Winter, Schminter

Winter always brings its challenges. It seems that animals aren't the only ones that want to pack their bodies with an extra layer of fat & hibernate. Those chilly mornings can be especially difficult to get out of bed & out the door for a run, & I really can't even think about getting in the pool (even though our gym keeps ours so hot you will sweat under your swim cap). I have taken to riding my new bike trainer nearly every day since I got it last week. My dad pretty much rocks & he surprised me with it. :) It makes winter training a LOT easier when you don't have to even get out in the snow & drive to the gym.

I wonder if Chrissy Wellington got her start like this? You know, in the basement next to an old broken washer & dryer. :) It's been going really well, & I actually like it a lot more than I thought I would. You get out what you put in, so I'm trying to remember that so I don't get too comfortable just doing an easy spin.

One thing I've found that is an absolute MUST is the Castelli cycling cap you see on my saddle. It keeps my hair out of my eyes, & I pretty much look totally awesome in it. I got it so I can look cool at rest stops & on the trainer. Good plan ;) All I need now to make my trainer-riding experience as fulfilling as possible is to get a couple of those vuvzuzela's for my kids so they can cheer me on as I sprint to the finish while watching the cycling DVD's.

I have an ongoing leg thing that is really making me crazy, & so I haven't been able to run much (again!) but I did get a great 10 miler in last night. It was about 20 degrees, but with the wind, snow, & ice on the ground it felt a LOT colder than that. I hope to do another one this weekend, plus a long bike ride on the trainer, & then I have a 5 mile race coming up the following weekend. I'm not sure what to expect, as I've only been able to run about 20 miles a week, but either way I will earn my hot chocolate at the end!

Spring will be here before we know it! I decided that in addition to 2011 being the year of 70.3, it will also be the year of the dreaded 10K!! If scroll down, you will see my PR's listed & you'll see that there isn't one for the 10K distance. I know, right?! I have some kind of mental block... Not sure, but I have this feeling that it will be really really hard for me. OK, I honestly don't know why, but if given the choice I always sign up for the 5K. Not this time! May 14th is the day after my birthday. I will run my first 10K & it will be EPIC!

Best of luck to all of you with your winter training! Keep up the good work & I hope the spring finds all of us well-trained & lean!