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.