Week 11 Training - Boise 1/2IM

March 30, 2009 - REST
Today became an unplanned rest day. I moved my swim because of a student meeting. Of course, she never showed up. I moved my bike to today but by the time I got home from doing laundry and grocery shopping and then putting all of the laundry and groceries away it was 8:45pm. I didn't feel like riding, so I went to bed instead. That just makes Tuesday a tough workout day.

March 31, 2009 - SWIM +BIKE
2600 yds. - This workout went well. Apparently, it was a swim test to set up my intervals for some upcoming workouts. My 100s were all around 1:55 without pushing it and my 200s were at 3:46, so maybe I'm not as slow as I thought?
1:17 LT ride

April 1, 2009 - YOGA
What a bizarre week... I was planning on swimming today but the pool was closed and then I started feeling really not great so yoga was off the plan. Instead, today became another rest day.

April 2, 2009 - SWIM
2700 yds. - This swim was awesome! I actually finished it in under an hour. While I'm certainly not a fast swimmer, I felt very fast and strong in the pool today. Finally!

April 3, 2009 - BRICK
2:30-3 hour ride + 20 min. run - Since my stomach was still feeling iffy, I hit the trainer for this ride. It sucked. I only made it for 2:17 and couldn't take anymore. I was even watching the first season of Heroes, but mentally, I couldn't do it. However, my run was awesome. I felt like I had snap in my step and was ready to run fast. Weird...

April 4, 2009 - RUN
90 min. tempo run - This run went fine. I took some prophylactic immodium beforehand and had no issues at all. My legs were a little tired from the night before, but not as much as I expected.

April 5, 2009 - RUN
30 min. recovery run - I had to talk myself into this run, but it wasn't too hard because I wanted to keep my no missed workout streak on a roll. I checked the weather and it said 40-something with a windchill of 28. I dressed in my tights, jacket, gloves, hat, and headed outside. The gloves and hat were off in less than 5 min. Everyone else running had on shorts and a shirt...I felt like a moron. The run went well and I felt like I could have kept going, but decided to follow the plan.

Summer Race Schedule

Okay, I think I've got my race schedule sort of put together for the summer. It will be lots of good times.

May 2 - Indy Mini Marathon
May 16 - Pocatello Endurance Festival (50 mile ride)
May 23 - Stansbury Olympic Tri
May 30 - Rigby Lake Tri
June 13 - Boise 1/2 Ironman
June 27 - Sun Dog Olympic Tri
July 18 - Cache Valley Super Sprint Tri
August 15 - Railsplitter Tri
September 5 - Great Illini 1/2 Ironman
October 3 - St. George Marathon

Disney World Pictures

Minnie wanted us to pose like we were running. Do you know how hard it is to balance on one foot after running a 1/2 marathon and then walking around Magic Kingdom?

I felt like a giant the whole time I was taking character pictures. Who knew I was that much taller than Mickey Mouse?





This is probably my favorite picture from the whole trip. We stood in line to take a picture with King Louie and ended up with Baloo too!

I'm not sure I could grin any bigger. Monsters, Inc is one of my favorite Disney movies and I couldn't believe we got to meet both Mike and Sully!

This was right after Buzz Lightyear proposed to me. I think I got more kisses in Disney World from different characters than any other place I've ever been!

I think I could pull of the Steve Tyler mullet...maybe?

Week 10 Training - Boise 1/2 IM

March 23, 2009 - SWIM
2550 yd. sprint workout - This workout ended up being 3050 yds and I'm definitely feeling it. I also feel very slow. It took me 1:10 to do the workout, but the 750 yd warmup with drills and kicking took a good 20 min. Anyways, it's done.

March 24, 2009 - BIKE
Lactate ride 1:09 - I was planning on running but then the wind and downpours started and I really hate running in the rain so I decided to get the bike workout done instead. These lactate rides are TOUGH...like dripping in sweat want to puke your guts out tough, but I'm actually starting to enjoy them. There is a sense of accomplishment knowing that I can get off the bike drenched in sweat and know that I just pushed myself through a tough workout. I was actually thinking about the hills in Boise during the workout so maybe this will help out on race day.

