Chicago Marathon Training: Week 12

Going into this week I knew I would have a lot on my plate- Dennis and I would be leaving for vacation on Friday, and I still needed to get everything in order to go out of town, on top of getting in some miles and all of my usual life responsibilities. 

After a lot of mileage for the last two weeks, I was planning on cutting back a little bit during week 12. I was going to be running the SeaWheeze half marathon at the end of the week, and wanted to be rested enough that I could race, to test where my fitness is at. 

I had totaled 27 miles over the weekend, so a run was not happening Monday morning - instead I was registered to run the Nassau County Police Department Memorial 5k on Monday night. I was planning to run this race with my cousin Ryan, but he wasn’t feeling great. So instead I texted Mike, and got lucky because his plans had fallen through, so he was able to run with me instead!

There was a big crowd at the race, which wasn’t surprising since the weather was good and it was great cause. Mike and I both come from police families, so we were happy to be a part of this race. Initially we planned to just take it easy, but when we found Tara, one of my MBTT teammates, in the starting lineup and she asked if I would help her keep a pace around 8:45, I couldn’t resist. Keep an eye out, as I’ll be posting a race recap soon to talk about this fun night. 

Tuesday I once again had night running plans- I was really happy that I didn’t have to run in the morning, because my legs were SORE when I woke up that morning. I guess all of the miles and a race were catching up to me. 

The plan for Tuesday? My local running store, runners edge, was hosting a meatball run. You may wonder what a meatball run is - there is a restaurant called “the meatball place” right down the block from the running shop, so they occasionally do events with them. In this case, the event was sponsored by onCloud, and if you tried a pair of their shoes during a group run, you got a voucher for a meatball slider and a beer (or in my case, a cider- the voucher lets you get any drink that’s on tap). 

Mike and I met up at the shop, since we were both coming from work. We were able to get a pair of shoes to sample, and I liked how wide the toe box was on these shoes. The group run would be a total of 4 miles, out and back, with the turn around point being the horse stables that we would eventually reach. The group headed out all together, but thinned out into groups of different paces as the run progressed. Some of the run was over loose gravel which was a little bit of rough footing, and Mike and I complained to each other about our sore legs. We kept trudging forward though, dealing with the humidity as best we could. 

Once we hit the stables we turned around, glad to be away from the smell of horses. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t spot any horses as we ran by though. On the trip back to the shop it started drizzling a little, and we were both relieved when the run was over - why had four miles felt so hard!?

But, our work was rewarded with food and drink. I went for a steakhouse meatball slider with gravy and Mike got a Greek lamb meatball slider. To drink, Mike got a beer, and I got a rosè angry orchard, since that was the cider that had on tap. We chatted with other local runners as we enjoyed our drinks. It was nice to meet other members of the running community, and I hope to participate in more of these events in the future. 

Guys, I really intended to run on Wednesday, but the day just got away from me. It was thunder storming when I woke up, and I just could not talk myself into getting on the treadmill that morning. So instead I worked on prepping for vacation, and figured that I would slip in a few miles after work. But after a full day on my feet - I had been working on machining a new fixture at work, which is its own kind of exhausting for the last week or so, that needs to be done before we leave on vacation - I was pooped. I had an appointment to get my nails done with Mom after work, and then we were going to visit a family member in the hospital after. So, as bedtime approached on Wednesday I realized that I had failed to prioritize getting in my run, which occasionally happens. But honestly, the things that I got done felt more important. 

Plus, I was locked in to running Thursday morning - Kasey was finally returning to morning running with me! She had been on summer break from school after completing her bachelors degree in the spring, and was starting Law School this week! Can you tell that I’m proud of my smarty pants cousin??

Kasey and I agreed to leave for our runs around 6:30, and we would run towards each other and meet somewhere in the middle. Dad was originally going to bike along with us, but decided to head to the beach later in the day instead. 

I was glad that Kasey agreed to meet me, since my motivation was lacking. But I laced up and got outside, and found her a mile into my run. This was a momentus morning, as it was the first time that we were running together since she started law school! Chatting was minimal, but that was largely my fault, as I was feeling so exhausted. But I trudged along, getting in a total of five miles. It wasn’t a lot, but it was something. I couldn’t believe how exhausted I was this week, but I suppose I had been very busy in my life outside of marathon training. 

Thursday night was a whirlwind of heading out to dinner with his family to celebrate his moms birthday, and then it was full frenzied packing. I had packed most of my clothes, but really nothing beyond that. So I ran around like a crazy person after dinner, packing and running up to the shops to pick up last minute necessities. By the time I was all packed and ready to go, it was after midnight. We had an 8 am flight the next morning, and it was out a Newark, which meant it would be a bit of a hike getting there, so we had a pre-5 am wake up time. 

When I wore up on Friday I was groggy all the way down to my bones, but I was glad that we were finally heading on this trip- we had been planning it for over two years! 

The only other running that I did this week? The seawheeze half marathon! I missed my half PR by 18 seconds, but had a great time. Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks for a race recap video of my experience at the expo and running the half. 

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 11

After babysitting on Sunday night, I had gotten to bed much later than usual, so when Monday morning came around I had no intention of getting up and running. The weekend had been pretty non-stop, so I wasn’t too concerned about taking a rest day to start the week. My rest days have been pretty fluid lately, not on a set day, but I usually take 1-2 a week. And this week, Monday just felt like the right time.

I texted Mike on Monday night to see if he would be up for a track day on Tuesday morning, and he was on board. Dad agreed to join as well, and Tuesday morning we all met at the track. Dad walked laps while Mike and I warmed up together, but the meat of our workouts were going to be different today. Mike was planning to get in a few maintenance miles, while I needed to get speedwork done. It was going to be a high-mileage week if everything went according to plan, and I was excited to get moving.

Once again, I had three mile repeats to do, with a goal pace of 7:30. Since I am following the Hanson’s marathon method, this would be my last “speed” workout, as after this week track days switch to being “strength” days, and the repeats get longer but the paces get slower. Since I have done this workout a few times lately, I knew it would be hard, but I also knew I was capable. When I took off for the first repeat Mike ran along for about a lap, and then I was on my own. The first repeat clocked in at 7:36, which I was happy with. I was even happier though when it was time for some recovery, and guzzled some water down. Two more repeats, which came in at 7:30 and 7:33, and then the hard stuff was behind me. I said goodbye to Mike, and Dad biked along as I ran back to the apartment.

