Inspired by the Impossible...

Today, is another personal best in half-marathon #5 in state #5.  I wasn't aiming for a personal best since I'm in endurance training for 140.6 miles.  In fact, I didn't really set a goal except that I knew I wanted to finish under 2 hours.  After all, we can't reach a personal best at every race.  Each course is different from hills to flats to the way the miles are marked.  This course there was a LONG, uphill but a glorious downhill to the finish.  And the miles were definitely off (according to my Garmin). Despite my struggle with GI complications on this trip (what's new) and the return of the annoying IT band (where the hip flexor attaches at the knee) at mile 7 (before the uphill battle at 298 feet in elevation!!), I still managed to finish 2 minutes faster than my last half-marathon on a flat course in Disney World!  Also, it was pretty amazing to get medaled by one of the soldiers at the finish line! Needless to say, I'm super stoked and w...

A common theme I hear among triathletes is the importance of nutrition.  It’s a weakness in all of us whether we’re athletes or not.  Did you know that you can burn 6,500-7,000 calories during a 10-11 hour Ironman?  So what’s the worry about what to eat and who would have thought the most critical piece to training and race day performance is what we feed our body?  Joe Friel, author of the Triathlete’s Training Bible points out that nutrition can make or break us in our performance on race day.  Let me translate, poor nutrition planning = do not finish (DNF).  If you could imagine training hard and long for months and all of a sudden on race day (and it really does happen) your GI says, “sorry, I don’t like what you just fed me so you’re not allowed to finish your race.”  Eeek, right?  Needless to say, my focus is not only gaining bike strength but really studying what I should be eating and drinking before, during and after training ...

Tomorrow will be 6 months until the BIG day!  This past week (10 of 36), I couldn’t help but think this is much like prepping or building up excitement for the wedding day! I was certainly not one who constantly dreamt of my wedding day.  All I knew was I wanted to have it on my grandparents’ farm.  So location wasn’t a big stress factor in the planning process.  Actually, I’ll have to admit, it took a LOT of prep work – cleaning up the farm, clearing out brush piles, leveling out the ground, growing grass, chopping down trees, and my grandparents fixing up their house!  When I was planning the wedding, I remember all the time and effort I put into making the day very special and sentimental.  It was as though the work I was putting into it was creating the excitement and making me anxious for the BIG day!  I’m noticing a similar pattern as I prepare for my first Ironman. I’m pretty sure the end result of planning a ...

Have you ever watched a reality show like the Bachelor, Housewives, or a man’s version of drama…Axe Men and felt your heart rate just skipping around?  I’m pretty sure this week my heart rate and brain waves would have sketched a nice blue print for a roller coaster ride!  And who would expect to see drama at the pool?! I think I mentioned before the pool is my escape from the outside garbage.  I find the swishing of water and counting my strokes pretty calming and peaceful, but this week, my heart rate was all over the place.  The past few weeks I have started a new routine or rather trying to develop a habit…a good one.  Instead of sleeping in last minute and thinking about my workout plan during the day while at school or lab, I decided it’s time to beat the rush!  Plus, I was missing out on spending time with my husband, cooking (whenever I feel the confidence to do so), and simply relaxing.  My schedule was literally the same every...