Oh the suspense of the last eight weeks!

Here’s a quick recap for those of you with busy lives who want the quick-and-dirty: I just started running again about three weeks ago after five weeks of no running at all. I’ve withdrawn from the Half Iron and registered for the Marine Corp Marathon. (I'll still be going to the Mooseman Half-Iron to cheer for and support my friends/bloggers.)

Ultimately, I’m not meant to race in the month of June. Out of the past four years, I’ve planned three different June races and had to scratch each one off the list for one reason or another.

The first lesson from this story: recognize a pattern and learn from it. Note to self: no more BIG races in June (I'll bet I said this last June too).

Second lesson from this story: it takes an incredible amount of energy, motivation and will-power to start a new career and simultaneously train for a triathlon while rehabbing from an injury.

Honestly, when I embarked on this journey towards the Half Iron, I thought that it would be a good way to keep my spirits up over the long winter and serve as something positive to focus on. However, it seems that a few things went awry:

1) I didn’t factor in how exhausted I would feel during the first few months of working as a physical therapist assistant. I took for granted how much ‘rest’ I was getting at my previous desk-job…all that sitting, drinking water and eating while sitting down - I had no idea that would be a luxury in my new career! Being on my feet all day, talking to people constantly, manipulating body parts and *gasp* THINKING…well, it just leaves me wiped out.

2) I thought I would be working in a town that had easier access to a swimming pool. I envisioned myself stopping for a swim on the way to work or on the way home. That did not turn out to be true. I thought I could at least make it to a 8:00 pm swim class twice a week. That also did not turn out to be true…going back out in the winter weather to go swimming at night, and then being totally WIRED for hours afterwards? Not. Fun. I’d walk into work like a zombie the next morning. I dreaded going to the pool.

3) I certainly didn’t factor in a five-weeks-no-running injury. It didn’t just take a toll on my training plan, it also took a toll on my confidence and mental well-being. I define myself as a RUNNER first, a CYCLIST second and I only swim because I have to. Taking ‘running’ out of the equation just sent me into a downward spiral which led to a endless circle of no motivation, missed workouts and massive guilt (lather, rinse, repeat).

There you have it - the excuses, the rationale, the reasons. It was tough to admit I couldn’t pull it together AGAIN, but as I’ve said before, there are often more lessons to be learned in failing than there are in succeeding.

Therefore rather than focus all on ME for my next race, I’m helping a friend reach her Boston Qualifying time at the Marine Corp Marathon. Back in 2006-2007 when I reached that goal through the help of others, I promised myself that I would ‘pay it forward’ someday and help someone else achieve their dream. Back to running, back to my roots and it's time to turn the focus outwards rather than in. Onward.

I've got this little race planned for June...something about a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a13.1 mile run. I have the physical capacity to complete each of the three components separately without a problem. Attempting to do them all on the same day, well...that's the challenge, isn't it?

Usually, when I undertake a new and bigger challenge, I spend hours researching different training plans, collecting ideas and advice from as many sources as possible and then I piece together the perfect plan. I've even been known to enlist the help of a coach when necessary.

This time, as I started gathering all the information, I realized that nothing really fit my style. I was looking for a beginner-to-intermediate program, with the focus evenly split on all three disciplines, maybe even a little heavier towards biking and running. To complicate matters, my daily routine has been changing on a weekly basis making it difficult to establish a solid routine that I could rely on week-by-week.

Therefore, my plan is to have no formal plan. Instead, I decided to just do this: swim - 2 days a week; bike/spin 2-3 days a week; run 4-5 days a week. Increase distances as needed, scale back every few weeks to get some extra rest, and try to schedule at least one day a week of total rest. Eat, sleep, hydrate.

How is the un-formal plan going? Truthfully, I don't think I've had a single week where I've hit every workout. I've missed a few swim sessions, and I am struggling to get on the bike trainer twice a week (and I've yet to make it past 40 minutes). To complicate matters, I've managed to develop some type of tendon/joint/bursa inflammation in my ankle, so running has been non-existent for over a week now. Drastic measures may be taken to remedy *that* situation.