That night Sophie and I headed in the gym to get in some strength training, since I know that with the traveling that I have coming up soon it will fall off of my list of priorities for a few weeks. We spent about an hour lifting, focusing on arms and core strength.

I toyed around with my schedule for the rest of the week, debating if I wanted to get my tempo run in on Wednesday or Thursday, knowing that I was planning on doing a long run on Saturday rather than Sunday. Ultimately it was raining when I woke up on Wednesday, so I thought maybe I could run after work, but alas- thunderstorms. So Mike and I once again made plans to meet up at the track on Thursday morning - it’s definitely gotten me through many training miles this time around. As usual, my run to the track was my warmup, and I picked up the pace once I started laps. Mike got there a moment before me, and was nice enough to bring me a water bottle, since I had ran to the track, but he drove. 

We dropped the pace down into the high 8 range, trying to stay between 8:35-8:50. Mike ran the first three miles with me before heading home, and I had another 4 to get through solo. I stopped every mile and a half or so to take in some water, and as I got into the later miles I had to talk myself out of stopping more frequently. The last mile was by far the hardest, and I was so relieved when it was through. Then it was only a cooldown as I ran home, and the tempo run was done. Ten miles total, 7 of those at tempo pace. I had struggled so much with that 7th mile, and was disheartened when I realized I should have done 8 that day. I was disappointed when I realized I messed up the duration, but at least I had gotten some sort of tempo run in for the week. 

Plus, I was relieved on Friday morning when I woke up and only had to do an easy run, after the previous two runs being quality work. 

I started my run heading towards my parents house, and Dad met up with me along the way on his bike we rad by the pool, weaved around the town, and slowly passed away the miles. I learned during this run that my arm had apparently chafed during my run the day before, and it definitely lead to some strange arm positions, which Dad found highly amusing. Eventually we got back to my parents house, and Dad ended his bike ride, but I opted to run back to the apartment solo to amass a total of 6 miles.

That night I started to pack for my upcoming trip to Vancouver and Alaska, since I don’t have the ability to do laundry in my apartment. Even though I had a week left before the trip would start, I wanted to make sure all of the clothes that I wanted to bring along were clean.

Another reason for keeping things light on Friday night was my plan for Saturday morning: a 16 mile long run. Since I would be out of town for two weekends I wanted to get in a good, long run before I left. Dad and Mom agreed to bike along with my run, and the three of us headed to our usual spot - the Jones Beach boardwalk. We got out around 8 A.M., and the weather was warm, but not scorching. There was even a nice breeze. My goal for this run was to keep an average pace between 9-9:20. At first the paces were coming easy, and I had to remind myself to slow down so that I wouldn’t burn out early in the run. I switched off between chatting with my parents and listening to music, and things felt good until around mile 13, when the pace started to become a bit of a struggle. I had some time banked from faster, earlier, miles, so I didn’t stress to much, and just tried to keep pushing myself. I had managed to make it to fourteen miles without any stops at all, and was hopeful that I would make it non-stop to mile 16 - but then I went to take a sip of water and somehow managed to choke on it a little bit, and had to stop and sputter after the mishap. Whoops. At least I managed to pause my Garmin.

Miles 15 an 16 went off without any other eventful mishaps, and I even managed to speed up a little bit. The one mistake - well, we were about a mile from the car at mile 16. I had some level of awareness that this would happen, but was okay with getting an extra mile in. I did drop the pace down to a cool down though, and just kept moving forward. The car was parked right near one of the food courts on the boardwalk, so when I finished up the 17th mile I headed in, really hoping they would have an Icee and a pretzel - but alas, they did not, so I settled for some Dippin-dots, and they were basically the greatest thing ever. Even with the slower last mile averaged in, I still managed a 9:16 pace for the long run, and I was really pleased with that.

The spirit of long runs would continue on Sunday, as my schedule told me to run 10 easy, and 10 was the distance that Mike needed to get done for his long run! Since he was heading to a board game expo that day, we opted to stay local, running around where we live rather than heading somewhere more scenic. Mike ran to my apartment from his house, starting two miles ahead of me, and we started our loops. We stopped for fuel at the apartment one time, and for water at my parents, before heading towards Mike’s house - the miles always fly by when we get to run together. I ran home and my watch buzzed indicating I had hit 10 miles - meaning a total of 27 for the weekend, and just over 50 for a week.

I was tired, but felt great, after a solid week of training. The next two weeks would be lower mileage, the first so that I would be ready to race the seawheeze half, and the second because I would be cruising to Alaska, but I felt really confident in all of the work I had put in so far.

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 10

Wow guys, let me start by saying this: I am so sorry I have fallen behind with posts lately! I have been traveling on top of marathon training, and while I have been writing, it takes time to get everything together into a post. So without further delay, week 10.

Ah, Monday morning - the biggest struggle bus of the week. After a weekend full of miles, the clock reset, and it was time to start the weekly mileage count once more. I was sleepy, but Dad was meeting me on his bike, so there was no excuse to skip this run. I got up, put on the gear I had selected the night before, and laced up my shoes. Temps were in the low 70’s, but the humidity was still in full force. Dad and I chatted as we weaved through the streets, and I may have thrown out the idea of a Disney trip around Christmas time - what can I say, I want to get full use of my annual pass before it expires. Six miles at a recovery pace completed before it was time to head to work.

Track Tuesday was my next interaction with running for the week, and my training plan called for 800m repeats at the track. This time I doubled up on accountability buddies, and Dad and Mike both agreed to meet me at the track. Dad found me while I was running to the track as a means of my warm up miles, and Mike was putting down his water bottle as we reached the track. Mike and I ran two laps together, but then it was time for me to pick up the pace. I had to do 6 repeats total, and I pushed a reasonable amount to get myself moving for the first one, and came in a little fast. It was also very quickly made clear that the humidity that morning was going to make it into the kind of run that required me to join the sports bra squad.

The first three repeats went better than the later three - as the sun crawled into the sky the temps went up, and the humidity got harder to handle. But I kept pushing, and gave the repeats what I had, even if they were a little slower than I would have preferred. But at least I made it through 6 sets of repeats, at a hard effort. I was relieved to hit the cool down portion of the run, and really took my time running home.

I have been trying to pair hard run days with strength training, to keep my hard days hard and my easy days easy, and on Tuesday night I headed to planet fitness with Sophie to pick some stuff up and then put it back down. Since I had another workout day ahead of me on Thursday, we stuck to arms and core to avoid lingering sore legs.

