Rev3 Triathlon- Recap

I just now realized that I never posted about my race on here... I've posted other places, but I want to share my journey with those of you who haven't read it here!

This is a super long entry/email, but please stick with me- If you don’t want to read the entire recap, just know that it was a great race with some road bumps.  Thank you to all who supported me financially and those who supported me through prayer.  Both were very much needed and very much cherished.  Now, if you want to read the whole “recap” see below…

Race weekend has come and gone.  Unbelievable!  On Saturday morning, Stacey, Allyson and I drove out to Knoxville.  Once we got out there, I headed to the expo and got checked in- picked up my packet, timing chip etc.  I then met up with Andy and the Knoxville team, and we went out for a short bike ride (to make sure that everything was working).  After that, we met up with Coach and then Andy and I jumped in the river for a practice swim (I guess to make sure our arms were working..) ha!  It was about 400m I think- waters were choppy, but it was a great temp.  After our practice swim, we had lunch with the Knoxville and Atlanta team and then headed to the hotel.  That night, we had an inspiration dinner.  This was an absolutely amazing time.  Anthony honored the coaches and mentors, he then recognized those of us who raised at least $1,000 over the minimum commitment (I was part of that group), and then he recognized the top 5 fundraisers for this season.  Surprisingly, I was one of those people!  I was SHOCKED when he called my name- I was the #5 fundraiser, and Andy was #2!!! So 2/5 top fundraisers were from Nashville!  GO US!  We also got to hear from a survivor who had first hand benefited from the funds of TNT.  I cried a lot that night. 

Then it was time for bed because I had an EARLY morning.

4AM- race morning

I woke up and went downstairs to get my oatmeal ready.  While down there I actually ran into one of the female pros who was competing also.  She was soo nice and super encouraging to me as well.  I then headed back up to my room to have my quiet time with the Lord and pray over my day.  I so cherished that time as it set the stage for the day.  I prayed for myself, Andy and Bridgette.  After spending time with the Lord, I started getting ready.  Already, at 5am, I was getting emotional as I put on the full Team In Training race jersey.  I could feel the weight of the day as I put on that jersey- even though I had been training all along, there was something different about putting on the jersey.  I got all “tatted” up and headed out to meet Andy and Coach.  We headed down to transition and I started setting up my area.  We took a lot of pictures, laughed, messed around some, but then the nerves started to hit.  I realized that I was getting closer and closer to jumping in the water and that meant I was getting closer to having this event being over.  Time to walk down to the swim start.  Coach, Andy, Cary and I walked down there- the entire time I was wishing I had my headphones with me so I could “get in my zone” but I didn’t, so I settled with singing worship in my head as we walked.  Just before we jumped in the water, I was able to pray with Bridgette, who was super nervous since this was her first tri, and that was a sweet moment. 

 

Swim-

I felt really strong going into the swim.  I had 2 goals for myself for the swim- 1. Swim the entire thing- don’t hold onto the kayaks and 2. Finish the swim in 30 min.  I successfully did #1- thanks to my training and my swim time was 32 minutes.  SUPER HAPPY with that.  About 400m away from the finish my calf started cramping but I was able to push though and finish up.  They pulled me onto the deck and I took off for transition.  I was able to see Coach, Allyson and Stacey, which was soo helpful!  T1 was slower than I would have liked, but that’s ok because I had to take my wetsuit off, put my knee brace on etc. 

