The Week of the Dreadful 72 Hour Restriction

With out running, there can be no running blog?

Wrong! :)

Let me tell you about my rather lame running week anyways.

Monday

Mondays have become a bust for me.  I am already asking a lot from my family in that I always go to Women's 5K training Tuesday after work, and Rogue speed work on Thursday nights.  Monday worked well as an AM run, but PM just isn't going to work.  I felt no guilt.  After Sunday's sore-tastic extravaganza, I earned a ditch day! I will need to tweak the run schedule; maybe this becomes a treadmill AM run.

Tuesday

I look forward to Tuesday nights all week long.  My pod of ladies and I did intervals.  Unfortunately, that meant less distance, and for me, not much speed work.  The gals I ran with were working it, for sure, though!  Clocked them at under 9 for their post-mile 1-1s.  Woo. Hoping to have them braving a full mile of jogging soon!  I only logged 2.5 for the day, though. I really should have hit the treadmill in the AM to get the half distance in, but its hard to tell when I will need it, and when I won't with 5K training.  So rest day #1.5.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I FINALLY made it to my thrice rescheduled Keratin treatment.  Joy!  Unfortunately, I only marginally understood that with this fine service, I wouldn't be able to shower, shampoo, sweat, or put my hair up in any way.  I guess I thought I would "wing" it.  But enough people told me that to ignore the ban on sweating would be certain doom (aka ... frizzy roots).  Let me show you what I look like with frizzy roots:

Judy Circa 1999 (20 years old)  Worst attempt at a home perm EVER!

So if you deduced that I decided to take the ban seriously, you would be correct. :) No running on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.  As I am still un-shampoo-ed, you'll have to wait for the weekend update to see the After that putting off running helped with.  I am sure I will have a picture because up on the agenda for Saturday: Dancemagedon!  (whatever that is).

Thursday

This is the real deal run fam, right here! :)  Complete with generation next.. Mr. #potato himself.  The Holden ball.  

Speed work in boots?  Nah!

Gosh, I love my tribe!  After a rough day at work, I wasn't sure I was going to show for some walking and a little cheerleading of the troops at least.  But the weather was lovely, hubby was already mid-cook when I landed at the house for a pit stop (i.e. girlies taken care of).  And the biggest of lures.. a Holden sighting. 

I shouldn't have worn boots.  That hurt a tad after the fact.  But I got in 3.1 miles of walking that I otherwise wouldn't have, and a nice therapy sesh with my walking bud, the potato momma. I was in a grump fest .. aka rough day at work previously mentioned .. but by the end of it, I was a happy camper again.  Babies help. Holden is such a cute bug.  He looks just like his daddy!  Even when he screams up a storm because, hey, the last lap is the worst, he's adorbs doing it.

Up Next:
Hair treatment or no hair treatment, tomorrow is Saturday!  9 miles total on the schedule with ATC training, complete with indicator re-do thrown into miles 2-4.  Cold but not rainy.  If I am feeling up to it, I think I will stay on for the full trainee distance.  (4 additional at 10:30/11).  If I do that, I'll just have a tiny balance for Sunday Women's 5K training, (hopefully not impacted by Dancemagedon plans lol), and then I will have run my very first tracked 100 miles in a calendar month! :) (If I've hit that goal before, it would most likely have been in Nov 2015, but I'd have to go back to the calendar to confirm).

Excited to jump into February, too.  The Hearts & Soul 5K is a fast race; I would like to hit my PR time of 27 and change again, just to confirm that it wasn't a one hit wonder.  February will also bring a focus on dieting.  I *eek* plan to give up diet soda for the whole month.  I also will do a daily crunches challenge this month.  Looking forward to helping those good measure meal metrics along by whatever means necessary!  I decided to put off swimming until W5K is over.  With it ending in March, that still leaves plenty of time.  If I get any swimming in before then, it will be great, but unexpected.  Same with biking.

Weekend: Hot Chocolate 15k

Saturday

Bust! Hard to believe that two of four races on my calendar for January went un-run.  Saturday's 8k Grand Prix event was cancelled due to flurries and what not.  I won't discount the decision; I am glad they keep us safe.  And yet, the Jersey girl in me does always snicker.

