I DID IT!

:) See my run!

Inadequate Street Cred

My first 5K was a blast! And I placed 2nd for my age group! What does this mean? It means that I earned a plaque! The 1st place 30- 34 female came in at 20:44... Might be a stretch for me to work on that pace but I will focus on reducing my 7:22 to a 7:00-7:10ish pace. I feel the lure of these short races... I'm told that the fact I was able to run another 5 miles after this 5K means that I can push much harder. These "sprint" races (I use the word "sprint" lightly as it is impossible for me to actually "sprint" 3 miles) are intriguing because having trained only for distances of half marathon or better, I have NO idea what i'm physiologically capable of... And this is the pinnacle of what feeds my competitive spirit: what is it that I am capable of.....

Stay tuned....

xoxo
Tyler

High hopes for first 5K race

Signed up for my first 5K on August 27th. I'm hoping to come in under 22:30 so I called my friend Joe since he's good at running fast. My first sprint/track workout leaves me still sore and heavy legged after 2 days... But I think it was good for me. My lungs have never burned that much in my life. It is obvious track runners are completely different beasts than distance runners. But it was fun and I look forward to my next workout. I may get 2 more lung burners in before the race and I'm hoping that will be enough to condition me for my 3.1 mile "sprint".
In other news I will be doing my first century ride on August 20th. I'm hoping a climb in elevation tomorrow at Lake Tahoe will prepare me for next Saturday. Lake Tahoe, sun, beach.................

Happy Donut Friday
xoxo

It's been awhile....

But I'm here. And I think I'd like to start blogging again. Or, as luck would have it, I just have enough time to blog at the moment.

My San Diego Rock n Roll marathon finish was 4:05:16. I'm planning on breaking 4:00 at CIM this year. My summer has thus far consisted of Ragnar Wasatch Back in Utah, which was so much fun I put together a group for Napa Valley. Team "I need more Cowbell" will be making their debut this September 2011 and we got a fever. 190+ plus miles with 11 other stinky sweaty people is more fun than you would think! It must be all the endorphins!

In other news i've been dancing in my pedals a lot lately. It's doing wonders for my physique and at first I thought that cutting running down and adding cycling would just not feel right. I attribute this to my true love of pounding the pavement. It took a few weeks to get used to but i'm thoroughly enjoying my rides from work and the occasional long ride on the weekend. And I no longer think of myself as cheating on my running shoes... "It's just a little break, I promise I'm still fond of you...And no, my Garneau's don't make me feel the same way you do..." I'm ready for my 100 miles in September and look forward to perhaps a ride further down the coast.....?

xoxo

Back on track, sort of

My foot pain was due to a sprained ankle. I was grieving for the first week or so until I realized that cycling can help fuel the fire within. I took almost 2 weeks off before I ran again. It was fine until I pushed 13 miles and stressed out my ankle again... This puts a wrench in my training for SD Rock n Roll... I really liked this plan too so I will use it for CIM to finish off 2011. Until my ankle heals completely I'll cycle and run short distances... not desirable but I'm confident that if I can just keep up my endurance I'm capable of completing SD at least under my CIM time of 4:44.

On another note, last weekend I was on a ride from Sonoma to San Rafael. I kicked bicycle ass and enjoyed the day thoroughly... good friends, good weather and butter and eggs day flourished. I think I will appreciate taking a break from running after the Ragnar Wasatch Back to focus dancing in my pedals.

Until next time...

xoxo

Today I have foot pain

And I'm not happy about it.

Storm Running

I just felt compelled to mention after running in the storm/rain yesterday that nature is actually quite peaceful in the thick of it. We tend to look out the window or drive in our cars with the rain smashing against the windshield and think that this terrible weather is a mess. Maybe it was because I was doing intervals so the sound of my breathing and heart thumping were chaotic compared to that of the rain hitting the cement. But I enjoyed it and urge fair weather runners to give it a try. Running in a storm is far more interesting than running on a treadmill.

Tyler xoxo

This is also something I would like to try....

Pirates Cove - First Trail Run

My thighs were built for trails.

March 19th brought a rainy day for my first trail run at Pirates Cove in Sausalito. Trails will see me again. This is yet another thing that I must conquer.... I'm not sure if its the workout or the getting dirty that I like better.

I'd like to post pictures but I don't know how to.

On another note, my Grandmother's potato chip cookies are to die for. I'm getting the recipe and I'll post on here... Just so the poor saps who read this will have something delicious to take from it.

I'm on Week 6 of 16 for my break 4:00 regimen. Legs are feeling excellent with little fatigue and I'm still doing spin 2 days a week, weights 3 days and other recreational activities.... The trigger point I was forced to do last night helped get out any knots in quads left over from the trail run.

That is all. For now.

Tyler xoxo

New to blogging

I'm new to the blogging thing. I'm embarking on a journey of breaking 4:00 and maybe if I blog about it, it will further my dedication.
I'm on my 5th week of my second marathon training. Last week I was infected with the plague and although I encountered a minor setback in training, I PR'd at the Shamrock half marathon so overall i'm feeling pretty confident.
I hope anyone who can view this will find it helpful and/or amusing. I'll try my best to keep it entertaining and suggestions are encouraged!
xoxo
Tyler