Words for Wednesday

"It would be easy to not do the work, but the course doesn't care what you say you've done. It only gives you what you've earned."

Today's edition  of Words for Wednesday

was poached from IM 70.3 Augusta's FB Page

Could not have come at a more perfect time.

"Well, hello there, Lake Norman.  

I'll see you early in the morning."

Well, in honesty, I don't know if I'll actually be able to see anything given it will be pitch black and freezing...

A Pictorial

I had a simple 1 hour bike ride to do last Thursday after work.  No problem, I had the spot picked out and the weather was great!  BUT, some craziness in the wee morning hours put a bit of a wrench in the day's schedule and honestly, I didn't feel like messing with the loading and the packing and the driving and fighting I77 traffic to go do the riding thing and then the driving home and the unpacking and so on....

So, I opted for 1 hour on the trainer in the "comfort" of my living room.

I can do 10 miles running on a treadmill, no prob.  I can somewhat tolerate spinning for 30 minutes, but an hour on the bike trainer?  Ugh.

One must find ways to keep themselves entertained while the minutes tick slowly by.  

And because misery loves company, I thought...why not illustrate a session on the trainer in pictures??  If I had to suffer, I'm making y'all suffer too!

And we begin.

Ho Hum.  Yawn.

Oh wait...this kinda hurts a little.

Seriously?  It's only been 20 minutes?

and here comes the sweat.
Where is the damn breeze?
Oh, that's right...I'm in my freaking living room :/

Heavens to Betsy.
"I'm almost done, I'm almost done"
Ouch.
"almost there, almost there, almost there"

I win!

Self Portrait

This was me in the pool during today's swim set.

Words for Wednesday

"So.  Tell me.  Have you been using your foam roller.......to hang your wash on?"

- Judith

Massage Therapist 

Extraordinaire 

Translation:
You are busted.

Some friendly advice on this Wednesday afternoon.

Do not neglect stretching and rolling your muscles.  You aren't doing yourself any favors AND it turns your sweet angelic massage therapist into a She-Devil with strength greater than Gerard Butler with his CG 12-pk abdominals and his army of 300 completely focused on every single trigger point you have making you laugh hysterically because you are too delirious to cry out for mercy as the pain shoots through your body.

#crylikeabitchbaby

#lessonlearned

#probablynot

10 Things I Learned on Last Night's Run

in no particular order

• I need to invest in warmer tights.
• Getting blasted by 16-17 mph wind gusts make you feel like running in cement.
• It is possible to freeze your woohoo.
• You can still sweat when it feels like it's 15 degrees.
• Running in the freezing cold makes  you crush your tempo goals...so you can get warmer faster.
• Or rather...Running in the freezing cold makes your running buddy drop the hammer, and in turn crushes your tempo goals.
• I really did freeze my ass off.  I couldn't feel it for an hour.
• I'm so glad I learned to launch snot rockets.
• Your dog has to pee on every single leaf on his night time walk when all you want to do is get inside and get warm before your limbs begin to fall off.
• Running in freezing temps with one of your besties makes it not so horrible, actually, it makes it pretty fantastic.

Thank you, Coach Lolo, for your carrot dangling, conversating and keeping me honest!

It's all in how ya spin it....

I miss writing.  I do.  Truthfully, I've been at a loss of what on earth I could write about.  I've been happy as a little clam; workin', trainin' and socializin'!  I don't really even have anything sarcastic to say in my own witty way.  So what on earth is a girl to do?

I brought this dilemma up after a somewhat awful long run two weeks ago.  The suggestion was made for me to write about how I bonked.

Gee, thanks.
But he was right.  I did.  And I should write about it.

Bonking sucks.....especially when you DO THE SAME FREAKING THING ON YOUR NEXT LONG RUN THE FOLLOWING WEEK!!!!

So, I'm asking myself, "self?  what the hell are you going to do about it?"  Well, I don't quite have the answer to all of it, but I will tell you one thing I need to do....change my damn attitude, that's what!

I won't lie, I've been getting a bit down on myself and frustrated about it.
And then I happened upon a blog post I wrote last year.  I know people say you shouldn't look back, but dammit sometimes you need these little reminders on just how far you've come.

I read that post and I tried to find a run from the same time last year to compare to this year....
I couldn't find one.  Why?  because I'm running longer and sooner that I was last year, training for a marathon that happened around the same time frame.  Hmmm what does that tell me?  I may still be chasing my Boilermaker goal of 1:20, but I came a heck of a lot closer this year than I did last year.  Hmmm what does that tell me?

