15 December 2007

2008

Okay, I've put up a tentative 2008 schedule. The only month that's really in question is May. 3 races in 3 weekends?? I'm not sure about that, I'll have to see how things are going. If there is a choice to be made the Oly will win. This is not all the races I want to do this year by far. There is the Tinman Tri in July (I think). The Na Wahine in September. I might do an off road one in August. So there is still some flexibility and things will change as time goes on. One thing is, I am really looking forward to having a full race schedule and something really good to focus on. Maybe I should get myself a notebook computer to keep track of everything.

Looking towards the end

2 weeks from today we will be facing the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008. It's always exciting when a new year begins. I went through this last year so I'll spare you, but I do love beginnings.

2007 was really great in a lot of ways, almost none of which are what I envisioned in 2006. My primary goal in 2007 was to lose the last of this excess weight. That didn't happen. I will most likely end the year at exactly what I started at. But that's okay. I've learned that I was aiming for the wrong things. I've learned that you can't head for a negative, you have to focus on a positive. I've learned that where my mind is is far more important than where my body is. I've learned that I have to be working towards something, not trying to get away from something. All of these lessons are far more important than the few extra pounds I carry.

Last December I had plans for racing this year, I just went back and reread my old posts, but I remember different from what the posts say. I remember being excited for the new year but I also remember a little fear. I had fear playing in my head. I wanted to do some new triathlons but had a fear about them. Interesting that that's what I remember but not what I posted. Hmmm.......

This year is different. I don't feel fear, I feel excitement. I'm taking a proactive approach. I want to get better at biking so I'm taking a biking clinic. I want to be a better runner, so I'm running. I'm working towards a goal of triathlon, not away from being overweight.

Okay, that's it for now. I'm going to work on a race schedule for the coming year.

13 December 2007

...so never run just 2 miles.

I made a mental connection this morning. I've been really fit in the past and I know how that feels. One of the problems I've had this year is that, in spite of my working out regularly I haven't felt a higher level of fitness. Since I started running again in October, I've been really consistent in my workouts. I've been getting in my runs, extra cardio, and strength training. For the past week and a half I've been really pushing the strength training. It's all starting to pay off. I awoke this morning with that really fit feeling. So the connection was made in my head. First, I have to build up to really fit. I have to keep at it and let the work accumulate, which it does. Also, I have got to keep pushing myself. Pushing may only register as a tiny bit harder then the previous time, but it all adds up and it all takes it's toll on the muscles. So it's taken me 2 months to feel this good again but I do and I plan to keep pushing.

This morning was a 2 mile run. I was really looking forward to this run after Tuesday. I ran at exactly the same pace I did on Tuesday, 12:26. That is a huge step because I know, once I get consistent in my pacing it will start to get faster. So that was huge and I felt awesome during and after. Yea!!!! This running thing really seems to be working.

I knew this guy who was an awesome athlete. He stopped racing years ago but still runs, swims, and bikes regularly. He once told me that the first mile and the last mile of any run are the hardest, so never run just 2 miles. He was wrong :)

11 December 2007

I almost forgot...

Over on my sidebar, right below my profile is a new button. This is not a paid ad, this is something I'm doing out of my love for pit bulls. That company, The Unexpected Pit Bull, is selling calendars and the proceeds go to pit bull rescue organizations. Most of you know the love of my life is a pit bull. I'm very passionate about the breed and wish I could do more to help them. If you're interested in a calendar just click on the button. If you're not interested in a calendar still click the button and go look at puppy pictures. Who doesn't love puppy pictures???

Now, if I could only find a place that would provide some American tax relief I'd be very, very happy.

This is the dangerous time.

I'm still riding high from this morning's run. I have to be careful not to get to cocky and do something stupid, like try to run again tomorrow. My next run day is Thursday for only 2 miles and I will wait and do only what's on the schedule. Tomorrow is my easy day and I will stick to the schedule. I have worked out everyday this month so far and I'm very proud of that fact. I'm going to do it through to the new year. I'm very much looking forward to my New Year's Day 10k. I can't wait.

Hubby really wants to go somewhere. He's been talking about it a lot lately. I don't want to go anywhere over the holidays but maybe early next year. Flights to Las Vegas are really cheap from here. I'm sure we could locate a cheap hotel Las Vegas is full of them. I would rather wait and take a big trip a little later in the year. We'll see. Maybe he'll forget :)

Okay, so now it's out there, I can't run tomorrow and the entire blogosphere knows it. Don't let me run!!!! Thanks.

And to think, I almost didn't go!

I began running again in earnest on October 2nd. That puts it at exactly 10 weeks I've been running. Initially every run was great and I was just so happy to be back running. It seemed I made improvements every single run. Something was going right. Then I had one crappy run. But then it got better again so all was good. Then I had a couple of crappy runs in a row. But then I would have an awesome run and things would be good again. Well, for the last couple of weeks each run has been crappy in it's own way. I couldn't figure out what was going wrong. I was having breathing issues and thought I was going too fast. Then Saturday I ran with my HRM and found my HR was much lower than I thought it was. Which then got me concerned that something might be wrong. I really was having breathing issues and was starting to think asthma, allergies, I don't know...... I was a little worried.

Watching the news last night, I saw that we would be having our normal windward and mauka showers. Since I live windward and mauka and it usually occurs in the early morning and evening, I thought my runs might be in danger again this week. When I awoke and it wasn't raining I realized I could run this morning. But I really didn't feel like it. I got up and started getting ready but the conversation in my head was trying to find a way out of running. I didn't let it work. I told myself I would go slow, just do the 3 miles on the schedule and come home. Take it easy and just get 'er done. I headed out.

I started really slow (or so I thought). I just took it real easy going slow and running lightly. About 1/2 mile into it I felt the breathing thing begin like normal and thought, great, here we go. But a funny thing happened. It didn't get any worse. My breathing settled into a nice even pattern. Wow! That hadn't happened before. After about a mile I realized, I had found my stride. I was running at a nice comfortable pace, my breathing was easy, and nothing hurt. It then hit me what had been missing. I hadn't found my stride. I have a pace, and I'm assuming everyone does, where the running is easy. It's a pace where I feel like I could literally run forever. Everything works the way it's supposed to and running is good. Really good. Well, this morning I finally found it.

I ran the entire 3 miles, something I haven't been able to do lately. I felt fantastic at the end and really didn't want to stop. I thought that since it felt so good I had probably been running really slow. Not so much. My pace was 12:26/mile. Not my best but certainly not my worst. I was very pleased with this run.

This really was a breakthrough run. I had been struggling for at least the past 2 weeks but this run has taken me to the next level. Now I remember how it goes for me. I'll run really good for a week or so then start to struggle again. After a couple of weeks of struggling I'll made some other breakthrough. And the pattern will repeat over and over as long as I keep pushing myself.

So this was the best run I've had in a couple of weeks. And to think, I almost didn't go :)

Conversation with Hubby

 So yesterday morning I presented my idea of working out at home to the Hubby. Once I presented it to him, he said he was in. I told him I h...