The title of my blog was the phrase of the day (although in reference to a very old crappy car) as my wonderful friends Tara & Carl picked me up to go to the St. Patty's Day 5km here in Vancouver, BC.
Rest assured, I won't linger on a boring race report. Here it is in short.
My improper haiku version:
I run fast.
I go boom.
I got passed.
I hung on.
Then Art passed me.
Finish line, thank god. I am a marathon runner.
I think I finished 9th or so, so who's really complaining? I was there to 'race' again. I have done a lot of training, a lot of 'work', but racing is another ART (no pun intended but I can tell I'm subconsciously suffering) altogether. I have some racing to get better at!!
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| you know who |
So, a rolling stone gathers no moss. I'm better of racing than not, and finally FINALLY I have something to give me that 'edge'. For me, in triathlon, as everything is still new, I'm thrilled each time I race. I'm always getting better because I'm on a huge learning curve. In running, I've been there for a while (at least a few years!) so when I get beaten I take it on. I don't necessarily take it personally, I just take it 'on'.
Now I've been meaning to sit down and write a blog but I'm finding I'm a bit for lack of time these days, so I didn't mean to write this after today's race, but there you go, I have some down time before moving on to the next workout, and barfing green scones in the pool might be frowned upon at the pool (but it is St. Pats...and the VAC has it's crazies) so I have some catch up time.
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| daymoonlight, mt washington |
Life has been great & full and BUSY. Now I know why I did so well last year - I had so much time. However, I'm bumping along with a pretty good routine and a new set of expectations and rules for how to handle the load thus far. I have been settling in to a bike fit for a triathlete (weird!), constantly smelling of chlorine and finding that dry hair is a luxury, so those must be good signs. I'm trying to keep my mouth shut when I show up for workouts and feel suboptimal. I am wrapping my head around this again.
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| mt washington |
My new found love of XC skiing has kept me going every few weekends, where I get to escape up into the mountains and away from the regular training routine and find a way to be totally refreshed and totally exhausted at the same time. And humbled, don't forget being humbled. By 60 year olds, no big deal.
While I had hoped that triathlon #1 for the year would be the California 70.3, airfare is pricey, and I'm no longer in a position to go into great debt for this sport. (I did that last year taking a 1 year pay-cut, that's enough). So, moving on & to one of the races I get more and more excited about the more I read about it and look at the course, is IM St. George in Utah this May. After racing a 5km today I couldn't be more excited to go back to the pace of a IM race (I'm no fool, I know what I'm good at), and St. George sounds tough & long - great!
To realize I was only 7 weeks out from an Ironman was a little scary, an early season race can kind of sneak up on you, and I've been a bit distracted going back to work and getting simple things done (like my Pig Pen laundry collection? Or the stacks of bottles that surround my trainer? or making a solid healthy meal?) But it's also exciting because it helps me understand why I'm training more intensely, or longer, or both.
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| me. most of the time. |
Also if all things bode well, I'll test out my 1/2 marathon speed at the BMO Sunshine Coast April Fool's Half Marathon, fittingly, on April 1st. Much more my comfort zone, or at least, more in line with what I've been training for. It's such a great race and is so well supported by the community that it's really hard to pass up the opportunity to do this race! If you've never done it, it's worth the trip, and I think it would be a great pre-cursor to anyone doing a marathon in May (which is to say, most of Vancouver).
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| vancouver. may. marathons. |
I also had my birthday last week and became one year older. Every time this happens I swear I hear more cracking and crunching in my body. Can't wait until I'm old like gold, that will be a treat! I also feel older and wiser though, so that comes as a bittersweet touch, as I think my wisdom may have prevented me from making the ever-referenced 'dying animal' noises I heard going up the hill at the end of the race. Next race, a little less wise, a little more "Hmmmmmarrrrfppppfthaaaaablappt".
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In GOTRIbal fashion, onwards & upwards!
