Catch Up Time!

Okay, so much has been going on that I have not written anything in weeks! Work has been really busy. I was out of town for a conference and we are winding up a great school year which means lots of little chores. We have also been going to lots of family things for birthdays and Mother's Day, etc. which keeps us running. AND of course, tri season has started!

My first sprint of the season was scheduled for May 3rd, but we got lightning, thunder, and rained out. It was a bit disappointing, but who wants to swim in a thunderstorm? It was good practice for packing up my gear, etc. and the pre-race clinic was very informative.

I has said last post that my swimming seemed to be improving and my last swim was also good. I had put down that I could do 400 yards in 10 minutes on my race application (it's a time trial start in a pool) and last swim, we swam 10 minutes for time. I was going really easy and I did 375 yards, so I know I can do 400 in a race in less than 10 minutes. So that got my swimming confidence up a bit.

Last weekend my sister, my friend Hope, and I did a tiny 5K in a small, nearby town. It was Hope's first 5K and my sister's first in a while. I was hoping to beat 27 minutes, but I had a bad race. It was very hot and I am not acclimated yet. However, it was good training in mental toughness and I had a great time with my sis and friend. I usually either go by myself to races or my husband and son come to watch, but don't run. It was a lot of fun to have friends in the race. I also won second place female overall due to the smallness of the race, so that was a nice perk, even though it was not my best race.

My next sprint will be on May 24th and it is 450 yard swim, 13 mile bike (I think) and 2.5 mile run. I am looking forward to that, but have downgraded my running and biking expectations until I get used to the hot weather we are having right now. I am so grateful to be healthy and have a supportive family that indulges my crazy triathlon hobby! Just getting to race is a joy for me this season, if I do better than I expect it will be icing on the cake.

New 5K PR!

I wrote a few weeks ago about chasing my PR from 10 years ago and the wisdom (or lack thereof) of trying to beat old times. Well, today I ran in a small, local 5K and had the race of my life! It was cold (40*F is cold for LA in April) with 15-17 mph winds that made it even colder. I warmed up for about 10 minutes and then we were off. My first mile time was 8:48 which is fast for me and that made me feel really confident because I still felt really good. There were lots of hills in the second and third mile that slowed me down a little bit. I also dropped my fuel belt bottle twice for some reason. There was no marker for mile 2, but when I turned into the last section, I knew the finish line was close and that I had my time beat. I crossed the line in 27:11, my fastest 5K ever! I could not believe it. I praised the Lord for having two working legs to run on and a supportive family who indulges my training habit.



The race was sponsored by a local company and many of their employees were there participating. I met lots of nice people, as always, and saw some friends. The race support was great for a small race and everyone had lots of fun. There were photographers all over the course, which I didn't expect for such a small race. I'm sure they got some great pictures of my wiping my nose!

This was my first race ever to place overall (second female). I knew that speed work make people faster, but I did not really believe it would make ME faster. If I can continue to improve my running, there's hope for anyone! If you are thinking about trying a 5K, I highly recommend a small, local race to get your feet wet.