This morning, while I sit here with my coffee and bleary eyes, I am determined to write out this blog post on which I've ruminated for weeks. It seems the only time I have to "draft" anything is when I'm covering road or trail miles. Some of my more brilliant thoughts are lying on the trail between Peoria Road and I-225.
We are now 6 weeks into school and 2 weeks from the Rock and Roll Half Marathon here in Denver. (Think announce voice, here), Last time, on "Journey to Ironman," Heather is training for two events simultaneously. Will she successfully navigate the beginning of school AND two races?
Well, folks, the Boulder Sunset Triathlon didn't happen for me. I was prepared and excited for it, but single motherhood being the way it was, I chose to spend time with my son that day rather than try to find a babysitter. My training in this instance wasn't the issue. It was my assumptions about my circumstances that were. I thought I would have someone to watch Soren, but I was wrong. At the last minute on Labor Day weekend, there were no babysitters to be found. Confession time: I would rather have a root canal than call for childcare. Not that I dislike my sitters...I just despise making a bunch of phone calls. Anyway, long story short, I wound up having trained myself back into triathlon shape after dropping out of IMBoulder. It was just the kick start I needed to shrug that decision off once and for all and begin to look forward. In the end, I'm glad I didn't go. Although I missed out on cheering and supporting my awesome teammates (Dean, Ellen, Rose, Dan...and I'm sure I'm forgetting more, sorry!), I had the perfect day with the kiddo. Soren and I went to the zoo, took the dogs for a walk, and generally enjoyed a lazy summer day. Boulder Sunset next year maybe.
Not to beat a dead horse about the triathlon, but 2014 will pass without a triathlon finish. This is unsettling. However, by the end of this year, I will have logged (hopefully) a marathon and a half of race miles -- two events in the same series, which qualifies me for a little extra bling (more on that in a later post, I hope). Not bad.
So the whole thing about getting back to school...I love spending summers with Soren. I am so blessed to be home with him and go wherever the wind blows. Summer vacation and it's lack of structure is fun for a while. But after a few weeks, I need structure and routine. I think Soren needed it, too. We were both bouncing off the walls for school to start! It isn't that I needed to ship Soren off to first grade as much as I just needing a somewhat predictable schedule. I needed to know when I was going to get my runs in, and plan my days accordingly.
If you read one of my earlier posts, you will remember that I had a very hard time sending Soren to Kindergarten. Tears, cleaning, and too much TV marked the first 4 months of the school year...Soren was fine, though.
This year, however, I was ready for school. I had certain chores I would do on certain days to break up the boredom and keep myself busy. Obviously, so far so good, since I have only now gotten around to writing this. I also needed the structure so I knew when I could train! Fitting in a run or a bike ride was a challenge at the end of the summer. Once school started, I knew I'd have lots of time!
On my end, I am still training for the Half marathon. My goal is to finish with a personal best. I'm running 3-4 days a week, between 25 and 30 miles over the week. I'm also doing some light training on the bike and in the pool, which keeps me from getting bored. Along with the Train Like A Mother "Own It!" run plan, I'm following a triathlon off season regimen with an eye toward next summer. No decisions have been made about my "A" races, but I have a couple of ideas...let's just say Ironman Boulder is not one of them.
Soren is kicking butt in First Grade. So we've signed up for tennis, piano, Cub Scouts, swim, and run club. Do you think he's over committed? Actually, if that's all we had going on, that would be okay. But add to this church twice a week and my dive shop schedule, it's half a bite more than we can chew. I wouldn't say we ARE overcommitted, but I can see it from here.
All that being said, at least I know when we are supposed to be where. We have enough down time in the midst of all of this that we can stop long enough to breathe. I'm volunteering at school...something that is new to me, but when you hear the capacity you will not be surprised. Our school offers a "100 mile Club'" which promotes healthy lifestyles and activity in kids. Over the course of the school year, kids can accumulate miles and earn prizes along the way. If they reach 100 miles by the end of the year, they get a medal. Soren is, of course, participating, but I'm offering my time to help kids keep track of their miles. Please don't ask me to serve on the PTA, or be a room parent. It's not my strength. Let me help out with something that sparks my interest. So what I'm saying here, is that once I find my niche, I'll stick with it.
And of course here at the beginning of October, the weather is cooling off. This is my favorite run season. I don't have to beat the sun out of bed to get in a good run. The sun comes up, I get Soren to school, and by the time my feet hit the pavement the brisk air fuels my legs to work just a bit harder. Couple that with the last three months of speed training, and my runs are finished in record time.
So now I'm on my three week taper for Rock and Roll. I did my last double digit run yesterday in preparation for 13.1 miles on October 19th. Speed work is done for the most part, and starting on the 20th, I'm giving my legs a break from speed. In 2013, I finished my first half-marathon in 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 29 seconds. I am certain I can beat that this year, but by how much, I'll keep to myself...for now.
