Finding motivation at IM 70.3 Cuse

I'll be the first to say that training can be hard. 

We put in long hours, hard workouts, push ourselves to exhaustion--

because we love it. 

Don't get me wrong: I don't love not being able to get out of bed in the morning, having to take ibuprofen and wear compression gear like a job...but I do love the thought of pushing myself to that point.

This past weekend, I was struggling with frustration and emotions. 

I had to keep reminding myself why I am tri-ing

Not every workout is going to be great, 

and your motivation will fluctuate...that is life.

Training for Musselman 70.3 has been no exception.

There are days I love it, and days I struggle.

But either way, I still keep the goal in mind and keep pushing forward.

There are days I doubted my ability to even complete my first triathlon, but I did it.

There are days I doubt my ability to complete 70.3 in a few weeks.

But then there are days it just clicks.

The workouts come together, slowly but surely my confidence has been growing. 

Do I think I will podium? Not a flipping chance & I am A-OK with that!

Do I think I can make my time goal? Possibly.

Do I think I can finish? You bet your ass. 

This past weekend I went and cheered at Ironman 70.3 Syracuse.

It required a super early wake-up and a semi-long drive but it was worth it.

My friend Katie came from California to compete, as well as some local friends that were doing it. 

These are all people who have done nothing but support me, encourage me and being there for them was the least I could do.

The weather was brutal; ungodly heat, blazing sun with little to no shade, and it's already a hard course to begin with.

Early morning, before the parking was completely full

Transition

 I got oddly excited seeing transition....only a few more weeks until Musselman when I'll be in there getting all of my stuff set up.

Walking down to the swim start

 After the swim, we watched everyone get on their bikes and then Deb and I ran around for an hour. She wanted miles in and I needed time on my feet so it was a nice slow hour of running in the sun. Just having great company to talk to while doing some easy miles was much needed.

After Deb and I's run we went in the water with our running clothes on to try and cool off. My Saucony Run Lux II Shorts were dry super quick after getting out. Light material and hot day helped with that.

Deb's hubby Tom going through transition

Katie about to Dismount

 Being at the dismount line for T2 was extremely helpful. First of all we got to see everyone and cheer our hearts out. Secondly I learned A LOT. Just watching what worked and what didn't (lots of stumbles and falls) was huge. Transitions are going to be important for me to make up the time I am going to lose on the swim. 

How can you NOT cheer for this girl. She was hot and tired, and knew she was going to be slower than her goal but was still smiling. This was her second 70.3 representing QT2 Systems and she did amazing. Katie has always been motivating and inspirational to me, she is an incredible friend and athlete.

Baking in the sun waiting for everyone to come through... glad I wore my Saucony's to kick around in all day!

I owe Katie a ton right now.
Being there for her was easy, and one of the best things I have done in a while.
It was a reminder to me that Musselman is going to be hard, it's going to hurt and I can't control it. I can't control the weather or whatever may happen but I can control how I react to it. Learning to adjust and adapt is huge, and that might mean changing my goal for the race depending on how things play out. 

Just like that weekend I spent at races (but not racing), this was much needed.
Being around friends and athletes, watching every little detail trying to learn things I don't know, and just soaking everything in was huge.

Everyone has seen this...

Well I'm going to add a few things..

If you're looking for...
Motivation
Faith
Inspiration
Helpful tips
A fun day
Great company
Wonderful atmosphere
A boost to get you through training
Something to snap you out of a bad mood
A reason to try harder...

Go watch a marathon, or a half-iron....or hell...even a 5k.

So with less than 3 weeks to go now, I am feeling good.
My workouts have been decent-sticking to the plan.
I've been getting more comfortable in the water (not faster).
I'm really working on fine-tuning my cycling.
And well..running is running. My love.
I am mentally preparing myself, because I don't plan on throwing any temper tantrums during the race...if it isn't my day then fine but I'm going to finish anyways.

Tell me something that has motivated you lately?

Why Bother Tri-ing?

You're doing what? That's the usual response I get to training for running races, marathons etc.

Why? I thought you were a runner? Is a response when bringing up anything triathlon related.

Are you a Triathlete? Erm. Um. Trying to Tri. Is the best I can usually muster up right now. 

You don't like running anymore? Very common response when I say I am sipping the triathlon kool-aid

Oh, your Fiance is a triathlete, that explains it: No, actually I wanted to do this before we even met. But yes it has influenced me by being with him. 

