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Is it 5:00am already? Geesh. What day is it? Do I have to work today? I'll hit the snooze button just once....That was 10 minutes already? Okay...up and at it girl!! You have no time for the rest of the day to get this run in, so get going. Where are my pants? My hat? Gloves? Do I need gloves today? I really need to wash this coat, cause it kinda smells. Okay, here I go...which way is the wind going today? Doesn't matter, does it? It is always blowing here. How long should I warm up....I should really stretch before these workouts...I never stretch...I feel pretty good! It's actually quite nice out today. I wish the sun would come out. Here I am at the corner already, my garmin says 9 minutes...maybe a bit longer for a warm up? Up to the next corner. Let's start the first interval down a little hill...give me some confidence. Okay...hit the lap button, here I go...my first sub-5minute kilometer! Look at me! I a flying!! I am a rockstar! That's gotta be like, 4 and a half minutes...whoops...what! Only 2 minutes...okay this is going to be hard...but not too hard, right? You signed up for this. Okay, just keep running, pump your arms a bit more, is that cute guy looking at me? "Mornin." He WAS looking at me! Too bad I look so crappy in my sweaty workout gear...okay...FOCUS!! Check the garmin...holy hell...30 seconds to go....push...push...WHEW! 1 km in 4:57. Just under the wire. But I have THREE more to go. Holy. This is going to be hard workout. Get ready for the next one. Find a good tune...okay, rest time is up...aaaaand...hit the lap again. Breathe, run, keep breathing, run some more, focus on form, don't look too far ahead, damn hills, keep going, is that guy going to stop?, he stopped, thank-god cause that would have sucked...look at garmin...omg I did it again...that one was super hard!! And I have two more. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this....Okay...go again...5 minutes of running...no problem...good form...is that a runner up there? Way up there? I am going to catch her. RUN! RUN! Okay, I caught her..."Morning!" I could barely gasp that sucker out...Look at garmin...shit...I have a whole minute left! Okay do not look again....4:55...4:56..4:57...4:58...4:59...5:00...exactly one km. I feel the wheels falling off. I don't think i have one more...c'mon! Yes I do!!! Okay...one more then you are done...Run, run, run...breathe, breathe, breathe...2.30 minutes...half way through this last one...my legs are hurting, my lungs are hurting...my chest is hurting...I LOVE this song...okay run to the song...how many time do you think i have listened to this song? FOCUS!!

DONE!! But the wheels DID fall off...only 980 meters in 5:00...good enough...what am I, an olympian? Nope. No medals or $$ on the line, just the satisfaction that I can do things I never thought possible...run it home and hit the shower.

This is gonna be a GREAT day!!!

a hard swim, a hard run, a hard race

Those were Coach Justin's instructions for the next several days.

Hard Swim: done...got to Wednesday am swimming and did my best to put down a good swim. The main set was a pyramid so 4x50 build; 2 x100 race pace; 400 max all out and then back down again. I did not pace the 400 very well according to my lane mates, oh well...I will do my thing, you guys do yours, we will all be happy! Not like they have ever wanted to work together with me before in a swim. (men!! blah!!)

Hard Run: Coming up tomorrow morning. 3x5 minutes...he wants me to run sub-5 min kms. This may be easy for some of you out there...but this is me and this will be hard! I had a little whine on the phone yesterday "I want to run faster! What do I have to do to run faster!" His response: "Keep working hard and do what I tell you..." Sigh. Had a conversation yesterday with someone about the weight issue and running faster. Yeah, probably if I lost some poundage that may help...I swear I am trying...but not really...it is hard!!

Hard Race: I entered in the duathlon on Sunday. He wants the first 3km around 5 min/km and then the second 3km even faster...with a 20km bike ride in between. Gak. It may be that Sunday is the first day I have the yellow cervelo out on the road. The weather forecast is...you guessed it...CRAPPY!! Hoorah for Sask weather! And as of today, there are 20 whole peeps registered...but there is good news, I? Am responsible for the FOOD TABLE for after the race!!!

on the mend...