Bike-

I went into the bike with a small cramp in my calf still, but overall feeling strong still.  This was supposed to be the strongest part of my event.  Once I got out of transition, I was able to find my pace and “relax” some.  I had 24 miles of open road ahead of me- tons of time to pray and enjoy it!  The first half of the ride went well.  I came up on the first hill, and had to get off my bike to walk.  This was unexpected because I didn’t have to walk it when we rode the course a month ago, so I was disappointed about that, but once I got to the top, I jumped back on my bike and enjoyed the downhill.  I recovered, played cat and mouse with a couple other cyclists and got to the turnaround.  Then I came up to the mountain- I knew I was going to walk this part (per coach’s orders) and I made it up in about 10 minutes.  I jumped back on my bike at the top and enjoyed the fun switchback downhill.  This downhill immediately went into another climb.  About half way up that climb, the unthinkable happened.  BOTH of my quads not only cramped up, but they seized up on me.  My muscles contracted so much, I couldn’t even pedal, so I jumped off my bike and tried to walk- couldn’t do that either!!!  The pain brought me to my knees.  I immediately started praying and massaging my legs.  I was so scared. This has never happened to me before and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.  This was the first time in my entire journey that I actually had the thought- “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to finish” and that, of course, was absolutely disheartening.  I cried a lot.  I asked a few people if they had salt, and no one did.  While on the ground, a shag car came by and asked if I needed medical attention.  I knew that if I said yes and received help then I would get a DNF (did not finish), which in my book wasn’t an option.  When he asked me if I needed help, I said no.  I made the determination that I was going to finish this race… after about 5 minutes, and after receiving some Gatorade and Gu from a fellow TEAMmate, I was able to get back on my bike and finish out the ride.  It wasn’t pretty, but I did it.  My goal for the bike portion was 1:20, and I ended up completing it in 1:50

Run-

I came out of T2 in pain.  My quads were still super tight, but manageable.  As I came out of T2, coach met me and ran with me.  We talked through the ride a little bit, and then my quads seized up on me again!  Practically took me to my knees again.  At this point we started asking EVERYONE if they had salt.  Finally, someone did and was generous enough to give me some. 

Coach telling me to "SLOW DOWN" (my pace was too fast)

 I ended up walking the entire first mile.  Once I reached the mile marker, my legs were feeling better, and so I decided to start jogging.  I determined that I would jog until my body wouldn’t let me anymore.  1 mile… 2 miles… 3 miles… 4 miles… WHAT?!  I was able to go 4 miles without stopping!  At about mile 4.5 my quads started hurting again, so I stopped and stretched and walked a bit, took a little more salt and then started running again.  This was soo unexpected because I had not trained for running at all (due to my torn meniscus).  I ended up only walking about 1.5 miles of the 6.2 – that was totally the Lord’s strength because I was hurting, and hurting bad!  Coach met me about ¼ mile away from the finish line and ran the rest of it with me.  As soon as I turned the corner and saw her standing there, I immediately started choking and tearing up-because I was hurting, but also because I realized I was actually going to finish this thing!!  This has been such an emotional journey for me, and I intentionally didn’t allow myself to cry at points but when I saw my coach, I was undone.  She asked me how I was doing, and I was honest when I told her I was hurting.  I had to walk a minute, but I realized how close I was that I had to dig deep and push a little more.   Allyson jumped in for a brief minute, but then met me at the finish.  We saw the last bend in the chute and coach said: “you know what you have to do right?”  “Yep coach- sprint”.  We reached the last bend and I took off… I had NOTHING LEFT, but I knew I had to finish strong:  I had to dig deep to find the strength but I did it. 

Once through the finish line, I collapsed in my coach’s arms and just cried. 

I DID IT!  It meant so much to me for coach to run that last portion with me and cross the finish with me.  We started this journey together back in November with a 2 mile run,  and since then, our relationship has deepened and we have invested so much into each other (and our team) that it was the PERFECT ending to my journey.  Along with coach being there, Andy was waiting for me at the finish line too.  Andy is an incredible man with an incredible heart.  He has been such an encouragement to me through the months of training, and it was great to hug him and for us to say “WE DID IT!” together!!! 

One thing I noticed on both the bike and run was that there is a certain respect that comes from putting on that purple Team in Training jersey.  As I was out on the course, every single time I saw someone in the TNT jersey, we both either shouted or barely got it out: “GO TEAM” (it depended on our physical state at the time).  And, even those who weren’t part of TEAM would shout out “Go TEAM” as we passed by.  Everybody knew that we weren’t out there for ourselves, but that we were out there for those who couldn’t be.  We were there for those who are currently fighting, those who have won their battles and those who have lost their battles with cancer.  I was so encouraged and again, I shed a tear every time!  (again, it was a very emotional day).  I was truly part of something bigger than myself. 

