Monday, December 28, 2009

Merry Christmas

Christmas is OVER! Seriously, we had a wonderful Christmas this year. We started the season with a surprise 30th birthday party for our friend Cyndi on the 23rd. I think she was really surprised when she walked in to find a house full of friends and food. We even made her a cake wreck.

Jarrett and I went to Lafayette on Christmas Day to celebrate with my family. All of the kids, grand kids, and great-grand kids had dinner at my Nana and PawPaw's house. It was great! It has been YEARS since we all were together to celebrate a holiday and I think everyone had a good time. Then, we went to my Grandpa Klontz's for a visit and back home to Indy. It made for a long, but fun day. The 26th brought another Christmas gathering with Jarrett's family. Lot's of little ones and tons of food. The kids seemed to like their presents and it is always fun to watch them open their loot. Jarrett and I deeply appreciate the gracious gifts from all of our families! We wrapped up the holiday season with the last party of the year yesterday with Jarrett's choir folks. Once again, lots of fun and food!

Jarrett and I both have time off until after the New Year. What are we doing?? Remodeling of course! We ordered our new floor yesterday at Lowe's. Unfortunately, it won't be in until after we go back to work, so it looks like this will be a multiple weekend project. We are completely tearing out the carpeting in the downstairs of our house and replacing it with laminate. It's about 1000 sq ft of flooring. Laminate is easy, but time consuming. The biggest pain is going to be moving the piano. We are going to have to find some strong helpers because I just don't think I'm going to be that much help. Our goals this year are to get all the floor finished in the house and start the master bath remodel in the spring. We also are hoping to get a new furnace and air conditioner this spring too.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

New 5K PR!

At the last minute I decided to run the 5K's of Christmas. Cyndi and I got to the race super early because we hadn't pre-registered. After signing up, we headed to Le Peep for a light breakfast. I thought I may regret it, but it ended up being totally okay. I finished in 28:39 - 45 seconds faster then last weekend! Sweet!

We found a lovely home to rent in Augusta for the HIM. They are even going to allow us to bring our dogs! Staying in a hotel was not really appealing to me. I want to be able to cook my own food before the race and this was a great option. Jarrett's mom and step-dad will also be traveling with us so it works out great to have a 4 bedroom house to share. Having the dogs will make it much less stressful for me. I always worry about them when we are gone even though my parents are wonderful pet sitters. Plus, I will get to cross the finish line and see their fuzzy smiling faces waiting for me!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Augusta Bound!

I did it! I am officially signed-up for Augusta 70.3! 285 days until race day! I figure now is the time to start planning my 2010 race schedule.

January - Nothing looks very interesting, so I probably won't race in January.
February 7th - Groundhog 7 Miler - Umm...IT'S FREE! Awesome!
February 20th - Polar Bear 5 Miler
March 3rd - Spring Fling 15K - It's in Plainfield, literally miles from our house. There is no excuse not to run this one!
March 27th - Sam Costa Half Marathon - Maybe...
April 18th - Bricks to Bricks 10 Miler
May 8th - Mini Marathon

Triathlon season starts in June. No one seems to have their race calendars updated yet so as soon as I have a game plan, I'll post it. I know I will be doing at least 1 Olympic and 3 sprints. The last decision is whether I put a marathon in for October or November. I will be heading to Madison, WI in July for WIBA. It's a chance to train with other triathletes on the Ironman Wisconsin course. It will be a great chance to get in a long open water swim and some great biking. Plus, it's free. Seriously!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Jingle Bell Run 5K

It has been a long week! I was in Houston, TX for 6 days attending training for work. I made it home last night around 10:30 pm. I signed up weeks ago for the Jingle Bell Run 5K held in downtown Indianapolis. This is my first 5K this year, so I was interested in how it was going to turn out. Even with the 20 degree weather and week of sitting for 9 hours a day listening to lectures, I turned in a new PR! 29:24.4 which is 36 seconds faster then last years 5K. My goal for next year is to run it in 28:30 or better.