I've had a lot of these, especially in the last few months as training for Triathlons has become a bigger part of my life.

Yesterday alone, I was asked 3 times. "Are you a triathlete?"

At the bike store, buying shoes so I can clip in (eeek). I ended up choosing tri-shoes over road shoes after 15 minutes of banter between myself and the guy regarding what would be best for me. 

At the pool, after asking to share a lane with someone. I said I swim slow but I stay to my side, he asked if I was a swimmer and I said "not really", which brings the "are you a triathlete?"

I ran from the JCC(where I swim) on the Canal Path last night, when getting back to my car someone said "didn't I see you swimming inside before, and now running, are you a triathlete or something?"

I mentioned after my first triathlon, that I didn't feel comfortable calling myself a triathlete yet. I still don't, but the more I train for them the closer I get to feeling like one. I'm on the journey to being a triathlete, a runner in disguise if you will. 

So WHY did I decide to make this "transition"?

A little back tracking here, the idea was first planted in my head 2 summers ago. I'm not really sure what it was, but I said "I'm going to do a 70.3", regardless of the fact that I didn't own a road bike, I had never raced a swim or bike, and I had NO background whatsoever to do this stuff. Back then I was in an unhealthy relationship, I used running and training as an escape. The worse the relationship got, the more I ran and worked out. Needless to say when I looked into a 70.3 I picked one out of state. Exercise was my escape, and I knew triathlon training would take up even more time so it seemed like the right thing for me. Thanks to life in general I never did that triathlon, but I did get out of that relationship and found myself in a much better place in life. But putting myself in better life scenarios, I found healthy reasons to run more, and to considering Tri-ing (Not just to use it as an escape).

A New Challenge

Besides using training as an escape, the thought of 70.3 was that it was a new challenge for me. After my first marathon, I didn't feel connected to distance running and wasn't sure it was for me. I struggled with pushing myself. I did my first marathon in the spring, and then that summer I hit my 5k goal of going under 20. The goals were being met faster than I was setting them. So I had to think bigger. I've always loved challenging myself, pushing my limits, and setting goals so this was a good way to really push myself. After getting my BQ this past fall, I knew that I needed to push myself further and that meant taking on something bigger. So in December, I registered for Musselman. I registered without owning a real road bike yet, without ever doing a shorter tri, without a ton of swim or serious cycling experience. The funny thing is though, I wasn't scared, I was excited for a new goal and something big to work for. 

A Couple Thing

My Fiance IS a triathlete (countless Sprint/Oly's, a few 70.3 and even IMLP[which he did with a separated shoulder]), and YES that has fueled my desire to Tri but it isn't the reasoning it all began. His experience and his support has been more than I could have ever asked for. So yes, he has been a driving force behind my running AND my attempts to tri. He supports me in anything I do, and I know that would be the case even if I wasn't tri-ing.

John and I have tossed the idea around a lot that for our honeymoon next year we would like to do IM Cozumel. Training for Tri's is something that we can do together, although that is not the reason I chose to do one, it definitely provides added benefit. When we started dating we ran together a lot, and it honestly helped our relationship grow as fast as it did. Now we can ride our bikes together, go to the pool, and just generally get more time with each other while doing things we love. We both hold pretty busy schedules, so if we can spend time together AND get our workouts in I call that multi-tasking in it's best form. 

I'm Still a Runner

Wanting to Tri has NOTHING to do with not loving running anymore, or not wanting to do strictly running races. If anything my love and passion for running has strengthened through tri-training. By spreading my training out among the different disciplines it makes me enjoy my time running more. Now more than ever I look forward to lacing up my Saucony's and hitting the road with nothing but myself (no bike, no gear). I am learning to appreciate the other disciplines more, but by the time the last few miles on the bike are approaching, I can't help but smiling knowing that shortly I get to do MY thing. 

There are less than 4 weeks until my first 70.3, and with each passing day I feel better about it. Some days I feel stronger than others but most days I feel comfortable knowing that I am going to get through it. I've dealt with a lot in my life, mainly at the fault of myself. I got myself into this by signing myself up and I will get myself through this by working hard and not giving up. I'm NOT a strong swimmer by any means. I don't have the ability to push my limits on the bike yet, but you get me to that run and I can be me and that's a pretty cool feeling. I could let my fear consume me, or I can use it as fuel- just like you can let things make you bitter or better. It's all choice.