On Wednesday I took a rest day, but I made up for it Thursday, with a double workout. First up, a tempo run, which the weather forced onto the treadmill. I actually didn’t mind it as much as I expected to, as chugged along while watching Veronica Mars on my phone. I managed to not stop the treadmill at all for the duration of the run, and eventually Sophie got to the gym and hopped on a near by treadmill for a few miles. When we were both finished, we did the kind of strength training that I love to hate: Leg day.

of course, by the time the next morning rolled round I was a little bitter about leg day, for as necessary as they are they sure make running harder! I managed to drag myself out of bed, and Dad met me on his bike for a local run. We totaled 6 miles for the morning, at a good recovery pace.

I like to have at least one day a week that I get to “sleep in,” and on Saturday morning I had scheduled a yoga class with Mike at 9:15, and the idea of getting up at 6 am to do my long run didn’t feel super appealing. I was signed up for a race on Sunday,

So, I slept in until it was time for yoga, and we had a good time at emerge. It was a special “picture day” class, where they were shooting promotional photos for the studio, so we had a rotation of 5 different teachers throughout the class. It was interesting, because it meant getting to sample all different class styles. One of the instructors killed my core in her 15 minute slot, and I made a mental note to check out her class in the future. 

By the time the class was over I was hungry, so I grabbed some lunch and procrastinated my run for a while. Eventually it was time to get on the treadmill though, so I queued up some Veronica Mars, my current binge watch show, locked the cats away in the bedroom, and got moving. My quads were feeling dead after all of the miles that I put in this week, so I took the first two miles a little but easy. When I realized the soreness wasn’t going to subside, I cranked the treadmill up to the pace I wanted to be running this long run at, because if it was going to be hard it may as well be at the pace I wanted. 

The miles slipped away, as one episode played into another. I took a quick break to re-fill my water bottle and check on the cats, who were happily soaking up sunshine, at the halfway point, and a quick potty break at mile 9. The breaks added up to a little more time than I would have preferred, but I’m bad at holding myself accountable when I’m at home on the treadmill- that’s why I often still head to the gym for indoor runs. 

Once 12 miles were complete, my average moving pace came in at a 9:04, which I was really happy with. That’s right around my goal pace for Chicago, but I need to stop taking breaks when I’m on a treadmill, or maybe stop relying on the treadmill, since I don’t take breaks like that when I run outside. 

I headed into the Bronx with my family after the run, for pasta night at the bungalow. As always, the view from the dock of the Whitestone bridge was a treat. 

Sunday my 9th Road Runners race of the year was on the docket - the Manhattan 7 miler, with Mike and Sophie. I had driven to the last few races, so Mike agreed to cart us into the city. He picked Sophie and I up bright and early, and we headed into the city. Since the race was on a Sunday we didn’t need to pre-book parking, as many of the streets near central park have metered parking that don’t charge on Sundays, so it is usually easier to snag a spot. Our gamble paid off, and we found a spot quickly enough. We walked into the park and headed for race day central. Mike and I headed towards the porter potties, as we were running a little short on time, and Sophie went to the NYRR tent to pick up all of our bibs. By the time we had made it through the porter potty line, the race was about to start. I pinned my bib to my shirt as we walked to the starting corrals, and by the time we got to them they had already collapsed, so we hopped in with corral J as they shuffled forward. Sophie was less than excited to be running seven miles, but we didn’t have too long to dwell on it before crossing the start line.

It was warm out, but at least it wasn’t over 100 this weekend, like the other ones this summer. We didn’t have any pace goals, and just planned to stick together through the seven miles.

We managed to navigate the crowd that happens at the beginning of any race and stay together, and over the first few miles I had to tell Sophie and Mike to slow the pace more than once - I wanted to keep us at a pace that was maintainable for everyone, so that there wouldn’t be any crashing over the last mile or two. I figured we could always pick up the pace later if we wanted to, and knew that there were many hills ahead.

This race even had the dreaded Harlem hill, which we have avoided for most of the road runners races we had done this year. When we finally approached the hill we dialed the pace back a little, but managed to get through it without needing a walk break. Once we hit the downhill I knew we only had to get through the three sisters before the finish line, so I didn’t worry about regulating the pace as much. Sophie started pulling ahead of Mike and I, but was usually still within view.

When we finally spotted the finish line we were all relieved to be done running, but were a little disappointed that there were no finishers medals for this race - it is a part of the five borough series, and the other races in the series all had medals, so it would have been nice to have a complete set at the end of the year. But, we did get the standard bagels and even an ice pop, which was nice and refreshing.

My total mileage rang in at 48 miles even, which I was really happy with. Seems like I have officially hit those high mileage weeks that come with marathon training.

Race Recap: Jamesport Triathlon

Well people, it’s the end of an era, the end of my favorite hashtag. If you follow my on Instagram you may have noticed that any time I bike or swim or do an activity with the Merrick Bicycles Tri Team, I tag my photos with #StillNotDoingATri.

But after three years of training with the team and not doing a tri, I did the thing: My first triathlon.

I was nervous leading up to the big day, but I knew that I had gotten in plenty of laps at the pool, a handful of open water swims, many winter miles on the trainer, and a few session outside in the real world on my bike, clip in pedals and all. Plus, I had the support of the Tri team, plus Dennis, PG and Jennie who had driven all the way out to Jamesport to cheer me on.

I packed up my car the night before the race so that no thought would be required when it was time for a very early wakeup the next morning, and tried to get to bed early, despite some nerves trying to keep me awake. When my alarm went off the next morning Den and I piled into the car, and started the hour-ish long drive towards Jamesport. We were treated to a beautiful sunrise as we made our way there. The drive felt like it took much longer than an hour, but eventually we pulled into the beach side parking lot, and started unloading the piles of supplies that I had brought with me.

When we unloaded the bike from the car we made some last minute adjustments, which mainly consisted of pumping up my bike tires once again. We made our way over to the transition area, where Merrick had their own team bike rack. I found my name on the bike rack, and started by hanging up my bike. I had brought my wet suit along in a 5-gallon home depot bucket, so I set that up at the end of my area, so I could quickly dump my wet suit after the swim portion of the race. I laid out my two sets of shoes on a towel, leaving part of the towel un-burduned so that I could dry off my feet.