There is another 5K next weekend....hmmmm...I may be tempted to get another one in this year!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Jarrett and I started our day with our 3rd annual running of the 4.5 mile Drumstick Dash. This is one of my favorite races of the year. The morning was cold and rainy and honestly, staying in bed asleep sounded like a great idea, but we did manage to drag ourselves across town to Broadripple and even managed to score a decent parking spot! I finished in a new Drumstick Dash record of 43:41.8. Just to put this in perspective - I ran my first Dash in 53:22.7! Last year was somewhere around 45 minutes. I lost my stupid timing chip during the race after getting stepped on and I don't have an official record of the time. Needless to say, I'm happy! I'm running a 5K on December 12th and that will wrap up race season for 2009.

The house is almost decorated for Christmas. The big tree and a majority of the decorations are done. We just need to put up the little tree upstairs and maybe a few exterior lights. It looks like we are having Jarrett's family over for Christmas on December 26th. I don't mind hosting, but it is a little stressful having 12 people, two dogs, and a cat running around the house. It will be fun, but exhausting. It's a good thing I have until January 4th to recover before I go back to work!

I'll post some new pictures of my early Christmas present. Jarrett bought me a Cervelo P2 triathlon bike. It is awesome. The guys at A1-Cyclery gave me a fantastic price on a closeout 2009 model. They've been trying to sell me this bike for like a year. This weekend they got the price right. I had my fitting today and they had to make a few modifications to the aero bars so I get to bring her home tomorrow. Now...she just needs a killer name and a great race to break her in!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

1st Marathon - DONE

I ran the Indianapolis Marathon yesterday. The day started out stressful. I bought a new Garmin GPS to keep me from getting lost. I have a horrible sense of direction and it was about time to break down and buy one. The night before the race, Jarrett gave me directions. I listened, but didn't realize there are actually two exits on 465 to 56th street. I got off on the wrong one. Then I was having problems trusting that the Garmin knew where she was going. After I just gave in and followed her directions, I made it to the race. Late. Actually, I sat in traffic waiting to park for almost 45 minutes. After I parked, I could hear the crowd about 3/4 of a mile away cheering. I saw other people making a dash for the start line, so I figured I may get lucky and the race might not have started. Lucky for me, I got to the pack of racers just as the race started.

It was a cold morning. The first half of the race flew by. Before I knew it, I was at Mile 18. That's when things started getting a little rough. I ran most of miles 18-21 then I started to have some stomach issues. 21-26.2 I had to run/walk. My official race time was 4:26:49. Not bad for my first marathon!

I got home yesterday and took a shower and a short nap. My body actually didn't feel terrible. Jarrett took me out to dinner for prime rib (my favorite!). I was starving. I swear I haven't eaten that much food in years. I didn't get the best nights rest because of leg cramps, but now that I'm up and moving, I'm feeling pretty good today.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Go Girl Triathlon Race Report

Saturday was the last triathlon of the season. This race was my one year anniversary of triathlon racing. The Go Girl was my first race last year and after a terrifying swim, I am shocked I stuck with it.

So, how was the race? GREAT! I didn't get to see my race results until today and I am really happy with my times. When they posted results on Saturday, my name was suspiciously not anywhere on the list. I knew my chip was working because I heard it beeping during the race when I crossed timing mats. I emailed the guys at Tuxedo Brothers and they kindly researched the issue and figured out what my times were.

500 meter Swim: 15:07.01 (PR)

I did get to wear my new wetsuit. The wetsuit does help keep my big butt floating, however, it requires me to slightly modify my stroke and I haven't swam in it enough to figure out how not to make my left arm really sore and tired. The other issue I didn't experience in the pool was the feeling of claustrophobia and constriction in the open water. Again, it is just a lack of practice in the wetsuit and I am confident that next time I'm out in open water it will be even better. This was the first race I really have experienced effortlessly passing LOTS of people in the water. It was kind of cool! I didn't feel like I had a great swim when I got done, but this is the fastest 500 meter open water swim I've ever done.

