"Manage your expectations"...AKA I am the architect of my own assassination

As it turns out, in classic alcoholic fashion, I put my wants ahead of my needs last Sunday and paid for it.  According to the coaches, "when racing in extreme heat we must all lower our race expectations and put keeping our bodies as cool as possible our first priority."  And I quote..."you should not expect PR's on 96 degree days..." this is a (another) opportunity for me to add this to my collective experience and take this lesson learned into future races.  It never crossed my mind when thinking about my time goals for the race that I should alter what I wanted because of the weather....I knew it was hot but I did not think about the potential effect on finishing times or the ability to finish. 

The human body is an amazing piece of machinery ....at times sensitive and delicately balanced...at others tough and resilient.  I forget this a lot and am always awed by this wondrous creation and what it is capable of if cared for properly. 

Found this in an article from USA Triathlon's e-newsletter this  week...TRY HARDER Suffering is a big part of running. The more suffering you can tolerate in races, the better you will perform. Some runners can tolerate more suffering than others, but all runners can increase their capacity to push through the discomfort of fatigue.
 
Completely non-racing related... I am reading "Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith" by Barbara Brown Taylor ...I read "When God is Silent" during a book study at church a few years back... I was blown away then by her honesty and search for truth...she spoke to me where I was at the time and I always come away from her books with a deeper understanding of myself and my God.

disappointment...

I'm a little bummed about the race on Sunday.  I withdrew at mile 1 of the run...I can't say if it was the heat or my mental attitude as the day wore on but whatever it was things did not go the way I had hoped.  I believe my training has been good and I promised myself I would not second guess my decision... I made the best decision I could with the information I had and in the interest of not being (too) self absorbed I say, "Onward and upward!"   I am signed up for the Fall Creek Falls triathlon on August 15...another Olympic distance and my last race before Augusta unless I get the go ahead for a sprint between now and then. 

After a rest day today I spin easy on the bike tomorrow and get back to it in earnest later this week.  I love training, I love pushing my physical/endurance limits and, despite the negative mental crap in my head yesterday, I love racing.  I may never be as good as I want to be ...I guess that is my competitive nature to want to be better .....but I do believe in finishing what I start and seeing my way through things.

Busy, busy, busy...

The Music City Triathlon is coming up this Sunday... over 1,000 people registered to hit the Cumberland River starting at 7:30AM.   I have been working with the race management company for the past couple of weeks trying to get some media attention, I have also been training, looking for a job and running my business.  Holy s**t... I have at least 3 jobs all of a sudden!!  I enjoy all of these activities (OK, so maybe not looking for a job, so much :) but ...I'll be glad to settle down a little bit after this weekend.  The next race on the schedule is the Fall Creek Falls Tri in mid-August and then Augusta on September 25  ... the training is going awesome ...I love having a coach to write workouts, give feedback, answer my gazillion questions and give racing/nutrition advice!!  All I have to do is show up and do the work... my motto this year:  Do the workout as prescribed, no shortcuts, no close enoughs, no cheating!  Just do the work.

When I saw my friend, John, the other day (massage therapist) he asked me if I was the Temple of Doom or the Temple of Zoom... feeling pretty good right now (heat not withstanding) so I pick Temple of Zoom!  At least, I hope that is the way it plays out Sunday morning... our forecast for this weekend??  ...drum roll ....Sunny, hot and humid... I've decided to embrace the heat rather than bitch about it. What else can you do?

It's never too early to start making plans for 2011 racing and travel!!  I truly love the planning as much as the doing..especially the traveling part.  Looks like Rev3 Costa Rica in February, 2011 and (gulp) The Great Floridian in October, 2011.  PLUS, Hubby and I will have our tenth anniversary next year.   I told him if he would like to have an anniversary beyond 10 then we need to take a big trip next August......West Coast, Pacific Northwest, Alaska!  His choice but I, of course, get veto power!

Random Friday ....

Hallelujah!  They have capped the oil well ....
Damn! It's hot in Nashville..
Music City Triathlon is coming up next Sunday, July 25, 2010... .Cumberland River swim (eww) ...
Yaay!! Business is picking up .....
I need a new swimsuit (or 2)...the ones I am swimming in are disreputable.....
I am looking forward to eating at Brio this weekend  ...
I am digging  "True Blood"......Sookie, Bill, Lafayette, Tara and Lorena... love Southern Goth
I am SO GRATEFUL for air conditioning!!
Having said that, I am really looking forward to a hot and sweaty run in the morning..

the search continues....

