Some Good News on a Gloomy Monday

I had a good day Sunday. A good, long run (11miles and hills), a quiet Waterfall Glen (most runners tapering for Chicago Marathon--yeah!), and the bikers that were out were much more courteous than most. The weather was really nice--cool and a bit cloudy, but perfect for running.

After, I did some much needed stretching, core work and a short swim. Came home and did a bunch of cooking (if you really want to call it that). I made sloppy joes, sweet potatoes, green beans, and brownies. I finally got to sit down about 5:00--I was really tired and my right glute/hip/hamstring/quad was sore.

I was in a state of shock when I went to sleep--the Bears won! They DID NOT BLOW THE LEAD in the last couple of minutes. Although they did try really, really, hard. Now, if the White Sox can win today and tomorrow, sports fans in Chicago will be on cloud nine!

I woke up a little bit late--long story, forgot to set the alarm, although I usually wake up before it goes off. My butt was really sore/tight. Decided that today would be a swim only workout. Made it through 2200 meters and felt better after. May have to skip that run tomorrow--see how I feel.

So, when I got home and was helping my daughter with her school work, I decided to check my e-mail. This is what I received:

Endurance Sports, Ultramax Events and USA Triathlon would like to congratulate you on your qualifying efforts at the Spirit of Racing Triathlon on July 19, 2008. Your top placing finish has earned you the opportunity to race in the 2008 Las Vegas or 2009 Oklahoma City Championship (your choice). You will race against the nation's best long course age group athletes.

WOW! I had to read it several times, and called my husband and had him check it out to make sure I wasn't seeing things! (Yea, I know it's really not that big of a deal, but after my abysmal showing at Louisville, this was a real boost!). No way I can make the 2008 race, but I'm really hoping we can do the 2009 race in Oklahoma City. Like so many people, money is really tight for us right now, and I'm not sure how much I can spend on racing next year. My daughter and husband are going to a gymnastic meet in Miami in January. I need to stay home with my son. Boy, would I like to be in Miami in January--swimming and running outside--how awesome would that be?!

Now I have a goal for my 2009 season. My plan was to concentrate more on the half iron distance, and this fits in just perfect! Even if it turns out we can't go, I at least have a goal and a plan.

It seems so often that when things look really bad, all I have to do is wait about a day and things get better. Of course, it works the opposite also, but I'm trying to dwell on the positive here. So while I considered this triathlon season to be pretty much a bust, I guess it wasn't a total loss. The training I put in did count for something. Lord willing, next year at this time I'll be planning a trip to Oklahoma City for a really big race!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. This is running race season, so go, runners, go! The Chicago Marathon is less than two weeks away, and there are lots of other marathons in the next two months. Good luck to everyone out there racing.

Although I'm not training for anything, I still like to keep tract of my workouts. Week totals:

Swim: 5x for 8,500 meters

Bike: 2 trainer rides: 3.5 hours; 52 miles; 1 road ride: 52 miles; total 104 miles

Run: 2 treadmill runs: 11 miles; 1 road run: 11 miles; total: 22 miles

Strength/Core/Stretch: 4 sessions; 233 minutes (3.8 hours)

Total time: 18 hours, 32 minutes

Calories burned: 8,237

Until next time--God bless!