It tells me that even though I don't feel it right now, the proof is in the pudding that I am getting better, getting stronger and getting faster.

I could keep beating myself up, or I can quit bitchin' and take the lousy along with the awesome days, and use them both to learn from to make me into the best athlete I can be.

It's all in how ya spin it...
There.  You saw it here folks...I just kicked myself in the ass.

That moment....

...when you get your training plan for the coming month and see your first 20miler...

I mean, you know it's coming; you're expecting it (though maybe not THIS soon....).
Nevertheless, this face still happens:

#canIgobacktohalfirontraining

#chicagobound

I like hugs....

And when I got out of the lake this past Saturday, I got a HUGE hug when I found this waiting for me on my car...

from one of the sweetest most thoughtful
human beings I know.

Jack.  How did you know I needed that???

Thank you for one of the best surprises ever!

T - Minus 7

Here I am.
10:45pm and I'm at the computer.  Thinking.
Reflecting on my last training weekend before my 1st attempt at a 70.3.

I had some successes.  I had some set backs.

A lot can happen in a weekend.  Hell.  A lot can happen in a blink of an eye.

But, in summary, this is what I learned from this weekend of training that can apply to almost every aspect of your life.

Boom.  That just happened.
I just got all philosophical on your ass.

• make sure you eat.  food is fuel.
• water is your friend, whether drinking it or swimming in it.
• in high school, my friends always said that they knew that when I got quiet was when folks needed to watch out.  I have a fuse that burns pretty long, but when it burns out to watch out.  Just like my daddy.  Well folks, I'm starting to get quiet...
• Life is too damn short.  Do what makes you feel good.  If you want to run, run.  If you want to laugh, laugh.  If you want to kiss someone, than do it.  you never know what tomorrow will bring.
• falling hurts, so stop doing it.  (especially when in the road and cars are coming.)
• just breath, keep your head down and keep moving forward.
• nothing is worth doing unless you're enjoying it and having fun.
• If something or someone makes you feel bad.  Stop doing/interacting.  2nd hand toxicity is a common symptom of self destruction.  (Yes, I completely just made that up but it sounds pretty accurate)
• The lifestyle you lead is the attitude you embrace.

70.3

7 days.

I won't be the fastest
I won't be coolest

What I will be is my own kind of awesome.

Feel Free.  Be Strong.   Be Me.
and that my friends, is all I can really do.

Now go, and be your own awesome.

Adventures with Thelma: Episode 5

Time keeps on slippin' slippin' slippin' into the fu-ture.....

Damn skippy it does!

What a weekend, folks!  What. A. Weekend.
Action packed with swimming, biking, running, margarita drinking, pool side sunning, outside cooking, sherpa-ing and napping...

But since you read the title, I know that you're not interested in me going on about how fantastic my leisure time was (it was freaking fantastic by the way...) and are instead expecting a recap of an outing with Thelma; and Thelma would be devastated if I let down her fans.  So without further ado.....

I keep getting asked if I'm in taper mode.  There is a taper in marathon, but I'm beginning to wonder if there is such a thing in the triathlon universe.  The big day is just around the corner, and though I had one long training day, as I think about it, I did have 2 36-48 hour stretches where I didn't have to do anything. Coach Sarah gave me each disciplines' workout in a single day for me this week where mileage decreased slightly with a period of rest on either side.  Saturday was my swim bike run funday.  It was still a full day to say the least, starting at 7 with a 1 mile swim, followed by a 45 mile ride and then an 8 mile run in the sun and heat.  Good practice for what I'll encounter in the coming weeks...er...I mean days.  (how in the hell did we go from weeks to simply days?  Time.  It's a crazy thing.)

We had a good group doing the multi-sport deal.  Great company, lots of laughs.  Where there is more people, the more opportunity for pictures, mishaps and blog-worthy moments.....

Pre-swim
JH throwin' down the selfie skills!

OWS: Mission Complete

This is the area I call
The View.
No.  No tv cameras or scripts.
What this group did have were iPhones and
natural comedic tendencies

Me, messing up the best photo op ever.

Long rides are FUN!  See?  Everyone smiles :)

AND THEN THIS HAPPENED

My first Snot Rocket!
execution = perfect
good range, no after burn...

NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE

And not pictured?  The two times I fell over at stop lights.  Hey, it takes talent and we know I'm full of it.....

There was also a buffalo sighting, a pee incident (no, I was not the involved party, and I'm just as thankful as you are that there are no photos) and a few near misses with angry drivers.

And the finale
Post-run/Proof of Life
The guy in the orange visor?
He's mean.....makes you run lots of hills....
;)

And that's a wrap.