I passed my cell phone and go-pro off to Dennis, and followed Jackie and Nicole towards the water so I could warm up in the water before the race. If I had learned anything from previous open water swims, was that I am more comfortable if I have a few minutes to adjust to the water. I took my time getting on my wetsuit, since I had just repaired some tears in it earlier that week, making sure I was comfortable with how it was sitting. Then I waddled over to the water, and flopped around for a few minutes. I felt the low key panic that often comes with open water swims for me, and hoped that feeling it before the race meant that I would be fine once things got moving with the actual race.

Soon the announcer was giving a warning for the first age group to line up at the start, so it was time to vacate the water. The wave start was broken up by age and gender, from youngest to oldest. I was in the second wave overall, the first female group. Once the first group of guys had taken off I lined up with many of my team mates, who I knew would speed by once we hit the water, and tried to calm my nerves. I could do this. It would be hard, but I was capable.

The announcer counted down, and off we went. A run across the sand and into the water, wading until it was deep enough to get a stroke in. I stuck to the back of the group, not wanting to get swam over or kicked in the face. Once I was far enough into the water, I started swimming, counting my breaths between strokes, and trying to stay calm. There were plenty of swimmers, life guards, and buoys around me, but I was still panicking a little. It felt like the swim was taking forever from the start, even though the total elapsed time was less than 15 minutes for the 500 yd swim. Eventually I reached the buoy that marked the turn around point, and took a second to swap to backstroke to collect myself. As I started swimming back to the shore, the I was hot in the wetsuit. I felt almost constricted as I kept swimming, half wishing I hadn’t worn it. As the water got shallower, I tapped my feet to the sand to calm myself down. This was tough, but I could do it. With one of those taps I felt a sharp pain in my foot and recoiled - I must have stepped on the shell.

When I got to a shallow enough point in the water, I decided to try the latest tip I had read regarding wetsuits - take it off before you get out of the water. Every time i have to take off my wetsuit I struggled with it, so I figured I may as well give it a go. Worst case I would be flopping on the sand in front of spectators trying to take it off, rather than waiting until the transition area and trying to get it off there. But my gamble paid off, and the wetsuit came off easier than ever! I was all smiles as I left the water, and started the run over to the transition area, where I would move on to the bike portion of the race. It was a long run over to the bikes, across a parking lot and passed a glimpse of the finish line. I even spotted Jennie cheering with her fiance PG as I ran by.

I dropped my wetsuit into the bucket that I had brought along, and plopped down onto the towel that I had setup and tried to dry off my feet a little bit before putting on my ProCompression lows - I had wanted to wear the over-the-calf socks, but there was a ankle timing chip, and I wasn’t sure how the socks would fit with it.There were still plenty of bikes in the transition area, as I was in one of the earlier waves, but more people were coming in by the second. Once I was dry enough to get socks on I slipped into my bike shoes, threw on my helmet, and attempted to get my garmin swapped over to bike mode. I also slipped on my apple watch, so that Dad could track my progress from home. As soon as I crossed the line that indicated where we were allowed to hop on our bikes I got myself clipped in, and focused on getting moving. Mentally I tried to spot bikers that were just a little ahead of me, and reeling them in. There was one biker that I yo-yoed back and fourth with for the first 2/3 of the bike, and we even engaged in conversation from time to time, pushing each other to keep going. I felt stronger than I had expected to, and was riding faster than I had on any of my training runs. Plenty of faster bikers were passing me, but I still felt strong. I even managed to drink some water while riding, and spent most of the 16 mile bike ride in aero position, which my wrists very much appreciated. I tried to give all I could on the bike portion, knowing that my body would know what to do when it got to the run portion, that is my strong suit, and I wasn’t worried about saving energy for it. There were some hills at the end of the course, and I pushed myself to leave it all on the table as I biked up them, and to accept the speed that came with the downhill.

As I rode towards the transition area, I slowed down coming into the final turn. I could feel that there was another biker right behind me, and was worried about getting in his way, but he called out in support letting me know that he wasn’t going to cut around, and even shouting some encouragement. I felt, as always, so supported by this community. I also spotted Dennis with PG and Jennie, and was so happy to see my people. I swapped My shoes, clipped on my SPI belt, which had my race bib attached to it, and headed for the last leg of my journey - the run. I had trouble getting my Garmin started again - the race brain was in full effect at this point.

The course took us back towards the water, before looping out to the neighborhood that surrounded the beach. I spotted the Merrick Bicycles Tri Team cheer squad, and got entirely caught up in their energy as I ran by. While my watch was working now, I wasn’t looking at my pace, I was just putting one foot in front of the other. My legs were a little heavy but I felt good. I was reminded that running is my strong sport, as I started passing other runners on the course. Familiar faces who had zipped by me on the bike I was now catching up with, and hardly being passed myself. When my watch buzzed to indicate that I had finished the first mile of the 5k course, I saw that I was somehow pulling off a sub 8 minute mile. I was a little shocked, but I just kept pushing onward. There were only 2.1 miles left between me and the finish line. The first section of the course was an out and back, and I was relieved when i reached the turn around. There were water stations along the side during mile two, and I made sure to grab some water, as I could feel how salty I was. I had thrown some skratch gummies into my running belt, and made sure to take a few with the water.

I kept pushing, and cheering on my team mates every time I spotted a Merrick Bicycles jersey. We turned off of the main road we had been on and to some side roads, where there was a little more shade, which was a relief. The pace was hard, but I could handle it. The finish line was fast approaching. As I ran by the transition area bike entrance I spotted the Tri team on one side, still cheering at the top of their lungs, and Jennie on the other side, cheering me on with the biggest smile plastered across her face. Then there was one final turn to the course, and it would be over.

Finally, the finish line was in sight. I mustered the last bit of strength I had, and pushed forward. 1:42:09 - I was proud. Honestly, I don’t know enough about triathlons to be able to gauge if that is considered “fast” or “slow” or anything in the middle for a sprint tri, but I didn’t care in the lease - it was MY finish time. I had finished, and I was officially a triathlete. Only took three years after joining the tri team. I collected my medal and was handed a water, and Den was waiting for me at the end of the finishers chute. He was trying to talk to me, but I really couldn’t process anything. My brain was fried, and I just needed a minute to talk in circles to collect myself. Eventually my heart rate came down, and I began to return to “normal human” status. I grabbed some watermelon, and Den walked with me back over to the transition area, so I could start packing up my gear. I also changed into some dry clothes, and Den was nice enough to cart all of my stuff back to the car, which I took some time to stretch.

