A PR Makes you Feel Good!!!!

Today was my first 5k in a long time and first PR in two years!! Yay! I did it. Now it may not be fast by some standards but to me it was a long time coming! I am really proud of myself. My last PR was a high :28 and the last 5k I did was :32 minutes and today's PR was :27.46!! I'm thinking I could have gone much faster if my legs weren't like bricks from my cold and windy 36 mile bike ride yesterday!

During the whole run I felt good but right at about the end when speed really matters my legs would not go any faster, they felt like bricks! I came in 95th out of 509 women in the 30-39 age group. Which I am quite proud of! :) I really can't express how happy I am right now. I know it's not like I broke a record or came in first in my age group but this took me forever to do!! I love running... today at least. And I am dork for wearing the race shirt at the actual race. I had no clean running clothes and I thought they were cute shirts!

Girls on the Run Come as you are Auction

My mom and I have been trying to get our Girls on the Run fundraiser up and going. We are having a women's tea in June. At first it was set for March and then life got in the way. If you have never heard of Girls on the Run you need to check out their website sooner rather than later http://www.girlsontherun.org/ . Since we both love to run and both love doing things for our community we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give back.

Tonight my mom and I are meeting for a quick run around the lake and then heading to the annual Girls on the Run come as you are auction. Come as you are meaning if you just ran or had a workout don't bother changing just come and bid on some items and help out the organization and have fun while doing it! This is my kind of event!

Happy Running!

Two Years Ago: was the last time I PRd a 5k

No joke! I don't race 5ks that often, but I can't seem to PR...ever. The last time I recorded a personal best was two years ago and I was sick. My PR isn't even that fast, a high :28 I believe. I just signed up for the Doughnut Dash 5k which will take place on Sunday. I keep having to tell myself the faster I run the sooner I will be able to partake in doughnuts and coffee! Yum!

I normally do the least required amount of running to just finish a race and nothing more. Since I signed up for my 70.3 it scares me to death to run a half marathon after swimming and biking. So scared in fact that I am running much, much more! I know there are some, well, many runners out there who get in 40 or more miles a week, that's not me. But I am happy to say that I am at about 38 miles of running so far for the month of April. Perhaps a little more since some parts of my runs didn't get recorded into my chart. This is huge for me! So with all of my running I hope it's enough to break the elusive 28 minutes once and for all!

Notes to Self

1. Delete Christmas music off running playlist, "Baby it's Cold Outside" does not make me feel invincible or fast.

2. There is a reason I bought new shoes and there is a reason why I should wear them and not my old ones... ouch.

3. Find a flatter running course, walking up hills and lots of stairs really slows my average pace down... way too much!

Things That Can't Be Safe (but is so freakin' awesome): Part Three

Juggling while running.

I wish I took a picture. My mom and I were out for a Sunday run and here comes Mr. Juggler running around the lake. He looked like he was having such a great time and he was a fantastic juggler.

The not so safe part: What if he ran into someone?

Swimming Tip of the Week: How to Put on and Take Care of a Swim Cap

"Eeeeeeek!" You are saying to yourself, "I will never wear a swim cap, I will look like such a dork in one of those!!" Trust me you won't look like a dork, you will look like a swimming bad ass!!

Swim caps are practical for many reasons.
1. They keep your hair out of your face while you are swimming.
2. They keep your goggles secure and snug.
3. They somewhat protect your hair against chorline, but not completely. They do not keep your hair dry.
4. They are used in open water swimming events and triathlons to easily spot a swimmer and usually written on a bright colored cap is the swimmer's number. Great to have if you are a swimmer in distress! (which hopefully you will never be that swimmer because you have prepared yourself so well!) So, please wear your swim cap.

Here are some tips on how to easily put on a swim cap.

There is a simple solution to getting that wonderful looking swim cap up on your head. All you need is a dry swimming cap and a small amount of baby powder. If the cap is wet you are going to be making baby powder paste and you don't want that!

Gently shake some baby powder inside your cap. Just like this:

Next, rub the swim cap to evenly disperse the baby poweder, as shown below.