12 days.

(WTF)

Looking Forward

Some may be waiting for my recap of the Richmond Marathon, and it's coming I promise.  I'm just waiting for some pictures that I purchased so I can use them legally!  Usually I don't get very good race photos.  Let's be honest, I normally look like I'm about to cross over into the Underworld and I don't mind stealing a screen shot.  But this time?  This time I loved almost ALL my pictures and thought I would finally give Marathonfoto their due.  So patience my dear friends....a picture filled recap will soon follow.

Right now I just wanted to say a few things.

I met with Coach Sarah yesterday and I felt so exhilarated after talking with her about what's to come; and when I woke up this morning I felt the same excitement just brewing below the surface that it can hardly be contained.

I'm excited about the plan we've put in place.
I'm excited about the challenges we've set.
I'm excited about the hard work this training cycle will demand.
I'm excited about going to bed absolutely exhausted, knowing I gave it my all that day.
I'm excited about increasing my peanut butter intake.
I'm excited about learning more about myself as an athlete.
I'm excited about recovery smoothies.
And I'm so excited about this adventure, to see what kind of potential I have yet to unlock.

Strong mind.
Strong heart.

Can't wait to get this party started!

Time, Patience and Persistence

Warning.  The following contains lots of talk about pacing, training and putting things in perspective.

Training has switched gears with the Boilermaker around the corner.  The amount of cross training hasn't really changed since I have one more triathlon to go this year, but my mileage and intensity have increased.  Today was a tough run.  Today's run made me remember, or maybe it's more that I longed for, the level I was at last year.  You know, when my unofficial Half Marathon pace was an 8:20.

What happens to be my around my goal pace for the Boilermaker this year.

With injury and time off, I thought a good goal would be to come in at 1:20:00, which would be around a 9 minute PR.  Now?  Now I'm not so sure.  Today's 6 at a 9:03 average pace just about did me in.  Definitely way off the mark.  Definitely not where I was last year.

Oh, wait.  Last year wasn't September (Run for Green Half) and it wasn't October (Marine Corps Marathon) of 2012, and definitely not February 2013 (Myrtle Beach Half).

Last year was 365 days ago.
Last year, on June 23, 2012, I did a 7.5 mile run at an average pace of 9:23.
Last year, on July 8, 2012, I ran the Boilermaker 15K in 01:29:45, an average pace of 9:39.
Today I ran 6 miles at 9:03.

Am I in my peak racing shape?  HA!  Definitely not.  And it's fool of me to think that I could be this soon after dancing with injuries and taking some time off.  BUT.  I am still running much better than I was 365 days ago.  This is what I need to remember.  I'm further along than where I was last year.
I'm still getting better.  It's just taking me a little longer this round which is making it a wee bit harder to see the progress.  But with time, patience and persistence, I'll find my way back.

Will I make 1:20:00?  Not probable, but also not impossible.

Anything can happen on race day.

I just need to stay in the moment and do what Jyl says....
Just keep going.

I don't know which is more bad a$$

Running 10 miles in sub 30 degree weather when there was an ice storm the night before?

Or running 10 miles on a freaking treadmill for an hour and a half with no music and only the the side pony tail boppers, men with their guts sucked in as the boppers bop by and the Wiggles on the television to keep you occupied.

Something's been missing

It's no secret that I'm getting ready to run my first marathon this weekend (see previous post).  Every once in a while, I have mentioned training, but you may have noticed I have not giving "updates" like I did when getting ready for the Flying Pirate half marathon back in April.  It's not that I haven't wanted to share, but there are only so many times you might want to read, "I ran today," because my friends, when you are training for a marathon, your life basically consists of a combination of three things,

• eat
• run/cross train
• sleep

and then, the rest of life's little pleasures like working and such, you fit in around those 3 basic elements.

Now I will recap 16 weeks of marathon training in one swoop .....

And there you have it.

It's been the longest, yet fastest, 16 weeks I've ever experienced.

Let the carb load commence.

Oorah.

Things I Might Do Post Marathon

Today was a big day.  Today my training plan called for 20 miles.  Of running.  I don't think you realize just how far that is unless you are on your feet going 6mph eating this nasty GU stuff every 45 minutes.  Things hurt, things went numb....

It was awesome.

Dude.  I ran 20 miles today.

I RAN TWENTY FREAKING MILES.  AT ONCE.  Holy crap.

We all run for many reasons.  Some of us, 1% of us, decide to take the plunge and go for 26.2.  We begin a 16 week period of ups and downs and blisters and pain; and it's also a 16 week period of sacrifice of sorts.  One question that every runner training for a marathon can relate too is, "what are YOU going to do post marathon?"

