feel good currents

There are so many things that I'd like to share with you on this Sunday evening. First - a quick catch up on workouts, races, and training, and then perhaps some 'here and now' dating wisdom.

Gia and I ran a half marathon a few weeks ago in 2:08. Our plan was to go out easy for the first 8 and pick it up to the finish. We definitely accomplished that with a negative split of something like 8 minutes (first 6 vs second 6). I definitely think that if I go all out on my next one then I can shave a ton of time off. I left that race feeling overconfident only to wake up to very sore legs the next day. I was almost bewildered because I felt so good that I didn't understand why I was sore. I got hit with a stomach bug the next week, I think from swallowing water at Walden, and in general I felt very slow for the following two weeks. Mentally I also knew that my build program was fast approaching and I think that I subconsciously wanted to take it easy before moving forward with such a big commitment.

This past week kicked off the beginning of my 19 week program until IM AZ. I was overwhelmed going into it but now that I've finished one week I feel so much better about the rest. I didn't follow the program to a T but pretty darn close and here's a snapshot of the week:

Monday 1700 meter swim and core workout/lifting
Tuesday 1:20 hard ride w hills followed by a 25 min run
Wednesday 30 min spin 30 min run
Thursday 1 hr zone recovery and 40 min run w hill bounding; 35 min run and core workout/lifting
Friday 3000 yards swim
Saturday 25 mile zone 2 ride
Sunday Race - Falmouth Sprint

Generally, hard workouts are followed by active recovery work which are in a low heart rate zone. Many of the workouts are just under where you feel breathless and I'm strong enough that it feels like I'm bouncing along and floating on the pavement, breathing but not winded, and sweating but able to enjoy the feeling of the dewy air on my skin. The other morning I had a steady flow of feel good chemicals pulsing through my body and it felt pretty amazing.

Today I raced in the Falmouth Sprint. It was about 1/3rd mi swim, 10 mi bike, 3.1 mi run. I finished in 1:02 and 3rd  in my AG. I thought that the first two times that I placed in my age group were a fluke so I was pretty pumped to repeat a top finish. Two things that I took from the last couple of races that I think helped me here were transition and pulling on the bike. When I looked at Kelsey Abbott's times I tried to figure out how I could cut time to get closer to her. I thought that if I could cut a minute on both transitions and some time on each event, then I would get closer right there. Today I hooked up my sneaks with the pull laces and when I got to transition all I had to do was pull them on like slippers. The second, which was reinforced by advice given from Olga on yesterday's ride, is to pull up with my feet instead of only pushing down on the pedal.

On every hill and throughout the race I made a conscious effort to pull. About three miles into the race another girl in my age group passed me. I knew that I couldn't let her beat me because that could be the difference between placing, and not ranking at all. We stayed neck and neck through the ride, each passing each other in different spots. In my head I thought, I bet I can run faster than her, and I just need to get a better transition to catch up. When we can into T2 she was only 20 feet ahead of me. On went my slipper sneaks and I was a step ahead of her. And, believe me... I knew it because I could hear her breathing down my back for the entire run. I kept saying to myself, take it easy, run your own race, calm down your breathing. The run was an out and back and when we got to the cone to turn around I stepped around the cone and sprinted out about 5 feet to put some distance between me and her. I didn't hear her on my back after that but I knew she was still there. This all sounds merry but I was not feeling strong for the run today. It was nearing 90 degrees by 8:30am and I had to constantly tell myself on the way back "focus, focus" and to run my own race. The finish was through the sandy beach and my opponent came in about 5-10 seconds behind me. I turned back and gave her a high five thanking her for pacing me.

Onto the dating wisdom... I think this topic will have to take shape over the course of the summer or most likely longer but I did find some inspiration today on the topic in the form of music and from a recent experience.

Here's an excerpt from Alicia Key's new song un-thinkable (I'm ready)

You give me a feeling that I never felt before
And I deserve it, I think I deserve it
It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore
And I can't take it

I was wondering maybe
Could I make you a (my) baby
If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy
Or would it be so beautiful either way I'm sayin'
If you ask me I'm ready

Slash the "my" and replace with "a" and this topic becomes such a point of sadness for my generation. I think about all of my beautiful and wonderful girlfriends who are ready to make a baby. We see the average age of marriage pushing from the 20s into our late 30s and movies that highlight the distress of having a family. We hear "man fear" that having a wife and kids will change a man's whole way of life to the point that he'll be unhappy forever. Sex will never be the same and committing to a white picket fence will be his demise.

One thing is still the same though. Men love women and women love men. So, why is there such a rift in our priorities?

Close your eyes, and listen



The next take away is - say how you feel when it counts. As time passes we have to make decisions about who we're going to spend time with. If having a tough conversation leads to learning something unfavorable or better yet, favorable about the person we're with, then it's better to have the conversation sooner rather than later. If the outcome is going to be the same then have the cahones to speak up when it counts and when you can do something about it.

...and by the way, this is me telling myself to act on my own advice. My strategy has always been to learn from many sources, digest the thoughts and ideas, and take what works best for me.