Spent Saturday doing just enough walking to earn my Fitbit 10,000 steps...  It was cold.  I had a blanket.  Don't judge.

Sunday

Race day!  I got plenty of sleep, despite the usual pre-race jitters.  (I don't know about other runners, but the night before a race, I for sure get quite anxious.  No, I am not running in the Olympics, looking to place, or anything like that .. but try telling my brain and racing heart that!  It usually helps to spend time prepping and organizing.  If my race gear is ready to go, my house is clean, and schedules are set, I can usually regain a feeling of control).

The big hurdle for the morning was the cold.  I think I've become REALLY good at layering, and deciding what to wear. Pre-race & race went off without a snag.  This was not always the case.  The key for me is in having something disposable, and wearing accessories that I can stash as I go.  After I was really cold; darn thyroidlessness.  Not much I can do about that, though. The melted chocolate helped. :) 

Results:

 Because this was just supposed to be a fun run, I didn't have a time goal in mind for this race.  I also don't have another 15k under belt, so no time to beat either.  But since I had not run the goal race on Saturday, I was ready to race this one to the best of my ability.  My goal became: beat the 10:06 average pace I had at the 10 miler, and better yet, average a pace under 10:00.  

And for someone who spends a lot of time griping about inconstancy, I can be pretty darn consistent sometimes!  Woo!  I paced myself like a CHAMP!  No out-the-gate sprint manias. Just a solid 9:58 pace throughout (which was quite the battle, given how hilly this course was) and a NICE kick for about the last 1.3.  (Proud of that; usually I tell myself to speed up at -3.1 .. and don't.. and then at 2 miles .. and don't.  The only kick I can ALWAYS count on is the finish-line induced one.  Yea.. I'm that runner.  And proud of it!  If nothing else, leave it all on the course at the end!  It is a race, after all).  By finish line time, my pace was for sure hitting ~7:30, and that sure helped me be able to stamp this one a "success"mentally.  

And of course, no rest for the weary today.  After the race, on to Women's 5K training.  So much for wondering if Women's 5K would help me with my own training.  ANY run commitment really seems to help me!! :) And on the schedule for all of the ladies .. 0.5 warm up jog, 18 1/1 intervals, and .5 cool down.  4 miles total .. woah!  The first jog step I took was BRUTAL.  The thighs said .. wait, WHAT??? ****burn**** But, just like my trainees, all was well after the warm up.  I was with a trainee who averaged about a 12 minute pace.  Most of her recoveries were jogs, not walks.  So I for sure will count it as a 13.3 mile day!

But there's more. For just two easy payments of 19.95, you too can add a Bianca induced sore-fest to the end of a 13.3 mile day. :)  Holy. Smokes.  It's Monday, and I am fairly certain that I am seriously sore, not just from pushing it to the best of my abilities at the race, but to then, two hours after, run 4 miles on tired legs, and THEN do works out drills I haven't done since .. ever ... for 30 minutes!  Unfortunately for me, almost all were heavy leg-involved .. mtn climbers, line jumps, and squats.  The push ups and planks, I really need to do more of, though, so all and all very glad I stayed!

Note on the blogging:

I think I am getting into a pattern that works for me with these.  A Monday recap of the weekend, and a Friday recap of M-Th.

Note on the dieting:

Ugh, these pictures!  :(  I tell myself that I had on two padded bras, a short-sleeve, a long sleeve, and a thermal jacket, all drytech/spandexy/unforgiving, but it doesn't help me in not getting frustrated. Some days I look, and I think: gosh, I haven't changed a bit.  On the scale, I am the lowest weight I have been since 2003, though.  So I really just have to focus and keep letting time pass.  But its hard!  I want it all gone NOW.  Meh.

Note on the swimming / biking:

What swimming?  What biking? Lol

Oh. Indicator.

M - F

Hammered in on the schedule this week.  6.2 on Monday, 3.5 Tuesday, 3.1 Wednesday to supplement for 1.5 owed from Tuesday, and a total of 4.5 Thursday, including a stab at the indicator run.

Meh.

Meh. Meh. Meh!  Indicator.

My time was ridiculously slow.*** 16 min, 44 seconds.

