, 1 pair of Newtons, 1 pair of Vasque VST trail shoes, 1 pair of Brooks Defyance, 1 pair of Saucony ProGrid Triumph 5s, and 1 pair of Nike Air Zoom Elites.

Not pictured: 1 pair of Saucony ProGrid Triumphs that mysteriously disappeared one day (but I highly suspect darling boyfriend got ahold of them and threw them in the garbage), 1 pair of Asics Gel Cumulus 10s, also a boyfriend casualty (I got dog poop on them and left them on the stoop until it could dry out enough to flake off, but he thought I meant to throw them away....why would I do that???), and one pair of Sauconys (can't remember the model but they were red and black and made me look like Spiderman) that boyfriend convinced me to put in a shoe donation box.

Love: Asics Gel Cumulus (obviously), Newtons, Vasque VSTs.

Like: Saucony ProGrid Triumphs (but I got a stress fracture wearing my second pair of them so I'll never wear them again - superstition), Nike Air Zoom Elites (but they were a bit too wide for my foot, and also, they are discontinued).

Hate: Brooks Defyance (the inserts felt like they were made of concrete).

Potential uses for worn out sneakers: Cross training, yard work, walking the dog, squashing bugs, wearing with sweats when you need to leave the house unexpectedly, and annoying your boyfriend.

I don't know what I am going to do when our attic* runs out of space!

*I keep my clothes and shoes in the partially finished attic because we don't have enough closet space. Does anyone want to lend me $50,000 for renovations? I'll build a special cubby just for my retired sneakers.

A little lesson on shin splints

The thing about shin splints is...they royally suck. The "scientific" term for shin splints is medial tibial stress syndrome, but you don't really need to know that. All you need to know is that they hurt and they take a long time to heal. Although it feels a lot like the bone hurts, the pain is often caused by inflammation in the connective tissues that attach the muscles to the bone. Got that? 

Now, Google searches and some doctors will tell you that the "simple" (their word, not mine!) remedy for the common runner's ailment is R.I.C.E. That's Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. I'd like to add to that, but my acronym will change slightly. It's C.R.I.M.E.S. That stands for Compression, Rest, Motrin, Ice, Elevation, Strength. (They don't necessarily need to be done in that order, but I had to rearrange the letters to make an actual word).

Ask any runner if rest is "simple" and the answer will be a resounding NO! Not simple. Not at all. If my own experience is any indication, what a runner with shin splints will do is take a minimal amount of rest, and then overload on the rest of the recommended remedies in hopes of making up for it. Why rest? Well that one is obvious. Less stress on the shins = healing.

But what about the other suggestions? Well, compression (they make special socks/sleeves for this purpose) can stimulate circulation and support leg muscles and tissues to reduce impact and absorb trauma. Motrin reduces inflammation. Ice also reduces inflammation, and reduces pain. I'm not sure how it works, but apparently an inflamed, irritated muscle or tissue can lead to an accumulation of fluid, and elevating the lower legs to above heart level can reduce that. And finally, strengthening exercises for the calves and ankles can help prevent shin splints in the future, because stronger muscles lead to more stability, and can absorb shock, and reduce trauma.

If you're wondering why in the world I'm blathering on about shin splints, I'll clue you in - I have them. I know, sucks, right?

Here's a comprehensive list of the things I've tried to get rid of the nagging shin pain:

• Rest; first I took 2 days off from running. Yeah, 2 days was all I could mentally handle. Then, when that obviously wasn't enough, I took 5 days off. 5 days seemed to work better than 2. Duh.
• Ice; I tried a few different strategies. First, I plopped old-school lunchbox-style ice packs on my shins after running. When that didn't do much, I put a bunch of ice cubes into Ziploc bags and used those. That worked fairly well. But when I really got frustrated, I gave my shins ice baths. I filled a bucket (I used our mop bucket...shhh don't tell the darling boyfriend, he'd probably be grossed out that I stuck my sweaty, post-run feet into the bucket we use when cleaning our kitchen floor) with water and tons of ice, and soaked my shins for 10 minutes after every run. 
• Compression; never tried it. I spend lots of money on useless things, but calf sleeves isn't one of them.
• Elevation; well, I lay down a lot and sometimes I put my feet up. Does that count?
• Strength; I've read a lot about various strengthening exercises for the calves, and I've implemented some into my daily routine. I spell out the letters of the alphabet with my toes, do calf raises, and walk across the room on my heels, and then my toes.
• Motrin; I've got this one in the bag. Motrin before a long run, motrin after a short run. Ahhh, sweet, sweet relief.