The Tri Team had a tent set up in a field near by, with BBQ supplies that we had all brought along. I spent some time unwinding with the team, and stayed for the award ceremony - our coach, Jackie, had WON the race in the women’s division. Like, overall first woman. She seriously amazes me, and inspires me to always reach for goals that feel impossible.

Den and I headed home, both pooped from a early morning, and me from a long race. All in all, it was an awesome, but difficult experience. I was really proud of myself for putting myself out there though. When we finally got home I stepped out of the car, and was greeted with a shooting pain in my foot - remember the shell I mentioned earlier? It had apparently lodged itself into my foot, and was now VERY unhappy. I was okay all in all, and once I removed the surprisingly tiny shell fragment, the swelling in my foot went down. I did an epsom salt bath with hot water just to be safe, and took it easy for the rest of the day.

In the days following the race I was totally wiped out, and much sorer than I had expected to be after the race - but I suppose that comes with the territory of your first triathlon.

Week 9: Chicago Marathon Training

After the scorching heat that we had all weekend, I was relieved when I checked the weather app from bed on Monday morning and saw that the temps were in the 70s- way more manageable than the 100+ degree weather that had driven me to the treadmill for my long run. I dragged myself out of bed and looked at the training schedule that I have hanging on the fridge. I knew I needed to run, but I had no idea how far I needed to go - 6 miles. Not too shabby. I wanted to roll back into bed, but went through the motions of getting ready to run, knowing that once my sneakers were on I would get out the front door. 

I was greeted with a particularly rude wave of humidity- yeah, the temps were lower, but the humidity still made it feel like I was breathing through a straw. My body was slow to adapt to the motion of running, so I took it one mile at a time, always having to talk myself into the next mile. First I ran to the track, a mile and a half. If I went home from there, it would at least be three miles. I may as well run towards my parents house, so I could grab some water. Another 1.5 miles, three total. Already half way done. If I went straight home I could get 2 more miles in, so with a little zig zagging it could easily be turned into three. When I got to the vicinity of my apartment I still needed a half mile. I considered skipping it, but knew I would feel more accomplished about the run if I did the full distance. So one extra loop around the complex, my watch buzzed at the 6 mile mark, at the very humid run came to an end at last. 

Tuesday morning rolled around, and I just did not get out of bed early enough to get to the track, and have time for my full workout. So instead I opted for some mobility work, following a few routines that Nike Training Club offers. That night I was headed to the track anyway, to host another track night for MBTT, and I figured if I headed there right from work I would have time to get my workout in before hand. 

Of course, time was not on my side, and I got stuck at work late. I hardly had time to change and get out the door to get to the track on time. I explained the workout that Coach Jackie had set for the group, and guided them through it as they completed there laps- I may have even told Sophie and Mike to slow down a few times. 

It was raining by the time they all finished, so I headed home instead of running after the practice- there was a lacrosse game going on there anyway. 

When I got home I toyed with the idea of just getting my workout done on the treadmill. I was feeling inspired after seeing everyone put in work at the track, and eventually I talked myself into it. I figured worst case I would get a few easy miles in. 

I set up my iPad for entertainment, and got started. The workout was mile repeats- three of them at a 7:30 pace. I did a mile and a half warm-up, and then hit the speed I needed on the treadmill. Slowly counting down from 120 as I went, willing the distance to tick to a mile before I ran out of numbers. I managed to hang on to the pace! A 600m recovery, and it was time for round two. Somehow being successful the first time around gave me the motivation I needed it, and I started counting down again, this time from a slightly higher number. But I made it though the whole mile without stopping, and felt good. I walked the beginning of the recovery phase, and it was hard to start running again. But I only had to do one more repeat, and then I could call the workout successful. I buckled in, got moving, and knocked out the last repeat and glided into the cooldown. Three mile repeats complete, and Den had cooked some dinner while I ran, so I got to immediately chow down when I was done. 

Wednesday was my rest day, so I got to sleep in. But after work I headed over to the pool to get in a few laps, and then headed over to Sophie’s to get in a core workout and watch some TV together. It took longer than anticipated to get through the core workout, as my stomach was NOT cooperating, but I did what I could and hoped I would be okay when I tried to run my tempo run the next morning. 

I texted Mike on Wednesday night to see if he would be willing to meet me at the track Thursday morning, so that I would have someone to keep me accountable. He agreed, and the next morning I was up and out the door bright and early, so that I would have time to run to and from the track, where I planned on getting my run in. It was about a mile and a half to the track, and I got in the beginning of my workout before Mike arrived. I had aimed to get there a little before him, that way he would join me for the middle of my harder- paced miles. I had to get 7 done, so it was going to be a long workout. 

When Mike arrived he hopped right in with me, and was nice enough to keep pace with me as we tried to talk at each other. I say tried, because it was HARD to hold a normal conversation at those paces, at least for me. But he hung on to those paces for three miles, which was how long he needed to get in that morning. We paused for a quick selfie, and then I was back to running laps as Mike headed home. 

It was warm out, but the miles had come without too much struggle at first. As I got further into the workout though, it became more of a struggle, with mile 7 making me really want to quit. I had to stop for a water break half way through, but then I pushed through and finished the hard miles, and got to slow down and get in my cooldown as I ran home. 

I was pooped after work on Thursday, but had made plans to meet Sophie at the gym. I really wanted to bail, but had made a commitment, and needed to be doing a better job with strength training anyway. We were planning on a “leg” day, and proceeded to do approximately a million different squat variations, which rendered our legs dead for the several following days. 

Those dead legs kept me in bed, the next morning, but I had time to get in a few miles Friday night, so it wasn’t too much of an issue. When I got home from work I laced up, and Dennis even agreed to come out for a short portion of my run- something that hasn’t happened since 2016. He did one loop of the neighborhood with me, about a mile, and then I went on to do another 5 solo. I kept an easy pace and listened to some music, enjoying getting miles under foot. Mom and Dad snuck up on me in the car while I was running near their house - the magic of find your friends - and passed me some water, which was very appreciated.

While I was out running Mike texted me asking if we would like to come over for a BBQ that night, and it was the perfect treat after my run. It was nice night of grilled chicken and fun conversation with friends. I was bummed when Den and I had to head out early, since I had to head to the airport to pick up my cousin Jen, who was visiting from Atlanta that weekend. 