T1: 3:27.3

T1 was SLOW. First time dealing with the wetsuit made me a little slow. I also was having issues with my cycling shoes.

The bike was MUCH improved over the last sprint tri. The hill that is immediately after transition did NOT kick my butt this time! I was not as fast as the Oly, but that course is totally flat. There are a few good rollers on the Eagle Creek course. Jarrett also did some quality adjustments to my bike fit. I took the seat up and adjusted my aero bars. The seat adjustment made a HUGE difference. No more knee pain!

10 Mile Bike: 0:39:38.7 (15.1 mph)

T2: 3:50.6 - Yeah...I don't know....I can't blame the wetsuit this time....maybe it was the search for the Kleenex?

The run was good. The hill out of transition did kick my butt on the run. I grabbed water and ran about half way up before I had to walk. I needed to finish my water and clear the water out of my head. I picked up my pace quickly and managed to find another runner to pace. She was wearing a watch and muttering to herself about a 10 mile pace and I thought "Score! I'll stick with this one!" It worked out well for me. I ran on her heels until about a quarter of a mile to the finish where I took off and sprinted ahead of our little pace group :)

3 mile Run: 0:30:18.9 (10:06 min/m)

Overall Race Time: 1:32:22.6

So what has a year done? Last years time: 1:40:26.3

My biggest improvements are in the swim. My swim last year was 21:19. The bike was also a slight improvement. Last year was 0:42:01.1 (14.3 mph). Last years run was 0:31:33.6 (10:31.2 min/mile).

Monday, August 24, 2009

And the race is on!

I have decided that HIM Augusta 2010 is going to be my race. I had a very difficult time choosing between Augusta and Florida. The main reason I went with Augusta is the time. September 2010 is 13 months from now. I will be ready. Florida is 9 months away. I could be ready, but I would also be missing running the Mini and the chance to get a few more sprints under my belt before the big race.

I bought my first wetsuit today! It is a Blue Seventy Reaction. I got it for a steal at the end of the season sale at my local bike shop. I tried on a total of four suits before settling on the Reaction. It fit, the price was right, and I hope to get a chance to use it this weekend at the last tri of the season.

In other news - Jarrett finished his first sprint triathlon last weekend! I am very proud of him. He has committed to doing another next year but has no desire to train for a HIM.

The fuzz kids are great. Maddie, our rescue sheltie, is doing very well. Mimi is as adorable as ever and Chloe the kitty thinks she rules the house. Frosty has made AMAZING progress this summer. After our last disastrous horse show, he and I have made some great strides. I've had to work through some fear issues from a rather nasty fall early in the summer, but I think I've got that all behind me now.

The house is coming along nicely. We just replaced the carpet in the majority of the house. We put down some nice laminate flooring in our spare room and master closet and are in the process of choosing a nice wood or laminate for our first floor. After the floors are done we're moving on to our master bath. Other then the house being in a constant state of disarray, it is starting to look really nice.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Tri Indy Olympic Distance Triathlon Race Report

Please excuse my lack of blogging, but I'm not sure where the time has gone these last few weeks...Oh wait...it has gone to work, training, eating, riding (horse or bike), and sleeping!

My first Olympic distance tri was last weekend. It was a unique experience and possibly the most physically challenging thing I have ever done.

I was up at 5:00 am to start my pre-race ritual. I had my english muffin with jam, double checked all my gear, and started hydrating. I decided to take a Pepcid AC and allergy pill. I've noticed this season that I have bad acid reflux about an hour into any strenuous activity. This was the first race I've doped with the Pepcid, but I figured it was worth the risk.

My honorable sherpa husband loaded the bike in the Blazer and we were off to White River State Park in beautiful, yet under major construction, Indianapolis. The transition area was well organized. I chatted with a few of the other athlete in my rack and found that I was surrounded by some very seasoned athletes and some newbies. John, one of the newbies, was given the Oly as a 40th birthday present from his twin brother, who was also competing. His brother is a Marine. John is a working dad...more on this later.