There are other ways to prevent shin splints that are just common sense and don't apply to me. Replace shoes when they get worn out - check! I got new shoes at the first sign of shin pain, even though they only had about 200 miles on them and should not have needed replacing yet. Wear the right type of shoe for your foot and stride - check! I experimented with many, many different brands and models of sneakers before I finally settled on the Aasics Gel Cumulus line, and I went through three pairs with zero problems.

The moral of this story is: You can do everything right, and still get shin splints that you can't get rid of. W.T.F.??

These are a few of my favorite links

As you all have probably gathered from previous blog posts, including this one and this one, I like to shop. Like, really, a lot. It's weird, because I have zero fashion sense, but I do love scoring a good deal. If something was ridiculously ugly, but 50% off, I'd probably buy it, just in case I might need it someday. 

So, I thought I'd put together a list of some of my favorite websites that have served me well during my many deal-hunting sessions.* As a disclaimer, since I did just admit that I buy hideous things, there are many cute things on these sites - I'm just not trendy enough to figure out what they are and what the difference is. I'm sure you all are, though.

1.) Steep and Cheap, here is the link. Steep and Cheap is a "one deal at a time" site. Their motto is "One killer gear deal, one item at a time, until it's gone." They feature one item on their main page for a set length of time - usually 15 to 25 minutes - and then move on to the next deal. Did I mention that these items are anywhere from 30% to 80% off retail prices, and most are usually at least 45%-50% off?? They sell outdoor gear for running, biking, hiking, skiing, camping, and the like. They. Are. Awesome. And the site is addicting because you keep checking every 5 minutes to see what the current deal is. I once got a pair of CW-X compression tights, which normally retail for about $90, for $36.99 from this site. I'm currently awaiting the arrival of a pair of trail shoes I ordered - I got them for $45.99 and the cheapest I could find them elsewhere was $89. Check it out yourself, but I warned you - it is addicting.

2.) Bonktown. This site is very similar to Steep and Cheap, because it is "one deal at a time", but it only sells cycling gear. I actually found Bonktown by clicking on an ad on Steep and Cheap's page (damn effective advertising...my click probably earned Steep and Cheap a nickel, too). I haven't bought anything from Bonktown, but I'm absolutely positive that's going to change in the very near future. As I write this post, Bonktown's current deal is a Louis Garneau Dream Top cycling tank - retail price $79.95. What's it going for on Bonktown? $16.99. Come on people! That's a freakin' steal!

3.) Swim Outlet. Yep, I've posted about this site before, but I like it so much, it's getting a second shout-out. Swim Outlet is the home of the swimsuit grab bag, where I got my surprise pink and orange TYR suit for like $19.99 or something. If you're willing to take your chances on colors and patterns (and for these prices, you really should be) then you can get TYR and Speedo suits here for about 50% off of the retail prices (sure they might be last season's suits, but who cares? How much does a bathing suit really change over one season?). Aside from the whole grab bag deal, they have tonssss of other bathing suits, of every brand, for less than retail value. They also have all your swim accessories: goggles, swim training aids, sandals, etc. You could waste hours looking at everything on this site (I should know...I've done it). 

4.) Endless. OK, this is a deviation, because this site doesn't really have awesome deals, at least price-wise. BUT I decided it deserved to be mentioned because it's where I buy my running shoes. This is important, because I wear a ridiculously hard to find size and width. I have tiny feet and the only shoe I've been able to find that works for me is the Aasics Gel Cumulus, size 5, 2A width (that's extra narrow, in case you were wondering). It's seriously almost impossible to find this shoe and I'm guaranteed never to find it in a store. My local running store actually stopped carrying it because there "wasn't much demand for it." Huh. Imagine that. However, Endless always seems to have my shoe in stock, which is amazing. It's entirely possible that they just have a surplus because no one else in the world wears this size, and that after I've bought out their supply, I'll never find it again. Maybe someone from the Endless site will read this blog and realize how much I really, really need them to order more. Anybody? Hello??