Place the front of the swim cap on your forehead.

Continue to pull the cap over your entire head.

Tuck in your hair on the sides of your head.

Continue to tuck your hair in on the back of your head. (ooops, forgot some hair)

Now it's, time to hit the water. Don't forget your goggles!

I hope this has helped your swimming endeavours! To be honest, most of the time I don't even use powder in my cap, but I do get it wet before I put it on my head! And don't forget that you will look like a bad ass with your cap on and everyone will get out of the water when they see you struttin' out to the pool!

Happy Swimming!!!

P.S. When you get home hang your cap up on a doorknob to dry.

Self Doubt and What the Hell Did I Sign Up For?

Yesterday I ran a simple 3.5 mile run. I have done this run a million times. It sucked. And all the while I kept saying to myself "how in the world and I going to run 13.1 miles after a long hard 55 mile bike ride,if I can't even run a decent short run? What the hell did I sign up for?" I kept thinking to myself over and over I'm not going to be able to do this. It's weird some days I feel like I can conquer the world and go fast and try to be a superstar and other days just blow! Yesterday was one of those days for sure. It also doesn't help that you have two ginormous hills I must walk up because of my IT band, it makes for god-awful average running pace. Which then makes me feel even slower.

Okay, running is not my thing. I can say I enjoy it on occasion but most of the time it feels like a real chore to me. It's hard, I'm not fast I make up any excuse in the book as to why I need to stop:

my ponytail isn't tight enough
my shoelaces are too loose
my nose is running
I need to check my phone
I can't change the song on my iPod without stopping
My sunglasses are all fogged up
I need to stretch my hip
My knee hurts (that's legit)
and on and on and on

When I got home from my run I decided to pick up the lastest Triathlete magazine. I hate that magazine. You want to feel self-defeated, pick up one of those puppies. Of course they are going to feature all of the top altheletes in the sport, feature gear that is so expensive, but "so needed" (according to them) and people with all the time in the world that they can dedicate to training their tushies off. Blarghhhhhhhh! I want to read about real people who have a hard time fitting it all in. I want to read about real people using old gear, used gear and don't have the latest and greatest bike but do their best to cross the finish line!

Anyway, back to the grind today! Not sure what I am doing tonight. I think it's supposed to be a swim and run, but I already swam a ton this week, I need to focus on my bike and run, so maybe I'll do that!

Happy Training!

The Goal Today Was...

To swim and then run down to the track and do some sprints. I only swam. Oh well, I was really, really hungry and didn't bring any food with me. So I went home and had some lunch! Here is my swimming workout for the day:

200 SKPS (200 each of swim, kick, pull, swim)

400 IM Drill

4x125s
1. 25 fly easy, 75 free moderate, 25 fly hard
2. 25 back easy, 75 free moderate, 25 back hard
3. 25 breast easy, 75 moderate, 25 breast hard
4. 25 free easy, 75 free moderate, 25 free hard

400 easy free
4x100s choice hard
300 easy free
4x75s choice hard
200 easy free
4x50s choice hard
100 easy free
4x25s choice hard

4x25s underwater no breath 25s (with fins)

200 easy warmdown

I almost didn't want to get out of the water today, but lap swimming time was over :(
Teaching Zumba tonight as a sub! I always get nervous, even though I know the routine backwards and forwards!

Swimming Tip of the Week: How To Get the Chlorine Out of your Locks

We've all had that chlorinated build-up in our hair at one point in our lives or another.   I am here to tell you that you don't need a "special" swimming shampoo to get that lustre back in your locks.

All you need is two ingredients that are easily found in your kitchen cabinets: Baking soda and vinegar! It's so simple, so cheap, so easy, and it works like a charm!

Combine the vinegar and baking soda to make a thick paste. Don't forget about that chemical reaction that takes place when you mix the two together!! ;)










 

Mix together with your finger to create a thick paste.






Work into hair while in the shower. Let stand in your hair for a few mintues. Rinse well. Condition as normal.  There. Chlorine free hair!

You can also pack a small container of this miracle paste with you when you go to the pool!

Happy training!!!