I went into this journey unsure if I could do it.  Scared to death about the fundraising.  I started this journey looking for a way to join a team and be part of something bigger than myself.  I started this journey looking for a new way to push myself to the limit.  I did.  I know that I made Caleb and his family proud.  I made my coach proud.  I made my family proud.  I made myself proud. 

I had expectations of what TEAM was going to be like, and while it wasn’t a large team, like Caleb’s in San Diego, my little team was PERFECT.  We started with 5, but 3 of us crossed the line, but I was most excited about Andy and I finishing.  We started this together, trained for 5 months together, and finished together- even with both of our laundry list of injuries… I made friends that I will cherish forever.  It was an absolutely amazing experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything!   I’m going to miss seeing Andy and coach every week (well twice a week), but I know that we have established a friendship that isn’t going away.  Andy is taking a little time off and then training for a half, so I know he will be riding, and I’m sure coach and I will go out and ride with him sometime. 

Through all the training, Christ met me when I was weak- He met me when I felt strong- He did the same thing during the event itself.  He made me a strong person, but my strength only goes so far.  HE IS STRONGER and HIS strength shone bright through my race.  Again, I would not trade this experience for anything. 

2 days later I had knee surgery.  My dr. was amazing and let me finish out what I had started.  I'm now in the process of rehab, and am planning on doing one more triathlon this season... in San Diego with my family present!  

Unless it's used as a double negative, remove CAN'T from your vocabulary

When it comes to athletics, I've never really used the word "can't"... or so I thought.. it wasn't until I started training for this triathlon that I realized I actually use this word a lot.  "I can't run... I can't run that far.. I can't pedal that fast... I can't swim THAT FAR or LONG!  can't.. can't.. can't...

This was until yesterday.  

Let's back up a couple days.  On Monday, my coach gave us a pretty difficult swim workout.  I wasn't able to finish it, which was frustrating, but come to find out it was just in prep for Wednesday's workout.  On Tuesday, she emailed the team what our workout on Wednesday was going to be.

swim for 60 min straight-no stopping. no water. nothing but swimming.  She wanted to see our fitness level in the water, and just see how far we could go without stopping.  If we stopped, we had to start counting laps all over again. The very first thing I thought was: "I CAN'T DO THAT!!! DO YOU REALLY KNOW HOW LONG 60 MINUTES IS?!  YOU CRAZY COACH!!!"  

There it is again, that word CAN'T... it's such a hinderance.  Over the next day (leading up to this dreaded swim), I was talking with different people about how I could keep swimming for 60 min... I came up with a plan.. swim freestyle as long as I could, and then instead of stopping, I would start doing backstroke, or breast stroke, or doggypaddle.. anything to keep moving.

So, enter Wednesday morning- My alarm went off at it's normal 4:30am time, and after my normal 30 min "wake up period" (once out of bed)- I was still exhausted and starting to get discouraged.  I started thinking: "man, I can't do this 60 min swim, I can barely keep my eyes open!".

Philippians 4:13 says: "I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  I relied on this  truth a lot that morning.  

I was the first one in the pool (which is always super cold) and off I took.. I swam and swam and swam.  I knew there was no way I could keep track of all my laps in my mind by just counting, so I used a tip that coach gave me.. I used the alphabet.  So it was like: "A-25, A-50, A-75, A-100, B-25, B-50, B-75, B-100, etc."  I found that this was a very helpful way to keep track of my laps.  As I swam, I started to think... I might actually be able to do this!  slow and steady was my pace.

By the time I got to "R" in my counting, I started to feel it some... Started feeling tired, my arms started feeling heavy, but also at this point, I started thinking... I HAVE TO GET TO Z!!  I can't NOT get to Z!  