That means either I sandbagged it a little, or the tweaking of things mid-November really did put a big kink in my overall training.  Sandbagging might be a possibility; I was running in the dark, in the evening, and in a down pour.  By the end I was sopping wet.  Unfortunately, I don't think I can blame that .. the rain felt cool and fun.  I was also running alone-ish, though.  It didn't feel very 'official.'

Using that indicator run, my September 5K PR was 1:30 too fast for possible.  (It was before I got hurt, though, so maybe true).  But my Nov. half (after I got hurt) was still 3 minutes slower than it should have been.  My 'easy' pace approaches 11 minutes.  I haven't hit 11 minutes for anything less than 10 miles in a training run for a long while.  (except to run lead).  I am thinking that there are two things this could mean:  I am seriously inconsistent (duh), that I am not a speedster by nature, and/or that indicator times must have tails and statistical significance, and if you run the + and -, I probably fall within a typical range.  My capacity to hold a pace is no where near the chart, though.  My half pace formula would probably be indicator pace plus 60 seconds, not 40, and my 5K pace formula is apparently -5 seconds.

Not sure if I will try it again.  Might as well just move on to training and racing.  Depending on how I do at the next couple of short distance races, maybe tweak my goals for fall a little.  Or if I happen to be with Michele and Kyle when they do theirs, I'll take another stab at it.

Needless to say, speed work on center stage for Spring!

They are calling for snow Saturday.  Hoping it misses us and my Saturday morning 8k!

*** slow is a very relative term.  when I use it, I mean slow in my little corner of the world, where my numbers are the center of the universe. :)  Your slow may be my fast or vice versa.  This is a no-judgement zone.  Slow to me is just relative to what I've done elsewhere, what I think, hope, aspire to be doing, etc.  When you read slow, substitute 'Judy slow' if you'd like.  Believe me, I know just how fast that would seem to Judy 2014, or how slow my times sound to a good chunk of the running population!  Its all about ME!  (Or YOU!).  Comparing apples to oranges does no good.

... It's the Freakin Weekend ...

Saturday
Distance: 7 miles
Pace: 10:15
About this Run:
Its a great feeling to be back "in-training" with the tribe!  I missed Day 1 last Saturday because of Red Nose (or not Red Nose as it were).  Going into this run, I wanted to settle the question: top of 10 minute pace group, or back of 9 minute pace group?  I think that I decided not to 'graduate' until fall.  I can already hold 8:57 for 3.1, and 10:06 for 13.1 as a race pace, but for training runs, 9:50 - 10:15 seems just about right, especially with hills.   for sure still need the pack behind me, instead of all in front of me leaving me to get lost.  9:50 - 10:15 was plenty strenuous.  For sure not a full out race pace, where I had nothing in the tank, but plenty.  If I am feeling particularly plucky after the indicator run, or as I continue to train, I will go back and forth.

Other stuff:
I like running as a participant, and think that when I run long, I will not want to be a run lead for a very, very good long time.  Peachtree, maybe, but Fall half/full, I'm going to keep for myself for as many years as possible.  Its fun not to worry that you are running 9:50 in a 10 minute pace group.  That's for the run lead to figure out. ;)

AND

To music or not to music, that is the question ..
I have a crutch, and that crutch is my headphones.  The track club I train with **seriously discourages** headphones.  I would never wear them as a run lead, and I hardly need them at all now.  But .. they're a crutch.  I need them at least in my bra even if I never pull them out.  If I am with a group or a run lead, I don't need them at all.  But for parts of the run that are solo ... and dark and grueling ... I just need to know that if nothing else, music has got my back.  In fact, you're going to have a hard time talking me out of closing my eyes (which I do) if the going REALLY gets tough, let alone not popping in at least one earbud and 'losing myself.' (Thanks, Eminem).  And I do feel guilty, because others who see me might not know that they ARE dangerous, and that you should use precaution.  On the other hand, this isn't daycare, and I am a full-grown responsible 37 year old adult, right?  I am going to use good judgement, I am going to keep the music low, I'm only going to use one, I am going to make sure I can hear street noise, and I am going to seek out run buddies and leads MOST of the time.  (obviously since I have made myself an entire running family :) )  But at the very core of me, I am a bit of an introvert, and I just ALSO enjoy zoning out when its safe (like on the Belt line).  Soooo ... I'm not going to ban them yet; next Saturday, I might just bury them in my outfit a little better so that I don't get any slack. ;)  lol.  I'll keep them for treadmill, speed work, and the long run (in tiny spurts, only if needed).  Plus races.  I ***NEED*** them during races. :/  But not Monday 10k, Tuesday W5K, or Sunday W5K.  Lets hope that works out and I don't end up in trainee jail. :)

