Birds of a feather...

I work with a few different coaches as it takes a village to raise this child! Two of three coaches posted this on their Facebook profiles within days of each other.

As much as endurance training is an individual activity, having friends who understand why you are going to bed early, why you aren't going out drinking, why you need to nap in the middle of the afternoon (that might just be me after a long ride), etc; is very helpful.

When I first started running I posted each and every run on Facebook. It was new, exciting, life altering. But when running became my norm, I stopped. I figured posting about a run (unless there was something unique about it) on Facebook was like posting I ate lunch. It's just something I do.

This is supposed to be funny to all my friends who do post their workouts on FB!!!!
(I will have to see if my friend count drops after I publish this blog.)

My friend Bex introduced me to DailyMile. What's great about DailyMile is no one there makes a comment like, "I'm tired just reading about your run." or "I don't even like to drive that far." And when I have doubts about my ability to complete a new event or distance, no one says "You are smart for having doubts about doing, (insert event here). That is crazy." For me, it is my happy place to post when things go right and when things go wrong. You can see my posts or add me as a friends on DailyMile if you choose.

Don't mistake my intentions of this blog, my non-endurance friends have been incredibly supportive of my new (is new the right word since I've been running for almost 3 years now?) lifestyle. Truth be told, without their help, I wouldn't have won the Training Peaks contest and I wouldn't be training for IMFL. I think, hope, it is because I encourage anyone who want to get started but don't make them feel less for thinking I'm crazy. I still post about workouts on Facebook when a new milestone is hit or I look particularly rough after it. I just don't post each one. This is my personal decision, but I think it helps me get support when I need it.

I love and cherish all my friends for what they bring to my life. Those that will run, bike, and swim with me as well as my friends who are just as happy to not do any of those things with me are just as important.

I'm rambling. I think I need food. You know, cause everyone eats every 2-3 hours just like an infant!

P.S. I LOVE reading your comments either here or on Facebook.

6 months...what!?!....

Six months from Thursday I will be standing on the beach in Panama City, FL waiting to enter the water. Six months from Thursday I will swim 2.5 miles (I plan on not swimming straight), bike 112 miles (I pray I don't get lost on this part) and run/jog/hobble/ walk/crawl 26.5 (again, I doubt I'll be moving on tangents) all in the hopes of hearing "Shawna you are an IRONMAN!"

It's going to be a long six months. And, it is going to fly by.



Obligatory selfie.

Yesterday I did my first 'long ride'. It was 56 miles. I had company for the first 25 miles which was nice then I was on my own. I was told to take my time, focus on cadence and just get it done. If I couldn't get it done, just go as far as I could. My longest ride before this one had been about 33 miles! We rode out on the Silver Comet about 21 miles and then took a short break. We refilled water bottles, took a selfie, and got going again back in the direction of the cars. Oh my, the restart hurt.




I got back to my car around mile 42 and refilled my water bottles. I had lots of thoughts of not going back out. After all, my workout said, "do what you can :) I want 56 but understand if you cant get it all in." I secretly love when Coach gives me an out. I love to prove him wrong. When he says: I doubt you'll do the whole thing and that's okay....no it isn't!

Leaving from the car I only needed to go out 7 miles, turn around, and come back.

Around mile 3 (mile 45 in sum) I decided I was done. But I would do one more mile. Then I'm going to turn around. But I'm going to just do one more mile. You get the idea. I made it out 7. I got off my bike. Sent Coach a text that said, "I hate you." He reminded me I have to ride twice as far in 6 months. I told him I can do math.

I thought about leaving my bike here, but then I decided walking 7 miles would suck too.

Every.Stroke.Hurt. Something is going on with my hip and I don't like it.

Spoke with coach after the ride. He told me I did great. Pulling myself through the end of the ride on my own is what race day is about. He also explained that we are in the building process. 3 weeks build then 1 week recover.

I would say from the looks of it, this is another build week!