I picked up Sophie and the two of us headed to the airport to pick up Jen, and then went back to the apartment for a sleepover and second dinner, which consisted of fondue and wine. It was a great Friday night. 

Jen was coming into town for her bridal shower, and I knew the date before I set up my training plan for Chicago, so I made sure to give myself an off day that Saturday. Instead of miles we had mimosas, plus pedicures. The bridal shower was lovely, and I made up for the off day on Sunday, when I had a 15 mile run planned. 

Mike also needed to get his long run in, so we coordinated and agreed to meet at massapequa preserve. We had our bike support team with us too, as my Dad and Mom both came along to ride with us. Mike only needed to do 9 miles, so the plan was to do an out an back together, and then I would head out once more to finish up my miles. Mike and I settled into a conversational pace, and moved along the path. There were a lot of people out on the path, as it was a nice day out. I may have been a little ambitious with the pace when we first got moving, as I tuckered Mike out quicker than usual. When I saw this was happening I dialed back the pace, and made sure that we were taking water breaks often enough. We were almost at the half way point when this happened, so we just had to head back to the car, and his miles would be complete.

Heading back we opted to change up the route, heading into the wooded area of the trail, rather than the paved area that we had tun on initially. It was a bit cooler in the shade of the trees, although there was some mud as we ran through the area, and there was more than one tight spot when people had their Dogs off leash and we had to get by. A few times I ran ahead to get in some strides and then doubled back to find the group, and each time I would find Dad biking up to catch me, as Mom was not a fan of me going ahead alone. Eventually we made it back to the cars, and had logged 10 miles together. I had planned to turn around and finish up my last five miles right away, but my body had other ideas. I had a bathroom need, and with no bathroom near that area of the trail, I opted to head home and use the bathroom there before heading out for the last five miles. Not ideal, but at least I would be able to get them done without being uncomfortable.

It was much hotter running near my parent’s house than it had been on the trail, as the path had a lot more shade. My legs were unhappy with me for stopping when I first started moving again, but eventually I settled back into the flow of things and knocked the miles out, despite the warm weather. It was less perfect, but my 15 miles were complete, and Mom had even gotten lunch while I finished my run.

As always, I was thankful for the community that I have that supports me, and hope that they all feel just as supported in return. It was a week full of hard work, in the best possible way.

Race Recap: NYRR Retro Run

Well internet, I did it again – I neglected to consult my calender when signing up for races, and got myself into another two-race weekend, this time with a particularly early morning. My weekend of racing started with another “weekly” race with the New York Road runners, the 4-mile Retro Run.

This particular road runners event has been on my “to do” list for the last two years, as I love an excuse to dress up for a race. I had signed up for it in 2017 but then had a family obligation, and was similarly out of town for the 2018 rendition of the event. But this year I was finally able to don the vintage 1987 road runners event shirt that Dad had surprised me with in 2017, before we realized I wouldn’t be able to participate.

The morning started with a 5:50 alarm, and by 6:15 one of my teammates from the Merrick Bicycles Tri Team, Michal, had arrived at my apartment. Her, Mike and I were car pooling to the city, and we hopped into my car and headed to pick up Mike. The weather was nice for July running, with temps in the 70’s and a slightly overcast sky. I managed to navigate us to the city without any tolls, which sounds simple, and ultimately is simple, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t messed it up in the past. I again opted to pre-purchase parking through the spot hero app, and got a garage spot on 67th street, just outside of central park. When participating in Road Runner events it is easy to find street parking if the event occurs on a Sunday, as parking regulations are more relaxed, but on Saturdays there are more rules, and street parking can be hard to come by. The $20 charge that the three of us split was worth not feeling rushed before the race.

We all needed to pick up our bibs, so we headed to race day central to grab them. After a quick scan of our QR codes, we were good to go. We found Carson near bib pickup, and she joined our group of runners. As a chronic over-packer, I of course had a bag I wanted to check, so our next stop was the drop-off location. On the way there we ran into another MBTT teammate, and stopped for a quick pre-race selfie. The final start before it was time to run? The porter potties, of course!

We climbed into the corrals just before 8 am, when the race was scheduled to begin. I wasn’t planning on racing, so I dropped back so that I could run with everyone else. As we waited in the corrals we sang along to the “retro” tunes that they were pumping into the corrals, really breaking it down to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” As the corrals ahead of us were released, we shuffled closer to the start line.

Eventually it was our turn to start running, and this time the four of us managed to stay together through the crowded start. Admittedly, it was a smaller field than the pride run had been, so it was less congested. We pushed the pace a little as we weaved through the crowd, looking for a area big enough for the four of us. Some of the runners that we spotted had great costumes, and we even spotted a few wigs that had us wondering if they were real or not.

When we got to the first mile marker, in lieu of the standard timing clock there was a man on a raised chair yelling out the race clock time – they had really committed to this retro thing! As we approached the north end of the park Mike and I began to wonder aloud if we were going to have to face Harlem hill that day – neither of us had checked the course map. But just before mile two the course turned, avoiding it. Instead, we headed into the rolling hills known as the three sisters, and it was during the third mile of the race that in these hills our group of four split in half to pairs. Carson wasn’t feeling great, and wanted to incorporate some walk breaks, and Mike decided to stay with her as Michal and I kept running. We chatted our way through the final mile, and after crossing the finish line we pulled to the side and asked a volunteer to take our photo. As we posed, Mike and Carson hopped in, having finished just a moment later.

We were happy to have water at the finish line, and accepted our post race bagels and apples from volunteers. Carson was a little run-drunk, and was very concerned that she couldn’t spot any raisins in her cinnamon-raisin bagel, but thankfully they were discovered once she started eating it.

We picked up our event shirts, which were teal and made of a more “retro” looking material than the standard shirt that the road runners gives out. I was a fan of them, as they were soft and the logo looked good on the front of the shirt. There was a band playing, and roller skaters putting on a show near the bandshell, and a vintage good humor truck was giving out popsicles to runners. I went and picked up my checked bag while my friends waited in line. Our last stop before heading home was the photo booth, which was setup in a old Volkswagen van. We climbed into the back of it and posed together, sweaty post-run faces and all. If you’d like to see the video from the race, you it is posted on my youtube page, or you can click the photo of us with the race shirts.