Sunday
Distance: 3.1 + 2 mile walk
Pace: 9:41
About this Run:
Running on the weekend as much as possible seems like a good idea, and until the Women's training begins to settle into a predictable pattern, I have to assume that Sunday training will count as a rest day.  So AS and I decided to get together an hour early for 3.1 easy.  Well ... easy-ish.  Man, that girl can run.  She is training to run with her practically new born baby, but even with a stroller, I hardly noticed she was there except for chatting.  Unlike my raggedy attempt at breathing in the wind. :) Pretty amazing! So anyhoo, temperature was great, company was great, and results were on target.

The women's session was not very taxing.  Cheering in the participants on their indicator run was super fun!

The session with Mizuno after for strength-training, though .. oh. my. god.  I've put it off for two  years, but I guess I do have to start working out my arms and core if I don't want to turn into a T-REX!  I can run a half-marathon, but apparently, holding my shoes in my hand for a few minutes will be my down fall.  Needless to say, I will be staying for Mizuno training every chance I get!

Coming Up

On the schedule: Monday 6 miles this afternoon with KK, Tuesday 3.1 on treadmill in AM, and W5K training in the PM, rest Wednesday, speed work on Thursday (I plan to do my own indicator at OCEE park), and then .. Double Race Weekend!  8k on Saturday, and 15k on Sunday.  Because the Hot Chocolate 15k will be more of a fun run, I plan to give the 8k everything I've got.  Ideal would be to be able to hold my 8:57 5k PR pace for the full 5 miles: 45 minute chip time.  If I can't hit that, under 50 for moderate goal, and current 8k PR is 55 and change, so under that for easy goal.  15K goal: park successfully, have fun, and consume massive quantities of chocolate! :)

Run Lead Week 1: Finding Balance Again

Tuesday

Distance: 3.1 (9:45 avg pace) in the AM, hodge-podge of about 7.5 in the evening. (11 avg pace)

This past Tuesday was friggin fantastic.  I ran in the morning on the treadmill, because I didn't expect to run much total distance in the PM.  Wrong.  I took out four different groups, and ran almost 8 miles total.

Thursday

Distance: hodge-podge again, lets call it 4 miles.  Pace: serious hodge-podge (maybe 11 average)

2016 Miles: 36.8

By Thursday was when I realized that Run Leading requires balance, and finding that balance will need to become a priority.  Sunday and Tuesday will be set aside for W5K, but Thursday, I have to cut the guilt, and run with my tribe / run for myself.

I started out with two walk laps and a couple of W5K participants, and then a run/walk lap.  I tried to run a third at my own interval pace, but just couldn't "pick it up" after all the hodge-podge-y-ness.  I ran another last lap (.5 miles) as a 'cool-down,' and then just bailed on the work out all together since everyone else was done.  I need clear objectives for my runs, and Thursday night, I was all over the place, and didn't get in much of a work out.  That said, best part was seeing Jerry, Angelina, Brandi and Birgit out on the track.  It feels like forever since I had a moment to run with any of them! *smiley face*

So over all, run leading had me full of pride, but also very off balance in my first week.  Hoping for a fairly solid run tomorrow with the tribe (in the rain?  .. already dreading that part), and then something approaching my 'normal' spring schedule next week.

The other thing that needs attention is the nutrition.  I have not gained any weight since the end of December, but I haven't lost anything either.  And the thing that is most off is the dieting.  In fact, I have just been eating what I want, without any effort to make healthier choices. I stepped on the scale this morning, and am making that my "restart."  Looking forward to a week back on the horse, and a champion weigh-in next Friday! Lots of meal prep and grocery shopping tonight.

