Two Weeks Off

Thanksgiving break was the perfect week to begin a nice recovery. I got to relax, visit family, eat great food, and read lots of books. I was sore for about two days after the half marathon and then I felt good again. However, I know that I need some rest before I begin training for the 2010 triathlon season, even if it is just a mental break.
Of course, my training plan for December is already made up (in pencil) and I have races scheduled for early 2010. I can't sit around for too long! On January 2nd there is a short, fun duathlon that my sister MAY compete in with me. February is fun run time with local running club, including a 20K that I am looking forward to. In March, I hope to convince my husband to run his first 5K with me. (When I say with me, I actually mean in front of me, he is too fast for this slowpoke)
Until then, I'll keep reading books, doing a little yoga, and looking forward to hitting the pavement again.

I Am Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving! My heart is full of gratitude this week, so I just thought I would make a list of SOME of the things I am thankful for. There is no way that I could list all of the good things in my life.

1. My husband and son
2. Good heath for my family and me
3. Living in a free country
4. Hot running water
5. My great job
6. Outside (the place, not the magazine)
7. My extended family and friends
8. A warm house
9. Never going hungry
10. Washable crayons and markers!

I hope that you have a great Thanksgiving day with your family and friends.

YMCA Half Marathon

Philipians 4:13 has been personified! Just a year ago there was no way that I would have guessed that I could finish a half marathon, but yesterday I did. There is no doubt in my mind the real power behind this accomplishment, it's God. I'm not sure what the purpose is, maybe just to make me a stronger person, but I'm thrilled with the result.
The weather was perfect: low 50's and overcast. The rain held off until I was driving home. I felt great the whole time. I started off slow (that's really my only speed) and just focused on getting to mile 2. The course was interesting, we ran on a jogging trail along side the Red River. We ran through two tunnels, over bridges, under bridges, a loop by a boat launch, and then out and back along the trail. After mile 2, I thought about getting to mile 5. After mile 5, I focused on getting to the turn-around point. Once we turned around I just took it mile by mile. At about mile 9, I started to feel really good and sped up a little. I kept that good feeling all the way to the finish line and beyond.
My watch time was 2:28. Official times are not posted yet. My primary goal was just to finish, my secondary goal was to come in under 2:30. I am so thankful to be able to run. I appreciate my husband for always watching our son when I run and for being so supportive. This is the end of my first real triathlon season and I consider it a success. The next two weeks will be for relaxing and then work begins for next year.

Five Mile Road Race - At Night!

Saturday night was a blast! Our son stayed at "Nana's" house and my husband and I went to the Riverside Five. I got a PR by almost 4 minutes and felt great. Afterwards we ate some Indian food. It's amazing how little it takes to make me content. I ended up being 4 out of 9 in my age group, which was considerably better than how I ranked at this race last year. The next day, I did an 11 mile run that was neither fast nor pretty. Half marathon is a week and a half away. My only job now is to rest up and not gain back those 10 pounds I lost!

Getting Excited

The YMCA Half Marathon is two weeks away. My last long run will be on Sunday. I have to squeeze it in between church and my nephew's birthday party. I love to run early Sunday mornings but with deer season in full swing, that is not a smart idea. Tapering seems like a good idea right about now because I am getting tired. My goal for this race is just to finish since it is my first half marathon. Luckily, it is right across the street from a great children's Science museum so my husband and son will have something to do for two hours+. Tomorrow night I will run the Riverside V, a very fun 5 mile road race at night. I am hoping to beat my time from last year, a very slow 52 minutes. Last year at this time my longest run was 7 miles and my average run was about 4 miles. This year my volume has increased, but I am not doing very much speedwork. So, we'll see...

Sorry for absence!

Yikes, it has been a month since I have posted. I blame my cousins and in-laws. Every child in our family seems to have an October birthday. We have been to parties every weekend for 4 weeks straight with another one next week! Also, work has been busy and my husband's grandmother broke her hip. She is doing much better and things should calm down a little now on all fronts.

The 10 in 10 challenge is over and I lost 10 pounds. Many thanks to Athleteintraining for putting the challenge together, it was fun. I'm hoping to keep it up and lose about 8 more pounds. I'll keep you posted.

Half marathon training is in full swing. I just finished a 10 mile run, an unheard of distance for me last year. This Saturday I will do a fun 5 mile race and then it is just two weeks until the half marathon. I am finding that I really enjoy running those 8, 9, and 10 mile runs. I intend to take a two week break after the half-marathon and then slowly begin my traithlon training for the 2010 season.