I can only imagine how this will all change next year when preparing for a wedding AND 140.6. I'm not scared, I am excited for an adventure, the big life ones I get to take with my best friend by my side.

What about you...

What got you started in your sport?

Do you like to challenge yourself?

If you could pick one crazy thing to do, what would it be?

Keuka Lake Sprint Tri (My first!)

Now that I have had time to sit down and really think about this race, holy cow I did my first triathlon! EEK! The race was held at Keuka College on Keuka Lake in PennYan, NY. This is particularly special to me because John and I will be getting married right down the road from here in 457 days (who's counting?). We stayed at John's parents house on Seneca Lake the night before, which made for a 15 minute morning commute instead of over an hour.

Warning this is long, but has lots of goofy photos...

I woke up around 4:45 to the sound of rain pounding on the house and the lake. I had 2 fears, 1.) that the weather would be crappy and make for a really hard first tri, and 2.)That if the weather was so bad that they would cancel all together (which I didn't want either..I needed the experience).

I made myself breakfast and ate it on the road, the weather was clearing up but I was still...ummm nervous? We parked and made our way to body marking outside of transition, and then I went in to set all of my stuff up. I met a girl named Kim who was right next to me in transition and we chatted for a bit which actually helped calm my nerves.

We made our way down to the shore for the long wait, my wave wasn't going off until 8:30. We hung out with friends and tried to pass the time, and keep me from freaking out.

Cheeseeeee

That's closer to how I was feeling. And John was standing on a slope, why I look like a munchkin.

ermmm, so I'm supposed to do what?

Swim
22:53
First open water swim 'race'. Placed myself in the back and just tried to go steady. Luckily never truly panicked, just a little. On straightaway back to shore going into the current I lost it. I probably swam a TON extra, I kept swimming into center and not to shore. I lost a few minutes here, at the very least! I got out of the water and was tired, it was a good thing I didn't wear a watch, because I was much slower than I even expected and mentally that would have been hard to see. I have so much respect for strong swimmers, even more so now than before...holy cow.

T1
2:50
Wetsuit came off pretty quick, I swam in my sports bra and tri shorts underneath and getting my tri top on was hard it kept sticking because I was wet. Note to self: just wear it underneath next time.

John even said after, that he thought I was taking my time and didn't seem in a hurry during transition. My reaction: "I was...that swim had me out of breath and I wanted to nap"...no nap for me but I did want to take a minute to collect myself. Took my time getting my shoes on and catching my breath and collecting my thoughts for the bike and the run.

I believe this is my literal "Suck it up buttercup" face. Deep breath, the "bad part" was over.

making my way to the mount line

Bike
47:23 (17.6 mph)
First few miles I felt super slow, but had no gauge on how slow since I went watch-less. I knew that the turnaround was going to be sharp to mentally I prepared myself for that, and the hill which follows it. The rain started, and it actually helped cool me off. I had a woman who would pass me and then slow down and block left instead of getting to the right, it was annoying and she did it multiple times. Finally I made it through the turnaround and decided to just hammer up the hill past her and NOT let her get me again...she didn't. I was really proud of how I handled the hill and definitely cruised back much faster than I started. Two things I noticed on the bike, I've gotten more confident and stronger on the bike since the Du in April, and I didn't spend the whole time going "just get me to the run" which was awesome. I had 34th fastest bike time for women and 3rd fastest for my AG, I was making up plenty of ground after the swim!

Aparently I am SUPER intense on the bike. ha!

Making one of the last turns, this might be the first point in the bike when I WAS actually thinking, just get me to the run. I was ready to be on my feet! But it wasn't because I was tired or hated the bike, I was actually really excited at this point, because I knew I just had to get off my bike, and do my favorite thing (run) and then I would have survived my first tri!

Thanks Joe for this shot! I was just lifting my right leg up to do a rolling dismount.

T2
46 seconds
Since I don't clip yet, T2 was easy. Rack the bike, drop the helmet, grab my race belt with bib and go. No need to collect myself during T2, I was more than ready to run! I had the fastest T2 split for all women (it really helps not changing shoes, and the fact that running is my favorite so I want to start it sooner!) I did forget to take my bike gloves off before running out of transition, so I took them off while running and stuffed them in my shorts, true story. haha!

Off the bike and ready to rack it and run!

