Running From My Problems

I am a self confessed optimist. My friend Hope has even accused me of "farting rainbows". I do tend to look at the positive side of things. And my faith in God is where this attitude comes from, I have no doubt. But the last few months have been one crisis after another for me, my family, and my friends. Probably the same could be said for the the whole world, I know.

One part of me thinks that there is no reason to cheer up because the next storm is just over the horizon. I know that this is faulty logic and the other part of me knows to trust and be patient. I think triathlon helps with the latter line of thought. Aside from the endorphin boost of exercise, training gives you a feeling of control over at least a small part of your life. I can do everything in my power to keep myself healthy so that I can take care of others when they need it. When the pressure builds up and I need to get away, I have my running shoes and they can help give me some space between the rock and the hard place.

Keep running, my friends, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Pray for Allie!

My friend's little girl, Allie, has just been diagnosed with cancer. I don't want to share any details without family's permission, but please pray for her and her family. Thanks.

I'm in Love - With Trail Running!

That's not a lake above, that is the trail that I ran on last Saturday. Imagine 10 miles of that! I loved it and I can't wait to go back for more. Temperatures were in the thirties, but once I got going, I was shedding layers like an onion. The whole experience reminded me of walking through the woods with my dad when I was a little girl.

You can see in the photos my before and after shoe pictures. I tried to waterproof/ insulate my shoes with duct tape, but it wasn't happenin'. One trick I did learn from Jeff and Eric at The Age Grouper was to put sandwich bags over your socks. I didn't realize how much this was helping to keep my feet warm (NOT dry, nothing could have kept them dry!) until I lost my left shoe in a puddle at mile 6. When I pulled my shoe out, the baggie fell out and it was too gross to put back on. The difference between my right and left foot was incredible. Right foot: wet, warm, comfortable. Left foot: wet, icy, yikes!

In two weeks I will back on the trail for a 6 miler at another park. I love it!

Weekend Trail Run

Saturday I will be attempting my first trail run, a 10 miler. I am looking at this as more of an adventure than a race because I have no idea what to expect. The location is 90 mintues from my house and I have never been there. I'm taking my camera so you can expect some pictures on Sunday. The trail is reported to be easy enough for beginners, but still challenging for veteran trail runners. We'll see what happens. Have you ever run trails? Please leave a comment.

Oh, please check out my articles on examiner.com. Thanks!

This week's training

This week was very busy at work and I had to shuffle some things around to get my time in. I bought a medicine ball to add to my core routine. You know you are a triathlon geek when you go shopping all you buy is a medicine ball. No clothes, shoes, etc. just workout gear.

Monday is usually my rest day, so I rested. Or tried to, but I had to go to a PTO meeting. Tuesday I did some speed work, but was very tired so I cut it a little short. Wednesday I rode the bike trainer for about an hour. On Thursday I had to stay late at work so I use the elliptical machine when I got home. Friday we had a Run at Work event so I ran three miles. Saturday I ran my books to the library and back for 2 miles, then rode the bike trainer again later. Yesterday I did my 9 mile long run. My long runs are getting faster!

I am participating in another 10 in 10 challenge to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks. It is harder this time, I am close to my goal weight. I'll keep you posted.

examiner.com

Did you ever try something not really thinking you could do it, but then you did? I applied to be the Endurance Sports Examiner for my local area on examiner.com and they said I could do it! So I will be writing little articles a few times a week about the local endurance sports scene. If you are into that sort of thing, please read my article or subscribe to my feed. Also, check out these awesome examiners:
Brian and Steve.

Love this website!

Okay, this has nothing to do with triathlon (or DOES it?). I'm a teacher so I get a nice, two week break for Christmas. I'm also a little type A, so when I am home for too long I start looking for projects around the house to work on. I found this fantastic webite called Home Sanctuary. Basically, Rachel Anne's take on housekeeping is to make it managable so that you can focus on what really matters: family. Everyday she posts some little chore and if you are consistent, your home really starts to look great. (See it is a little like triathlon.) She doesn't have a post yet about the piles of technical fabric that have to air dry in my laundry room, but everything else is covered. Check her out and become a Company Girl.