March 25, 2009 - RUN+SWIM
Long run 1:20 - My legs were trashed from my hard ride last night. I really wanted to stay in bed, but finally got up and headed to the fieldhouse. I struggled through the warmup but once the intervals started, I was feeling better. I got through the 4th interval and was so ready to be done, but decided to at least get the 5th interval done and then I could bail on the cooldown. I thought about Boise again and decided to push through and ended up finishing the workout feeling better than I thought. My legs are definitely done though.
I didn't have a swim workout on training peaks this morning, so I seriously debated on actually going to the pool. I did go and I did swim, but I didn't do any drills or anything. I just swam 2300 yds and it felt glorious.

March 26, 2009 - SWIM
Today was another no workout for the swim in my e-mail, so I made up my own. I ended up doing 2000 yds of lots of drills, kicking, formwork, etc. I struggled to get out of bed and go, but was glad that I made it to the pool when I started doing my 25s.

March 27, 2009 - RUN+RIDE
Ramp ups 45 min. - I didn't want to wake up this morning, but after lying in bed for awhile and considering the workouts and realizing that I was probably awake for the day, I got up and headed to the track. The workout went fine. My blisters were fine. I did notice my HR went up and down pretty quick which was new and different, but nothing too exciting. Now I need to come up with a movie to watch during my long ride tomorrow.
Long ride 2-2:30 hours - I loaded up Oscar and headed over to the Hills to do this ride. Sherry and I watched a couple of movies and I have to say that having someone else riding at the same time definitely made the time pass much faster. Thanks Sherry!

March 28, 2009 - RUN
This was an optional run for me and apparently I should have skipped it since I had the runs after this run all weekend, as well as adding in some throwing up. It was grand...

March 29, 2009 - REST

Week 9 Training - Boise 1/2IM

March 16, 2009 - SWIM
500 yds + 45 min. easy - It was so great to be back in the pool again. I swam 2650 and while I'm definitely having my normal allergic to chlorine reaction, I'm feeling good.

March 17, 2009 - RUN
1:15 long run with tempo intervals - I had to talk myself into heading out for this run, mostly because I wasn't feeling good. However, I changed into running clothes as soon as I got home and headed out without too much thought. I somehow managed to run a negative split again so added a couple of blocks to get my 1:15 done. It was SUPER windy and not fun out by the silos, but oh well. The long run for the week is done.

March 18, 2009 - BIKE + YOGA
1:02 Lactate progression ride - This ride was killer. I woke up early this morning to get it done and it started right off with some lactate threshold intervals. Definitely tough. I did remember to eat my poptart before I started. My average HR during the intervals was 157, so I think I was working hard enough.
Yoga was tough last night. My legs were tired and I had a hard time focusing and balancing.

March 19, 2009 - SWIM
2500 yds aerobic and technique work - I was so glad this workout didn't have any intervals in it. I was tired and it was so nice to just get in and swim and work on drills. I'm looking forward to my rest day this week.

March 20, 2009 - RUN
45 min. ramp ups - I struggled to get out of bed for this workout this morning. I was just tired and wanted to keep sleeping. However, I knew that if I didn't get the workout done in the morning, I would have to do it on a treadmill after dinner tonight and that doesn't work so well. So, I made myself get up and I headed to the track and got it done. Once I started running I was fine. I even ran sockless today, with no blisters. I did forget about the squishy sweaty shoe feeling though.

March 21, 2009 - BIKE
Endurance ride 1:45 on the trainer or 2:30 outside - I was really hoping to be back from Indiana in time to do this ride outside, but by the time I could get on the bike it was 5:30pm and I didn't want to be riding in the dark, so I ended up on the trainer. However, I did stay on the trainer for 2:30, so I was sort of proud of myself.

March 22, 2009 - REST

Week 8 Training - Boise 1/2IM

This week, at my request, was a run focus week. I figured since I would be traveling so much, it would be much easier to get run workouts done. Also, I wanted to keep my streak going and get my workouts done.

