Couch to ATHLETE!

I have many different topics that have been rumbling around in my head that could potentially be their own blog posts, but I’ve decided to get it all out at once. Self indulgent you may think? Perhaps, but I'm OK with that. From Seas to Mountains If you ever find yourself traveling to high altitude from almost sea level be prepared for gasping breaths while running, hiking or cycling. More about this in a future post. When I’m Not Blogging I recently took a road trip and spent hour after hour in the car. I wouldn’t do it any differently because my Dukie Man and I had the best time and it forced me to think a lot. I managed to maintain my training schedule while on the road which was amazing in itself but I bet you can guess what happened when I got back to Columbus. That is right, the exercise sabbatical has crept back into my life. This I am not proud of… So here is what I learned, when I am not following my training plan (or when I’m on vacation) I’m also not blogging. You may as...

About eleven months ago I decided to start focusing on my running to improve my triathlon performance. I started with Robert Ulrey and his Couch to 5k program and then hung out with Hal Higdon to train for a 10k. Finally I joined Team in Training to tackle a Half Marathon. Yesterday I learned that I can accomplish ANYTHING!!! I ran a half marathon in under three hours, and will improve my time for the next half I do. I have learned a number of things while training for this half marathon: 1) If you don’t believe you can do it, then you can’t. Running is a mind game; actually everything is a mind game. I’ve learned through this process that you have to believe in yourself to accomplish your goals. 2) Sisters and Brothers are super important to help push you. One of my sisters got me started on these endurance events years ago, my brother provides the realistic support by reminding me I need to do things because I want to do them, and my other sister is always pushing me to do the next d...