Run
21:13 (6:51)
Again, this was hard because I never knew at any point how fast I was going or how far I had gone. It felt smooth and easy though on my legs. I slowly picked people off and found myself passing more and more as time went. It was clear that running was my element (not that I doubted that). I really like that my favorite and strongest event is last, it really helps me mentally knowing I can finish strong. I ran the 2nd fastest 5k time for all women and I was pleased by that.

gloves in hand...about to be hidden in my shorts.  :)

Joe got me running through right before the final chute! :) Thanks for coming out and cheering!

1:35:05
The finish chute was fun, I was smiling ear to ear and I even did a little jump in the air when I saw John and his friends cheering for me. Hearing my name called across the line by Mary Eggers was amazing, talk about a true inspiration. I did it, my first triathlon and in a decent time (by my standards).

Time on clock is not mine, my time was 1:35:05

Oh...19th female and....1st in AG.:)

I don't know why it doesn't show up here, but there was a straight line of mud spray down my back from the rainy bike portion! And for the record, I was totally in love with my body marking. I'm like a child, give me a permanent marker and I am happy. It's the little things.

Fueling for the day: PB&J on bagel thin for breakfast. No coffee, yep you heard me right. (this wasn't planned, but it worked out). Handful of EnergyBits before heading down to the swim. A few swigs of gatorade during T1, water and 1/2 Clif Shot Gel on bike (gels are really only option on bike), and nothing on the run. Lots of post race ice cream though.

My Gear for the day: Wetsuit, TYR goggles, Saucony Triathlon shorts, Zoot Tri-top (was too big, but good news is that I treated myself on Monday and ordered the Saucony fitted tri-top that I have had my eye on!), Felt ZW100 road bike, Bontrager Helmet, Saucony Kinvara Socks, My old racing flats (which are being replaced with Saucony A5's within next few weeks), Road ID, Saucony Speed run Visor (didn't end up needing, but it was in trans. just in case), Bike gloves, Sunglasses.

Thoughts:
Had I swam what I thought I was going to, I would have been top 10, but I don't want to play the what-if game, it's pointless. So instead I'm going to play the "I will be in the water at least 3-4 times a week for the next 6 weeks before Musselman 70.3 Game" (much more fun of a game, don't you think?)

I would definitely do this race again, beautiful area and it is even more sentimental to me because John and I are getting married on Keuka Lake next September!

Do I have the tri-bug (everyone told me I would after this)....maybe a little...but I can't decide if it's the tri-bug or just the "I know I can do better bug".

Every race (including running) should have your AG marker on your calf, totally awesome knowing when I pass someone if they are in my AG or not. Although the whole USAT "age" thing is odd. For those of you who don't know, in the tri-world your age on race day is not necessarily the age you go by. Your age is determined by what your age will be at the end of the year. Therefore because I turn 26 in a few months, I was considered 26 and not 25 on race day. USAT: making athletes everywhere feel older than they are. 

I'm a little on the fence about calling myself a triathlete after this. Yes I did a tri, but I guess I just don't feel like one yet, maybe once a do a few more. I felt the same way after I did my first marathon a few years ago. I didn't necessarily call myself a marathoner right away, I ran one but was that enough for ME? That's a personal thing though, it has nothing to do with any thoughts of "doing one doesn't make you one" that is not the case at all. Its a personal and emotional thing, I'll know when I feel comfortable calling myself one, because I will feel like one. And right now I feel like a runner "trying to tri" and not a runner and a triathlete.

I'm so lucky to have had John there with me and supporting me. His support of me and knowledge about triathlons made me feel so much more comfortable as I took a new step. Also made me feel less bad about the fact that I left my engagement ring at home (for fear of forcing the state to drain the lake had I lost it in the water).

Okay, I know that was long and most of you probably aren't reading this. But good news is I can look back at this down the road and see EXACTLY how my first tri went :)

When did you first call yourself a runner/triathlete/marathoner etc? 

After one, or did it take you time to feel like that?

And in my true nature of diving in head first...this was my first tri..and 6 weeks (from that date) (a little over 5 weeks from now) I have my first 70.3 at Musselman! I signed up for it back in December, it's becoming much more real now! I know I can do it, going to get my swim time down too!

Hollie's fast and I'm a Celebrity on a roll....

I can't believe it's Friday already, I know it was a 4 day work week, but still!

I was originally going to post my Wineglass Sub-3:20 goal post today but 1. it's still 20 miles long of a post and 2. I have some fun things to catch up on here instead....


