Today was a GOOD day

Yesterday I ran my long run for the week with Sports Backers Marathon Training Team.

HELLZ TO THE YEAH!  

I haven't RUN MTT in a long time.  Wow.  A long time.  I forgot how cool it feels to join a pack and run with 890 other like minded people.  I forgot how fun it is to listen to the people around you talk about running.  To see 100 familiar faces.  To search through a thousand and miss one.  To yell at Those People.

And yesterday I remembered what it feels like to borrow the collective energy of a thousand people to run through the streets.

I ran with TMB, SpeeDee, and Amy.  T & I share a brain.  We run in step.  If one of us pulls away, the other knows they'll be back.  If one of us walks, the other walks without comment usually because we are thankful to be walking for a few steps.  And there were a few walk breaks - thank god.

The air was thick yesterday.

We had some course discussions and such.  We made new friends... sort of...  In fact, some DUDE offered to give me ADVICE on cutting THIRTY MINUTES OFF MY MARATHON PR. (insert laughing here)
He said this without asking my current PR.
He said this knowing nothing about me or my running history.
Maybe I should have given him my number... I guess, I mean, after all, who wouldn't want to get a BQ in October... also, there will be a follow up post for the men folk who read this blog on "how not to pick up a runner at marathon training team".

Moving forward, I'm not 100% sure I'm convinced that my SATURDAY TEAM is the RIGHT TEAM for me, but I'm going to give it a try for a few weeks.  I intentionally chose a team that is training to race SLOWER than my original GOAL.

Why
would 
you 
do 
that?

Well.  When I decided to race a marathon in 2014 I didn't realize I wasn't going to get "better".  I had some idea that I was chasing a SUB 4:00 GOAL.  Right now I am chasing a FINISH WITHOUT HATING YOURSELF FOR RUNNING A MARATHON GOAL.

I don't know what I can and can't do with my lungs in this condition, and being left behind by the pack week after week while gasping for air is scary, disheartening and depressing.  Or is it defeating?  Regardless, I'm not going to be d'anything'd when I have the power to make new friends and run a touch slower on my long runs each week as needed.

Sometimes when you put 80 people who run in a group, everyone spends their long runs RACING each other.  I'm not even kidding.  I love MTT, but this is a truth of Marathon Training Team.  I chose my team because I have a prayer of keeping up with Team En Feugo, and I don't want to be sucking wind on my long runs trying catch up to people who are determined to leave me.  A slower team will ensure that I am running my long pace runs at a slower pace.

In theory.  Yesterday around mile 5 I had a break away where I maybe got a little ahead of myself.  whoops.  By mile 6 I was sad...

So yesterday I ran 9 miles on my road to my October marathon.  I struggled a little, but my chest never hurt.  It wasn't the best run ever, but it was a good run because it was with people I love.  It was "The Previously stated Goal" MRP + 50 seconds.  Not bad, considering the walk breaks sprinkled in.

Today I couldn't sleep.  I'm studying for boards and I woke up really early.  I thought, I know what to do with this energy.  I hopped in my car and headed downtown to meet the SUNDAY teams of MTT for 6 miles.

And here is why today was SO VERY VERY GOOD:
I ran hard, and didn't have any kind of breathing trauma or crisis afterwards.  NONE.  I didn't feel like I was straining beyond the stretch of a hard run.  I didn't feel like an asthmatic.  I didn't feel my airway collapsing or narrowing.

I felt like a runner!

I averaged an (insert pace here) for 6 miles!!!  I ran in the (insert pace here)'s for the first 3 miles with a fast friend, and then I backed off and ran the rest with a new friend, Not Clinton, who said, "Yay!  You can run with me next week!"  She was supportive, unbothered by my loud breathing, and likes dogs - which since I have a new puppy - works for me.  It was Original Goal MRP - 29 seconds.

Part of me is like, I can't wait for next week, to hop on the MTT train and ride the wave.  But the other part, the part that knows today was special, says, make sure you savor what it felt like today.

And I do.

~Savor the Run~

Triathletes are HOT

A few weeks ago I was supposed to RSVP for...

let me start over.

