Tri?

It has come to my attention that in all of the events I have registered for lately....NONE of them are triathlons. Ooops!

I will pick one soon...I promise. I just might not tell you about it until it's over!

I happened to notice yesterday in Wabatongushi Lake, Ontario Canada the high temperature was 3 degrees and the low was -17 degrees. Yes, that is a negative mark in front of the number seventeen. Crazy! I am so glad we were there in August and enjoyed this incredible scenery. I think I am much better on a jet ski than on ice skates!

Weekend Success

Operation Birthday was a success! We had a great dinner at Boi Na Braza - a Brazilian steakhouse right on Fountain Square. What man wouldn't love a place that serves you 15 different kind of meats? And we are looking forward to planning our weekend on the Bourbon Trail with Blake and Sarah!

The chocolate chip cookie dough truffles are super delish as well. Here are some pics of the process so you can salivate too!

Then roll them...

Dip and eat!

They were soooo good - it's a good thing I had a long run Saturday morning and hot yoga on Sunday. I met some new people at my run Saturday which was great, and ran with Kelly and Marvin again of course! I'm a little behind in my mileage from where I would like to be, but I'm trying not to build too fast so I don't have my foot stress injury issues again this year. I did feel it the last mile or so on Saturday, but it hasn't bothered me the rest of the weekend. Hopefully that is a good sign!

As of this weekend I am officially registered for the Derby Marathon on April 30, 2011. Jen, my friend from high school that I running it with, was awesome enough to do some research on hotels and book us one this past week. I am very excited (and very nervous) about running my first 26.2 in over a year. If nothing else, it will be a fun weekend with a great friend in an awesome city. And another state (for BOTH of us!) to cross off the list!

The Best Laid Plans...

Flexibility has been essential to training so far, you just never know what is going to happen!

Last night I arrived at the gym first, so I signed us in for spinning. However, by the time Sarah and I got to the class, all the bikes were taken. I'm not sure if I blame the gym for this...or its members. We found two ellipticals next to each other and hopped on. The good news is that we were able to chat while we worked out which would not have happened in the spin class. It was nice after a rough day to talk about everything - recipes, books, work and crafts (I still insist on thinking I'm crafty, although I know I am anything but!). Sometimes a good work out with a good friend beats ice cream and margaritas!

Yesterday Ben found out he has a stress fracture in his foot. This has derailed his goal and changed my training plan, but I am confident he will bounce back and hopefully still have enough time to train for the half. Stress injuries in my foot plagued me all last year, so I completely understand his pain and frustration.

I feel like I have been fractured from stress this week. I'm hoping this weekend and the birthday celebrations allow me to relax, unwind and feel rejuvenated for next week. I focused on breathing and clearing my head on my run today. My own style meditation - I think it helped!

Speaking of birthdays, I am off to wrap presents and make chocolate chip cookie dough truffles for the birthday boy! I hope he likes them!

Speed work

I had the cutest speed work partner ever last night! No offense to my Running Girls of course!

I mean, seriously, how cute is this face?

It was warm out so I decided to try Sid's new Gentle Leader that Marc got us for Christmas (in pink of course so I would want to use it more!). We had a few minor issues such as the flock of geese and running past the dog park, but her pace kept me moving!

We did 3/4 mile repeats in my neighborhood. They weren't very exciting, but I wanted to be able to drop her off at home if her feet started bleeding. She is my princess after all!

Once Sid realized we were running and not just running to the dog park she did pretty well. After we did several miles I took her to the park and she just kept on sprinting. I wish I had her endless energy and lung capacity.

Sid took a nice nap when we got home while I went to the grocery store, made homemade pizza for dinner and organized my coupons. I guess she deserved the nap with the extra sprints she did at the park after our run.

Today was a LONG day. I'd like to be going out for a margarita or sit on the couch and eat some ice cream...but I'm off to Spinning! This will be my first Spin class at my new-ish gym. The first class is always awkward, but luckily I am meeting Sarah there so we can be awkward together.

Last night was a BIG night in the Ellis-Crosby household. Marc and I are both officially signed up for our first MS 150 Pedal to the Point with Spinners for a Cure (more about that later!) and the Warrior Dash in June! I might be rubbing off on Marc finally!

