As expected, Sunday turned out to be a rather hot day. When we left for church, it was already fairly warm and it was humid. Not a good sign. I had planned on doing a brick workout today (doing a bike ride followed by a run to simulate the triathlon), but because of the heat, did it backwards. As soon as we got home from church, I took off for a 6.2 mile run. I wanted to get that done before the afternoon really warmed up. I can tolerate heat much better on a bike because I can get a good breeze. When I got back from the run I was drenched with sweat. I really wanted to hop in the shower to cool off, but I knew if I did I would never get the bike ride in. So, I got my bike gear and took off on the bike. I ended up going 13.18 miles. I need to find a decent (and safe) place to get in some longer miles. It's not easy to get more than 15 in riding around the neighborhood. Anyway, I was glad I got them both in and didn't feel guilty last night as I sat down to watch tv for the evening.
Today was my swim day. I got in 2,000 meters which is my normal distance for a swim day. I think there is something going on with the pool, however, as after swimming last Wednesday and today I have developed a horrible cough. Last Wednesday it just lasted for the evening, so I hope that it will be gone tomorrow.
It's been raining here today and the forecast calls for rain most of the week. It looks like I may be getting on the stationary bike for some more bike miles this week. We'll see.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
San Francisco Here I Come
Well, I am officially signed up for the summer season with Team in Training. I will be training through the nice hot Texas summer for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco on October 21st. I am training in honor of my brother-in-law, Stacey; Georgie in Kentucky; and little Hailey from the preschool at my church. The kick off for our event will be May 17th and our first group practice will be May 19th. I'm excited about this event as my friend did it last year and said it is lots of fun. It is San Francisco, so the course is sure to be hilly, but it will be worth it. If you would like me to add someone to my list of "heroes", leave me a comment and I'll write their name on my shirt for the race. If you'd like to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, you can visit my fundraising site at www.active.com/donate/tnt/ctx/runbrianarun.
Last week and this weekend have been really busy so far, so I haven't gotten to run as much as I normally do, and I haven't gotten on my bike since last Thursday. I'm hoping that tomorrow's weather will be nice enough to get outside and train. Today was beautiful if you just wanted to be outside, but very hot and muggy if you wanted to run. I know it will only get worse as summer approaches, but since soccer is still going on, I used that as my excuse today. No excuses tomorrow.
I also emailed the race director for the Longhorn 1/2 Iron triathlon I am thinking of doing. I know the full Ironman races have cutoff times and I wanted to know if the half-iron mans (HIM) have them as well. He assured me that they want ALL participants to finish the race and that I will have 8.5 hours after the last swim wave to finish the bike and run. That means 8.5 hours to ride 56 miles and run 13.1. I'm pretty sure I can do that, so it looks like I'll be hitting the "register" button soon.
Until next time.....
Last week and this weekend have been really busy so far, so I haven't gotten to run as much as I normally do, and I haven't gotten on my bike since last Thursday. I'm hoping that tomorrow's weather will be nice enough to get outside and train. Today was beautiful if you just wanted to be outside, but very hot and muggy if you wanted to run. I know it will only get worse as summer approaches, but since soccer is still going on, I used that as my excuse today. No excuses tomorrow.
I also emailed the race director for the Longhorn 1/2 Iron triathlon I am thinking of doing. I know the full Ironman races have cutoff times and I wanted to know if the half-iron mans (HIM) have them as well. He assured me that they want ALL participants to finish the race and that I will have 8.5 hours after the last swim wave to finish the bike and run. That means 8.5 hours to ride 56 miles and run 13.1. I'm pretty sure I can do that, so it looks like I'll be hitting the "register" button soon.
Until next time.....
Monday, April 23, 2007
Relay for Life and My Next TNT Event
Friday night was our local Relay for Life. My son had an early soccer game Saturday morning, so just my daughter and I went. We got there early because I wanted to be there in time for the survivor lap. That is always an emotional thing for me and this year was no different. A little four year old girl from the preschool at my church was diagnosed with leukemia just before she turned four. The preschool teachers and moms put together a team in her honor. Little Hailey loves ladybugs, so they all wore headbands with ladybug antenna on the top. It was neat to look around the track and see all the antenna bouncing along. We weren't planning on staying long, but we ended up staying through the luminary ceremony.
I don't know Hailey very well, but she is one of those kids that just makes you smile when you see her. She is such a happy, loving little girl and it just breaks my heart that she has to go through chemo. I asked her mom Friday night if Hailey could be my honored hero for my next Team in Training (TNT) event and her mom said that was fine. You see, every TNT participant has an honored hero that they train for. It can be a personal hero, or it can be the hero for the local chapter. I've always had personal heroes. I think my first season I had about 30 or 40. And I wrote ALL of their names on my shirt. Of course, there are several that are always my heroes - my brother-in-law, my father-in-law, and several kids who give me inspiration. This time, when I run the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco on October 21st, Hailey's name will be on my jersey and when I think I can't take another step, I'll think of her and what she's been through.
I don't know Hailey very well, but she is one of those kids that just makes you smile when you see her. She is such a happy, loving little girl and it just breaks my heart that she has to go through chemo. I asked her mom Friday night if Hailey could be my honored hero for my next Team in Training (TNT) event and her mom said that was fine. You see, every TNT participant has an honored hero that they train for. It can be a personal hero, or it can be the hero for the local chapter. I've always had personal heroes. I think my first season I had about 30 or 40. And I wrote ALL of their names on my shirt. Of course, there are several that are always my heroes - my brother-in-law, my father-in-law, and several kids who give me inspiration. This time, when I run the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco on October 21st, Hailey's name will be on my jersey and when I think I can't take another step, I'll think of her and what she's been through.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Why I Do What I Do
Those of you that know me know that I am very involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. In past seasons, I would email training updates to a long list of people. To simplify things, I decided to create this blog so that anyone who is interested can check out my training progress. For those of you who don't know me, let me give you some background information and bring you up to speed.