First and foremost, I need to send a SUPERSIZED shout out to my best friend Hollie. It's no secret how having this girl in my life has made me better. She inspires me and supports me and we have so much fun together. While on a run one time, Jen and I were trying to tell Hollie how awesome she would do in a marathon (she's going to demolish any of my times, and I am A-OK with that!). Hollie applied for the 2013 NYC Marathon with her super-speedy half marathon time. SHE GOT IN.I can't tell you how excited I am for her, NYC Marathon being her first...EPIC. Heather and I are going to road trip down and make sure she hears our cheers over the thousands of people around us. I can't wait to watch her kill it and show NYC what she is made of!

 Let me tell you, some people describe celebrity status as movie stars, musicians, Pro-athletes....not in my book (okay yes, but not today)....because this week I became a celebrity (in my own book) with Saucony (and we all know how much I love them...) and with a Runner's World writer.

Remember when I bought my new Kinvara 4's a week early, and had to joke around with "getting them home safely?", Saucony decided they liked that photo too...so much that they shared it and posted it themselves.

The FB post: almost 3k likes, and 243 shares....and that isn't including the twitter post  with retweets and favorites.
This gets celebrity status in my eyes. Thanks for showing the world I am a Saucony Fanatic, something I am definitely okay with everyone knowing.

 And my second celebrity status came from Runner's world writer Meg. I seriously wish I had her job; but that would imply that I could write properly, and that people want to read what I write. But anyways, fact is...she liked my "Flashback Friday" Post I did which talks about my journey as a marathoner (Marathons 1-5). She liked it and shared a link to it on her blog (her blog that probably gets 20k hits a day...). Today she posted "Friday Faves", which shows the cover image of the Boston Edition of Runners World (sweet!!), she shares the "prancercise" video which has been going viral, and a small link to my blog post (yay!!). Thanks Meg!

Love this cover shot!

My workouts this week have been really good, and to be honest I couldn't be happier about my motivation level. I had said many times the last few months that I just was unmotivated and really struggling with training, good news is....I'm on a roll right now and motivation is definitely not lacking!

I'm really working on mixing things up right now, as the next 6.5 weeks are heavy duty tri-training time, and after that its 12 weeks of marathon training for Wineglass!

Wednesday night I did a tri (kind of), that was a longer distance than the actual tri I will be doing Sunday. (Sunday being my first official tri!).

1000m swim, 65 minute bike ride, and a easy 4 mile run...

Last night I swam at the pool, and then headed to Conesus Lake to visit 2 friends of mine so I can borrow her wet suit for Sunday. Her hubby talked me into getting in the water with him to swim, so 2nd swim of the night and in open water!

1st Swim in the lake of the year! We didn't really need the suits, water wasn't that cold but it helped to practice with the suit for Sunday.

Then last night when I got home I continued my #RWrunstreak by running 8 miles in the heat and humid night time. Sweaty is the only way to describe it.

I'm really happy with how I recovered from the marathon and how I have been getting back into the swing of things. It makes me excited for the races I am doing this summer and fall, bring it on!

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Who is racing this weekend?

Any tips for a first-timer at a tri?

Have you ever had a huge motivation boost happen all at once?

Fun & Necessary Weekend

I hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial Day long weekend!

Let's see here, quick recap

Friday: 16 hour day between both jobs

Saturday: 5 AM wake-up, played support crew/cheerleader at Sehgahunda Trail Marathon at Letchworth State Park.

Sunday: 3:45 AM wake-up to go to Buffalo to volunteer/play bike support & cheerleader for the marathon. 

Sunday night: Dinner & movie date with John

Monday: Brunch on Seneca Lake with my soon-to-be in-laws.

Monday afternoon/evening: Cleaning and catching up around the house

It was a fun but busy weekend, 

which required a few naps to get me through :)

Here's some snapshots from the weekend.

Saturday

Most relaxed race start I have EVER seen. Maybe there is something to this trail running/ultra thing.

John rode his mountain bike along for a while, but I was able to get to all the checkpoints in my car, so he ended up just riding with me most of the time. We had so much fun being there, his best friend Mark was running and I ended up seeing at least 10 other people I knew!

Here's the thing about trail races/ultras that has me intrigued and wanting to jump on the bandwagon (we all know it wont happen soon though), they have cookies and chips and fruit at water stops. And people just stop and chill out and stuff before hitting the trail again. Beyond awesome, so much less stressful I'd imagine (but so much more work, I know!) It was fun and inspiring watching all of the runners, knowing they were putting themselves through a hard course and were having so much fun doing it.

