I'm back from a blogging hiatus...

I am not really sure why I have not posted in so long. I think it was a combination of getting really busy with home stuff, school stuff, training stuff and not really having anything new to say.

WELL... I am back in the new year with new goals, new challenges, and new reasons to post. I will try to update at least weekly as I re-create the purpose of this blog.

Some triathlon decisions that I have made are to do more open water swimming, skip the short pool series early in the year put on by our local tri club, and to train for and attempt a 50K trail run in November.

I will dedicate all of my training and racing to my Heavenly Father who has given me the desire to be fit and healthy. Hopefully I will be able to inspire others to take care of themselves.

I love running!

Okay, my triathlon season is over for the year. I had a great time at River Cities Tri with my cousin Jess. I had a nice, easy week afterward. I had a great massage. I had a vacation to visit more family. All this can only mean one thing for me... It's time to get ready for a fall half-marathon.

Last year I ran the YMCA half-marathon and loved every minute of it (all 148 of them!) but this year I am aiming for a different challenge. I'm going to participate in the Louisiana Trails Half Marathon to benefit Xtreme Missionary Adventures. I found out last year that I love trail running and I'm all for supporting mission work, so it seems like the perfect race.

So, as I transition from a multi-sport focus to a primarily running focus I am reminded of the sheer joy of running. It's my absolute favorite and the fall is my favorite season for running. To keep me in running form I'll be doing more yoga, some Core Performance, and some trigger point work. I hope that you have an exciting fall to look forward to!

Family Reunion Training Camp

This weekend was the most fun I have had in a long time! I am so used to running and biking by myself that having company is a real treat. Friday night my cousin and I had an easy run, then an awesome supper and a great visit. Saturday morning we hit the road to head up to Cypress Lake. We had a short swim just to get warmed up for our bike ride. My cuz is a great swimmer, but this is her first triathlon and she wanted to be comfortable in the lake. She specifically asked me about snakes and I assured her that we had nothing to worry about. As we reached a buoy and had turned to pick our next goal, a head pops up out of the water right where we had just been. We watched it for a while and decided that it was stick... Then it disappeared. We swiftly relocated to a different part of the lake. (I'm pretty sure it was a turtle but we decided that it makes a better story as a snake).

The sky was overcast and threatening rain but we had already decided that we were tough and a little rain was not stopping us. The bike course for River Cities Triathlon is 18 miles and we just wanted to preview the course so she would know what to expect. We took a wrong turn right out of the park and ended up doing about 20 miles but as I have mentioned before, we are tough, so that was okay.

Then it was time to go find some great Indian food and head home to dry ourselves off. We planned to run later than night, but there really WAS a family reunion and we had to make a showing. How else were we going to tell our relatives about punching snakes in the face and getting tattoos and gold teeth?

We were so busy fighting off reptiles that I didn't get to take any pictures! But, she'll be back in three weeks to become a triathlete. I'll keep you posted.

Training Camp Weekend

There are about three and a half weeks until River Cities Triathlon! My cousin is coming up from South Louisiana for a weekend of training. She will come back in August to do her first triathlon, the 30th anniversary of River Cities Tri. To help us prepare for our, in her words, "herculean athletic achievements" we will go to the race venue for a swim/bike/ run. Tonight we are meeting another cousin for an easy, gabby-type run. (You know how girls are.) Look for pics and highlights next week.

Sunrise Triathlon 3

Triathlon has been my metaphor for life these last two years and Sunday was no exception.

The swim was great, I was faster than last year and ended up getting second in my age group for my swim time. My transitions were also pretty fast. That is pretty much the only good news, though. The bike started off rockin' and then the headwind slowed me down. I need to do more drills on the bike and longer bike rides. I do ride a clown-cycle (Hybrid), so I can't really compare my times to others riding TT bikes, but my time this year was slower than last year on the bike. The run was also slower for me this year.

The reason for this, I think, is two-fold. First, it was much warmer this year than it was last year, about 97*F. Second, I have not gotten this taper thing figured out for my body. I never seem to have a good race after an easy week.

So, just like life the race had it's up and downs. But considering the alternative of NOT being able to do my sport, a bad race is still a good day!

P.S. Please pray for my friend's daughter Alli, she is fighting childhood cancer and specifically now a low white blood cell count.

Swimming

I had a swim focused week last week. My son was enrolled in swim lessons at a local university and I took advantage of that fact to get in four swim workouts this week. Yes, FOUR! Usually I only swim one day per week because I am so far away from the pool. (Rural life, while lovely, does have some disadvantages.)

I was so proud of my boy, he is going to be a great swimmer and his confidence in the water really improved. I am also hoping for big swimming improvements for my next sprint tri on Father's Day.

Tri season in full swing

As the mercury climbs here, triathlon season is here in a big way. Since my school is out for the summer, I was able to get in two good weeks of training. We also have gotten in lots of family fun and the summer still stretches out before us with lots of possibilities.

My next triathlon is set for Father's Day, Sunday, June 20th. Since I have already given my husband his father's day gift per my inability to keep a present for more than a week, I won't have to worry about giving it to him before the race that morning. This triathlon is a local sprint triathlon set at a swim club and is very beginner friendly. I am looking forward to it since I have had improvements already this year and expect more as the season progresses.

The farmer's market was a bust, two trucks selling watermelons and peaches. Maybe that will also improve as the growing season progresses...