It was a fun event, made better by running it with friends. We hit some traffic going home, but it at least gave Mike some time to try my r-8 recovery roller, or as he called it, the Bear Trap. When I did get home, I spent most of Saturday preparing for Sunday’s event: My first Triathlon.

Week 8: Chicago marathon Training

I knew after the long day I had on Sunday, there was no way I was getting up on Monday morning- but that was ok, because I scheduled two days of rest after the Jamesport triathlon. Realistically, I thought maybe I would be able to get in some speedwork on Tuesday- how sore could a two hour race really leave me?

One other thing that happened on Monday - I got an awesome package in the mail from ProCompression that included this Ambassador shirt, and these socks!

Well, the answer was it could leave me feeling like I was hit my a small car - I was so much sorer than I expected to be on Monday! My limbs were heavy, and there was no way any running was happening. I had agreed to meet up with Jennie at the gym to weight train, and had it not been for Jennie and Sophie committing to going, I probably would have bailed. We stuck to upper body exercises, and finished with some core work. I left the gym feeling energized, but by the time I got home I was even more pooped. I went to bed early, and was very happy to be under the covers. 

I slept in again on Tuesday morning, but by Tuesday night I was itching to get a few miles in, regardless of lingering soreness. So I shot texts to Mike and Sophie, asking if they wanted to meet up after work for a few miles. Sophie and I had to be ready for Mom’s birthday dinner at 7, but I wasn’t trying to get too many miles in. They both agreed to meet up, and when I got home from work I packed a change of clothes and passed them off to Den, so he could bring them when he headed to my parents for dinner. 

I headed out the door and towards Mike’s house, and he was ready to run. We headed towards my parents house, and ran inside to alert Sophie to our arrival. She groaned at me a little bit for making her come running, but was in better spirits once we got moving. This run marked the first official run of Mike’s NYC marathon training plan, and I was happy I got to share the miles. We chatted as we looped through the neighborhood, and I logged a total of 4.5 miles, which were particularly sweaty. 

It was back to my usual training schedule on Wednesday, and I made sure to get out in the morning for my run, because Wednesday night I was hosting track for the Tri team! Due to conflicting schedules our coach, Jackie, asked if I could help out and run a weekly track night for the summer, and I am so excited that she asked me to help. So, Dad biked over on Wednesday morning and after a slower first mile I settled into the groove of things, and trotted through a big loop, completing a total of five miles with no real pace goal in mind.

After work I headed over to the track, and was excited when people actually started showing up. As much as people had committed to coming out, I was still nervous that other plans would get in the way. I lead the team through some warm up stretches, and then sent them out to run loops of the track to warm up. Jackie had given me the workout for the team, and I wrote it on a white board and explained the plan to everyone. As they ran their loops I shouted encouragement when I could, and guided them through the workout. Everyone did a great job, and I was so happy to be able to support my friends like that! It started to thunderstorm just as everybody finished up their cool-down laps, so we got out of there quickly.

The thunderstorms were supposed to continue through Thursday morning, so I planned to run after work. I had a training at work all day, that lead to more sitting than my hip-flexors prefer. By the time I hot home from work I was having sharp pains in my hip, and decided to play it safe, and save my tempo run for Friday morning, but made sure to spend some time that night stretching and sitting with a heating pad. I had planned to head to yoga with Mike and his husband, Jude, on Thursday night, but got stuck at work late. They headed to the class without me, but we all decided to head to the meatball place, a restaurant on main street, when the class got out. They picked up Dennis and I and we all headed there together, and shared a delicious meal with many laughs shared. The highlight of the meal was the charcuterie board that we all split.

I got up nice and early Friday morning, ready to get in some faster miles. I had a solo morning on deck, and left the apartment, running towards my parents house so I could use it as a water station. After a two mile warm-up I tried to pick the pace up, but despite my best efforts I wasn’t moving as fast as I was supposed to. When I made my pit stop to grab water at my parents, I chatted with Dad for a minute, who was busy painting the dining room. When I got moving again, I had a sharp pain that in my hip that forced me into a walk break. I was having trouble telling if it was just a tight hip flexor, or a cramp. I tried a few more times to get running, but the pain was just too much. I eventually decided just to walk home, because walking felt fine, and it seemed like a better idea than getting a ride home from my parents and then sitting on my couch. I tried to run one more time as I headed home, but the pain persisted. This was the first time that I ever had to quit a run - I have had to slow paces, maybe cut a mile off, but never have I had to completely throw in the towel. I was super bummed, and a little nervous that this was going to become an on going issue. I tried to force the thoughts into the back of my head, and not stress about it too much.

Friday night my family was having a get together to celebrate some summer birthdays, and it was a nice way to take my mind off of things. We headed to my grandpa’s house for pizza, some drinks, and s’mores, which dad had brought his little camping grill along to make. My cousins and brothers ran around playing volleyball, while Den and I sat around with my parents and aunts and uncles, discussing life, travel plans, and

I spent more time stretching on Friday night, and when I woke up on Saturday morning I took my time getting moving. We had a heat warning, and temps were over 100 degrees in New York, plus the humidity was high. I was opting to run on the treadmill, and was nervous that I would have to quit again. I made sure to stretch and warm up my body before getting on the treadmill, and set it to a pace on the slower side for me. After a mile I paused the treadmill, and stretched out some more, as had been recommended to me. I cautiously kept going after, and felt ok as the miles slipped by. Eventually the count hit 6, and I had successfully completed the miles. I did make sure to wear the brace/wrap that I had previously purchased for the rest of the day, just as a precaution. I didn’t want to get too excited about one good run, since I was still having hip pain any time I was sitting.

Sunday morning rolled around, and I slept in once more, since I was planning on getting on the treadmill again. They temps were once again high, and I didn’t want to find myself in too much pain to keep running and stuck outside in hot temps. So after a normal amount of procrastination, I locked the cats in the bedroom, put my iPad on the treadmill deck, queued up some Veronica Mars, filled my water bottles, and got moving. Twelve miles was a long time to spend on the treadmill, but it seemed like the better option. Mentally I tried to focus on four miles at a time, which was about as long as it took to get through an episode. I found myself really wanting to take walk brakes, and just feeling generally fatigued. I tried to limit my stops as much as possible, and just tried not to think about how much was left each time I finished a mile. Slowly but surely the mileage climbed, until I at last reached 12 miles. It wasn’t the best long run I had ever done, but at least I got the miles in, and something is always better than nothing.