I got to the end of X (leaving only 200y left until finishing the alphabet) and my coach called time.  I was now determined not to quite so close to the finish of my newly set personal goal, so I asked her if I could finish and she said yes.  

People.. If I had given into can't, I would have missed out on accomplishing something I've never done before.  I would have missed out on swimming 2600y (1.47mi) in about 60 minutes.  I would have missed out on the amazing sense of accomplishment and "I can conquer the world" feeling I feel.  I would have missed out on impressing my coach and making her proud. So many things I would have missed out on, had I given into the can't I was feeling, instead of the "I can't NOT" feeling (remeber, double negative makes a positive).  I couldn't wipe the giant smile I had off my face all day, and even as I think about it now, I still smile.  :) 

So my question to you is this: What are you potentially missing out on by keeping can't in your vocabulary?  Whatever it is you are facing, may I suggest that you change your mindset to "I can't NOT" do ________________________!? Challenge yourself, push yourself, and you won't regret it!

I'm sidelined from running for 2 weeks... but I'm still training!

A couple of weeks ago, my knee started hurting.  I had surgery on it in Dec. 2011, and finished therapy in spring of '12.  My knee HAS NOT HURT since then (thanks be to God!)  I did both my tris last summer with no knee pain.  So, you can imagine that when my knee started hurting once I reached mile 4 in my training, I was NOT HAPPY, and honestly, a little scared.  I waited a couple of weeks before mentioning it to my coach, and spent that time stretching, foam rolling and doing some old PT exercises (that I could remember)... and after 2 weeks, I finally texted my coach.  This was part of the conversation we had:

                                                                       

(Even though we have only been working together for about a month, she knows what I need to hear, and how I need to hear it~ for that I am thankful.  After this conversation with Coach, I actually had this thought run through my head: "when a professional athlete gets injured- no matter how "big" or "small" he/she ALWAYS goes and gets it checked out...why? because if it is bad, they want to get it taken care of, and if it isn't bad, they don't want it to get bad..."  Now, don't get me wrong- i'm not saying I'm a professional athlete... TRUST ME, I'M NOT (and my bank account proves that)... but for me, it was a little switch, that combined with my coach's statement, flipped my stubbornness off and made me call...

So, I went to the Dr. today to get my knee checked out.  He said a couple of things that it "could be" but he really isn't too worried about those things at this point, and he mainly said: "I think your knee just isn't happy with you."  Basically it is inflamed, and every time I run, it flares up.  Therefore, he has sidelined me from running for the next 2 weeks.  On week 3, i can start running again, but building back up to where I was.  I'm ok with this because I still get to swim and bike.  He told me to "go to town" with those things so i can keep my cardio up! I'll go back to see him at the end of 3 weeks, and I'm believing and praying that my knee will be completely healed.  

I'm going to leave you with this clip from one of my favorite movies: Zoolander... As I was driving home this evening, this clip popped into my head and it is a perfect description of how I feelt right now regarding running... When I could run, I never wanted to (honestly, that did start to chaange recently), but now that I can't (for a short time) I want to!!!  Anyways, I thought it was funny... and those who know me, know that I consistently have movie reels playing in my head.... 

Just because you're gone, doesn't mean you get to stop training

sometimes people think that just because you go on vacation, or on a work trip, that you have a "no-training pass"... this is not true (unless it's your scheduled DAY off... like mine is tomorrow)!  Just like when you are at home, you must MAKE time to exercise or train.  I had to do some rearranging because I was supposed to ride my bike on 2 days while I'm gone, but I couldn't take my bike with me to Florida and Texas (even thought I would have loved to)... So, I basically just switched my "run" and "ride" days.  I can run anywhere... today, I REALLY enjoyed my run... I got to run in Florida at the beach!!!  My pace was a little slower than I did with my coach last week, but I was taking in the scenery of the 4 miles I ran!

Piece of Humble Pie? Why Not...