Non training related event from this weekend include finding a dining room table at a garage sale and falling asleep getting my hair cut. I told someone last night if I sit still I fall asleep. I was not joking!

 

Here's to the harsh realization that IMFL (Ironman Florida for those of you new around here) is going to be here sooner rather than later.



Dopey is as Dopey does....

Coach has placed me on a race embargo until after IMFL (Ironman Florida) in November. BUT he said nothing about after. Lo and behold on a bit of a whim and a bit of 'why the hell not' I registered for the Dopey Challenge for the second year in a row.

For those of you who don't know, the runDisney Dopey Challenge begins on a Thursday and goes through Sunday with one race a day: 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon. The hardest part of this event last year was waking up before the roosters!

I'm not a die hard Disney fan. I did tell my niece when she is older if she wants to run the Princess Half, I will run with her. I did not flock for the Coast to Coast medal or the newest Avengers race or the Tower of Terror 10 miler. There is just something about this series. The disappointing part is my Running Husband is not going to be there this year and the T-shirt Guy is only running the half with his son. However, Coach said he'd run the half with me!  For what it's worth: Registration is actually $560 with Active.com's fees and sold out in THREE HOURS! That is $11.52 a mile. Why did I do the math?

Medals from 2014

My current race schedule: Augusta 70.3 Sept 2014, Florida 140.6 November 2014, Dopey Challenge 2015. I wish I wasn't such an under achiever!

Thou shalt not blog while emotional....

I just highlighted and deleted almost every word I pounded out on Wednesday. It felt good to write it, but as clearer heads prevailed, I knew it would do no good to publish.

Just incase you missed it, Captain Wonderful decided he wasn't feeling it on Wednesday. Some details should stay private and my mother reads this blog (Hi Mom!!!) and you know....Moms. In a nutshell after talking for a month and dating for another month, he decided to take the high road and disappear until I texted him 3 days after our last contact. He then made me aware of his current position via text.


or text....

I post on Facebook: Once again, completely and undeniably single. — feeling meh. My friends swarm. Some throw platitudes my way: His loss. The right one will come along. Stop looking. Some think they are funny (Hi KB!). My bother is a realist and reminds me that I may never meet Mr. Right. One friend rightfully pointed out it was Passover (but I haven't eaten anything forbidden yet!)

The nicest thing a friend posted was:

Your life is not defined by solely one man showing up rather by the friends, family and company you keep. You may check "single" on the marital status box but that certainly doesn't describe you. (JB)

She is right. I am surrounded by family and friends who love me. I am single. I am not alone nor lonely. Coach reminded me today that he puts up with me. I reminded him I pay him.

I spent most of Wednesday tearing or fighting back tears, and then I put on my big girl running shoes and kicked out an awesome run this morning with my Running Husband.

So for me it is back to my old stand-by: training. I'm not sure what y'all find more interesting, my inability to date or my training.

For those saying training: you should know that Wednesday morning (before I got kicked to the curb) I dropped over 30 seconds from my 1.2 mile pool swim!

I'm also trying to sort out what races to sign up for after IMFL. Dopey opens up next week and it is so very tempting but it is cost prohibitive and 3 days off work. Then there is the Space Coast Marathon with an awesome Challenger commemorative medal and a bunch of friends running it but is it too close to IMFL?

For those of you who find my inability to date just as intriguing as my training, GOOD NEWS! Coach has decided to add a 4th dimension to my IM training. It will now be:



 

He says I'm getting dating workouts now. I wonder what that icon will look like on TrainingPeaks?

Blast from the past....

Today I was sitting at work minding my own business. Who am I kidding? I was sitting at work stalking all of you on Facebook, Twitter, DailyMile, etc...when I received a friend request from a guy who bullied the hell out of me in middle school.

I know this is shocking, but I was quite the dork in middle school. Thankfully I have no pictures readily available, but it wasn't pretty. This guy and his friend made my bus ride to and from school a living hell. I had gum put in my hair. His friend threatened to cut me with a knife he allegedly had. The bus driver used to let me off the bus half a block ahead so I could get home before them. At one point, my mother made my brother meet me at the bus stop. My dad would drive me to school.