March 9, 2009 - BIKE
30 min. recovery ride - I headed to the clubhouse and got to do this ride on a stationary bike. I had a hard time getting the seat adjusted and I realized how much better riding on Oscar is, even on a trainer. While I was riding a man came up to me and suggested that I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, because my body was too stressed. Definitely odd...

March 10, 2009 - RUN
60 min. intervals - It was still dark when I went out for this run and I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure about the whole safety issue. However, once I got going, I was fine. I did have to stop at the Steak and Shake to make a deposit and a man yelled out at me "Ow ow ow...lookin good lady" in a hispanic accent. The run went well and my legs felt surprisingly good. It was also wonderful to run outside in the early morning in shorts and a tanktop.

March 11, 2009 - BIKE
45 min. ride - This ride started at 10pm at night after I got home from Florida. I was tired, but it felt good to spin my legs out after all of the walking and running.

March 12, 2009 - RUN
90 min. tempo run - This workout didn't go well. The first 30 minutes were fine, but when I started the tempo part of the workout, I was in the bathroom 3 times in 21 minutes. I wanted to keep running but didn't want to keep the runs, so I cut the workout short at 52 minutes.

March 13, 2009 - REST
This turned into an unplanned rest day because I forgot my sports bra and was in Ft. Wayne, Indiana for a conference.

March 14, 2009 - RUN
45 min. intervals - I did this workout on the trail and actually added an extra 3 minute interval and cut my cooldown 3 minutes short. I was so happy to be running in the sunshine and in shorts.

March 15, 2009 - RUN
60 min. - I ran on the trail to the silos for this workout and once again was very happy to be running outside in the sunshine in shorts and a short sleeved shirt. I actually ran a negative split, but I'm not sure how it happened.

My body held up to the extra running this week surprisingly well. I did lots of extra walking around and I will admit that my joints were definitely achy. But in spite of traveling, I was able to get another week of completed workouts in (except for the botched tempo run).

Hollywood Studios - March 11, 2009

I was sad to wake up on this day because it was our last day in sunny, warm Florida. We woke up early, packed, and left the condo to head for Hollywood Studios. I had never been there so I didn't really know what to expect. We stopped and took pictures of the Sorcerer's Hat. Then we headed over to Tower of Terror to get our fast passes. We rode the Aerosmith Rockin' Roller Coaster a couple of times and then headed over to the Tower of Terror.

The Tower of Terror turned into one of the highlights of the trip because I actually levitated with my arms floating out in front of me and it was SO funny. Katie actually grabbed my hand during the ride and said, "Hold on" except there were no handles (both people on both sides of me were using my handles) for me. We couldn't stop laughing about it when we got off the ride.

We headed over to meet the Incredibles and ended up with a picture of Frozone, which was a total bummer. I was very disappointed because The Incredibles is one of my very most favorite movies. However, we did get to get a picture with Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Buzz actually proposed to me on one knee, which was very flattering. He also liked my bag, which was kind of odd. I took a picture with Roz and was so excited to get a picture with Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc. We went on the Great Movie Ride which was lame, and then headed back to the Tower of Terror. We grabbed lunch and then headed off to the airport to return to freezing cold Illinois.

Animal Kingdom - March 10, 2009

Because Animal Kingdom is so fabulous, we decided to get there early, so I woke up early to get my run done. We arrived at the park around 10am and Katie was surprised at the number of people who were there. We headed to Africa to get fast passes for the safari and then headed over to get fast passes for Everest, except you can't get fast passes for both at the same time. We stopped and got pictures of Everest and with King Louie and Baloo. I think that might be my favorite character picture. The safari was great and we walked through the zoo part and got to see the hippo pool.

After Africa, we headed to Asia and got fast passes to Everest. We walked through the zoo and smelled the most fabulous egg rolls ever. We grabbed lunch and the egg rolls that smelled so great were by far the best egg rolls I've ever eaten in my life. We used the single rider line and rode Everest 3 times and then used our fast pass to ride in the front car. I love that ride!