Throughout my life, when it comes to athletics, I've been pretty quick to pick up new skills... Not saying I have them perfected right away, but I at least pick up the gist of them... Today while in the pool, Coach introduced us to a new way of kicking; it's called the "2-beat kick".  This is supposed to be extremely helpful for our tri.  WHY?  By utilizing the 2-beat kick, you save a bunch of energy, and you save your legs for the other 2/3 of the race (cycling and running).  The basic idea is that instead of "flutter kicking", or kicking however you want, with the 2-beat kick, you only kick when your hand enters the water... oh, and it's supposed to be opposite hand/leg... I tried so hard to get it down.. really, I did, but something just didn't click.  I was getting very frustrated because I couldn't figure it out!  Towards the end of my workout, I started being able to slow my kick down, but I was stuck on same arm/same leg... not opposite (thank you basketball).  This is not a normal feeling for me.  I mean, it wasn't even pretty... I'm not going to let this get me down, or stop me, but I am going to allow it to DRIVE ME... I'm going to work my "tail" off to get this down... I want to perform my race to the best of my ability, using the energy I have, most effectively, and mastering the 2-beat kick(or at least figuring it out)... I'll keep you updated.

Here's to swimming!

Preparing to ride in the COLD!!!!!

Tomorrow, my TEAMmate Amy and I are joining the cycling team in helping to "bike marshal" the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K race.  While everyone is running, we are going to ride and basically be "aid" to the runners if needed... The race is donating $50 to each of us towards our fundraising goal as a thank-you... 

If you would like to donate towards ending blood cancers, click here: pages.teamintraining.org/tn/knoxtri14/tristacee  

God is so faithful, and He care about the small details of our life!

(I'm just going to apologize for the long post, now... but please, read to the end... It's a good one, I promise.) ;)

                          

The past week and a half has been a breakthrough time for me.  2 days in particular... I had to leave my comfort zone (running inside on a treadmill) Let me explain:

Monday, Feb. 3 was not my best swim... I was off.. I'm not sure why, but my body was not doing what I wanted it to do.. breathing was off, stroke was off, I was sinking!  After texting my coach for some guidence and encouragement on Tuesday, I took to the pool again on Wednesday morning (breakthrough day one).  There was temptation to allow the poor swim of Monday to linger, but instead of doing that, I pressed into the Lord.  I prayed, asked the Lord to help me, and HE DID!  (no surprise there)  It was like something in my mind had shifted~ i felt like my stroke was right on, my breathing was WAY BETTER, I wasn't sinking (which is always good in a pool)... I left that pool feeling like I could conquer the WORLD!  Thursday, I rode my bike, and then Saturday we had another session with Todd!  This was probably the hardest session we have had, but it was soo good!  It was a great opportunity to make a choice... give into my mind and body thought were it's limitations, or I could push through... I chose to push through, and it was well worth it.  

Then came Saturday night... I'm not 100% sure why I texted Coach the question I did, becuse I already knew what she was going to answer (the text was about my comfort zone and how I needed to leave that, but part of her answer, I didn't expect.  She offered to meet me in Brentwood (about half way between our homes) and run with me on Sunday!  I immediately said 'YES!!!!' Then, I almost just as quickly started wondering why in the world I said yes?!  She was going to make me run... and run a lot.. So Sunday rolled around (breakthrough day 2), I went to church, lunch, errands, then headed up to meet with Coach.  As I was driving up, I had multiple conversations: 1 with a friend, 1 with my aunt and the most important one was with God.... I NEEDED THIS RUN TO GO WELL... As you all know, I've said for quite a while that 'running was my weakest event' or 'i'm no good at running'.  It was time to break that down!  I needed to change my mindset and the words that I spoke over myself!  The Lord had been showing me that over the week, and then my coach told me on our run: "You need to start saying that you CAN do this and stop saying the negative things."  So we ran... and ran... and ran... (ok, we actually walked some too, which was really helpful.  We ran for 4 minutes, walked 1 (and repeat))...  at the end of my run, I found out that we actually did 4 miles in 46 minutes and I ran at my fastest pace ever!!  WAHOO!!!  As I ran, I was talking with Coach, but I was also talking with the Lord.  The Bible says that "His strength is made perfect in our weakness."  This was shown during this run... Yes, I was doing the physical run, but emotionally, it was the power of the Holy Spirit that was getting me through... That was gently encouraging me to put one foot in front of the other and not give up.  After we got done running, my hips and the top of my foot started hurting.. We had another text conversation about this, and it was determined that I needed to get new shoes...