5.) All 3 Sports. Yes, you guessed it, this is a site that sells triathlon gear. They pretty much have everything you could need for a triathlon, from bikes to wetsuits. The set-up is nothing fancy, just a whole bunch of items categorized by event and gender. My favorite page on the site is the "closeouts" page. That's exactly what it sounds like - going once, going twice, closeout deals. What I like to do is go to the store, try things on, and then check All 3 Sports to see if I can find whatever I liked at a better price. It's a good site for shoes and wetsuits, if you know exactly what you're looking for. I got a pair of fleecy Sugoi tights from All 3 Sports for the low, low price of $25.99.

So, there you have it. My top 5 favorite sites for indulging in retail therapy. If you're wondering why I didn't post any sites for buying real, actual clothes, then you weren't paying enough attention at the beginning of this post. I have no fashion sense. This is the stuff I wear out in public...

*None of these sites asked me to endorse them, nor did they send me any free stuff. If they want to send me free stuff, by all means, they should and I will kiss their asses even more.

March in review

I can't believe we're already 1/4 of the way through 2010! Where does the time go? I don't like that it goes so much faster the older I get. 

Anyway, here are the totals for the month of March:

Swim total: 5,400 meters/3.375 miles

Bike total: 195 minutes/3.25 hours

Run total: 57.5 miles

Strength training: 130 minutes/2.17 hours

Races: 0

I'm feeling very "eh" about this month of training. I wonder if there will ever be a month I'm satisfied with? I did increase my running mileage, which is good, since I'm aiming to run a half marathon in June. I swam almost exactly the same distance in March that I did in February, and that's actually OK, because my regular pool was closed, meaning I had to try to swim in a different pool, with less convenient hours, and pay an extra $5 per session. I'm glad I just managed to maintain. Biking...I have no excuses for how far below my goal I fell this month. I got extremely bored with the indoor trainer, but even once the weather warmed up and I took it outside, I got bored with my limited options. Hopefully over the next few months I can find other people to ride with so I can hit the bike paths that aren't the safest to ride on alone. Strength training also took a big hit, though I'm not as worried about that as I am about my three main focuses.

On to April!

Revelation

OK, so I don't think this will come as a surprise to any of my blog followers, since I believe most of you "know" me, but I do make a (meager) living as a writer, of sorts. I'm a staff reporter at a small-town newspaper. After 2+ tedious years spent working in corporate cubicle land, this job has been a huge blessing and relief. It's more than just a job, it's a career. I've always wanted to write. I've been doing it for over a year now.

And yet. This past weekend, I went to a press convention. It was a combination of instructional lectures and awards ceremonies. There were 64 lectures spanning a huge variety of topics over the course of 48 hours. I decided to go to one about creative story ideas, and while I sat and listened to the types of features that the speaker and others in attendance had worked on, I realized that I was bored with writing about town politics, zoning committees, and petty crime. Our paper is SO small, that we don't have much room for features, especially ones that aren't directly relevant to our coverage area. 

What would I LOVE to write about? Well, obviously running and/or triathloning. Athletes. Maybe health/nutrition. But definitely something that I'm passionate about - and I can tell you it's definitely not local politicians! 

Of course, I don't expect to be able to change career paths right away. I do enjoy my job and (most) of the people I work with, and if I really want to be able to write for a larger publication it would probably require moving. At least this "revelation" has inspired me to update my resume and compile a portfolio of the feature stories I have managed to write - including one about a triathlete and another about an Ironman! Hey, it's something!

Plug your ears!

What's squishy, a little sticky, and forms a ball when you roll it between your fingers??

If you're thinking "a booger"...well, yes, you're right, but that's not what I'm talking about.

