Perfect Balance

Supposedly I was going to run a 10 mile race this coming weekend in preparation for the Go St. Louis half marathon. While I feel good now, I took almost a solid month off running to rehab an injury, & I am still not up to speed. This past weekend I ran 12 hilly miles for my long run. It went pretty well, but I still don't think I'm ready. I will probably wait until race day to register, if I do, so I guess we will all find out what I decided to do on Sunday, myself included. If I run the 10 miler, then I will run 13.1 for sure. I also got in a very good hilly 50 mile bike ride yesterday, which has been my main focus lately anyway, since I had the running injury, & I have that killer ride coming up in May.

It was a truly epic ride in that I maintained a steady effort level despite the hills & felt pretty good at the end of it all. Beautiful day for it, with temps in the mid 70's, & I was so happy to wear just shorts & a jersey! Pretty cool that I was out on the bike on a day of perfect balance. The spring equinox is the day that you can stand an egg on it's end & it will stay balanced. Don't believe me? Below is a YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89MO_21XpBo&feature=player_detailpage

I also got some bitchin new pink sunglasses that my husband will (probably) not borrow. Last season's are broken, so I got these in hopes that I can keep them to myself, but I can report that he has worn my pink goggles in the pool on a number of occasions. Maybe these should be bedazzled or something ;)

I'm sad about the running, but right now I'm just so happy to run without pain and I don't want to lose that because of a race. I'd rather have running on a regular basis if it means not racing for a while. So that's it... I will definitely maybe run the 10 miler this Sunday. :)

There are those of you that can just run... without many problems, injuries, etc. I am not one of those people. For whatever reason, no matter what I do, I am always injured. Not just those little calve cramp things that you can run through for a couple of weeks & it sorts itself out. I get the kind of annoying injuries that leave you limping & wondering if there is such a thing as pain-free running. I have no idea why I can't just do the thing that I really love to do, but I can't. This is why I'm really thankful to have triathlon. I was never a swimmer beyond just playing around in the pool... In fact, I learned the freestyle stroke after a running injury by reading about it on the internet. And the bike, well... (see my post "Evolution" for more on that). This was all my husband's idea, as a matter of fact. I thought he was crazy & that I would hate it. I'm really glad I listened to him for once in my life. He was right in so many ways. By doing all three sports I have a better chance of staying injury-free from running, & I also get to feel mega-awesome :) Each sport uses different muscles, & so really... it's the perfect balance. I'm really happy that spring is here. Longer, warmer days... & triathlon season... Bring it!!