In September of 1999, we lost a very dear friend to breast cancer. That November, I signed up to run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in her memory. This was the beginning of my running career. I had fun during that race and decided that it would be an annual event. I really didn't run a lot and didn't do any other races at first.
In 2003, my nephew lost a friend at age 4 to leukemia, my brother-in-law was diagnosed with lymphoma, and my father-in-law passed away from lung cancer. 2003 was not a good year. In 2004, a co-worker of mine handed me a piece of paper that would set things in motion for me. She had joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program and was raising money for them while they trained her for a marathon. I had always had a small dream in the back of my mind of running a marathon but never thought it possible. I asked her lots of questions about the program and the next season attended an information session. In the spring of 2005, I signed up for my first season with Team in Training (TNT). I raised almost $4,000 and traveled to San Diego in June to run my first marathon at the Rock 'n Roll marathon. Not only did I complete my first marathon, but I got to meet a leukemia survivor who I had been following on-line for a while, and I got to meet the grandmother of another leukemia survivor I had been following on-line. The pain I experienced during that marathon (and the days after) was nothing compared to what cancer patients go through. The feeling I had after that marathon was a wonderful feeling, and I was hooked.
That fall, I became a mentor for TNT. One of my friends who I met through TNT was also a mentor and we decided to head out to Orlando for the Disney marathon. So in January 2006 we ran Disney and then in February we ran the Freescale Austin marathon. I signed up again during the spring season to fundraise, but this time I trained for an Olympic distance triathlon. I had done a sprint triathlon right after my San Diego marathon and was ready to try a longer distance. Once again, I had a ton of fun.
2007 has brought new goals and new challenges. In January, I once again returned to Disney, but this time my running buddy and I decided to tackle the Goofy challenge and do a half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday. My parents had decided to do the Disney half as their first half marathon, so we stayed with them during the race on Saturday. Sunday's race was a challenge after doing the half on Saturday, but the crowds of people cheering as you ran past them kept me going. People always say I'm goofy for doing marathons, and on that Sunday I truly was GOOFY! February brought the AT&T Austin marathon with its new course and new hills. And once it was over, I jumped right back into triathlon training. Coming up on the schedule for the rest of the year so far: Danskin Triathlon, our hometown triathlon, and the Race for the Cure. I'm still thinking about doing the CapTexTri Olympic distance and am seriously considering the Longhorn Triathlon 1/2 Ironman distance. I'll also be signing up with TNT again and will be training for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco which will be this October.
As I train for these events, I'll keep you posted. This will also serve as an unofficial traning log as well, so that in the future I can look back and see what worked and what didn't.
In September of 1999, we lost a very dear friend to breast cancer. That November, I signed up to run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in her memory. This was the beginning of my running career. I had fun during that race and decided that it would be an annual event. I really didn't run a lot and didn't do any other races at first.
In 2003, my nephew lost a friend at age 4 to leukemia, my brother-in-law was diagnosed with lymphoma, and my father-in-law passed away from lung cancer. 2003 was not a good year. In 2004, a co-worker of mine handed me a piece of paper that would set things in motion for me. She had joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program and was raising money for them while they trained her for a marathon. I had always had a small dream in the back of my mind of running a marathon but never thought it possible. I asked her lots of questions about the program and the next season attended an information session. In the spring of 2005, I signed up for my first season with Team in Training (TNT). I raised almost $4,000 and traveled to San Diego in June to run my first marathon at the Rock 'n Roll marathon. Not only did I complete my first marathon, but I got to meet a leukemia survivor who I had been following on-line for a while, and I got to meet the grandmother of another leukemia survivor I had been following on-line. The pain I experienced during that marathon (and the days after) was nothing compared to what cancer patients go through. The feeling I had after that marathon was a wonderful feeling, and I was hooked.
That fall, I became a mentor for TNT. One of my friends who I met through TNT was also a mentor and we decided to head out to Orlando for the Disney marathon. So in January 2006 we ran Disney and then in February we ran the Freescale Austin marathon. I signed up again during the spring season to fundraise, but this time I trained for an Olympic distance triathlon. I had done a sprint triathlon right after my San Diego marathon and was ready to try a longer distance. Once again, I had a ton of fun.
2007 has brought new goals and new challenges. In January, I once again returned to Disney, but this time my running buddy and I decided to tackle the Goofy challenge and do a half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday. My parents had decided to do the Disney half as their first half marathon, so we stayed with them during the race on Saturday. Sunday's race was a challenge after doing the half on Saturday, but the crowds of people cheering as you ran past them kept me going. People always say I'm goofy for doing marathons, and on that Sunday I truly was GOOFY! February brought the AT&T Austin marathon with its new course and new hills. And once it was over, I jumped right back into triathlon training. Coming up on the schedule for the rest of the year so far: Danskin Triathlon, our hometown triathlon, and the Race for the Cure. I'm still thinking about doing the CapTexTri Olympic distance and am seriously considering the Longhorn Triathlon 1/2 Ironman distance. I'll also be signing up with TNT again and will be training for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco which will be this October.
As I train for these events, I'll keep you posted. This will also serve as an unofficial traning log as well, so that in the future I can look back and see what worked and what didn't.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Just Getting Started
I've been thinking about creating a blog for a while, and I've finally decided to take the step and do it. This blog will be mostly about my training adventures as I train for marathons and triathlons. I've got to run for now, but I'll be back later with some background information.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