If you're thinking "ear wax", you're also right, and you're getting closer, but still not what I'm talking about.

The answer is...ear plugs! Well, silicone ear plugs, that is. I'm surprised I waited so long to get ear plugs for swimming, actually. Getting water in my ears has been annoying since the day I started swimming (six months ago, as it happens!), but I'd just hop on one foot, shake my head around, and forget about it until next time.

Then I started noticing that after swimming anything more than 800 meters, I had a terrible headache. It's hard to describe the pain, but I'll go with a general throbbing that lasted roughly 30 minutes after getting out of the pool. According to the all-knowing Google, a whole host of things could have been causing the headache, including, but not limited to, improper head position, overly tight goggles, a chlorine allergy, and dehydration. For a few weeks, I tried to focus on fixing any of those potential problems. I concentrated on relaxing my neck, making sure my goggles were comfortable, and drinking lots of water before a swim. And yet, the headache persisted.

I finally came to my own conclusion, which was that the pressure/water in my ears was giving me a headache. I picked up 2 pairs of TYR silicone ear plugs, and they look like this:

Basically, you roll them into a ball in your hand, and press them right into your ear with your thumb. A little scary, right?

So, did they help the headache? Well...I don't know. I used them a couple of times and definitely still had a headache afterward, but I was also going through a bit of a trial-and-error period. It was kind of hard to get them to stay firmly in my ear, and a few times when I turned to breathe, I felt one or the other come "unstuck." I had visions of them popping out and sinking to the bottom of the pool, but I also had visions of rupturing an ear drum if I tried to wedge them in there any tighter (the package specifically says not to form them into a cone shape because you could do some damage or get them stuck or something).

Today I fiddled with them for a while and after inserting them, I sort of stretched and pulled them so they plugged every part of my ear, and lo and behold, they completely stayed put for 1200 meters. Not a single leak! And, even better, I had absolutely no hint of a headache after I left the pool!

So, was the headache remedy the whole time the ear plugs? Or was today just a fluke? I have no idea. I really just wanted to make the whole booger/ear wax/ear plug comparison.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!

I know, I know, people everywhere are saying spring has sprung, but trust me, it bears repeating. I could not possibly be happier with this warm(er) and sunny weather. It's so nice not to dread going outside! I'm convinced I am meant to leave in a warmer climate; if I could be a snow bird at the ripe old age of 25, I definitely would. Spending April to November in the Northeast and December to March somewhere warmer sounds perfect! I could run in shorts and ride my bike outside year round! 

Those are the two things I was overly excited to be able to do this week. Yesterday morning it was already close to 50 degrees, with not a cloud in the sky, when I headed out for my run. (I won't tell you what time that was, because those of you who work a conventional 9-5 job would probably hate me). I debated wearing capris, but I decided to be optimistic and go with my Mizuno shorts.

As a side note, I think I've decided I really dislike these shorts. Before I bought them last year, I was a strict Nike Tempo short girl, and I think that's what I'm going to stick with from here on out. The Mizuno's feel too flimsy, for lack of a better word, and the built-in liner does nothing except ride up my butt. (Yes, I am one of those people who doesn't wear undies when shorts have a liner). I have no idea if the liner of the Nike shorts provides any type of support, but when I was running in the Mizunos yesterday, I swear I could feel my butt jiggling up and down, which is not something I usually experience. It could just be that my rear end is growing, but I prefer to blame it on the shorts. Do you have a favorite pair or style of shorts for running?

ANYWAY, enough with that tangent. Out the door I went in my shorts and a light long-sleeve shirt, to do the first speed workout of my half marathon training plan. I was a little bit nervous, because I hadn't done any type of organized speed training since at least college, and I have very vivid memories of painful workouts on the track in high school (400 meter repeats with a decreasing rest period between each, anyone? Barf). The plan (which I printed out and painstakingly decorated) said to do 5x400 meters at 5k pace, with equal rest. I could have driven to a track, but I chose not to, for a few different reasons. 1.) I'm not going to be running the half marathon on a track. 2.) Driving to a track and driving back meant having to get up earlier to make it to work on time. 3.) I was afraid that if I used the track at the university, I'd be schooled (haha, pun, get it?) by college students working out.

