A new goal

I am sure that a few of you read the title of my blog and got anxious (maybe my cousin Katie? LOL).  No, I have most certainly not given up on my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. But I've decided that a new goal is in order.

Let me backtrack a bit.  My return to running began on May 18, when I was finally permitted to actually start "running" again (I put that in quotes because the pace I was permitted to run at is actually slower than my walking pace).  Over the past 3 weeks, I have been following the return-to-running plan that my doctor gave me almost perfectly.  A few of the earlier runs were faster than they should've been, but when you're trying to run 3+ minutes per mile slower than your normal comfy pace, it can be difficult!  I'm pretty darn proud of myself with how well I've done with this.  To be honest, I am just so very grateful every single time I lace up my shoes that the pace or miles just don't matter right now.

I am currently on step 9 of the program, which is 50 minutes at my "usual" pace--this is tomorrow's workout. Step 8 was 40 minutes at this pace--my first time running at my comfy pace in 10+ weeks!  It felt amazing to not have to really control myself, to just let my legs do their thing.  I got to do the first workout of step 8 with my LC girls--the women I trained with at 4:30 AM almost every single Wednesday morning this past fall/winter/spring. I was so very excited to be running with them again!

Steph, Erin, Megan, Lori, Becky and me with our yummy post-run treats!

Donuts and chocolate milk of course were called for. It was a true celebration!  (Oh, it was also National Running Day--maybe that was why I got the donuts LOL)  I got to have donuts again on Friday--it was National Donut Day, after all!  I definitely could get used to running for donuts ;)

Ellen, Jon, and Tamara--we had a few others who had to leave early!

OK so back to the  new goal. As I have mentioned, I swam and rode the bike at the gym during the non-running period of my recovery from my injury.  A couple of days ago I was invited to join some triathletes at Alum Creek for an open water training swim.  As soon as I got into the cool 65-degree water, I remembered how much I loved open water swimming last summer when I first tried it out.  I have described it to friends as what it'd be like for a runner who'd spent their entire life on a treadmill and then finally gotten to run outside.  After years and years of repeatedly swimming back and forth in a chlorinated indoor pool, to be able to be outside and have no pace clock, no black line to stare at, no walls to flip on, no coach whistling at you to go faster... the feeling is indescribable. 

A couple of weeks ago my friend Carolyn (one of the sweet women I met during my first full last year) offered to lend me her spiffy road bike, as she had no plans on using it this summer and knew that I was itching to try out a good bike.  I took her up on her offer instantly, but haven't been able to actually hop in the saddle due to the busy end-of-the-school-year.  I also had to get air in the tires and get the seat adjusted. I finally got the chance to do these things today, and promptly took the bike out for a quick ride on the paths of Westerville. I've obviously rode a bike many times before, but a reallllly nice, expensive bike?  Nope, not till today.  All I can say is WOW.  As my friend Lynn said, riding a bike that awesome almost feels like you're cheating, it makes the ride so easy.  I totally loved this short 6 miler. 

I made the decision during my ride today that a triathlon is going to happen, and it's going to happen this summer.  I've decided on a race on August 2 that will take place at Alum Creek.  The only choice I have to make now is do I race a sprint tri or an Olympic-distance tri?  The difference: The sprint is 750 meters of swimming (basically a half-mile), a 20K bike (just over 12 miles) and a 5K run (3.1 miles). The Olympic distance is a 1500 meter swim (about a mile), a 40K bike (around 25 miles), and a 10K run (6.2 miles).  The only thing that throws me off of the Olympic distance is the bike portion. I need to get in some more training rides at higher distances before I actually commit to riding 25 miles in a race! 

So that's my new goal: to compete in a triathlon.  Aside from the fact that I really really really enjoy swimming (and maybe biking too!), I am also hoping that having a non-running goal will keep me from pushing myself too hard in my return.  I can't wait to start logging in more open water miles and learning how to ride the roads in preparation for my first race!