I remember all of this vividly. And since I make my blog posts public, he may find out as well. But I didn't want him to know this, right away anyway.

 

 

A friend suggested that maybe he had grown up and wanted to apologize. I guess not. All I really want to know is: Was the rumor about him being arrested for a drive by at the local TGIFridays while I was away at college true?

 

 

 

Feel free to share your bullying story.....

 

It's almost Passover.....

I wrote this note on my Facebook page many years ago.....I've edited it to be more current.

I may not fast on Yom Kippur, but I keep Passover....(What this means, keeping Passover)

Passover 1994:

Oh how I miss this place.

I have a collegiate lacrosse game on the first day of Passover. There is a whole lot of discussion as to whether I'd be allowed to play or not. I'm allowed to play. Mom says we will just start Passover on the 2nd night, G-d will understand. For the first night we (Mom, Dad & I) go to the Old Mill Crab House in Delmar. The Crab House where nothing is kosher any day of the week much less kosher for Passover. 


In the 90s we wore A LOT of gear!

The next morning I am geared up and on the field warming up in a COMPLETE deluge.  Coaches convince the officials to let us play (the other team was from out of state).  Five minutes into the game, umpires say "no more, it isn't safe." Driving home, Dad gets a speeding ticket.



Passover 2001:
I meet a friend in Ft. Lauderdale for our spring breaks. We were both teachers. We are staying with my relatives so we did the first night sedar with them. The next day we go to the beach. Completely starving, we leave the beach after a few hours and grab lunch, 2 bites in, it dawns on me that I'm sitting in Subway.

The next morning, I woke up with sun poisoning (this would be the first and only time) and had to go on steroids. Physician's orders: STAY OUT OF THE SUN! The entire week we were there it was in the low 80s, slight ocean breeze, in other words: PERFECT BEACH WEATHER!

Passover 2009:
In January of 2009 I officially, finally and for the last time ended things with my insignificant other and I went on a cruise after doing first night's sedar with Mom, Dad et al. I truly believed that G-d would get that I was exercising my freedom. While I wasn't giving up bread, I was stepping out of my comfort zone. I was traveling on my own and I was not going to see him.  The original plan was to spend the night half way home, but I decided to drive straight through. This got me home about 12 hours earlier than planned. I opened my door and hear my dishwasher clicking and smell that bad electrical smell. My dishwasher had been stuck on a heat cycle for a week. The bottom of my dishwasher looked melted; the plates were too hot to handle. G-d didn't burn down my house which was very nice of him, but I did need to buy a new dishwasher.

Passover 2013:
On April 1, the second to last day of Passover...my condo building had a fire rendering it unlivable. I lost about 75% of my belongings. On day 2 of Passover I slipped and ate cookie dough ice cream. Went right back on the wagon...coincidence? IDK....

As an aside...OMG, this is blog post #13....Praying for an uneventful Passover 2014.

Just call me Martha....

"Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. " Author Unknown

It is no secret I'm single nor is it a secret I date. I've dated all different kinds of guys, even ones who weren't my type. The thought was that if my type wasn't working for me I should try something else. They don't work out either. I finally found one who IS my type: educated, employed, athletic, articulate, and mighty fine looking (just saying). However this week I spent too much time worrying that something was wrong with us. We spoke tonight and it turns out he had a crappy week. It wasn't me, it was him. Just call me Martha.

Most of this worrying I know stems from self esteem issues. I crassly call it "former fat girl" issues. Remember when I said I don't see in the mirror what you see what you look at me?

Ironically at the peak of a temper tantrum I stumbled across this coaching session on Facebook from Tyrese Gibson. I don't know who Tyrese Gibson is, but I'm thankful my friend Chris posted it today.

Maybe I just need to start playing this on repeat during my bike rides:

 

And maybe I need to apply the same determination and stubbornness to my relationships as I do to my training.