And so, when you're running for 20 miles, you have lots of time.  Lots of time to talk, to cuss, to blow snot rockets......and to think.  And today I thought of a list of things I might do post marathon:

• throw the biggest party EVER.  Drinks all around!
• eat greasy-bad-for-me pizza
• sleep in until 6 a.m.
• drink a diet Coke
• quit running
• relax
• eat pancakes
• stay up past 9 p.m.
• celebrate Oktoberfest in November
• soak in a hot bath for a week
• clean my house
• burn my sneakers
• read more than 2 pages of a book without falling asleep
• buy the entire series of Dawson's Creek and Felicity and enjoy a different type of marathon where the fuel is miniature Reese's Cups, Hershey Nuggets with Toffee and Almonds and a pint of Ben & Jerry's

and just to keep things balanced....

Things I WON'T Do Post Marathon

• eat Gu gels for breakfast
• go on 15-20 mile runs for the hell of it

There's a first time for everything....

There is one good thing about training for your first marathon.....you have a lot of "firsts!"

First lost toenail - check (during my half marathon training, so I'm counting it)

First double digit run - check (again, during half training)

First massage - check

First blister - not yet thank goodness, I might faint

First 15miler - check

First 5am run - check that a gazillion times.....

First massage - check (can't wait for my next one)

First doubt that I will continue running after said marathon - check check and check

And this weekend my friends, I reached 2 more milestones.

First 18 mile run and.......

my first ice bath.

This is how the conversation went when I got home:

Me:  HONEY!!!!  I JUST RAN 18 MILES!

Kevin:  That's great!!

Me:  Honey, I'm going to need your help in a few minutes.

Kevin:  Are you okay?

Me:  Oh yes, but I'm going to take an ice bath and I need you to put the ice in because I don't think I can bring myself to do it.

Kevin:  Um.....are you sure?  That doesn't sound like it would be good.

Me:  I'm sure.

Kevin: .......well okay......

(in bathroom, me in tub, Kevin with bags of ice)

Kevin:  You are sure about this?

Me:  Yes, just don't splash me because it will be cold!

Kevin:  Honey, this is crazy.  You are crazy.

In my head: Honey, you have no idea.

(Kevin puts in ice)

Kevin:  Well, there you go!

Me:  Thank you honey!

In my head:  Oh holy hell.

I had my doubts, but I knew my people would not steer me wrong!  Worked like a charm.  I was able to move yesterday and today I'm hardly sore.  You know, if it wasn't for some IT band soreness, I think I'd be able to go for another 6 right now.   

But....that would just be crazy.

The "E" Word

Entitlement.  A belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges. (a Merriam-Webster definition)

This word, this feeling, as an amateur athlete, is getting me into an awful lot of trouble lately; and if I don't reign it in now, it will cause me nothing but problems in two months time.

A handful of peanut butter cups here, some wine or few pints of beer there....skip a short run or a weight session....have a 2nd huge helping of pasta followed by cookie time + a Skinny Cow ice cream...a wedge of brie here....  But I deserve it, right?  Because I (in no particular order)

1. finished my homework 
2. ran a long distance 
3. had a bad day
4. have been working hard
5. didn't kick someone in the shin
6. got out of bed
7. etc....

Now look.  I am all for celebrating the little victories, but can you see this slippery slope I'm on?  I need to keep my victories into perspective and find a different way to celebrate them....and be very careful with the phrase "because I deserve it."  Why?  The bare bones truth is this.

I set a goal for myself and I am working toward that goal.  Should I celebrate the milestones that I reach?  Yes!  But am I entitled?  Maybe in some cases, but it is a hazy line.  Do I really deserve to eat a 1 pound bag of chocolate covered pretzels (I'm not saying I did or didn't in one sitting while watching The Hunger Games)???  No.  Am I entitled to skip a weight session because I've been good about other training sessions?  No.  How long can I really use the "I deserve it because it's my birthday" get-out-of-jail-free card?

I think that many times, the feeling of entitlement can lead us down rocky paths that circle us right back to where we started from, instead of further down the road to our destination.  Though your destination might be different from mine, that feeling of entitlement can trap us both.

No regret, no shame-on-me, no being hard on myself.  I goofed and I'm learning from it.  I lost my focus and lost my way, but I'm finding it again; rekindling the spark that lit the fire.  From here on in, I am determined to refocus my attention on my destination.  I will celebrate my journey, but in more positive ways that will take me across the finish line instead of keeping me from it.