Oh great... I know I need new shoes, but I serious had NO IDEA HOW I WAS GOING TO PAY FOR THEM!!!!  I have ZERO EXTRA MONEY, and honestly, new shoes was not in the budget.... So, what do I do?  I pray, and pray hard!  This is where some people might think I'm crazy.. praying for shoes?  It seems so little, or vain, or ??  But I'm a firm believer that God cares not only about the BIG things in our lives, but He deeply cares about the small details of our lives too... So I prayed and trusted that the Lord would provide shoes for me somehow.

On Monday night, I posted this to our private "Tri-team" facebook page:   Stacee Strickland I'm no planning on completely following in your footsteps, but I too am taking tomorrow off of running... Yesterday's GREAT run has left me super sore, and I'm having some pretty intense tenderness on the top of my feet... Coach and I have determined that it is because my shoes are old and laces tied to tight... so, I'm going to give riding a try, but ice, ice, ICE!!! Looking forward to the pool Wednesday am!

Then i went to bed... I woke up to this private message from one of my teammates:    I read your post about you shoes. You have to have good shoes - especially while training. And this cannot wait. Come to Brentwood Fleet Feet at your earliest opportunity and I will buy you a pair. Seriously. If you keep running in those shoes, you will injure yourself and we can't have that. Let me know when you can meet me there.

Um.. seriously?  Did I read that right?  YES I DID!!!!  Oh my word! God totally just gave me shoes by the generosity of my teammate!  And let me just point out that our team has only really been together for about 6 weeks... So, I met up with my teammate today and we got myself new shoes!  I NEVER ONCE MENTIONED how I couldn't afford to get new shoes (prior to that message from my teammate)... GOD CARES ABOUT THE DETAILS IN OUR LIVES!  HOW COOL IS GOD?!??!?!?!?  He cares about the big issue of my finances, and then He also cares about the small detail of me needing new running shoes, and sends my teammate to buy them for me.  I had no idea how the Lord was going to come through on this one, but He absolutely did, and I am SOO greatful!  I now can't wait to get out and run with my new shoes.  They are lightweight, yet supportive, and they are an awesome bright yellow!  Here's a picture!  

    

It was soo worth me leaving my comfort zone this week, in at least 2 of the 3 sports.  It was scary, but it was way easier with the partnership of my coach and my team.  I absolutely LOVE training with TEAM, and my TEAM in particular.  I'll be honest in that it doesn't look exactly as I thought it was going to, but it is exactly what it needs to be! 

Another day at Endeavor

Running Vlog

It's no secret that running isn't my strong suit... I don't like it... but I want that to change!  I want to enjoy running and I want to do it well!  Here is a v-log (it's a little longer than the last one) but I did it while I was running... so sorry for the noise of the treadmill.  I know it's not super "interesting" but I am committed to bringing you guys along on the journey.. and this is part of my journey!

Coaching is amazing

Today we had our first swim GT.  It was a great time up in Nashville, and it was great for me to have a coach there.  I have never had a coach to help me through training.  Even though it's only been a week, I am learning so much already!  There's just something about having someone watch you that does 2 things; and with those 2 things, you have a choice to make.  

The first thing it does, is make you question everything you are doing:  2nd guessing yourself, etc.   Now here's the thing... getting in the water (or on the bike, or running) with someone who is better than you can be a little intimating, but it provides you with an opportunity to push through and improve! Even though I can feel a little self concious about my stroke, or whatever, I love working out with people that are more advanced than I am because it pushes me to do better, work harder.  

The second thing it does is give you a perspective other than your own.  Coaches have a view where they can see all aspects of how you swim (or bike, or run)-  and they can instruct you on how to improve.  I NEED THAT!   