Last week I was supposed to attend an RRRC Banquet.  I kind of wanted to go.

I have volunteered about 30 hours with the club in the last year.  I know 150 or more members off the top of my head.   The Out Going Prez is a close friend.  I should have gone.

And not only that, I write for the magazine.

There's a scene in When Harry Met Sally where Carrie Fisher unknowingly quotes the character played by Bruno Kirby back to himself.  It's a great moment where he says, "I wrote that!"  Well, I have had a very eerily similar thing happen to me.  So I thought, I might like to go to that RRRC event and rub elbows with the people who read the magazine I write for....  narcissistic?  maybe.

maybe.

Smoldering Laura, GBA gf, Tanny, & DeeR

Anyway, one thing lead to another, and I opted out of the RSVP.

One day I will tell you all about it.  But not today.

I was feeling a little sad actually.  Until my DeeR friend msg'd me and asked me to be her date at her Triathlete function the same night.

Fate stepped in, and I pretty much said, "HELLZ YEAH".

I had no dress, but no worries, because I belong to a group of women called, "sisterhood of the traveling dresses".  SpeeDee hooked me up, and I was off to the Richmond Tri Club Bash.

The evening started with a cocktail with SpeeDee & BOB, her awesome H at The Jefferson Hotel.  I love BOB.  He deserves a million kisses for his behavior on Saturday.  But they're going to have to come from SpeeDee, cos I don't kiss other people's H's, red shirt or not.

Then I went on and met DeeR at the dinner, which was hilarious because I walked around introducing myself all night as "DeeR's date, BRAD".

SpeeDee & g.
I love this photo.

I drank WAY too much wine, to the point where I got to hang out at the party a little longer than I intended while I let the alcohol burn off!

It's ok, I visited with the silent auction items & stuff.  I met a lot of people I spent the summer body marking and removing chips from, and you know what's funny?  Quite a few people remembered me from all that nonsense & giggling.

I had a wonderful evening.  So much that I got a lot of pressure from the Hot Triathletes to join them at a race this summer.  And I most certainly WILL be there...


Body Marking hot Triathletes is one of my favorite contact body sports.

OFF Balance

It's complicated, this cycling thing.  I had to get CLIP-LESS pedals so I could get CLIPPED IN to my bike....?  This seems an oxymoron to me.

Now, if you're a cyclist, don't try to argue that it isn't insane.  It's insane.  In all other things in life, if you get (something)less, you don't have that thing.  For example.

LACEless shoes have no shoe laces, and you wouldn't get laced into shoes without laces.

PENNIless individuals have no money, and you wouldn't get pennies from someone who's penniless.

TOPless beaches have no tops and... wait, that's a bad example.

Still.  I find the language of cycling to be just that much outside of my understanding.

The thing is, regardless of the language nuances, once I had the clipless pedals ON the bike, I no longer had the mad skillz needed to ride it...  so, I arranged to meet Coach Q at The Creek for a lesson.


He started by putting OC in his trainer while I put on my new (ugly as sin) "whiter than white" white shoes.

I hopped on OC.  And for the life of me, could not get my feet clipped into the pedals.  Total fail.

"Relax, you're over thinking it."

Probably good advice for anything from ethics papers to clipless pedals.

"It takes getting used to, flip the pedal with your toe."

Bah!

"Without looking."

I was still struggling with coordination.  Is that left foot or left hand?

"There's a life cycle at the gym with your name on it."  ~nice~

Eventually, we got the tension adjusted ~ meaning I was able to relax ~

...and get the tension adjusted ~ meaning I could physically get the foot in and out of the pedal ~

...and I managed to get clipped, unclipped, clipped, unclipped, "Oh Hi SpeeDee and Lady Em".

...clipped, and oh snap - I have an audience?

Once it seemed I had mastered talking to my audience and clipping and un at the same time with only minimal razzing and harassment from the gallery, Q decided it was time to move OC off the trainer.

~gasp~

It's all good though.  The plan was to ride in some grass incase I fell, and we stopped to talk a few seconds of strategy.  This is why it's important to travel with your own coach.  