Instead, I took my trusty Garmin, picked a starting point, ran .25 of a mile, figured out my end point, and finished the loop of the block, which conveniently turned out to be .48 of a mile, total. (That roughly half a mile served as my warm-up). I ran .25 hard, and .23 easy to recover, 5 times. Dare I say I enjoyed it? It switched things up and made the run go by a lot faster than usual. I think the men working on the exterior of one of the houses I kept running by wondered what the hell I was doing, but I just acted like I was "in the zone" and training for something really important so they would think I was a bad ass. When I finished the last repeat loop, I did one more loop as a cool down. 

Honestly, the weather was SO beautiful, I contemplated running even further, but I decided not to since my shins have been tender lately. The total workout was 3.2 miles. My legs, clad in shorts, were not cold at all, even after I had stopped and was standing around stretching. Such freedom, not to be restricted by tights! This does mean I should probably shave my legs more often, but as long as no one's looking too closely...

Moving on to today, I got to take Pink Lightning off of the indoor trainer! It seems like I just put her on, but more likely it's that I didn't use her that often over the winter. Oops. The weather forecast from today through Sunday indicates that it will be over 60 degrees each day (and the weather men are never wrong, of course) so I thought it was a safe bet that I'd get at least 2 or 3 outside rides in between now and then. After a slight panic about not being able to get the rear tire back on (boyfriend to the rescue!) I bundled her into the car and headed to the park.

If there's one thing spring weather is guaranteed to do, it's bring out the masses. The place was absolutely overrun with people walking, running, biking, skateboarding, roller blading, skulking around creepily...

I only had a certain amount of time to ride before I had to be at a staff meeting, so I got in 7 miles in 45 minutes. Don't do the math - it's slow. I always thought swimming was going to be my weakest area of triathloning, but it's becoming increasingly apparent that I am terrible at cycling. My quads get tired so easily, which I don't understand, since I've been running forever. I even had to walk the bike up one hill, embarrassingly enough. It's not even a hilly area! I'm hoping that if I get out for enough rides I'll be able to get through 30 miles effortlessly by the summer. 

Despite being discouraged by my lack of cycling skills, the ride in itself was awesome because I was out in the warm sun with plenty of people-watching opportunities. There were tons of cute little kids on tricycles and scooters. Lots of adorable dogs, including the tiniest Puggle puppy I have ever seen. And, one old man with a straggly gray ponytail and long beard, wearing a helmet, shoulder, knee, and elbow pads, riding a skateboard with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. ????

Oh, I should mention that spring weather marks the start of another big season for me: ice cream season! Something about the warm days makes me crave ice cream. But not the kind you can just get in a carton at the grocery store. No, I'm talking about the ice cream stands that open up around Memorial Day. I've been known to hit up the local place (that just happens to be less than a mile from our house) 3 or 4 times per week. By myself, when I can't drag darling boyfriend along. Pathetic? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely. Tonight I had to have ice cream after basking in the sun, and since none of the stands are open yet, we settled on Coldstone (which also happens to be about a mile from the house...)

I hope everyone else is enjoying spring as much as I am! 

Anybody seen my mojo??

My mojo has abandoned me. Actually I just looked up the word "mojo" and according to Urban Dictionary, it used to mean a charm or a spell, but now it's used to imply sex appeal or talent. According to Dictionary.com it still means magic. I was using it as another word for motivation, but I guess it wouldn't be way off-base to say my "magic" has abandoned me. (Attribution: I'm pretty sure I started using the word "mojo" thanks to Jen aka the "triple threat!")

I'm thinking it's just a phase, but right now, I don't feel like working out. At all. That's a problem. I definitely have the time and all the right tools for training. I just don't seem to have the energy or inclination.