I'm not worried. Yet. But this non-program program needs to shape up soon, or I'll be watching the race from the sidelines.

The half Ironman training is officially underway, and I have again been reminded of the power of training with other people.

The best addition to my training schedule has been signing up for a Master’s swim class. For the uninitiated, ‘Master’s’ does not mean ‘old people’ or ‘people who have mastered swimming’. In our class, it simple means ‘people over the age of 18.’

I was feeling nervous and intimated about attending the first class – all those people in the pool with me at the same time! Sharing a lane with people faster than me! Plus, it had been months since I’d been in the pool and it always takes me a few swim sessions to get back into the swimming-groove.

I was pleasantly surprised to see some familiar faces, and even managed to get myself invited into a lane with two young women who could actually interpret the foreign looking language that outlined our workout for the night.

There were three workouts to select from, as announced by the swim coach: 2300 yards, 2700 yards and 3200 yards. I nearly choked when she read off those distances, as I had never completely more than 1800 yards and that was a the peak of my triathlon training, probably two years ago. What had I gotten myself into?

My lane-mates selected the 2700 yard workout and assured me that we would complete it in the allotted 90 minutes. I was extremely skeptical, especially when I noticed that the ‘warm up’ yardage was longer than my entire last workout in a pool. The first few laps were lung searing and I repeatedly questioned my sanity. I wondered if I could I get a refund.

Somehow I managed to make it through the whole workout, even attempting the backstroke for the first time (it was ugly). I was absolutely stunned when I climbed out of the pool and realized that I had just covered 1.5 miles in the water. I turned to my lane-mates and told them that I never would have persevered if it were not for their presence and encouragement. They admitted to feeling the same way, and our little swimming sisterhood was born.

Now, if I could only figure out how to get myself on the bicycle a little more, I’d feel much better about this latest adventure.

Been quiet around here, huh?

Did you ever find yourself in limbo, dancing in that odd space in between life changing events? One moment ends and then a blank screen pops up with a little spinning hour glass. You know that a new screen will appear eventually, but it's impossible to tell how long the hour glass will keep spinning. So you wait, staring intently...barely breathing.

My new screen appeared today. I can now move on to the next steps. I can now breathe again. I can end this dance with flourish and grab my next partner as the music changes.

I completed my degree to become a physical therapist assistant. I secured a job in an orthopedic/sports medicine out-patient physical therapy clinic. I'm (mostly) prepared for my license examination. I started my training for my first half-Ironman. I joined a swim class and swam farther than ever before in the very first class. I'm shopping for wet suits and snow shoes.

As my life finds it's new routine, I hope to be here more often. I hope you can join me!

In my previous post, I mentioned that I was testing out a new watch, tech4o's Women's Accelerator Trail Runner. For more details on the watch, and to view various models, go to tech40.

After calibrating the watch at the local track, I was unable to immediately test it out because I needed to consult the instructions on exactly how to reset the watch with the new calibration information.

At this point in my testing of the product, I was a little less than impressed. Not only are the instructions on the watch published in a 8-10 pt font which requires both reading glasses and a well-lit area when consulting them, but I found the instructions cumbersome to navigate through. In their effort to be helpful with a schematic drawing of how to navigate through the different screens, it only made things more confusing for me. However, in their defense, I hate following written instructions and I usually just try to intuitively press buttons until I reach the screen I need. I wasn’t able to easily follow their set-up which led to my frustration, and required me to use the instructions. It became a vicious circle.

Once I finally got through all the set-up, I was able to test it out on a measured greenway near my house. I was pleased to see that at the half-mile mark the watch read .492 miles. Most of the distance monitors – GPS and otherwise – have some margin of error and this watch fell within the 95-97% accuracy similar to the others.