The pre-race meeting was pretty standard stuff. After it was over, Jarrett and I headed down the canal for the 1500 meter walk to the swim start. It was a wave start in 30 person groups. I started about 30 minutes after the first group. The downtime before the swim start gave me a chance to make one last bathroom stop. The swim start was uneventful. I was more comfortable during this swim and I can tell that my swimming is improving. I did still have to throw in the occasional breath stroke and I did stop to fix my goggles once.

1500 meter Swim Time: 0:44:07.9

I had a nice surprise in T1. My step-brother-in-law Zack decided to come down and observe the festivities. He is competing with his girlfriend and Jarrett this weekend in their first Sprint Tri. I'm their sherpa! He had his video camera and was being very encouraging. T1 was a bit longer then I would have liked. There were a ton of distractions. Zack taking pictures, John wanting to chat, and my complete inability to hold on to my sunglasses. I dropped them like 5 times before I got them on.

T1: 3:02.6

The bike was great. The course was basically flat. There was one very fun downhill part, but as usual, it was followed immediately by a hairpin turn. I saw three people wipe out so I rode it pretty conservatively. The bike course was a double loop. Unfortunately, I didn't check my bike when Jarrett put the wheel back on and didn't realize that he put the wheel on backwards so my bike computer wouldn't work :( I managed to successfully stick to my nutrition plan - 2 Cliff Shot Blocks every 30 minutes and a bottle of water every hour. John, my transition buddy was immediately in front of me when we left transition. This would be the start of the two of us leap frogging the entire bike course. At one point, we passed the fast peeps on their way back to transition. We just happened to pass his twin who was totally kicking our butts. Then again, he is a Marine. I expect him to be able to kick my butt!


25 mile Bike: 1:34:21.8

T2: 2:34.6

I grabbed my fuel belt and headed out for the run. It only took me about half a mile to realize that it was FREAKING HOT! When I was on the bike, there was a pleasant breeze keeping things moderately comfortable. As soon as I hit the hot pavement, I felt the 92 degree heat penetrating my will to live. I did press on and managed to have one of the slowest 6 mile wogs ever. The run was also a double loop. My only complaint was that they did not have the turnaround for the Oly well marked. I missed it and ended up having to back track so I didn't get an off course penalty. It cost me a good 2 minutes.

6 mile Run: 1:19:52.9

Total Time: 3:43:59.8

Learning's:
1. I need to run more. My running has seriously suffered this year.
2. I need to train smarter. I currently have a half-ass training plan. I need to write it down and follow it...not wing it.
3. I can do this!
4. I want to do a HIM next year. I know I can if I train consistently.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Indy Sprint Series Triathlon Race Report

Another triathlon down...many more to go! I got up around 5:00 am to get my race morning routine underway. A little breakfast of English Muffing and raspberry jam, a Diet Coke, and a few glasses of water and I was ready to hit the road. My wonderful Sherpa/husband Jarrett, packed the bike and we headed out the door to Eagle Creek Park. This is the same place I did my very first tri last September. The most notable difference about this morning then most mid-July mornings in the Midwest. It was COLD. The thermometer read 55 F when we left.

We got to the park around 6:30 and I found my bike rack. I had a prime spot very close to the bike start line. I was the first person in my rack to arrive, so I chose the end spot and set out my stuff. We has about an hour to kill, so we went for a brisk walk to stay warm.

The event organizers made a great change this year. The swim start was individual based on ability, instead of a mass wave start. Everyone lined up and started about 2 seconds apart from one another. It made the water a lot safer for everyone. My swim was the highlight of the race. Last year, I couldn't stick my head in the water and basically doggie paddled my way through the event. This year I started out with a strong free-style with no panic. Unfortunately, I CANNOT pace myself. I sprinted out WAY too fast and got extremely winded after the first 200 meters. I flipped over and swam about another 200 meters using a backstroke and finished the last hundred free-style/breaststroke. It was pretty congested at the end of the swim and breaststroke afforded me the best visibility to dodge other peoples body parts. I finished the swim 3 minutes faster then last time.

T1 was pretty uneventful and my time was within seconds of last year.