My poor little Luke! Gosh darn that kid was sick! We did in fact make a trip to see a doctor because the mom's guilt was overtaking me...maybe it is something else, maybe he has something more serious, maybe I have no idea about what is going around right now and he needs drugs...paranoia. But a trooper...his little eyes were so tired yesterday and he would not lay down for a nap, scared he was going to miss something, I did the bad thing and gave him some night time cough syrup...in the middle of the afternoon...he slept for a solid 2 hours!! Felt 100% better and was so much happier and more himself. And FINALLY slept the entire night last night...and with no drugs, so all is well in our house again.

It was a gorgeous day yesterday. We spent the entire afternoon in the backyard playing soccer, golf, on the swing set, and I got our apple tree trimmed down so it no longer looks like it is having a nervous breakdown. Took me the majority of the afternoon. And just when you think you are getting fit, grab a saw, work away at some stubborn branches, climb up and down a step ladder in the sunshine. Worked some different muscles yesterday!

Also got out to my 5km monthly timed run. I soooo did not feel like going. I was very tired and just wanted to lay on the couch. Being up two nights in a row with sick child makes the next several days tough. But decided no matter, a run on an evening like this would be good even to just move the legs. It was plus 20 when I left the house!! Can't waste a night like that. There were so many people down by the river. Was great to see!! I went out way too fast for the first half...a couple of tri-ladies showed up and I thought for sure I could hang with them...not so!! They kicked me (and my ego) to the curb pretty darn quickly. Hung on for dear life for the last half...seriously, I checked my HR at one point and it was sneaking up to 180!! I have never ran that fast for so long in my life!! I even felt sick when I was done, and could not stop coughing or sneezing. But the good news I came in at 25:21!! WOW!!! A brand new 5km PR.

shit happens

I got a phone call last night from one of the local (super fast) tri-gals, wanting to know if I would like to join her for a bike ride Saturday morning!! I originally thought it was somebody playing a joke, cause I rarely get asked out for a bike ride...and certainly not by one of the strongest cyclists that always goes with the boys! Turns out, Shaun had to meet a customer early Saturday am and I would not have been able to meet her...dang!! I would have chatted her ear off with a million questions about biking stuff anyway. I made a plan to go maybe after lunch on my own for my inaugural 2009 bike ride.

Turns out, Luke was struck by croup last night. A really bad bout. He and I were up all night. I mean aaaaaalllll night. Hanging out, him coughing up a lung and me just holding him and rubbing his head and back. Poor thing. Croup is scary and both my kids have battled it but last night was a doozer. I was very close to taking him to the ER for the steroids but a few minutes on the front step with cooler air helped.

Needless to say, I did not get a bike ride in today. We were both exhausted. Just one of those days when you do what ya gotta do and put everything on hold...which includes the first ride outside of the year on a beautiful day...but I didn't really notice...

a good, good run!!

I caught this picture the other day...look how nice they are playing!! Quiet, together, sharing...it DOES happen now and again!

Got my run in today. What a good solid run! Felt really super strong...not swift or fast or light, but strong. Does that make any sense? I feel like my running has really improved over the past year and I am getting anxious to put it to the test. The workout was 3 x 10 minutes aiming for my pace for the half marathon. I have adjusted my time goal and was dead on for each of them. I even threw in a 4th just because it was a beautiful day and I was enjoying myself! It's not easy but I am getting used to knowing what that pace feels like. And I am feeling more confident I could hold it for 21km...maybe...let's hope...but I ain't leaving it to chance...so whatever the coach tells me to do, I will try my best to do it!

Supposed to be PLUS 18 tommorrow...positive 18...that is almost like a summer's day! Almost. But certainly warm enough to ride my bike outside. Coach Justin tells me to get 2-3 hours in on my bike...okay...my longest ride EVER before the half ironman last year was 3 hours...and I only did that twice before the race...AND I have a family that I want to see this weekend...so I would be pleased with 2. It IS only April...lots of time to get those miles in before August...right? And I don't think my butt could take 3 hours on my bike right now.