It's been about a week since I posted and today was a rest day so I have no excuse not to enter a new post.
Yesterday's run was a killer. Well, just the first half. It was all hills, well really just too big ones. I didn't know that when I mapped out the course online, I was including the two biggest hills in Decorah. The run began with a nice steep "warm up" up President's hill. It did occur to me the instant after I completed mapping the course that I'd be running up the hill. However, I kept it in because I remembered it was hard, but that I could do it. Yeah, I forgot just how long and steep it was. I definitely was waaay more than "warmed up" barely just one mile into a 7 mile run. About a mile or so later I got to the other big hill of the day - the Quarry hill. This time however I was at the top and not at the bottom. A downhill is usually easier than an uphill but not when its a loose gravel road - because of the dump truck from the quarry - super twisty, and easily over a mile long. It was a bit nuts. Eventually I did get back down to the flatland and back into Decorah where I finished off the run on the river trail and around by the campgrounds. All in all, it wasn't a bad run - especially when the hills were over. I felt great with 3 miles to go and under, and finished with a final time 61.19 - 8.46 min per mile.
I did finally get a training plan together for the Nordic Fest run. I basically just entered my stats into a program on runnersworld.com and boom - a training plan. It only has me running 4 days a week and the 'easy run' pace is waay slow so I'm changing things a bit, making things harder, so that can only be a good thing right? If I don't get a good race time I'll at least have a good base to start my marathon training. Which reminds me I really need to register for that...
Besides just a training plan, I've also enforced a stricter diet upon myself. I've cut out desserts of all kinds. My sweets now consist of fruit and yogurt. I've also cut out fried foods, breaded foods, and oily/fatty meats. Don't worry however, I'm not cutting out beer - although I haven't been drinking as much lately. I'll still have plenty of reviews though!
This last week I decided that after I get done with this next marathon, I'm going to train for triathlons. However, I can't swim worth a damn, but I decided I'd take a step to change that. I got myself a pair of goggles (after a couple tries) and then went to the public pool during lap swim. To make a the story short I learned that just because you can run a marathon and bike a century, that doesn't automatically make you a decent swimmer. Hell, it doesn't even mean that you can swim across a 25 yard pool. I'm sure I made a made one hell of a sight only swimming halfway acroos the pool and standing up gasping for air because I can't get my breathing right. Since I should be getting a bike back soon, I think I'm just going to wait until the school's pool reopens when school starts to start swim training again, basically so I don't have to pay $3 everytime I swim - or do whatever you call the the thing that I did in the water.
Speaking about the bike - I hoped to get it back this last weekend, but when I stopped in the shop it wasn't quite done. The new frame has a wider seat tube so the front derailleur clamp that I had was too small, so the shop called Masi to send the right size. So more waiting... However there is some really great news. The new frame is not only a frame model from this current year but its also the next model up. This frame - a Gran Criterium instead of my old Gran Corsa - has carbon seatstays like the other frame but it also has carbon chainstays too, not to mention a larger, and thus stiffer, bottom bracket area. Oh, and the best thing - its white! And its somehow even a better looking white too! So there's some good news mixed with some bad, but I should get a bike back soon.
One last thing. In many conversations I've had over the last week, I've been asked what my motivation or reason for cycling, running, swimming, etc.; or why it is I'm such a crazy endurance freak. Basically I've come up with this: You're not really living unless you find what limits you can take your body and then how far you can stretch them. In a nutshell, the day is not complete unless I test my body - unless I run, bike, whatever.
Well thats all for now. It's time for bed, plus I've just finished the beer I was drinking while writing this. Until next time...
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