TGIT

Thank Goodness It's Tuesday!

Monday was off to a rough start...but today has been much better! I can get out of bed without groaning and stand up straight right away! I also managed to make it to work without falling. My wrist and shoulder are just a tiny bit sore still. My cheek (and not the one on my face) seems to have taken the hardest hit and feels pretty bruised.

It's the little things...hopefully my case of the Mondays has passed!

Spring-like temps have returned (high of 35 today!) so I am ready to take full advantage of it and get a nice run in after work. Hopefully I'll beat the snow flurries!

Ouch!

I had been out of bed for at least 5 minutes yesterday morning when I realized I was walking slightly hunched over at the abdomen. I forced myself to stand up as straight as I could and sounded like an 80 year old woman getting out of a chair. My abs are so sore I can barely stand up straight. Having sore abs is a badge of honor for me. It's proof I worked out hard and proof I'm getting stronger. But I have NEVER been this sore.

Sunday is yoga day. Laying flat on my mat proved just as difficult as an inversion for me. The difficulty I was having made me laugh. Then my abs hurt worse. So I laughed even harder. I laughed really hard when my sister called in the middle of yoga (oops, forgot to put the phone on silent!) and she serenaded all 15 yogis with her fabulous rendition of You Are My Sunshine.

Today is going to be a rest day. I'm focusing on stretching my abs, sitting up nice and tall and drinking lots of water to ease the muscle soreness.

I was fitted for a bike this weekend and discovered that I will be able to take advantage of a fabulous deal on an awesome bike. Special thanks to my personal bike broker Andrea! I keep daydreaming about the bike. Now I am one step closer to registering for the MS 150 with Spinners for the Cure!

Somehow I managed to fall on the slippery snow this morning. I can run several miles on 5 inches of snow, but with accumulation at less than an inch I manage to fall while walking to the dumpster. The mark my body left in the snow made me giggle - and then my abs hurt again. It's a vicious cycle. Sidney did slip and almost fall which is very surprising since I believe she is part mountain goat. Maybe I can really blame this one on the snow and not my clumsy nature.

Here's to a day of rest!

Icicles

The negative 6 degree temp made for an interesting Saturday morning long run. I only did half the distance I was supposed to - for a few reasons, not just because of the weather - but I do believe that the severely cold temperature gives me a few extra bonus miles! The group I do my long runs with is great about making sure we have a nice clear route to run which was very important today after the 5 or so inches of snow that arrived Thursday and the ice and slush that have taken up residence on the roads and sidewalks.

We all laughed about how crazy we are...or stupid, depending on who you asked. In reality though, we we were all happy to be healthy enough to run. I ran with my friend Kelly today and her friend Marvin. I've run with Marvin several times - he is a talented endurance athlete and great mentor. 8 weeks ago tomorrow he fell 32 feet and landed on his chest. His injuries included 11 broken ribs, 7 punctures in one lung and 4 punctures in the other. Today was his 23rd straight day of running. This gave me something to focus on instead of the cold weather - I am lucky to be healthy, able to run, able to push my body and test its limits. And if Marvin could run for the 23rd straight day after his accident, why couldn't I?

We took pictures of the icicles on our eyelashes that were are reward for being lucky enough (and insane enough) to run this morning. We will be pulling these pictures out in July when it's 100 degrees and we are complaining about the heat!

Back inside we were greeted with hot chocolate, oatmeal, coffee, fruit and muffins. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this running group?! Such a nice treat after a hard run.

I was also lucky enough to have book club this morning. Champagne brunch with some very funny ladies made me forget that my fingers were still hurting from the cold a few hours earlier.

My hips are very tight from my workout with a trainer Friday evening. I'm hoping yoga tomorrow helps me recover from that workout as well as my cold long run this morning. Now it's time for a well deserved nap!

Stupid...Crazy...or Determined?

Sitting in the car on my way to our annual family trip outside of Pittsburgh, PA this weekend I read an article in Runner's World "Foul Weather Friend". This quote made me think back to my run on Tuesday "Misery may love company, but stupidity loves it even more".