The pedometer/mileage display screen was difficult for me to read, especially while I was actually still running. I had to stop and use the backlight in order to read the numbers. The buttons are on the small side, but I’ve been spoiled with the big display and big buttons on both the Nike and Garmin gadgets which I regularly use.

Again, I went back to the instructions to see if there was a way to switch the display so I could set it to display 'miles' rather than 'steps' as the primary display. I wasn't able to find a way to do it, but then again, I wasn't thrilled with having to read through the instructions again, so I might have missed it. Since the watch is targeted to 'runners', I am baffled as to why the default setting isn't set to miles in the first place. It does display the mileage, but it's the secondary display at the top of the screen, which means that it's very small. Not a watch for those of us with complicated vision issues.

I'm not sure I see the advantage to having this watch, especially with the other products out there that are in a similar price range. Could this be a useful product for a new runner? I suppose. But I'm not sure this would be my first choice. It's a sleek looking watch and I appreciated the opportunity to test it out, but I suspect I will only use it as a time piece and possibly as a stop watch. I'll stick to my Garmin or my Nike for distance monitoring.

Being a celebrity has it's perks. Over the past few years I've had the pleasure and opportunity to test out various products and post about them here. Fortune has smiled upon me once again, and thanks to tech4O, I am a recent recipient of a new running watch.

Specifically, this one:
This watch - the Women's Accelerator Trail Runner - is similar to some of the other non-GPS products out there - this one works like a high-tech pedometer except without a foot pod. It will be interesting for me to compare this watch to my now-discontinued Nike SDM which works on similar technology and requires a foot pod.

I was able to use it right out of the box, with the time and date having been pre-programmed in for me. I wore it on one run so far, and it was comfortable enough that I didn't even notice that I had it on. Compared to the Garmin, it felt like a feather on my wrist. Plus, it's attractive enough to wear out in public, and doesn't completely engulf my very tiny wrist.

Unfortunately, I am unable to comment on it's performance at this time. The mileage was off considerably, by at least .50 miles. Upon further inspection of the rather detailed instructions for the watch, I learned that I might need to calibrate it to insure better monitoring of distances. Looks like a trip to the local track will need to be planned this weekend.

Stay tuned for my next adventure with this latest gadget!

This past week has been filled with experiences that have brought me back to my humble beginnings.

As some of you have heard, I have signed up for a half Ironman distance race in June 2009. For the uninitiated, that means a 1.2 mile swim, then 56 miles on the bike, followed by 13.1 miles of running. Registering for this race was a lot like signing up for my first marathon: it's something I know I can do, but it will require hard work, focus, a big learning curve and a little bit of crazy. (Oh, and a wet suit - anyone got one I can borrow?)

Yesterday, I ran the Hartford Half Marathon. I haven't run this race, or even a half-marathon technically, since I started this crazy running addiction in 2003. The whole day was a little surreal for me - it felt strange to head to the race alone without my race crew, and to not run the full marathon. It was odd to be done so early in the day, and see so many people lining up for food and massages.

It felt odd to run the race alone, to have perfect weather, and to find myself smiling so much. Within the first mile of the race I heard one of April-Anne's favorite song, just after I had parted ways with another wonderful friend who was running the marathon. Later, I thought of Michelle when I passed by the Parrothead's rest stop, and of course, I thought of jeff whenever I high-fived someone. I got a little weepy when I read the back of one woman's shirt that said "Running with my mom" when I realized that she was running in memory of her mom. And I nearly jumped out of my skin when my friend Fran screamed my name and ran out into the road to boost my spirits.

I savored every step of that race - the ones that felt good and the ones that didn't - because these were my roots, this was where it all started, and I realized that running still has me captive.

To complete the weekend, I engaged in some active recovery and further root re-building by climbing on to my very neglected mountain bike to cover 20-miles on the local rail trail. As the autumn leaves swirled down and around, I smiled, knowing that I had reconnected to that part of me that has been buried too long under stress.

New beginnings from old roots; I'm ready.