There could be several factors contributing to my lazy attitude. The first is that the pool I normally swim in is closed for the month for renovations. The gym I belong to doesn't have a pool, so I was paying $5 per swim to use the the pool at a local high school. My only other options right now are to swim at my old college, which apparently doesn't offer any type of alumni discount, and pay $10 for each swim. The other problem with that pool is that the open swim hours are very vague - they advertise three blocks of time during the day, but during at least two of those blocks the swim team and diving team are practicing. Or I could swim at a fancy-schmancy gym/club nearby, but that's also $10 a pop, and often filled with kids.

This morning, after not having swum for a week, I got up, gathered up my bathing suit, towel, and clothes and toiletries, and...left them on the foot of the bed while I went back to sleep for two hours. I just didn't feel like paying $10 to swim in a pool crowded with college athletes trying to practice, or, alternatively, crowded with little kids in swim diapers. 

I'm also still finding the indoor bike trainer boring as all get-out. I've only spent one hour on it this week, and the only way I got through it was by watching The Biggest Loser while I rode. Watching Jillian Michaels (one of my not-so-secret heroes) kick the contestants asses got me going pretty good. I'm mad at myself though, because I don't think I set the trainer up properly, and my rear tire is in pretty poor shape. It looks like there are tire shavings coating the back of the trainer. I'm dreading having to buy a new one when it's finally time to put the bike outside. That plus the cost of clips for my pedals and cycling shoes (which I'd really like to have before I compete in a legitimate triathlon) will set me back a little, which gives me stress.

On the positive side, running is going relatively well. I'm getting out at least 3 or 4 times a week. Unfortunately, I'm suffering from what I think are shin splints in both legs. They're very tender, especially after I run and I'm going up and down stairs. Phooey. I've been icing them after every run, and training for my June 6 half marathon starts Monday, so hopefully they're good to go by then!

Anyway, all of these things combined just make it seem easier to sit on the couch instead of workout. Sitting on the couch saves me money, pain, and time! But it's boring. So, if you see my mojo out there anywhere, can you return it? Thanks.

Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun!

...Did anyone else ever sing that song as a kid? No? Just me? OK then. Sorry if I scared you all away with my last anger-centered post. Let's just say there was a particular incident fueling my thoughts and workouts, and it's since been...well, not eradicated, but reduced. So, to lure all my readers back, I'm doing a 180 and writing about something optimistic!

It's almost mid-March, and like the saying goes, spring is just around the corner! This weekend's weather teased us with a little bit of what we can hopefully expect next month...abundant sunshine and temperatures upwards of 50 degrees (for those of you who live south of me, that may not seem warm at all, but compared to the single digit temps of our winters, it feels like heaven!) There is a diagnosable mood disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder, in which people experience mild depression during the cold, gray months, and while I don't personally suffer from SAD, I think everyone has a bit of the blues when the weather is gloomy. 

In particular, it's hard to get out the door to run when it's cold/snowy/rainy/slushy/icy/windy, or all of the above (which happens sometimes) outside. Lots of days, that weather makes it hard just to get out of bed! Of course, it's physically impossible to bike on the roads in those conditions...OK, probably not strictly impossible, but definitely dangerous and downright stupid. And can I just say thank goodness for heated indoor pools!?!?

But then a weekend like this one comes along and suddenly everything seems to improve. The sun shines from dawn till dusk, the air is mild, and the wind isn't biting. It's almost impossible not to feel more optimistic about life. Running outside no longer requires so many layers that I feel like the Michelin Man, and I can actually start to think about taking the bike off the indoor trainer. I want to spend time outside, as opposed to staying out there for only as long as I absolutely have to.

Of course, I'm not obtuse enough to believe that we're out of the winter woods just yet...there is usually at least one nasty snow storm in March or April that catches everyone off-guard, even though it happens every year. But, one can't help but hope, right? 

I'll leave you with a picture of someone who enjoys the first warm rays of sunshine more than even I do...

Exercise = Anger Management

Here's the thing. I can get riled up pretty easily. Especially if someone/something irritates me on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong, I don't fly off the handle at the slightest provocation (usually), but if things build up for a while, I either have to rant and rave to someone, fantasize about elaborate scenarios in which bad things happen to the people who have pissed me off, OR...exercise.