After Everest, we headed over to the Dinosaur ride which was kinda scary and the time travel ride which was lots of fun. We made our way over for more character pictures. We took pictures with Lilo and Stitch (Stitch licked me), Pocahontas (what is it with the princesses wanting to pose?), and I got to dance with Goofy, which was way fun. We were headed back to Asia, but got caught up in the parade, which had some very very cool floats! We rode Everest one more time and then grabbed some ice cream and headed to the outlets for some shopping before heading back to the condo for a relaxing evening.

Epcot - March 9, 2009

On Monday, Katie and I slept in, laid around, and relaxed all morning. I needed to get a 30 minute bike ride done so Katie went to the pool and I headed to the clubhouse. After lunch, we got showered and headed to Epcot. We went on the ride through the giant ball (I can't remember the name of it) and then headed over to Soarin' for a fast pass. While we were there, we went on the Living with the Land ride and saw all of the cool new agricultural research. Then, we headed over to Mission Space and the Test Track. We did the single rider lines and didn't have to wait which was glorious. We also stopped for character pictures with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto.

We walked around the World Showcase and had dinner in Japan. We took pictures with Aladdin and Jasmine. We went back to Soarin' and then headed back to Norway for Kringlas. Katie said they were good stuff, so we shared one, except it was full of raisins (blech!), so Katie got to eat all of it. We went on Maelstrom, and took a very cool picture with a troll.

On our way out of the park, we did some shopping. I found a Mickey Mouse in hawaiian print that totally suits me, so Hula Mickey got to come home with me. We thought about sticking around for the fireworks, but decided that bed sounded much better, so we headed back to the condo.

Magic Kingdom - March 8, 2009

After the 1/2 marathon, Katie and I vegged, rested, and then headed off to Magic Kingdom. I soaked my legs in cold water after the race and I propped them up on the wall for 30 minutes, so I felt like they might be ready to handle some walking around. We arrived at Magic Kingdom and picked up Katie's "1st Visit" pin. We decided to watch the parade since we only had to wait about 15 minutes before it started. The theme of the parade was "Celebrate Today" which I'll write about later. I will admit that I had the urge to mock the guys in white suits with silver shoes.

After the parade, we headed over to eat some yummy refreshing Dole pineapple ice cream, and then decided to check out the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. Whoever thought stairs after a race is a good idea is not very smart. We waited in line for an hour to go on the Jungle tour which made our decision to use the fast pass liberally. We went on Pirates of the Carribean which is always a good ride. When we came out of the ride, Captain Hook and Smee were there, so we took our first character picture.

We headed to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, grabbed a fast pass and then went over to the Haunted Mansion. We were both starving so while we were in line for the Haunted Mansion we made our plans for the rest of the evening. After Big Thunder Mountain we headed to dinner. I ate fried...I'm not even sure what it was...just fried.

We headed to Toontown to meet Mickey and Minnie. Minnie was very impressed with our medals and made us do a running pose in the picture. Do you know how hard it is to balance on one leg after running a 1/2 marathon and walking around Magic Kingdom? We met and took pictures with the princesses. This just reaffirmed my whole am I a princess answer.

After the character pictures, it was dark. We wanted to ride Space Mountain, so we headed over to Futureland. We waited a long time because someone barfed and they had to do a cleanup. Space Mountain is one of my favorite rides and is definitely worth the wait. We decided to ride it again and skip the fireworks. During the second wait, there was a rotten kid that kicked me in my very sore calves about 17 times. I was not happy about that. The ride was awesome and when we finished, we decided to be done for the day and head back to the condo.

Remember, You're Making Dreams Come True Today

During the Princess 1/2 Marathon, I was running through the back entrance of Magic Kingdom, and I passed the cast member entrance. Above it was a sign that said something like, "Remember, you're making dreams come true today." I'm fairly certain I've passed this sign at least 5 times before, and I think my friend Sherry even mentioned it to me. However, before that day, I'd never given it any thought.