When we receive instruction, we have a choice- we can either turn our cheek and not take it, keep pushing through the same way we always have, and thus not become the best athlete we can... OR we can take the instruction to heart and work on it.  Figure out how to implement it into our workout regiment.  That is how we improve.  That is how we become better.  I had a lot  to work on today, and I have not perfected it (or even gotten close) but I now know what I have to work on, and I will!  I know that as I improve these areas in my swim, it will make me a stronger swimmer and ultimately a better triathlete!  

Proverbs 4:13 says: "Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life."  

Throughout my training, I choose to hold onto the instruction I receive from my coach.  I may not know how to implement it right away, and I may not "perfect it" or even catch on right away, but I will work at it, and I know I will benefit!

Do you receive instruction and coaching well?  If not, it might be something to consider because it will help you not only become a better athlete, but it will help you become a better person!

On the dusty trail... Pixie Dust, that is!

**this post was written out last week but not published**


Hellloooooooooo Glisteners!!

I know. I know. It's been a while. We don't have very good excuses. In fact, we don't really have ANY excuses. We just flat out didn't post. Bad Bloggers! 

2014 New Years Resolution: 

Have more of a presense online! 

Here we goooooooooo! (Off to Neverland!) 

As I compose this, I'm getting ready for a fantastic weekend at my most favorite place in the (small) world!! If you haven't picked up on my not so subtle hints... I'm going to Disneyland!!! 

This weekend is the Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend!

I'm signed up for not only the Half Marathon on Sunday, but I also registered for a 10K the day before! Craziness, I know! But I'm excited!

I'll have a full blog post up for you to recap the weekend but if anyone is interested in running a RunDisney race, check out their schedule of events at www.rundisney.com  I'll be participating in the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge this coming fall at the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend.

Till then, keep on Glistening!

 

Just a little training update!

Wow, who didn't finish the year out well with blogging?  US!!!  SOOOO SORRY!!!  
While we have been horrible bloggers, we both (Annie and I ) have been doing and are getting ready to do some really neat things!  Annie just got done with a 10K and half marathon (which she is going to post about soon) and I am training for my next triathlon !!!  This time I'm training with Team In Training:  it's a great organization to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I'm so honored to be a part of this team!  

This weekend was the official launch weekend for the tri team!  It has been GREAT!!!  On Saturday, we had our first group training (GT) and Endeavor Cycling.  This is one cool place!  I've been talking about "cadence training" for a long time- or at least thinking about it- but this past Saturday was the first time I actually did it.  I noticed such a difference in my training effort!  Knowing my cadence is so helpful because I feel like it strengthens my training session.  We rode indoors for about 45 minutes, but I was SWEATING FOR SURE!!!  On Sunday, I went for a swim at our local pool.  My day had not gone the best, and I wasn't in the best of moods, and to be honest, I didn't want to go swim.... But when I was having those thoughts, I immediately started thinking about why I signed up for TNT.  I signed up to be a part of something that is bigger than me.  The thought that got me through the beginning of my swim was: "Strickland, you don't really want to do this, but do you think that cancer patients really want to go through another round of chemo, or really want to go through another spinal tap?  NO!!!!  GET YOUR BUTT IN THAT POOL!  DO SOMETHING YOU DON'T REALLY WANT TO DO!  It's not about you!!!!"  Yes, I pep-talk to myself in the 3rd person... :)  Once I got in the pool and started swimming, all my problems "floated" away.  Everything that had been on my mind vanished, and I just swam... 35 laps... Today I went for my first run since Sept.  I was nervous about it, and although i didn't get to do the entire 30 minutes that was required of me today, I did get a mile in... I ended up running that mile in 12 minutes, which I was soooo surprised at (and pretty impressed with myself since I hadn't run since Sept.).  

Through all this, I realized even more, how excited I am to train with TEAM.  Even though I can barely make it through the workouts right now, I know that in 5 months when it is time for my Tri, I'll be able to do these distances with no problem!