And swimming, biking or core / strength?  .. ha. :/

Better next week, I promise!

DNS

Friday / Saturday

To run better as a non-Olympic elite, you don't need to have some natural genetic ability, hidden talent, or predisposition of any kind.  You just need to commit to  running.  A lot.  The excuses need to be put to the way-side.  Eventually, your efforts are assisted by habit.  Later, maybe even a hint of addiction.  But it is always the same; decide to run much more than you decide to make an excuse not to run.  That is the "secret" formula.  Being almost two years in, I hear women all the time talk about getting started, but blah, blah, blah.  And I think, how do you not see how simple this is?  Of course you can run even if your daughter does hip pop dance.  Of course you have time to train for a 5k in three months.  Of course you can start by run/walking.  No, you don't have to go out to the bar for the fourth night this week.  Really.

Did I sound like this to other people three years ago?

If you're just starting out, this might sound blunt.  Consider it tough love.  I get it; you're not there yet.  But honey, you will be!!  And then you'll see! :)

On the other hand, there are times where Life can not be denied.  Bill and I had a great start to our half-marathon weekend.  We were able to leave work early, avoid traffic, check in, and really make the most of our evening.  Our hotel was a stone's throw away from the river walk, and another from the host running store.  We took a walk to grab my bib and check out the start / finish area, and then had the yummiest steak dinner.  Texts and calls with the girls; both are doing fine.  Lots of down time in the hotel room together, and then an early lights-out.  A-MAZING.

Until .. the call.

A parent's worst nightmare.  Leave your two daughters alone for a first overnight, and be woken up by a call from a policy officer!  I will not bore you with details.  This isn't my therapeutic parenting blog .. so as back burner as running became, lets keep the focus there.  Suffice it to say that my daughter is fine, but my car is totaled.

It was tough to scrap all plans, but the decision was made in the blink of an eye before I even hung up the phone.  Because.. mother. Duh.  Hurry.  pack everything back in its bag, and begin the 2.5 hour manic drive home. The lamenting would not come until all was well again.  Saturday afternoon, I read all of the well-wishes posted on Facebook and in my texts.  I saw a handful of friends post their own pictures.  It was particularly crushing that this would have been the first race Bill had actually come to see.  Later, having to explain to friends why I didn't get to run, too.  What a bummer.  And no second chance to real knock a half-marathon out of the park, either.  Better than a DNF, but a Did Not Start is a serious bummer, too.

Sunday

So ... I don't want to brag but ... when you're given gear to represent a company or a brand, that's like sponsorship, right? I wouldn't call it that, ... but some people might. No worries; it won't change me. Just posting in case anyone wants something signed before before I go pro or whatever. Haha.#theygavemeavisor #soiguessitsgettingprettyserious 

It's official.  In addition to being a training participant for the half-marathon distance, I am volunteering as a run lead for the Women's 5K training group!

Sunday began to creep in the guilt.  Even amidst ALL that was going on, I began to somehow feel like I had missed and "owed" mileage.  I wanted to get up early in the morning to get in a long run, seeing as that afternoon, I'd be at Women's 5K training, and they were only scheduled for a clinic and one mile run/walk. But the stress, and the botched sleep schedule just would not allow it.  I had to be okay with that.  And I slept.  

THANK GOODNESS for running commitments, though.  Make as many as you possibly can!  I did not have a car, but bummed a ride to my first clinic for Women's 5k.  It was AWESOME.  I might have done without some of the information myself, but I know it was helpful to the participants. Enjoyed getting some numbers from the Meals folks.  BMR, fat %, fitness age.  Give me numbers, and I am on it.  Eager to see what the "after" in March looks like.  But THE BEST part was having the CUTEST little pod of women to help get started!  It's funny; you don't really think there is much to learn about putting one foot in front of the other, but in two years, I really DO have a good bit of information to share!  It was so spectacular to see all of these ladies find their confidence, and just ROCK it.  Very excited to see them all the way through to their 1st (or best) 5k! :)

Monday

Pace: 10:15

Distance: 6.2

Total 2016 Miles: 22.1

MM is out this week.  Solid but modest start "out" (10:30), but my pace was negative by more than a minute on the "back" (last ~1.5 at 9:21 pace).  Very cold.  Ran with KK.