Because I'd already had my "Am I a Princess?" internal dialogue, I decided to give this thought some thought. What an incredible way to start the day...seeing a sign that reminds you that your job is changing someone's world. What can be more powerful than helping someone's dreams come true?

At ISU, I don't see a sign that says anything about dreams when I arrive to work. I do remember that "Gladly we Teach and Learn" is on our seal. I realize that when I gladly teach my students, I might be playing a very small role in helping to make their dreams come true.

I guess the bottom line is that each and every day, we have the opportunity to impact all of those around us. Are we going to have a positive impact and perhaps contribute to helping to make a difference in a very small way? Or, are we going to go about our days leaving no splash or impact. Perhaps we all need a sign for when we leave our home that we can make dreams come true.

Am I a Princess?

I signed up for the Princess 1/2 Marathon thinking that because it was a Disney event it would be fabulous, and who wouldn't want to go to Florida in March. When I signed up for the race, I had to pick my favorite princess and my four choices were Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle. Without any thought, I picked Sleeping Beauty because I like the fairies in the movie. I actually forgot all about that choice until I picked up my race packet and saw my pink Sleeping Beauty race bib with Princess AJ written on it. I'll admit, I was a little disappointed that it was pink, but no worries, its just a race bib.

Once again, I didn't really give this any more thought until the morning of the race. As I was waiting around for the race to start, I was noticing all of the women's (and a few men) bibs and started wondering why they picked the princesses they picked. Were they like me and just picked one without much thought or were they truly attached to their princesses? These thoughts continued as I was running and noticing all of the princess trivia out on the course. I do actually know my princess trivia, so it was kinda fun until I started listening to the "princesses" around me. Yeah, these women were kinda snotty.

Because I'm a thinker with a completely overactive brain, I started thinking about each of the Disney princesses and where I fit in to all of this. I asked myself, "Am I a princess?" and "Do I want to be a princess?"

I thought about Cinderella, who basically got lucking finding her prince after a lonely life being a cleaning lady. I don't like to clean or be a servant and I also don't like relying on others (ie. fairy godmothers) to make my dreams come true. I'm pretty sure that you're supposed to make your own dreams come true.

I thought about Snow White and decided I'm not at all like her because I have trust and space issues, and I'm actually kinda smart. I grew up in the 80s and learned not to take food from strangers because they could have injected it with some awful drug. Also, I'm fairly certain that picking up after and cleaning for 7 short men isn't my cup of tea. I don't handle the Napoleonic complex very well at all. Oh, and once again, she had to wait around for someone to come along and rescue her after she made a dumb choice.

I thought about Aurora from Sleeping Beauty and realized that she was a totally passive princess who basically slept her life away. I have trouble sleeping through the night, let alone sleeping long enough for a briar patch to grow over my home. Also, she allowed her life to be controlled by others which so doesn't work for me.

I thought about Belle and realized that she was super intelligent and well-read. Okay, I love to read, so maybe we have something in common. She does burst into song spontaneously though and seemed okay talking to teapots and candlesticks. I only sing in my car and I'm way to practical to talk to household items. Also, I'm not sure if I'm very kind, and Belle is totally kind, so... Yeah, not a match there.

I continued this train of thought for awhile and worked on coming up with a princess I actually admired and could relate to. I finally came up with Mulan, who is not a princess at all. She's totally independent and proactive. She's not afraid to go after what she wants in life and to stand up for what she feels is right. She's a little (or alot) clumsy and awkward around guys. She's smart and intuitive. She's a great problem solver. Oh, she loves animals. Yep, I can totally relate to Mulan. So, I had my Disney princess.

What's kind of funny about this is when Katie and I were driving back to the condo after the race, I was telling her about my thoughts about wondering which Disney princess am I most like. Before I could tell her who I came up with, she said, "AJ, you're totally like Mulan!" I was totally surprised that she said that, but also thought it was cool and funny.

So, am I a princess? Not so much. In fact I'm probably a little anti-princess, but I am glad that I found my Disney heroine and that next time I do the race and have to pick a princess, I'll be able to do it with no thought at all.

Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Back in October, I invited my friend Katie to run the inaugural Princess 1/2 Marathon at Walt Disney World over spring break. We rented a car, a condo, bought a flight and our park tickets and anxiously awaited for March 7 when we would leave cold Illinois for warm, sunny Florida.

We arrived Saturday at lunchtime and headed to the expo to pick up our race packets and do some shopping. Katie had never been to Walt Disney World, so when we drove through the park gates, she got that wonderful Disney feeling. At the expo, I found a Pearl Izumi shirt that I'll blog about later. We looked for some princess gear, but, as I would continue to remember, I'm really not a princess kind of girl.

On Sunday morning at 4:30am, I woke up drenched in sweat. I grabbed a quick shower because I'm pretty sure that your not supposed to be stinky before the race starts. I put on my race clothes, grabbed my poptarts, and we headed to Epcot for the race. Of course, we made our porta potty trip. I was hoping to get rid of a deposit before the race, but of course, no such luck. There were tons of "princesses" everywhere and some were not very nice or even pleasant. We headed over to the start and made one more porta potty stop. Some of the things that I heard were "Princesses don't pee on the side of the road" and "Princesses use kleenex to blow their noses." I, of course, rolled my eyes and thought to myself, "It's a good thing I'm a runner and not a princess." We made it to the start, the gun went off, and we crossed the start line with the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella telling us how wonderful we were.

Miles 1, 2, and 3 were not fun for me. I felt like I needed to poop when I ran, but every time I stopped at a porta potty, my body said, "nope, no pooping for you." I finally got rid of whatever was bugging at mile 3. It is not fun running when the defecator is in overdrive.

Oh, I should probably mention that I forgot my HR monitor, so I didn't have a way to monitor my pace. Coach Chris asked me to "race" the race and use it as a long hard training run, so I was mad at myself for forgetting the HR monitor. When I started running and felt not so great, I wondered how I could actually race, but at mile 3, I started feeling okay, so I decided to try and run a negative split. Anyways, back to the race.

After mile 3, I started to feel okay, but I didn't feel like pushing the pace too early. The course was almost exactly the same as the 1/2 marathon in January, so I was familiar with it and knew what was coming. I didn't run with my ipod and I was absolutely amazed at how quiet the course was. I was expecting these women (about 7000 of them) to be chatting but they were mostly silent. It was so weird. Around mile 4, I took my first gel and at mile 5, I took a couple of endurolytes and an anti-fatigue capsule. Mile 6 was through Magic Kingdom, so it was fun to check out the park and run through the castle. There weren't many characters out on the course, except for the princesses, which gave me a whole other topic to blog about.

After mile 6, I decided to start picking up the pace (I'll share my splits at the end) and I was feeling good until I got to mile 9. I started feeling alot of pain in my hips. This wasn't surprising because I haven't run that long in months. I stopped at a medical tent and grabbed a couple of Tylenol, which started kicking in around mile 10. I also took some gel and endurolytes and an anti-fatigue capsule at the water stop. At mile 10, I was still pushing the pace, but my legs started to cramp up. I was having cramps in my left glut and calf, and both quads. I felt not good, but I kept going and kept working hard. I knew there was only a 5K left and that I have a 1/2IM in June and I needed to be physically and mentally tough enough to work through the cramps. So, I did it and I'm very proud of myself for doing it!

The last mile was around and through Epcot. There was a good crowd and I was able to feed off that energy. I did see Mulan, my favorite Disney princess who is not really a princess, and that was cool. I felt good and was somehow managing the cramping. I crossed the finish line in 2:30:30, which was slow. While this wasn't a fast 1/2 for me, it was fun and I learned some stuff (like I always do) so it was a productive race. I learned that I can be mentally tough, and that sometimes my mind is stronger than my body. I learned that I am a runner and not a princess and that some women who act like princesses may not be very nice to be around. I thought it was very cool to see all of the men supporting the women during the race. I realized that I can do a 1/2 marathon with very tired, heavy legs, and still run a negative split. Oh, and I learned that I will definitely be doing this race again.

