Still in The Rut

But worrying less about it. Since I determined I dont have a goal race anymore, and my training is all for nothing, it kinda got a little easier.  I really do need goals for advancement but for the moment I am just going to still aim for 4 runs a week and add more biking and Lord I should add some swimming as well or I wont be able to even consider a triathlon. LOL I might switch to Duathlon since the swimming is the suckiest part ;)

After the hockey tournament last weekend Ive put away my skates for a bit.  I do have some summer hockey coming up but Im taking a break :) I need to think about other things like swimming and biking and Ball Hockey started this week.  On to other things!
 

very important OTHER things :) Good times!



 The weather has been improving with some nice warmer weather. Since we are SO not used to it, its a little tough on all of us lol but no worries it hasnt been so hot at any point that I actually didnt want to run. Or anything. 


Maggie feels its a little warm. :)

Tuesday I must have gone for a late run because that is what my log says. Maybe that is the night Toni and I ran in the rain?  And part way up the Soul Sucking Hill we called Scott for a pick up. I was tired that night.

So Wednesday I did nothing. It rained all day and was cold and sad and despite this Annika went to soccer tryouts and I stayed home and didnt do anything.  :)

Thursday I worked kinda late-ish and then while waiting to pick Holly up from track practice I went for a run around town and on the trail. It was only 8 km but it felt like forever. I did some pick ups/Fartleks (although there was nothing fun about that) and maybe added a little speed. It was harder and less organized without the Garmin because I was on roads and trails and didnt speed up for a particular distance or time, I just picked up the pace to a hard pace for a determined space (to the bridge, to the funny looking tree).  The distances were pretty variable and I cant tell from my log when I sped up and when I slowed down (hoped I could). But I felt like I had increased the effort so I call it intervals. 8 km 49:30 minutes.

Friday I did not do anything lol until it was Ball Hockey time. I actually tried really hard to have a nap but I didnt even manage that.  I was tired and sluggish, felt a lot "off" and wondered if I was getting sick.  Ball hockey went ok, I didnt put a tonne of effort in because the other team had few players and we won 6-1 without a tonne of effort ;) I backed way off and we still scored many goals.  Still feeling pretty crappy.

And in the morning I was going to my first "race" of 2013! Not that it was a really big one, or had any glory...it was a local fun Spring Fling Freestyle Run at the park!  The intent of this run was not to run as fast as you can and beat everyone; we had to predict our finish time, and then, wearing no timing devices, attempt to get this time. I know my pace pretty well so I was able to make a prediction that did NOT have me killing myself to attain it, and then ran that. We started in a staggered start, with the person who predicted the slowest time over 6 km starting first, and then counting down to the next slowest time, and then into the 4 km racers, then the 2 km races. With the staggered start, if we had all picked our paces correctly, we would have finished together.  Which we didnt do LOL. 

It was SOOOOOOO freaking cold. I would say closer to freezing than NOT. And we went early (Holly and Annika and I) to help out, so we were actually there for quite a long time before we ran.  It was sad that it was SO cold at the end of April.  But the company was good.

I signed the kids up for a 2 km run. Annika never has raced so I had no idea how she would do on 2 km.  She did super well.  I gave her 20 minutes to do it, which was rediculous but really I had no idea how much she would walk, and how much she would actually run, left to herself.  She finished in around 15 minutes ;) I was very wrong. and she loved it.

Holly was a little easier to guess, based on her times from last year's races, we guessed she could do the run in 15 minutes. And she did it in 13.  It was much flatter and easier than her cross country runs.



Try not to look so COLD!

 I guessed I could do 6 km in 35:02.  It was a pace that was pushing below 6 mins a km, but not going to be too hard, considering I felt sick the night before and I had a long run Sunday planned.  The run was 3 laps of a 2 km course around the park. I HATE laps, I may have mentioned before.  First lap was ok, I could see the chick in front of me, and the fellow behind me. I was supposed to catch the lady in front, but race mentality sets in, and she ran faster, and the guy behind me? Ran a little slower than he expected. So we never met up. I ran a steady pace at about 80% perceived effort, and finished in 34:36 minutes. So I was 26 seconds off my expected pace. I was third, as a fellow who guessed his 4 km time and was off by 4 seconds (first race luck) won and the guy behind me was 19 seconds slower than he expected.  Some pretty close times! 

Truro Triathlon Club Executive

It took us hours to thaw out once we got home.  I managed to clean up a flower bed before collapsing into bed :)

Sunday was long run day and after Scott took Taylor to Drama I left to meet Toni and I ran her home before continuing on through town and back home for 20.31 km.  The weather was nice and I dressed far too hot (result of freeezing the day before? I love NS).  I rolled up my tights and sent a shirt home with Toni and then a couple of times I was cold lol but mostly I was much more comfortable in a tShirt and fashionable capris lol. 
this wasnt a bad run.  I didnt feel as crappy as I sometimes have, and I didnt feel an urge to call for a ride until about 12 miles, when it's uphill all the rest of the way home. I didnt make that call, I ran right to the driveway.  So a better run.  Nice weather helps.  I ate my last chunk of Cliff Bar at about 7 miles, and had the Energenix drink along but didnt drink so much of it.  Likely should have drank more because I was pretty thirsty when I was home and had eaten. 

After a little rest I spent the rest of the day cleaning the yard; DOGS are a messy lot over the winter, and a lot of leaves/flower beds needed some attention.  We raked for hours, spent a little time looking at birds and searching for woodpeckers, and searching for pussy willows (didnt find any; too late by now I suspect). 

Monday was a crap day.  less than 3 weeks ago Scott lost his grandfather. Monday his grandmother followed her husband.  The family has a lot to cope with.  No run was to be had. I kind of forgot about everything; I had a meeting I missed, forgot a soccer game. It was terrible!  All these things came back to me this morning.

Im in my 4rth to last day of work for this school year.  I will finish on Friday.  Then it's all about the kids and whatever athletics I can stick in there!  Soccer has already started for 2 of the kids.  Annika has her team for U12 competative soccer, and Holly has tryouts this week.  Fun!

Its all good. Im going to run today despite being super sore.