"The trick is unclipping, stopping and 'leaning' the bike in the right direction, in the right order".  Sounds simple right?  Something about the mischievous light in Q's eyes indicated that the simplicity was all in the language.  Here we go again with the cycling language thing...  

So remember when you were a kid and you learned to ride a two wheeler, and your mom or dad ran along beside your bike with a horrified and stricken expression on their face in the event you should crash your bike into their car, a handicapped parking sign or a brick wall....?  No?  Oh... well.   Me either.

Q's reflexes are REALLY fast...

Fortunately, mine are fast too... and I was able to unclip and catch myself, before OC and I took Q out on a lateral.  I did NOT fall, I'm just stating it for the record here.  I nearly fell, that's really not the same thing.  I'm not sure, I may have screamed, or perhaps shrieked is a better word.... but I didn't fall.

After a few passes, we mutually decided it wasn't really working.  It rained all day Saturday, and I was having to work too hard to get the bike going in the grass.  I needed to just go for it.

I walked the bike out onto the parking lot, visualized what I was trying to do, clipped in my left foot, rotated the pedal, took off, settled into my saddle and clip... like I'd been doing it my whole life.

All that fear that I would suck, crash, and burn was wasted energy.  I have good balance, and you know?

I don't suck.  It's nice not to suck.

Once I'd done a few successful passes, terrorized Q by "appearing" to be aiming straight for his car (I was in complete control), Q determined that his work was done and that his car was safer elsewhere.  He gave me some last words of advice and left to do his Sunday thing.

So, Lady Em and SpeeDee took me and OC out for a ride.

OK, Lady Em is HCB/TNT, but she's a GBA cyclist.  Follow?  (Lady Em is on Dee's team ~ HCB, and on TNT, but she's a galactically bada** cyclist)

We rode a hilly route, and I was HOT baby!  no, really, like warm & over dressed.  Again, each time I unclipped and stopped and started and clipped in it was like I had been doing it my whole life.

OC and I were totally one with each other, and by the end of the ride, I was feeling GBA.

(me & Lady Em)
SpeeDee knows a thing or two about being speedy, and she spent a few minutes tweaking my form, and WHOOSH ~ what was that orange flash?  Oh, just g and OC riding a GBA sprint with their new clipless pedals.

When we were done, we realized that it was one year ago this week that I met Lady Em and SpeeDee at The Creek to learn to ride Pink/RB.  *Pink's new owner named her Raspberry Beret.  We celebrated the anniversary in the best way possible.

We had some PT and a little picnic together on the hot asphalt.


It felt good to be in the sunshine soaking up some warmth and friendship.

Three Things Thursday: Yoda edition

1)  "Much to learn you still have."...  every time I look at my blank April training schedule I have to consider how much I don't know.  It's a freaking. lot.  I have about 18 sources of training plans ~ at least 4 of which are human and GBA.  So while there's a part of me who wants to try this on my own, there's another part of me that knows better....  April is about building the base.

2)  "You will know... when you are calm, at peace, passive...."  I recently spectated the National Marathon.  After I sent the runners off to run their races, I had almost two hours to burn.  I went to my car, sat down, and pouted for a minute about my "lost marathon".  But I had Ethics to read, and thoughts to occupy me, a phone that communicates with e-mail ~ plenty to do for a student.  What I did however was read an excerpt from a book unrelated to Ethics class, and meditate on what I had read.

The passage I read was, essentially, about circumstances in our lives beyond our control, and how we choose to live through them.  As I sat in my beige mini-van I decided ~ "I have a choice.  I will choose to have the Best Day Ever."  And it was.  It didn't go to plan, but then, what does?  It had some rough spots, have you run a marathon?  I could only "do" so much for the girls who were running, as running is a solo sport, but I gave them everything I could.  I made the choice to have a great day, and I did.  I can choose my reaction and my attitude...

3) "No!  Do, or do not.  There is no try." ~ and I have to wonder, don't you think that if Luke had said, "Tri" and not "try", that Yoda would have had a different response?  Of course, maybe Yoda meant Du...   Either way, I'm TRI-ing in May, on my 35th Birthday, thanks to a totally GBA birthday gift from SpeeDee.