for the love of...

I had a crazy good training week this past week. I'm totally falling in love with all of this training. When ever I'm frustrated with anything in my life, I just pick up my bike or go for a jog or swim. After my head is clear, my body is relaxed and I feel like I can approach most anything in a calm manner. Case in point: Thursday morning I had a small non-related triathlon frustration. Details are unimportant at this point. Just know I wanted to tear my hair out. So I loaded up my bike, and I had one of the best 16 mile rides of my training. After I came home, I was calm. I even took a practice GRE and earned my best score ever. This scenario makes me want to learn more about how exercising impacts emotions and stress-levels. Obviously, I know there that exercise and stress levels are linked, but I would be interested in learning more about the biology behind it. hmmmm....

Wednesday, I ran 6 miles again. My thought process behind this: I'm trying to mentally prepare for the fact that I will already have ridden 12 miles and swam a 1/2 mile before my feet hit the pavement on race day. I figure if I can run 6 miles, 3.1 after all of that other stuff won't seem so terrible. From someone who previously loved running just about as much as undergoing a root canal, it is a pretty exciting accomplishment for me to run 6 miles and actually enjoy it:)

Tuesday, I swam the distance of the race. All 16 laps. Not my favorite training session of the week, but I had to do it. I want to know that I can do it before I get into the open water.

I think what I have to keep in mind is that this triathlon is an endurance event. I cannot necessarily run, swim, bike my hardest in every training session or my body will say something like " dude, WTF?" With that attitude in mind, by body doesn't hate me as much in training. It is more about who will be able to mentally endure a 1/2 mile swim, a 12 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile run at the end of the day. I want to make sure that this kid will be able to endure with 100% certainty on race day.

Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "Wounds and hardships provoke our courage, and when our fortunes are at the lowest, our wits and minds are commonly at the best."

limits? bah, those don't exist.

This morning I ran 6 miles. I have never ran that much in one setting in my entire life. I didn't run for time, but for the pure enjoyment. I even left my sports watch behind. I didn't want to be in training mode today. I just wanted to run. I think that is a good indication that being physically fit and learning to eat right really is a complete lifestyle change. This change is here to stay for me:)


Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "You can't think your way into a new way of living - you have to live your way into a new way of thinking."

A banner weekend

There was some pretty intense training to be had over the past couple of days. First, on Saturday, we did another swim then run combo in Vienna. Kali and I felt like champs during the run. We give credit to the intense Burke Lake runs we've been doing on Mondays. With the varied inclines and gravel terrain at Burke, a flat surface feels like buttah ;)

Sunday, Kali and I rode our bikes 16 miles then ran two. My legs were a little jello-like during the run, but by the second mile I started to feel my grove.

Monday, Kali and I had a mental break through at Burke Lake. Over the past couple of weeks, we have only been able to run 20 mins straight, breaking for 2-3 mins then run for 20 more. We ran for 35 mins straight without breaking, and on top of that we felt good. No "oh my gosh, if I run one more step, I'm going to heave over" No, "I'm soo thirsty" No, "Burke Lake is the bane of my running existence" We kept positive and the result showed. We are anxious to see how we do in the 9/11 5K in September.

I have taken to the habit of pushing myself harder towards the end of my workouts. Running a little faster at the end, pedaling a little harder, extending my stroke a little more. Call it a small competitive spark left over from my days as a junior USTA tournament junkie or call it heart. Whatever you call it, I would like to think it makes people around me work a little harder too. For me, I know that I have just given my workout my all whether it is a run, a bike ride or a swim. My dads voice sometimes drifts back through my workout thoughts: "It's not how you start, Kathleen, it's how you finish"

Today, my body screams for a well-deserved break and it will get one :)

Cheesy motivational quote of the day: "This is about limits. Reaching them, exploring them, exceeding what you thought yours were. Coming to the conclusion that there aren't any limits."- Unbekannt