Time is just seeming to fly by these days. One minute it was spring break and now its two weeks after and I am counting down the days til the end of the semester.

I felt really good in the pool today. The pool trolls moved the lanes back to short course which was a nice change. The Japanese team must have left again. I have been running a couple miles per day or every other day. No pain back in my knee but i am still being super cautious about everything. Every little ache and pain is registered on the mental radar. I think its good to be cautious, so you catch injuries before they get too bad, but i might be over doing it.

The weather is still a nuisance. Its either warm and super windy or cold or cold and windy. There is no good weather in flagstaff in the spring.

I need to get back on the bike more, i think i am ahead of where i was last year as far as fitness goes but i won't know until this summer.

I guess that is about it. The Rock and Worship Roadshow was awesome! Good job to the few track athletes that competed this weekend at chandler. I'm out!

Back to it...

I finally went running again. After just about 4 weeks off, i went on an easy 30 minute jog with a co-coach of mine last saturday. Except for the usual aches and pains from getting back into running, i felt ok. I went running an easy 20 min on tuesday and that felt pretty ok too. My knee doesn't seem to be bothering me yet, but we'll see what happens when my pavement pounding becomes more routine. I hope to get out again today for an easy 20-25 min.

I am being very cautious this time around. My base mileage last fall was obviously low and i didn't have the strength to keep up training at the intensity that i was going. I am really focusing on getting myself healthy and staying healthy through the year.

This week, in general, is pretty laid back. It is spring break and the pool is closed. No swimming. I haven't yet, but i want to get on my bike maybe once or twice this week too. It is generally a recovery week and i will be back to normal training, plus running, next week once school recommences.

base training...

I am still off of running which i am mentally feeling better about. I still have two weeks of self prescribed rest before i try another few easy miles. Track season is in full swing. The high school team that i assitant coach had their first meet last night. Most of them did a good job, although we have a lot of work left to do.

Personally, my own cycling and swim training is going well. I had an opportunity to get out a few times last week on the bike. It was breezy at times but felt a lot better than so much time on the trainer. I am also getting in a consistent 3 days in the pool every week. I am working up my base in both cases. I want to drop my 1500m swim time down to 25min by May. I feel like right now i am at about 27-28min.

Not much else happening really. The weather is supposed to get bad again this weekend and into next week. I will hibernating on my trainer once again.

motivation...

As i am in a transition period of my training. Meaning, i am trying to get over the little niggles i am feeling in my legs by not running (again). As well as beginning my base phase for the cycling and swimming. I have been comtemplating my reasons for doing what i do and this is what i have come up with:

1. I like being in shape both by looking fit (six pack and the like)and by being able to ride 40+miles, swim daily and run half marathons without much second thought.

2. I think about going fast and i like the feeling, so training helps me get faster and therefore live the 'fast' dreams.

3. I like competition. Training helps me be competitive where most people could never be and i feel truly blessed for that ability.

The problem i am facing is the fact that i have no long term goals. Sure the olympics would be great, Ironman too. But, i am not sure i could stay motivated for 4 years to, perhaps, be disappointed. I am the kind of person who waits til a week or two before a race to sign up so i know i really want to do it. Until this last fall, I hadn't specifically trained for a race for more than a month. Its usually a spur of the moment decision whether to race or not.

The bottom line of this problem is: how am i going to keep myself motivated to swim everyday, run everyday or bike everyday, let alone do all of them multiple times every week? So far i have had mediocre success with local races and a general natural ability pull me to the finish line, usually in a high placing. But a top-5 finish in a local race is nothing campared to be top-5 in a high class field of racers. I can see myself being a great athlete, but how do keep myself motivated to reach that goal? And what exactly is that goal? Olympian? Ironman? Until i figure that out, i feel like it is an endless struggle to keep myself motivated.

Time flies...

What happened to these days?

More snow...

Last wednesday, one week ago from today, I was running in short sleeves and shorts. I believe the temperature that day was close to 60 degrees, 57 i think. Absolutely gorgeous. Most of the snow from the previous christmas holiday storms was gone and sunny portions of the trails were mostly dry and firm again. And then...

28inches of snow, hours of shoveling and a rare snowday at NAU later, i am wiped. Mentally and Physically. I literally shoveled hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of snow the last couple of days from our driveway. My shoulders, back, abs, and forearms are all sore. I took a day off from swimming today because even if i wanted to swim it would be a wasted workout because of my aching muscles. I was asleep last night at 8pm. Lame. I know.

Mentally, i was stoked for the trails to be back open. I am not really a fan of running on the streets (although i will do it out of necessity). And the streets aren't all that safe anyway. Ice and cars tend to keep me off the asphalt.

Good news is, my dad will probably not be gone fighting fires this summer as much. And, we desperately need the moisture.

Nothing much...

Not much happening here.

A couple days late, but the Cardinals lost and the whole of Arizona sighed at being so close to a championship winning state again. The weather is nice, pending a horrible snow storm predicted for this weekend. I, after a few weeks, have finally found a routine around my school schedule to train. And i missed out on signing up for the Desert Classic Duathlon this last weekend because of being sold out. I tend to wait until the last minute to sign up, just to make sure I am really going to be ready. It doesn't bode well for these kinds of races that sell out early.

Its a bummer that I am not racing in February, but there are some upsides. One of the silver linings means i don't have to spend money to race or travel. Without having a job for the next couple of months, its nice not spending so much money. Secondly, I am not feeling pressured to be physically ready for it.

Next race is the Tempe International Triathlon in May. It will be my first olympic distance triathlon and if training goes well, it could be a break-out triathlon for me. And i will make sure i sign up early for it. ;)