#NeverMissAMonday

Distance: 5 miles

Average Pace: 9:46 (baby!)
Course: McFarland
What hurt: My face!

About yesterday's run:

Very good run.  Always so glad to have zippy MM pushing the envelope, and more so today because she was cold. Haha,  There was very little time for chatter, but we got there, got it in, and got done.  KK, too.

I am getting a little anxious about tapering.  It feels like I haven't run long in ages.  That can't be good!  And I won't have either of my run buddies to push me.  :/

On the other hand, I am so excited and so looking forward to the weekend. I asked Bill (the staunch persona-non-runna) to come with, because I was getting a bit nervous about heading down at 2am and solo.  And wow.. he said he'd come!  We decided to drive down Friday afternoon, and stay in a nice hotel near the race.  date-run-cation.  Woo!  I promised him a nice pasta place for dinner (cuz carb loading), a roll-out-of bed late and meet me at the finish line maximum commitment, and a celebration breakfast of champions.  So I won't have Michele on the course, but I can look forward to Bill being there at the finish line.  That will have to be motivation enough to kick some butt.

I'm not sure what my expectations should be for this one.  I mainly just signed up because I wasn't sure what I was doing for training, and it seemed like good motivation to keep the distance up through months where I usually tank it.  The biggest pro will be that it is flat, along with it being a smaller race.  Plus the fact that HOPEFULLY I will not have to pull off to the side to remove a shoe and adjust a sock twice.  All of my minor aches and pains have really stopped plaguing me in the last 2-3 weeks.  Comparing the run I had at Publix or even yesterday to the runs I was having right before Thanksgiving is like night and day.  The course run was miserable.  So hoping to at least do the same or a tiny bit better than at Thanksgiving.  9:50 pace average would be A-MAZING.  First half PR of the year in January has a nice ring to it, too.  On the other hand, there are MANY cons. I haven't run the course, I am not running with a sidekick (who ALWAYS pushes me outside my comfort zone for the better), and training in December / January, while it was much better for having signed up for this (good idea, it worked!), was certainly not exactly like October / November in its intensity.

On deck tonight is an easy 3.1.  I am going knock that out solo on the treadmill.  Lets see if I can keep a sub-9:30 pace at 9 pm at night.  :)

Commit to TRI

TRI. Wait for it.  Athlete.  Boom! :)

6.5 2016 running miles down, 993.5 to go.  

About this (TRI) run:

This was so out of my comfort zone!  I had butterflies in my stomach all of Saturday.  I felt like I would forget something major in the prep department, and spent all day Googling things like: do you need a helmet for spinning?  do you wear underwear under a tri suit?  will everyone at an indoor tri know how to do flip turns?  It was kinda funny to feel like a newbie again.  I went over to endurance house at lunch (possibly the only time I moved Saturday), and found a lot of their merchandise 50% off.  Score!  So despite the fact that I am just getting started, I jumped into the deep end and bought a two-piece trisuit.  Because lets face it, I am a gear junkie! :)  If nothing else, I knew I'd be using it at least one more time.  CW was scheduled to come pick me up at 5:45 am (eeeeeeppp).  Surprisingly, even after napping all day Saturday, I still managed to knock myself out with a book at a decent time.  Unfortunately, I made an alarm mishap, and didn't get up until 5:40 am!  Thank goodness I had laid out EVERYTHING I could ever need the night before, and that CW was running a few minutes behind.  When we got there, we even found that the entire event was gearing up pretty slowly.  Check in was not even in place when we hit the registration desk.  So all was well.  I was also surprised to find that I had done well on the prep.  I guess running has done me good for this.  Two notes .. Lifetime has plenty of towels, and bring a zip lock for wet things.

Swim:

10 laps (250 meters) in 10 minutes.  

There were 16 Women in the Open category.  I placed 2nd to last (2 points).  And I still feel like quite the badass! ;) My first length is always the best.  I can come in and out of the water using a decent stroke.  I alternated with backstroke every "back" length.  After the first one, every "there" on my stomach was messy.  I stopped wanting to put my face in the water, so I did this head up doggie paddle thing.  But .. I did.not.drown.  Bottom line: swimming is relaxing, and I want to get better at it.  It seems like it would be very cool to build up more upper body strength. Maybe it would help with one of my two problem areas (upper arms and stomach).