The bike was slow. It started with me about crashing into a guy having "technical difficulties" getting on his bike at the start line. I missed him, but it threw me off my game. As with last year, there is a craptastic hill at the immediate start of the bike. My biking needs to improve. I haven't ridden nearly as much this year as I would like and I also need to find someplace to go where the traffic is not interfering with my speed. Riding to the pool is a great warm up, however, the conditions are not good for real training. I may end up taking my bike to Lafayette to ride the country roads around Clay Knob. I am very familiar with the area and there is little traffic to contend with, as well as some killer hills to train on!

T2 was faster then last year and went really smooth.

The run was fine. My speed was slower then I normally run a 5K. I did little to no running in the last several weeks, so for a complete lack of training, it was perfectly acceptable.

All in all...I am happy I did the event, especially since I wasn't planning on it. I signed up at the last minute. I really wasn't going to race until the Oly in the middle of August. It was a good warm-up race and it highlighted the areas I need to focus.

As a final note - I did finish the race 1 minute faster then last race!

On to Oly Land!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Good run...great swim!

The race on Saturday was a good one...FINALLY! I finished the Freedom Fest 4.5 miler in an "unofficial" time of 44:13. Why unofficial, you ask? I lost my timing chip. This is the second time this has happened. I lost my chip for the Drumstick Dash at Thanksgiving too. This time, we went back to the car and took a little side trip to find a real potty before the race. At some point I dropped the chip packet between the seats in the car without realizing it. Oops. I found it as soon as we got back in the car to go home. I managed to finish with no blisters and all of my toenails! It's the small things that make you happy :)

I made it to the pool today and had one of my best swims ever. I was consistent, not winded, and comfortable in the water. Progress is being made!

Frosty and I have also seemed to have a breakthrough. I've been struggling this summer with jumping. Notice I say, I...not him. Although he plays a part, it is mostly me. Jarrett came out to the barn with me Friday and coached me over some fences. It went really well. I decided to do a repeat performance for my trainer Christy last night. Frosty was great, I was better then I have been in many months. Everything clicked and I corrected a lot of the stupid mistakes I've been making. In case you ever care to jump on a horse here are some good tips:
1. Do not look down at the jump. The horse looks where you look. He cannot look down at the jump and jump correctly. I promise.
2. Do not get ahead. He makes a mistake = you fall off.
3. Have fun!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Broken :(

Tomorrow is the Carmel Freedom Run. It's a 4.5 miler that I have never done before. Last year, it poured down rain on Jarrett and Cyndi and I have to admit, I was really happy I chose to stay tucked in bed instead of running. Cyndi and I will be running without Jarrett again. He actually DID break his elbow in the bike accident. He has to keep the arm immobilized for another 8-days or so. This will be my first race in my new shoes. Wish me luck! I'm hoping everything goes as planned.

Training was great this week. Bike and run on Monday, riding lesson Tuesday, swim on Wednesday and Thursday, riding lesson with my hubby coaching on Friday. Jarrett actually has a pretty good eye for riding. He use to ride himself and has spent countless hours watching me and my lessons. Frosty was AWESOME this week. We seem to be having a bit of a saddle fit issue and may need to have the saddle fitter out to look at him. A horses body changes with their level of fitness. I'm riding more and he's eating less, so his muscle mass has changed.

With no work today, Jarrett and I went to Lafayette to have lunch with my parents and walk around Purdue. It amazes me how much the campus has changed in the last few years. We stopped at a few of our favorite places while we were in town. Triple XXX, an old drive-in that is a favorite of students was our lunch stop and the Frozen Custard was our dessert stop. Mmmmm....hamburgers and ice cream :)

I'll give you a race update tomorrow!

Monday, June 29, 2009

My first Oly!

I signed up for my first Olympic length triathlon today! The Tri Indy race is being held August 16th in the beautiful downtown Indy canal. Yes - we are swimming in a canal. Actually, this is specifically why I chose to do the Oly instead of a sprint. You see, the canal is only 4 feet deep. According to USAT article 4.2, you may stand on the bottom and rest as long as you do not make forward progress. Sweet. Seriously, I have improved greatly at the swim and now it's time to stretch myself.