Yep. It's a cliche, that exercise helps you blow off steam, but it's true. And here's why. Exercise makes you feel like you are being aggressive. I pound the pavement with my feet, but I imagine I'm stomping on the face of the person or situation that is aggravating me. I'm swinging my arms, but in my head, I'm punching whatever irritates me. If I need to get rid of some negative energy on a day I'm supposed to swim, I can do that, too. Slap the water, slap the source of annoyance. Kick off the wall, kick the stress away. Biking isn't quite the same, but I can still channel my anger into energy, pedal really fast, and act like I'm about to run over whatever is standing in my way.

I know some people say yoga or meditation are "healthier" ways to detox the mind and be at peace, but when I'm really irked, the last thing I can focus on is harmony and my breathing. Yoga is great, and certainly has its place, but it's just not as satisfying as finishing a workout all sweaty and panting, feeling like I just got in a fight and won.

Plus, after a vigorous workout, I'm much less likely to bring one of my elaborate fantasies of retaliation to life. I promise.

Please don't be scared of me now.

February in review!

The month isn't truly over yet at the time of this post, but it's the second-to-last day of February, and I'm not planning on doing any swimming/biking/running today or tomorrow, so the numbers I'll present right now are it.

Swim total: 5,450 meters/3.4 miles

Bike total: 270 minutes/4.5 hours (indoor trainer, don't have a mileage count)

Run total: 45.5 miles

Strength training: 220 minutes/3.7 hours

Races: 1 indoor triathlon - 11th place out of 47 women

I'm not exactly thrilled with the amount of training I did in February, but overall, I think it's a step in the right direction. I have to keep reminding myself that my run mileage won't be as high as it was when I was in marathon training, or even when I was purely focused on running instead of triathloning. It's a bit hard when I've always relied solely on running to stay in shape, and all month I've been fighting the feeling that, since I haven't been running a ton, I'm getting out of shape.

I definitely could have stepped it up a least a little bit, though. I skipped at least 2 scheduled swims in favor of sleeping in, whoops. And, I'm terrible about getting on the indoor bike trainer. Even though I can sit directly in front of my TV, I get SO. BORED. Surpisingly, even more bored than I get on the treadmill. The running - meh. I could have done a bit more in that department, but at the same time, I'm trying not to get injured before I hop into half-marathon training the second week in March. It's all about rationalization, right? The one thing I'm completely satisfied with is the strength training. I didn't do any strength training at all until roughly one year ago, and I'm pretty happy with the level I'm at right now.

For March, the goal is just to increase each total, even by a small amount. It's a longer month (by 3 days!) so that should help...

And, I'm sure you'll all be happy to know (and see) that at the end of February, my black toenail is still hanging on!

What would your Olympic event be?

This post isn't strictly triathlon related...OK it's not triathlon related at all. But it's time sensitive, because it's about the Olympics. I LOVE the Olympics. Summer, winter, I don't discriminate. They both have appealing events for me. In summer, of course, track is a big draw, but so are swimming and gymnastics. In winter, it's figure skating, speed skating, and skiing. There's just something about the spirit of competition that's so compelling.

Every time I watch the Olympics, I get to thinking about what type of event I could truly be competitive in (aside from moving to a tiny, under-represented country and trying out for the track team). Most of the things I've come up with, and that darling boyfriend has suggested to me, aren't athletic competitions at all. It's still amusing to consider, though.

Here's the list, along with the medal color I think I could score in each event:

• Chocolate eating (GOLD!)
• Preparing for work in the morning in the least amount of time possible - easily 15 minutes or less (at least SILVER)
• Longest leg hair competition - strictly a winter event (GOLD!)
• Crying as a manipulation tool (BRONZE)

Things darling boyfriend thinks I could be a contender in:

• Whining
• Complaining
• Sleeping
• Eating

This doesn't bode well for me. Moving to an under-represented country is looking like the best plan...What life event would you medal in if it was added to the Olympic roster? 

Slow down.