And after I complete that 26.2, that is when I will have reached my destination.  That is the moment when all the little victories will culminate.  Then and only then I will I say "because I deserve it."

Journey on my friends, but beware of rocks and trees and obstacles along the way.
Keep your eyes on your destination.

I have two words for you....

Therapeutic Massage

Sounds all roses and daffodils, doesn't it?

Let me enlighten you.  It's more like blood, sweat and tears with lotion that smells good.

And they fool you.  They fool you into thinking it's going to be all zen and stuff.  Your sweet little therapist introduces herself.  You tell her that your calves are a bit tight from running, and maybe your quads could use a quick once over as well.  She angelically nods her head with wisdom and experience.  She leads you into a nice dim room with relaxing music playing and a comfy looking table.  She takes a short leave of absence while you hop on the table under the fresh linens.  You think to yourself, "Self? This is going to be so relaxing and nice.  Don't drool on yourself while you doze off into Sandman Land."  She re-enters this haven of serenity with her jar of lotion at the ready.  And then it begins....the pain.

Oh my heavens above did it hurt like hell!  I had knots and bumps deep in my muscles from my toes to my butt.  And let me tell you what, you do NOT want this little angel to hop up on the table to get a better angle to work one of those suckers out.  My. Gosh.  I thought I was going to die!  I didn't know there were so many dang muscles and ligaments and things I can't even pronounce.  And it seemed that each one of mine had a twist here or a bump there.

It was torture.  Absolute torture.

....and I've already made my appointment to go back in month.

Oh dear J.B, you are an angel indeed.  You are our guardian angel helping us prevent the bad things from happening to our bodies after the hell we put them through.  And we thank you :)

And I PROMISE to roll like a champ!

Some Thoughts and Food: Salad a la leftovers

I had a GREAT run this morning, thanks for asking!  

So, as you may have noticed from the weird title, this is a little combo blog entry with a small update and a Food for Thought entry.

I've had to lay off the training for the past couple weeks due to an ouchy and overworked left forefoot.  Which is REALLY bad for me since that is my most comfortable foot strike.  AND it's doubly bad since I have to lay off my new snazzy (AND FREAKING FAST!) shoes for a time...which makes me sad.  We have added on to my name and am now known as Little Lung who Runs with Bum Foot.  I do, however, expect to will definitely resume training come Monday.

Side note...why is it I get named when I'm either sick or injured?  Why can't it be when I got it going on like a ninja?  T. Van Vooooo, I'm talking to you!

So, with my lack of activity, I have been stuffing my face.  A Lot.  And I'm getting a little squishy.  A few hours after my great run (7.8 miles on the Dreadmill in 75 minutes, thank you very much), it's time for lunch.  But, pickin's in the good 'ol Frigidaire is gettin' a bit slim (crap.  time to get to the grocery).  Of course there was the easy yummy stuff, but I didn't want to undo all the do that I did by doing the stuff I'm not supposed to do (hahaha, yes, I'm laughing at myself for the do/don't/doing do wa diddy).

Yes.  That is a mixing bowl.
You'll find nothing but class here...

And then my kitchen illuminated from the suns of the heavens and the angels sang as I reached for some leftover baby spinach, leftover grilled salmon from the dinner I had last night at the Brickhouse Tavern, sliced some strawberries I happened to buy during the week for no apparent reason other than they looked good at the time, a little feta cheese and a bit of chopped walnuts I keep on hand for the occasional bowl of oatmeal.  Add some (fat free) balsamic vinaigrette and viola!  Yummy, tasty, filling and has GOT to clock in around 300 calories.  

Booyah people, Boo. Yah.

p.s. 

a BIG shout out to my friend Jyl who is running the Princess Half Marathon this weekend.  Yea.  She's pretty awesome  :)

Training Update

It has just occurred to me that I have been talking a lot about a lot of things, except my training for the Flying Pirate.  I did tell you I registered and I have mentioned my love/hate relationship with swimming, but the rest of my posts have been fluffy, and many times, ABOUT my fluffy.  So, as I have just completed my first month of half marathon training, I thought I'd give a visual recap of weeks 1 - 4 in my favorite (and given my artistic ability, only) medium.

Training Week 1

Training Week 2

Training Week 3

Training Week 4

EDIT:
Now, this past Saturday, I'm proud to announce that I have reached another runner's milestone (My first was losing a toe nail.  I did take a picture.  You can thank me later for not sharing.) with my friend, Jyl.

TEN MILES, BABY!!!

Jyl (wearing Dukie colors) and Me (wearing Davidson red and black!)
in front of our after-run coffee shop, Summit Coffee.
Best base camp EVER.