Shoes news - I went to Athletic Annex on Saturday and got a new pair of kicks. So far so good! I ran in them tonight without any blistering! They are Mizuno Wave Alchemy. After watching me run, Mike determined that the super high level of motion control my Brooks had were actually causing me more harm then good. The Alchemy are still motion control shoes but they have a little more cushion in the arch. They are different but not different in a bad way.

My biking continues to improve. Jarrett and I have been riding to the pool two or three days a week. He runs while I swim. Tonight we had a little incident and Jarrett fell off his bike :( He bruised his arm pretty bad but swears it isn't broken.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

What's up?

It's been a busy month! Jarrett and I spent 8 days in the sunny Southern Caribbean. We went on a Royal Caribbean cruise on Adventure of the Sea. We enjoyed our time away from work and the islands were fascinating. The actual cruise was fun too, but we both agreed that it was about 2 days too long. We were pretty tired of the food and the boat by the time we got back to Puerto Rico.

The puppies spent two entire weeks with my parents. I was very proud of them! Maddie only had one incident of chewing on one of my mom's baskets and one small accident on the kitchen floor. Considering she has never been away from me, this is fantastic. She really loves my mom and I can tell she misses her. Amelia was good, as always. She basically grew up at my parents so it was like going to her second home. Chloe kitty had a house sitter. Cyndi and Brian stopped by to check on her a while we were gone. We really appreciate having friends who like our animals!

Cyndi and I ran the Sunburst Half Marathon in South Bend, IN last Saturday. It worked out that the race was the weekend after Jarrett and I got back from vacation so we made plans to run the race and pick-up the dogs since my parents conviently live in South Bend. Jarrett and I ran the 10-K Sunburst last year and enjoyed it so we thought...if 10K is good...13.1 miles MUST be better! This ended up being the WORST race of my short racing career. It started with Jarrett waking up at 4:30 am and announcing that he forgot his running shoes in Indianapolis...oops. So, needless to say, he didn't actually run the race. Cyndi and I, however, did remember our shoes and headed downtown. Prior to leaving for vacation, I got some new shoes. My feet have been an issue for the last year. I constantly get BAD blisters on my arches. Well, I went to a very well recommended shoe store in South Bend and they looked at my feet, my current shoes, and decided that they were "all wrong." They put me in a wide show a half size larger then my previous running shoes with a arch insert. At the time, they felt okay. I took them on vacation and then (SHAM ON ME) didn't run in them. In a move of complete stupidity, I decide to run the half in the new shoes. Well, it didn't go very well. These shoes for some reason rubbed my ankles completely raw. They were bruised and bleeding by mile 5. By mile 8, I wanted to cut my feet off. I trudged through and finished but it sucked. Needless to say, I returned the shoes. When I took them back, the lady who originally fitted me looked at my feet and asked "Who the heck put you in these shoes?" I just smiled and said, "You." She also happens to be the owner of the place. She did feel bad and then tried to replace them with a new pair of Mizuno's (I usually wear Brook's), but then they didn't have my size and they were on back order. So - I'm back in my old Brook's. I ran 4 miles on Monday with no blisters and 1.5 miles tonight with no blisters. I'm heading back to Athletic Annex to have them look at my feet and if they don't have any ideas, I'm going to a podiatrist.

I rode my bike 12 miles tonight, swam 1500 meters, and ran 1.5 miles. I may, in fact, get these 10 pounds back off and be ready for the Go Girl Tri in August.

Monday, May 11, 2009

And the countdown begins...

We are a 9 working days away from our cruise to the Caribbean! I'm SO ready to go. After this weekend, I just need to take a deep breath and keep myself from screaming.