Sunday

I was having bike issues Sunday morning riding from the marina to my volunteer spot. My rear derailleur was all messed up and my chain kept flipping in between gears. Luckily, the water stop that was about 50 yards from my volunteer point was manned by the Buffalo Triathlon Club. 2 gentlemen were kind enough to help me get the derailleur straightened out before the runners came through. And they also came and helped me man my station when traffic got bad and runners were on course. The corner that I was on, was the only road in/out of a big condo complex....they weren't able to leave because 7,000 runners were coming through. Most people were just frustrated and mad but let it go, one woman tried to ram through us, she literally got inches from us and was hanging out her window threatening us and revving her engine at us because she didn't care if there were runners she was leaving. That was fun. 

Left my car at the Marina, and rode from there to my volunteer point...I refused to get rid of my coffee so it made the short trek over...I only lost a little bit!

I was pleased that my volunteer shirt matched my bike. This matters.

After the last runners went through my spot (I was roughly 3 miles in) I got on my bike and headed over to mile 12.5 to cheer on the runners coming through again. Since I cut the course, I got over there quick and was able to get there before the lead runners came through, so I got to see everyone all over again which was cool. At this point I did also have a cop ask to search my backpack (there was a big crowd there, I wasn't going to argue, even though he legally can't unless they have reasonable suspicion). Apparently I look like a terrorist on wheels with a volunteer shirt on, but hey they were just doing their job. I saw it happen to a few other people too, I know the cops are just trying to keep everyone safe.

One of my favorite parts of the day was cheering on Heather, saw her at 3 and 12.5 and she looked awesome both times. I knew when she passed me the second time that she was most likely going to make her goal of sub-1:40 half! We caught up after her finish as well which was awesome. She is also doing Wineglass in the fall so we definitely will get some training runs in together this summer!

 After catching up with Heather I found my Aunt and Uncle and told them I was going to head on back half of marathon course to cheer on my cousin Krysten. I followed the course and finally caught up to her around 17 and she was looking awesome. I kept riding forward a bit, stopping and cheering and seeing if she needed anything. I saw her at least 10 times in the last 9 miles of her races and it was awesome. I knew how bad she wanted a PR and I was glad I could cheer her on, I know how much it can help. She got her PR, and man did she earn it, she ran an awesome race and smiled the entire time I saw her. 

 I watched her finish and then rode back to the marina to get to my car. Riding along the water was so pretty, I have run this half a few times, and this part was always my favorite being by the water.

Apparently taking a photo while riding will make it curvey.

So I decided to stop and get a real one. Gorgeous day, a little windy/chilly but the sun made it better.

I know I know, this photo tells you how much I HATED riding around on my bike :) Seriously though, I had such a fun morning cheering everyone on and riding my bike around. In all I got about 25 miles in (stop and go) which made it a good workout :)



Dinner and a movie with my man Sunday night was a nice way to end the day. We went and got food, and some ice cream and got to movie early. Sitting there watching the pre-movie trivia things was impossible, have I ever told you I am marrying Tony Dinozzo?

Okay, not really. BUT my fiance is just as much a movie trivia nerd as Tony is on NCIS.

Moving on. We saw Fast & Furious 6, it was typical action packed movie. Lots of fast cars, big fight scenes and a whole lotta things that just couldn't happen....but it was entertaining all the same.

Brunch with John's family was really good yesterday. His parents just came back from Florida for the summer so it was cool to have the whole family back together. We ate a ton of food and caught up with each others lives. I'm really a lucky girl marrying into such a welcoming family.

Cleaning and getting things done around the house was not as fun, but necessary yesterday. BUT I did do something last night that was FUN AND NECESSARY, I went for a run. This was only my second run since the marathon (I really took recovery seriously, I needed the week break more than anything). I went out with no ipod, no garmin and no distance goal. I ended up running 6.22 miles at a hair over 8 minute pace, I was super pleased because it felt smooth and steady. I can't describe how good it felt to have my Kinvaras back on and hitting the road with me. Volunteering/watching 3 races last week did wonders for my motivation, 7 weeks until Musselman 70.3 and 19 weeks until Wineglass Marathon. I'm working on my sub-3:20 plan for Wineglass, can't wait to share my thoughts with you and hear what you think :) That's for another day though friends.

For the record, this weekend included a nap each day, those early wake-ups caught up to me!

How was your Memorial Day Weekend?

What did you do that was fun, 

and what did you do that was necessary?