Slowing down has always been a problem for me. At an early age, pushing as hard as I could was a lesson ingrained in me by none other than my Father. He got me into running, and, training with me over the summer, he would encourage me to push, push, push. Every run, no matter the distance, was an all-out effort. Of course, I learned from coaches that different workouts called for different speeds, but at the back of my head I always had the idea that if I didn't completely exert myself, it didn't count. 

Apparently I am still battling that same demon 13 years later. When I first started to get back into running seriously, I felt like I had to push hard on every run to get in shape. I'd monitor my pace and adjust it accordingly. If I couldn't hit a certain pace, I'd be disappointed. Well, that resulted in a big, fat stress fracture after 5 or 6 months. I told myself I'd learned my lesson, well and truly. 

During marathon training I was able to reign things in a bit, because I was following a specific plan, which told me it was OK to run one minute, or more, slower than race pace during my long run. Getting the miles in was all that counted.

But now, I find myself drifting, with no plan to tell me what to do. You'd think common sense would kick in, but sadly, it doesn't seem to be. My lesson has, apparently, been un-learned. Once again I find myself feeling like I have to push myself to my limit, not just in running, but now with biking and swimming, too. I feel like it's not a good run if I don't finish it gasping for breath and riddled with cramps. I feel like it's not a good bike ride if I'm not dripping in sweat with quads that feel like they're on fire. I feel like it's not a good swim if my arms don't feel like lead at the end. 

Naturally, feeling so beat after every single workout doesn't exactly provide positive reinforcement. Instead, it makes me dread daily exercise. I'm already tired, and I don't want to end up utterly exhausted and disappointed. So my motivation deserts me and I avoid working out, coming up with a myriad of excuses. But then, instead of feeling worn out and disappointed, I just feel disappointed and guilty.

Bear with me, this does have a positive twist, I promise! For the past two or three days, I've been beating myself up - not literally, with exercise, but mentally. I just didn't want to workout, but I'd look at my log and berate myself for the low monthly numbers.

I wasn't even planning on exercising today. I decided to give in to my low motivation and relax. But then I talked to my Dad, and he told me he wanted to go out for a slow run, because he was trying to get in shape. I found myself offering to go with him. I had two reasons - I thought running with someone else would force me to get moving, and I thought that since he wasn't in great shape, it'd be an easy run. 

I was right on both counts. But there were other aspects of the run that I totally did not anticipate. Though we ran at a pace that I would consider a jog, it was clear that my Dad was really pushing himself. And, in a complete turn of the tables, I found myself telling him it was OK not to worry about the pace. I helped him decide that it would be better to cut his run at 20 minutes, rather than continue on for 30, so he wouldn't get injured.

And, while lumbering along at a leisurely pace, I discovered I was really enjoying the run, rather than indulging in negative self-talk, which I admit I'm guilty of on a more-than-regular basis. (You know, stuff like "This run totally sucks, I feel like shit, when can I stop?") We ran in the snow, and the wind, and I noticed things like the delicious smell of a wood fire, and deer tracks in the woods. 

Then, when my Dad was done, I realized I felt relaxed and loose, and wanted to keep going. I thought maybe I'd add on another half mile. And then maybe just another mile...until I'd added 4 miles, and done a total of 6. My longest run since the marathon a month and a half ago. I must have been really well warmed up from the first 2 miles, because my average pace in the end was similar to the average pace of every other 6 mile run I've done, meaning the last 4 miles I was bookin' it. But it didn't feel like I was pushing, buoyed as I was by the rejuvenating 20 minutes I had run with my Dad.

So the moral of my story is this (and I'm telling it to myself, though if it helps anyone else, that's wonderful): Pushing the limits every day doesn't mean success. It means burn-out. If there is no training plan to follow, I have to listen to my body. I can't berate myself for not having a really long, super-hard workout. I can only do what feels good. That doesn't mean being a sloth. It means finding the balance. It means remembering why I'm doing this - because I love it, not because I have to. It's not a punishment, it's a reward. This applies to all types of workouts, including running, swimming, and biking, but also to strength training, and even yoga.

It might seems as though I've had an epiphany, but I can promise you this - I'll have to come back and read this post frequently for a reminder. I'll probably have to re-read it in three days or less...