April is the cruelest month

Phew. What a month. I've just finished my last workout of April, a very slow and miserable 32km ride in 3 degree weather, complete with torrential downpour and high wind. I'm glad to be off my bike and back inside my warm house. It took about 1/2 an hour to clean my bike and get all of the mud and grime off the frame; it was completely caked on. Now Sparky is shiny, and all lubed up and ready to go again. (yes, my bike's name is Sparky...I'm a dork, I know).

Emotionally, this has been a very tough month for me. So much has changed in my life in the last 3 1/2 weeks, and I am still trying to process all of it. I've been burdened with the feelings of disillusion, of betrayal and loss. Without training to keep my mind focused, I don't know where I would be. But I am a survivor, life will go on, and I will not surrender to grief. I will keep smiling, keep living the life that I want to live, and I will not be beaten down.

I'm incredibly pleased with my monthly totals:

Running: 154.2 km (95.8 miles)
Cycling: 202.7 km (126.0 miles)
Swimming: 25.8 km (16.0 miles)

It has been a run focus month for me, with my longest run at 29km (18 miles). My bike mileage took a hit because I've been focusing so much on the run, but at least almost all of my rides this month were outside. The weather hasn't been fabulous; there have been a multitude of grey, foggy days. But when the sun shines here, it truly is paradise. Swimming continues to be consistent, with a lot of solid, key workouts.

Next Sunday is my big race - the Forest City Half Marathon. I leave for London on May 6th - not long now. Tapering has got to be one of the hardest parts about big races. My body feels sluggish and tired. But I know that this feeling will dissipate, that by next weekend I will feel strong and ready to race my best. I've put in the work, now it's time to keep myself hydrated, rested and fueled.

Best of luck to everyone out there training hard or racing this weekend. I hope that May brings with it the sunshine and brighter days.

PS. Points for anyone who can tell me who wrote the words that I've used as the title of my post.

Halifax in April...

Is rainy. And foggy. But at least it is warm. After a weekend of long workouts my legs are absolutely trashed. However, that didn't stop me from having a phenomenal swim workout this morning. 2700 long course meters, mostly 100s and 200s with very short rest intervals today. I really felt strong, despite my legs being as tired as they are. At least I only have the one workout today and now I can rest up a bit. I have 10 workouts planned for this week, but I think I might cut back to two rides instead of three to give my legs a bit of a break. Tapering is so frustrating, especially when you feel so strong and just want to push as hard as you can! Ugh. Ah well, taper time means more time to get other life "stuff" in order.

The race is so close I can almost feel it!

Right on track

Today's swim workout was fantastic. Just a quick 1500m but the 10x100m set was smooth and fast. I'm really happy with my progress in the water, even though it's taken forever. I'm starting to notice some big gains in the water in terms of my stroke and technique.

Run training is going as planned, April will officially be my highest run mileage month ever, and I think it's really starting to pay off. The next two weeks are a speed focus and then a quick taper before the race.

As soon as the Forest City 1/2M is over I will switch my focus to the bike and start putting in about 70% of my training time for about 5 weeks building up bike base.

It's great to be right on track, and the weather in Halifax has just been awesome! Also, looks like a fall marathon is in the training plan now, which will be a great way to end the season. :)

Beautiful day

When life gets you down sometimes it is better to go with your gut feeling and head outside even though you're supposed to have a rest day. It's 9 degrees, no wind, and not a cloud in the sky. I just had to get out on for a ride so I hit the Purcell's Cove loop again. Today I attacked those hills with gusto and I didn't let them win. It was a phenomenal ride and I had so much fun! I really feel like I'm getting stronger, slowly but surely. It will take a while though. For a girl that grew up in the dead flat town of London, Ontario, I feel like a total novice on the hilly roads of halifax.

Planned workout for tomorrow: 23km run. It's time to bring down the mileage a bit and focus on speed technique. Only 3 weeks till the Forest City 1/2M. Woo!

...

I had the most amazing 29km run this morning. I feel so strong and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. I had a smile on my face all day.

Inspiration care of Larry

Thank you to Larry for posting this to the tri-drs list:
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Triathlons are supposed to be fun. When it no longer becomes fun then it's time to move on. Whether you are first or last, if you smile then it makes it that much more enjoyable, so have fun and remember all those old couch potatoes that are at work looking forward to that first drink after work or want to catch a ball game on the tv while we're out there doing laps.
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That being said, I don't consider triathletes or runners to be "better" people than said "couch potatoes". We all have different drives and motivations. What gets me out of bed in the morning isn't necessarily the same thing that gets others out of bed. (Why on earth would anyone *want* to get up at 5:30am to jump in a cold swimming pool and work themselves to exhaustion?)...For me, it's the feeling of accomplishment, the knowledge that I can push myself to my limits and demand the best of myself every single day.

The word of the week is: "HILLY"

Spring is in the air (if even for a short moment), here in Halifax. The snow has melted and yesterday was almost 10 degrees! I was so excited as it meant that I could head outside for my first ride since October! One really goes a little stir crazy sitting on an indoor trainer all winter. I did an easy 30k loop around the Purcell's Cove interchange - just gorgeous. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. I was pleasantly suprised to learn that I haven't lost any fitness over the winter, although the one thing the trainer did not prepare me for were the Halifax hills. I'd forgotten how insane that loop is. Gotta love the burn. I have a lot of hill training to do on my bike - but at least I have the opportunity to get outside again! This morning I've got a straight 2000 metre straight long course swim planned and if I get more of my paper written I'm going to go run some hills (yay hills!). Should be a good day. Happy Training, everyone!

LSD Sunday

Today I ran 16 miles at a 9:30/mile pace. It is a cold, dismal and rainy day. I had to fight the wind and rain the whole way. These are the days that make you stronger; these are the days that mark you as someone dedicated to your sport. I arrived home completely soaked to the bone and happily tired. Now I'm settling in for an afternoon of paper writing.