T1:

Transitions are a thing, and I did fine, but I am told that indoor T1s are nothing like IRL.  Note: May want to add a biking shirt and more padded shorts to the entourage.

Bike:

6.4 miles

3rd to last (3 points)

The bike was by far the toughest.  At only five minutes in, my upper thighs were for sure talking to me.  Like, 'hey lady, who are you?  since when do you need us for your workouts?'  I had no idea how to pace myself.  What pace would I be able to maintain for 30 minutes?  When was a reasonable time to start kicking?  Who knows!  But by far, the biggest complaint of the discipline: where do you put your dang vagina? Haha. My bum will surely not thank me for this!  Considering I have not been on a bike but once since childhood, though, the overall outcome gets an A+ in my book.

Run:

2.14 miles in 20 minutes (4th of 16, 13 points, 9:35 average pace)

When I got off the bike, my legs felt like jello.  From the studio to the treadmill, there were two sets of stairs.. fun, fun.  This wobbliness made me a little nervous.  How should I account for the other activities when deciding on my pace?  As goes the theme of the morning, who knows!  I set my pace to 10/mi, and then kicked it up every 5 minutes during the first mile, and every one minute in the second mile, give or take.  I should have upped the pace sooner.  But what else is new.  Leaving something in the tank on race day seems to be my problem de jour of late.  3rd place would have been SWEET.  That said, I was steady, and increasing the pace for negative splits felt fantastic!  I can for sure dial it up a little the next time I run short with swim/bike, and even more if I am not doing either of these prior.  It was funny to have the volunteers check on me during this round.  "Doing okay?  Pace yourself."  Don't worry dude, I may not have swam like a champ, and I may not look it, but the running, I've got! ;) 

What I liked / What I didn't like:

There is not much that I didn't adore!  I want to be careful about stretching myself too thin, but I feel so good about the prospect of really getting my cross-training on.  Time to find all of these other muscles that need help, too. :)  Plus, despite how far I've come, I still have a ways to go on the overall look of my body.  Hoping to really cut to the chase of the matter this year.  Gut, your time has come and gone!  I also loved shopping for new stuff.  Must.Get.All.the.Gear! Haha.  I know I will not like lake swimming as much.  And riding on a real road gives me panic attacks just thinking about.  But indoor tri gets 5 stars!

Goodbye 2015

Before I jump into 2016 goals and whatnot, I wanted to take another moment to reflect on 2015.

This year, I:

Complete my 2nd half-marathon with a 38 minute, 37 second PR (10:06 avg pace / 2:53:22 to 2:14:45)!

Ran 750 miles for the year

Ran 1 mile track for the very 1st time (this decade) in 8 minutes, 16 seconds

PRed 11 times!

5k PR from 33:34 to 27:36

10K from 1:14:24 to 58:42

Knocked off about 7 minutes off 4 miler

Set a 10 miler PR from 2:18 to 1:40:53!

Lost -15 lbs

2016 Running Goals:

Run 1000 miles

Run a sub-8 1 mile

Run a sub-26:30 minute 5k

PR at PTRR

Run a sub-2:14 half marathon (stretch goal: run a 2 hour half marathon)

Lose 10 lbs

Up hair game! :) 

Not run a full marathon this year.  

Resolution Run

Day 1 in the books.  4 mile deficit on the 1000 mile goal.  996 to go. :)  & first PR of the year!  The course was VERY hilly (rolling hills through out).  I did great with pacing.  The last mile was possibly a missed opportunity; there was never a moment where I felt like I was running in a full-out 'red' zone, mainly due to the fact that the finish was also up hill.  Ain't nobody got time for dat uphill kick. Haha. But I finished mentally proud, mainly for the steadiness of my run, pacing 9:30 average fairly consistently throughout. And of course, because we beat Kyle.  haha.

Next up ... TRI not to DIE on Sunday, tapering, and Red Nose half next Saturday!