Still looking for a job... trying to maintain a positive attitude (yesterday not so much).  What's a girl to do?    After a long nap the situation seemed not so desperate...funny how being tired makes things seems SO MUCH MORE....!!  All I want is a fun and challenging job with great benefits and an awesome salary..what's the big deal??   Today I followed up on some ideas from my friend Susan... made a change to my resume and checked out the Center for Nonprofit Management...

After I had all of that I could stand, I rode my bike up to the Trace and did my bike/run brick....

.... 3 hours 10 minutes in the heat of a Tennessee afternoon in July!  Sometimes I can't believe I actually do s**t like that (heat stroke, anyone?) but, boy, do I love to sweat.  And I love the calming effect of a hard workout.....for me there is something meditative about being outside in nature and getting to play.  Mentally I always come back from a workout better than I started....

Swimming and strength training are on tap for tomorrow...followed by more fun (I'm sure) job searches!  

yawn

do the next right thing...

So I didn't get either of the jobs with the Y and I am disappointed.  It has been a week of "No" for me .... polite no's but no, nevertheless.  So as I was contemplating how to handle the situation I remembered this old AA adage...when I don't know what to do next; what the next course of action should be; where else to turn...then the answer is usually "Do the next right thing."

So for me this week the "next right thing" is to do the job I have to the best of my ability.....  No shortcuts, no procrastination, no half measures.  The "next right thing" is to work with Team Magic in publicizing the upcoming Music City Triathlon on July 25 in downtown Nashville....with all the energy I have and to the best of my ability.  The "next right thing" is to get plenty of rest so I can maintain my training schedule...last week was a big week with a 5K thrown in for fun on Saturday.  I moved my long run to Sunday and cut out my rest day...I paid for this the first of this week and I am now going into a long, hot weekend in Chattanooga! 

Tomorrow is another day and in the immortal words of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, I shall "Never, never, never, never give up."

zippity, doo-dah....

I love that song from Disney's 1946 "Song of the South."  For me it is a happy song that takes me back to childhood and perfect days... last week when the temperatures were in the low 80's and the humidity was low it was a "Zip - a- Dee-Doo-Dah" day for days on end...

This week the temperatures are up and it seems like I am struggling with everything just a little bit more... I am in the process of looking for a job.  I have decided I really want to work for the YMCA and I am (currently) pursuing a couple of positions with them... I have to say it has been a long time since I was in the "looking for a job" market and I don't like the way things have changed.  With many organizations you now forward your resume and cover letter to an entity, NOT AN INDIVIDUAL.  How the heck am I supposed to follow up with anyone?  I am not one for passive sitting and waiting; I am one for taking action and being persistent.  I am certain that if I could connect with someone, talk to them, I could get an interview and quite possibly a job!!   I am good with people; I enjoy tackling new projects; I like a challenge and I love to work with people and motivate them.... I just need to get the dang interview! 

So on Saturday I took my impatient self over to Maryland Farms to run the Firecracker 5K and (hopefully) break into the 24's...it is ridiculous (in an amazing sort of way) that my 5K PR is the second run leg of a duathlon last year in Birmingham.  How the heck does this happen?   This past Saturday was not the day to realize my dream of a 24:xx 5K...Mile 1 good (but no split due to my fear of pushing the wrong button on my new watch), at Mile 2 I was at 15:58 thinking "Heck yeah, I can do this!"  I finished the race at 26:58..mightily disappointed...especially when I did the math and realized how much time I gave up in the last 1.1 miles.  This seems to be a recurring theme with me... an inability to stay strong through the end/finish the job.  I know I was getting tired and it was hot but I just could not keep the pace....I don't know if I started too fast (I really need to get more comfortable with my new watch). 

On another note, Hannah and I had a great run in Percy Warner Park on Sunday.  Hannah ran the first 3 miles with me then Brad picked her up and I continued on to finish my workout... I finished my 12 miles at a steady pace and kept it within the prescribed HR zones... there was a nice breeze for most of the morning and even though I did not start until almost 9AM it was really pleasant.  I love the Warner Parks out here in Bellevue... my absolute most favorite places to run...

As people return to work tomorrow I will be hoping for some good news and trying to trust that God has this...

good night from Nashville, y'all!