I ended the week hoping that my hip would continue to improve, so that I could really get back on track with my training. By the end of the week my body was at least less fatigued, but that didn’t do me much good, if my hip was going to start refusing to cooperate.

Chicago marathon week 7

On Sunday afternoon I got a message from Tara, asking if I would be down for a early bike on Monday morning. I normally start my week with a run, but the offer was tempting. I warned her that I would be slow, but she said she didn’t mind, and I agreed to meet her at the park at 6:20 a.m. the next day. 

I packed up my bike stuff, and got everything into the car, and after a frantic moment when I couldn’t find my Tri shorts, had everything together and ready to go, so when my early alarm clock went off I just had to roll out of bed, get dressed, and be on my way. 

The alarm went off Monday morning, and I was greeted with a dreary day. I hopped in the car and under gray skies headed to cedar creek park, where a few members of the Tri team were waiting for me to get going. Of course, my bike had lost air in one of its tires, so I had to fill it up before we could get on our way. 

The ride itself was uneventful overall. I thought about how much I prefer running, was thankful that Tara had gotten me out on the bike, eventually was unable to keep up with the rest of the team, got rained on a little bit, and cursed at the bike, which was refusing to switch gears properly. When I turned around at 7.5 miles my teammates continued on, going all the way to tobay, and I rode back to the parking lot solo. 

That night I brought my bike to dad to check out- apparently my derailer wasn’t lined up correctly. I’ll add “learn more about bike maintenance” to my to do list I guess. Once that was taken care of I headed home and hopped in the pool, swimming 500 yds in an effort to flush out my sore legs. 

Monday rolled into Tuesday, and when my alarm went off my body was not having it. I was still recovering from a cold, and every part of me screamed for more rest. So, after checking the weather and making sure the temperature would be tolerable after work, I rolled over and opted to sleep in a little. 

Tuesday night I stopped and picked up my race packet for the Jamesport Triathalon, which would be my first official Tri, and then headed home to get in the miles that I had promised myself. Dennis and I were planning to head to his parents for dinner, and we decided to take alternate transportation over there- he would be biking as I ran. We took the long way out of our neighborhood, and managed to make it a 5 mile trip. Despite the cold I was still dealing with, this run felt great. We chatted a little, and I just let my legs do the work. It felt difficult at times, but I reminded myself that running marathons isn’t easy, and that I needed to get comfortable being uncomfortable. We had one hill and one overpass that were less than stellar, but I managed some sub-9 miles and was pleased with myself. 

My excitement of Tuesday night was short lived though, when I rolled out of bed on Wednesday morning to head to the track. As I was running Tuesday night I had considered backing off the pace a few times, but I felt so good that I just let my body roll with it. Well, when I got to the track it quickly became clear that I could have used a little more rest between runs. 

I had a ladder workout planned, which would start at a 400m repeat, go up to a 1600m repeat, and then come back down. A total of 7 hard steps, and then a run home. While I hit my paces for the first two repeats, the rest just weren’t happening at the paces I wanted. Dad had met me at the track, and thankfully brought along some water in a cooler, which helped on that hot morning. By the time I was on the last repeats I was going slower than I should have been, but was giving it all the gas I had. The cooldown was arguably the hardest part, because by that point I just wanted to be walking. But I trotted along, getting in a total of 7 miles. 

I knew I was in need of some recovery, so on Wednesday night I met up with Den’s sister, Liz, and we headed to yoga together. We picked out a Yin-restorative class, and I was ready for some relaxation. It was as if the teacher was aware of my chronically tight hamstrings, as she propped us up into deep releases. Did I fall asleep during the class? Well..... yeah. But you try to stay awake when you’re feeling that relaxed!

Thursday morning called for another run, but an easy one this time. I headed out before work, and met up with Dad as I weaved through the neighborhood. My brother Tom was planning to meet us, but we got a text from him moments after his planned start time that it wasn’t happening for him that morning. I was a little bummed, but it enabled me to get my full prescribed distance in within the pace range I wanted, so we just kept looping, slowly shifting away from my parents house and back towards the apartment. My watch buzzed as I hit 8 miles right in front of the complex, with the average pace coming in around 10:40. It was a solid morning run, and I was glad that I wouldn’t feel like I needed to make up miles later. 

The final weekday run was to be a tempo run, and I decided to plan to run after work. I had races planned for both Saturday and Sunday- which meant early mornings all weekend. So, I let myself sleep in more than usual Friday, and after work only procrastinated the run for a solid two hours before getting out the door (I mean, it was hot out! I had to wait for it to cool off a little, right?). 

When I got out the door I debated which path to take. I needed to warm up for about a mile, then the goal was for 6 miles at a pace between 8:30-8:45, followed by a cool down. The thought of picking directions gave me a feeling of major decision fatigue, so I did something unusual for me- I ran towards the track, even though I wasn’t doing speed work. I figured it was a good central point between the apartment and my parents house, so if I decided I needed water I could run either way, and it just felt like an easy choice. 

By the time I got to the track I was up to a mile and a half, and my second miles pace was tracking in the high 8-minute-mile range, so I decided to start see if I could bring the pace down a little and count the second mile towards the tempo miles. My efforts paid off, and the second mile rang in at 8:37. A good start, I told myself. I listed to music as I ran laps around the track, one mile flowing into another. I kicked a soccer ball back to the group playing in the middle of the field a few times, ran into Mike’s brother, who was also running some laps, and found a really great groove, where I just felt good. I did wish that I had brought some water, but I managed without. At 9:00 on the dot the lights shut down at the track, just as I was midway through the lap that would finish my 6th tempo mile. I panicked for half a second, as the teenage boys that had been hanging out hooted and hollered into the darkness. I called dad on the phone to have some company and reassurance as I left the area, and got on the road to run back to my apartment. I took the long way, that was I would have a two mile cooldown. 

When I reached the apartment I immediately chugged a bottle of water, and then sat outside as I sipped a second. I had run 9 miles at an average pace of 8:57, with the tempo miles coming in at 8:37, 8:27, 8:30, 8:36, 8:39 and 8:41. I was super pleased with myself, and glad that I had eventually got my butt off the couch to get the work done.

The weekend was full of races- which will have their own reports up soon! To give you a little preview, on Saturday I completed the Retro Run 4-miler with the New York road runners, and on Sunday I did something I swore I wouldn’t do: I completed my first Triathlon, at the Jamesport sprint distance Tri.