I had an incredibly interesting riding lesson on Sunday. Daniel Stewart, current bio mechanics coach of the US Equestrian Team came to the farm and did a Symmetry and Balance clinic. First, he video taped us riding for about 15 minutes. Walk, trot, canter, and jumping a small cross rail. Then he analyzes the footage and you watch it with him frame by frame. He looks for issues with your body position. I was pleasantly surprised at the footage. My position was MUCH better then the last time I watched a video of myself riding. I need to work on keeping my leg slightly back and my knees a little more bent but overall I was happy. My jumping position needs a lot of work. I ride extremely defensively because Frosty has been a bit of a jerk jumping this year.

The puppies are good. Maddie had a bit of an incident tonight involving a DVD. She decided to eat part of it. I think she will be fine, but we will be watching her closely for the next couple of days. She hasn't chewed anything inappropriate in months, so I'm not sure what possessed her tonight.

Jarrett and I went to Cincinnati this weekend to visit our newest nephew, Ryan Matthew. Mom and baby are great and the kid is super cute. :) I'll post pictures later.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Further reflection on the Mini after a night of restless sleep....

I'm still pretty happy with my race yesterday but I did wake up this morning feeling much better then I anticipated. This means: A - I ran a race that was at my current fitness level and therefore I should be happy or B - I did't push nearly hard enough and there should be a few more aches and pains this morning had I really fought for a great race. I'm leaning towards A. This morning makes me want to run more and race more. I feel good. I feel human again. I ran 13.1 miles without worrying about my job. This is about me. Not about anyone else. My focus for the next month is eating right, getting more workouts in, and spending time with my family.

I'll leave you with my quote of the day: "Run with a pace and walk with a purpose." There was a drill seargent working one of the water stations during the Mini who happened to be shouting this mantra while we ran by. I thought it was an interesting quote. I am getting much better at running with a pace. My half marathon pace is a 10:30 mile. I don't have an issue with walking with a purpose. My goal is to only walk through water stations with a maximum of a one minute break. I didn't quite make it for the Mini but I did for the last half I ran in October. It's a goal and I'll get back there again by the end of the summer.

Time to go see the horse and spend some time at the barn!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Mini Mania

This is my second time running the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathon and I had a pretty good race. No personal best, but I haven't been running much this year. My time was 2:40:37 with a 12:16 pace. This is a BIG race. It is the biggest half marathon in the US with 35, 000 participants. That means there are a lot of people to dodge. I did finish 15 minutes faster then last year. To celebrate the race, we've decided to sign-up for the Sunburst Half Marathon in South Bend that is being held on June 6. Jarrett and I ran the 10K last year and had a blast so in order to keep the focus on the October marathon and working on our distance, we're moving up to the half. Tri season starts in about 8 weeks. I don't think I'm going to do the first two of the season due to water temperature. I don't have a wet suit and I need a little more time to get ready for the swim anyway.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Where have the last 4 months gone?

Hello world. It's been a long time. I cannot believe that four months have passed since my last post. This year has not started out as I had planned. I am NOT on track to meet any of my training goals for this year. I did join a new gym and love it, however, the complete lack of time resulting from my job are preventing me from doing anything constructive for myself.

Let's start with the good. I have competed in two horse shows and the last show which was last Saturday went very well. Frosty is a big sweet heart and tries so hard to compete with the big fancy boys and girls. We managed to be in the ribbons and improve our dressage scores over last year. Maddie is doing very well. She graduated from 1st grade and has started to bond with Jarrett. She even gives him kisses now! Mimi is her normal cute, sweet, fuzzy self. Chloe the cat continues to amuse me on a daily basis. Watching her play with the dogs cracks me up. I did manage to book a cruise for the end of May to the Southern Caribbean. It's a step outside our comfort zone of Disney....although if I can convince Jarrett...we may go to Disney this year too :)

Now for the not so great. I have not been exercising enough and my eating habits stink. I am two pounds over my goal weight and I am NOT happy. I feel like a cow. My job is seriously stressing me out. Something has to change. I can control my food. I just have to do it. The job is another story. I signed up for a marathon in October. I HAVE to get my butt in gear or I'll never finish.

I got an iPhone and when I figure out how to blog using it, I'll write more often!