Splits
Mile 1 - 11:06
Mile 2 - 13:06
Mile 3 - 13:18
Mile 4 - 11:41
Mile 5 - 11:19
Mile 6 - 11:36
Mile 7 - 11:40
Mile 8 - 11:06
Mile 9 - 10:53
Mile 10 - 11:14
Mile 11 - 10:53
Mile 12 - 10:54
Mile 13 - 10:35
Mile .1 - 1:06 (the longest .1 miles of my life)

Where are you going? Where have you been?

This morning, I received the weekly message from Chris regarding tri training. He talked about building a base and looking ahead to goals, as well as looking back and seeing how far we've come and how what we've done in the past is preparing us for our goals. How's that for a long, convoluted sentence? Anyways, I'm very proud to say that I completed all of my workouts in February and would like to continue that streak for as long as possible...however, I am going out of town all next week, so I may have to break the streak for spring break.

While I was reading through Chris' e-mail, the title struck me. Over the past couple of weeks, I've had three or four people ask me where I'm going in a variety of different ways. I've been asked what my career goals are, where I'd like to be in 5 years, what are my dreams, etc. The scary part of that question, for me at least, is that I have NO answers to those questions. Me, who lives to set and achieve goals, and move forward, and live my dreams and all of that!?! I really don't know what I want to do or where I see myself.

I can look back over the past 30 years (that sounds so long...like I'm ancient or something) and see where I've been. My life has had its ups and downs, but I've been able to accomplish alot of stuff. In fact, before I turned 29, I had achieved all of my major life goals, except for one. It's almost 2 years later, and yeah...I still haven't figured out any more goals, except for Kona of course, but that is WAY off in the distance. My accomplishments have definitely shaped me into the person that I am and continue to drive me forward. The problem is, I'm not really sure where forward is...and that is a little or alot scary.

So, apparently, I have a question that I need to think long and hard about and find some answers to.

Oh, and I came across this quote and really liked it, so I thought I'd share it in case any of you are inspired as well.

"Have patience with all things, but chiefly with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - everyday begin the task anew." ~ Saint Francis de Sales

Week 7 Training - Boise 1/2IM

March 2, 2009 - BIKE
60 min. VO2max workout - This workout was tough. I about lost my dinner several times. I did manage to get my HR up to 171 on the bike, so I know I was working hard.

March 3, 2009 - SWIM
2300 yds. - Once again, I apparently need to learn how to read a swim workout. I ended up doing 3250 yds. No wonder the workout took me 1:14.

March 4, 2009 - RUN + YOGA
50 min. intervals - I got this run done this morning and it wasn't pretty. My stomach was very unhappy. My legs had no snap. My HR monitor was on the fritz. However, it's done and I'm totally looking forward to some downward dogs tonight.
Yoga was tough last night. I was tired and my balance was AWFUL. I think it did help out with the hip tightness I was feeling during my run.

March 5, 2009 - SWIM + BIKE
2550 yds. sprint workout - Apparently, I love swimming long. I ended up swimming 500 extra yards this morning. However, my sprints went great and I felt strong. Someday, I'll figure out how to read a swim workout and actually do it correctly. In the meantime, I guess I'll just be happy that I can swim 3000 yds and feel good.
85 min. big gear workout - I was tired when I started this workout (it was 7:30pm), but I turned on XXX (the movie with Vin Diesel, not porn) and managed to get through it.

March 6, 2009 - RUN
40 min. recovery run - My legs were shot this morning so this run wasn't fast or particularly pretty. I had to visit a portapotty to make a deposit which certainly wasn't fun. However, I did manage to do a negative split, but I'm not sure how that happened at all. I will say that it was absolutely wonderful to run outside in shorts and a shirt. Oh, and I should mention this workout caps 5 perfect training weeks. I'm hoping to keep it rolling over my vacation next week.

March 7, 2009 - REST

March 8, 2009 - WALT DISNEY WORLD PRINCESS 1/2 MARATHON