Race Reports

Sorry, Stephen! I didn't realize anyone was waiting for race reports.

Race 1 - Indoor Sprint Triathlon, May 16
500 meter swim, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run
This was my first indoor tri, and it was a blast! I got faster and felt stronger as the race wore on, which was very encouraging to me. Even better, I was the second female overall (out of only 21, but it still sounds pretty cool to say I came in second). :)

Race 2 - Delaware Marathon relay, May 17
6.55 miles, anchor leg of the marathon
I was concerned about racing two days in a row, something I'd never done before. On race day I was very sick to my stomach and completely sleep-deprived, as someone had tried to break into our house the night before and we were up with the responding police officers 'til 1 a.m. (Yes, I was home alone when it happened. No, the bad guy didn't get in. Yes, I was pretty freaked out about it.) IronHubby graciously swapped relay legs with me so I could rest for a bit before I had to run, so I got the cheers and the glory as I crossed the finish line. As a team, we ran a 3:40 marathon. Here I am approaching the finish line.










Upcoming races:
May 31 - Mike's Run for Fame 5K
June 13 - Thundergust Duathlon
July 4 - DRC Duathlon

Off to the races!

Race season officially begins this weekend for me!

Wheeeee!!!! :)

Now I'm starting to worry

For most of the winter and definitely the spring so far, I've been in and out of a running slump. No mojo, not much consistency, low mileage, not loving it, etc. Race season officially starts this weekend, though, so I was getting a bit worried about my lack of motivation.

Then I did an absolutely amazing speed workout yesterday morning. I nailed my paces and was as consistent if not more consistent than ever.

4x400 in 1:39, 1:40, 1:39, and 1:37 (my goal pace was 1:44)
4x200 in :44, :44, :44, and :44 (my goal pace was :45)
4x100 in :19, :19, :18, and :19 (no goal in mind for these)

Talk about a mental boost!

And this morning my mojo stayed with me in the pool. I started out thinking about doing 3x500 in preparation for my indoor sprint tri this weekend, just to see what my 500 meter time might be on Saturday. When I started swimming, though, I felt strong. I felt fast. I felt a.m.a.z.i.n.g. in the water. I quickly scrapped my plan and decided to swim 1350 yards straight, the same workout I've been doing every Tuesday morning for several months, just to see if I was at or near PR pace. At one point, I even thought, "I know I can break 30 minutes for this distance. Maybe not today, but I know I can do it."

I figured I'd maybe break my PR of 30:42 today... by a few seconds. I knew it would be close.

29:52. 29:52!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A 50 second PR and my first sub-30 minute swim for that distance!! I could not be happier.

Except... Am I peaking too early??? I want yesterday's and today's successes this weekend! Now I am worried that I blew my load a few days too soon.

I guess I'll find out this weekend, huh? Meanwhile, I'll enjoy my endorphins. :)

Random Thoughts

- Will it ever stop raining? It's so dreary outside. I know we need rain, and I appreciate all the wonderful things it's doing for my lawn, my landscaping, the ecosystem, etc. But it's depressing. This weather is one of the major reasons I could never live in London. Or Seattle. ;)

- Despite being wet and cold, I had an absolute blast cheering with Lora at the Broad Street Run yesterday. I was so glad I wasn't racing. Cheering for and supporting the runners was so enjoyable, and it's something I don't make enough time to do. It felt good to be there for my friends and (hopefully) give them a little lift in the last 3/4 mile or so.

- For someone who claimed to not like running, I did a fair amount of it last week... about 20 miles. I think just removing the pressure of racing Broad Street made a big difference mentally. I ran because I wanted to last week, not because I felt like I had to.

- I've entered a six-week ab challenge on kickrunners.com. The challenge began today, and in six weeks (on June 15) everyone is supposed to post a picture of their abs. Anonymous votes will be cast, and a Best Abs winner will be crowned for the participating men and women. I have no hope of winning (especially after seeing another contestant's before shot... holy moly!!!). I'm just using this as motivation to really whip my core into shape so that I don't embarrass myself when I post my picture on June 15. The timing couldn't be more perfect; if the weather ever improves, it will officially be bathing suit season in a mere three weeks! Plus race season will be here very soon, and a strong core will be so beneficial in my training.

- Step 1 in my quest for better abs = less unhealthy snacks. Boo.

- I need some new tunes to motivate me. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

- Speaking of new tunes, if you're a fan of jazz standards, you MUST buy Swingin' on the Moon by Perry Danos tomorrow. He's my cousin, and I'm so excited for him!

- Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on my last blog entry and/or call me to talk me through my funk. Your kind words meant the world to me!

So I decided I hate running

Or maybe running hates me. Either way, I'm not loving it right now.

Last year at this time I was motivated and ready for race season. I was loving my workouts, seeing regular improvement, and ready to take on the world.

This year, I find myself dreading my workouts. Unless I'm meeting someone, I have to force myself out the door. My paces are way off, my mileage is down, and I'm finding no joy in running.

Worse yet, I really have no desire to race. I was called a running diva for admitting this, but since I know I'm slower than last year, what's the point in racing? When I race, I want to PR. I want to be better than I was at that distance or on that course the last time I did it. Why else would I pay money to run??? Isn't that what racing is about? You against the clock. You against yourself. Pushing your limits and seeing if all the hard work of training paid off.

So maybe I am turning into a running diva. Maybe I have a bad attitude about this whole running thing. Maybe instead of lamenting the temporary loss of my running mojo, I should just back off and take some pressure off myself.

Maybe if I relax about it, the mojo will come back on its own.

I sure hope so.

More good luck!

It worked last time, so here are more vibes for my Flyboys!!!






















LET'S GO FLYERS!!!!!!!!!