Three to five inches of snow were predicted to fall throughout the day. By 4:30 when we usually run about 4 had fallen. We decided to go for it. It wasn't all that cold out and it seemed like an adventure! We set out on a route we thought would be fairly safe, although we knew none of the sidewalks would be cleared. We stepped onto the covered sidewalks and couldn't stop laughing at ourselves.

It felt was like running on a slippery Bosu ball the entire time. Every time my foot planted on the ground it slid one way or another. I could definitely feel it in my legs. It was a different type of running workout! Due to the slipping we cut it short and only did a little over 3 miles.

Last week I took some time off to try to refocus (weather, traveling and celebrating birthdays also had something to do with it!). Training has become quite the balancing act and I've been falling quite a bit. There are so many things to think about and I want to make sure I keep my priorities straight. Luckily I have amazing people in my life that understand and aren't afraid to say something when they see my priorities shifting in the wrong direction.

Chutzpah, Chutzpah, Chutzpah

Finding time to write a few times it week is proving almost as difficult as getting in the pool...

Wednesday morning at 5:15 I braved the pool for the first time. I was standing ankle deep on the steps to the pool when it hit me. I have to SWIM?!!! What was I thinking? I gave myself a few minutes long pep talk then my shivering body dove under the water. I got tired very quickly, but told myself "just keep swimming. just keep swimming. just keep swimming swimming swimming". It's amazing how different swimming is on your body compared to other cardio. The important thing is, I finished my first swim work out!

I read one of my favorite blogs - Mile Markers by Kristin Armstrong - on Thursday. I often feel like she is writing directly to me. Or maybe that is my stalker-ish tendencies talking because I adore her so much. The entire blog post spoke to me, but this quote has inspired my new mantra: "success is measured in the chutzpah of the try". I may not win races, I may come in last in the swim. But I have the chutzpah to try. When I'm feeling discouraged, or afraid of the swim, I repeat to myself "chutzpah, chutzpah, chutzpah"

Thursday night was another run night with BW. It had started snowing in the afternoon and was coming down pretty good by the time we got started. Strong winds and cold snowflakes greeted us on the first uphill stretch of our run. We had to keep looking down to keep the snow and wind out of our faces. Our fronts were white and our faces red. We felt good and decided to do a little bit longer of a run. This decision was rewarded with sleet. We couldn't help but laugh at ourselves. Overall it was a great run though.

My Sunday morning long run was 11 degrees outside, but sunny! We ran part of our run in a park that I have never run in after snow before. It was quite pretty and peaceful. We both felt strong and ended our run at a very quick pace and the last 100 meters we raced to the finish. It's been a long time since I've raced someone to the end of a training run. I used to do that all the time when I trained with the Spot. It feels good to finish strong. And fast.

Yoga this afternoon felt amazing after my long run. It was a nice change of pace to meditate while pushing my body in a completely different way. My yoga instructor is a truly amazing person and someone I really admire. It was good to be reunited with my yoga practice after a few month hiatus.

I hope to find more time to write throughout the week. This week has been a learning experience in balancing all the different aspects of my life.

Here it goes...

Yesterday was planning and organizing day and today was the first official training day. It was only a running day and I've been consistently running for several months, so it wasn't a big day physically, but mentally it was. Now it seems official - and more scary.

During my run, BW and I talked about how far we have come in the last five years. Thanksgiving Day 2005 I ran my first 10K - it was the farthest I had ever run up to that point. He has overcome much more than I have - smoking and a collapsed lung which resulted in half of it being removed. Now we are both healthy and fit - and dare I call myself an endurance athlete? At least an aspiring one...

I am not sure how this ritual started, but my junior year in high school I read The Little Engine That Could before every track meet. It was a great track year for me. Maybe the book boosted my confidence - or maybe it was my lucky socks I wore to every meet (yes, they were washed in between) - either way the book has very special meaning to me. My success that year made me extremely terrified of failure my senior year. Fear coupled with a concussion at the beginning of track season made me not run my senior year.

In 2011 I am looking fear in the face, remembering how far I have come and reciting my mantra "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can."