A little bit of this and that

• On: 05/04/2009 12:49:41

Nope, I didn't race this weekend even though I feel like I did mentally!  I was SO plugged in all weekend to race results, I was exhausted by Sunday night!  It is May and with TRI season officially in full swing, I was between Wildflower results, St. Croix, TriMizzou and lots of random races!  GOOD times for sure!

My next race is not until the 16th. I am racing Galena Triathlon.  I love this race.  It is not that little and it is VERY hilly and we have to swim in a lake - which, every year I am amazed it is still not frozen.  Today it is 70F here in Chicago and it is beautiful out!  But, this has been rare...On Thursday I rode my bike past the lake we swim at every week and I thought...OH SOOOO VERY SOON, I hope!  We usually can get into the water around Memorial Day in wetsuits...the water is usually at least 60F.  The lake downtown was 47F a couple of weeks ago - so come on sun!

Anyway, Galena is fun.  I am going with some friends/athletes from this area and it is just about a 2 hour drive to the border of Iowa, so it is all good. It is a Saturday race, so I get to be home on Sunday and resting with the kids!

My next "A" race is Eagleman 70.3 in Maryland in mid-June.  I AM SO damn excited to race Eagleman again I can hardly contain myself.  Most of you who know me know this is my favorite race EVER.  And, every workout I do is geared towards Eagleman.  And, I am SO very excited!  Plus, we road trip out with the kids and see Jerome's parents too - so it is a nice small family getaway.

This weekend we threw a baby shower for my brother and his wife.  TOO cute!  It was at my mom's house but Beth, my sister and me are such DORKS.  We are only 17 months (or so) apart and I walked in in a new teal Ann Taylor dress (which is noted b/c I rarely buy any "nice" dresses) and my mom and sister screamed when I walk in.

I just thought they were THAT excited to see me!

Nope....Beth had bought the same dress the SAME day - just another location - and we both had it on. Nevermind hers was a size 2 (tramp)...but that is besides the point.  THERE we were - dorks and all.  Of course, my fashion forward sister was completely freaked out (probably b/c I was not in my running gear) and she met her husband 1/2 way to bring another dress.  I didn't care that she had on the same dress as me, but SHE did.  HA :))  Oh well, the shower was a success and I loved seeing all our family and family friends!

Today I usually do a swim, Pilates class and sometimes a run.  I usually do not workout 3x in 1 day, but my rest days are Sat/Sunday now with all the kids/family stuff, so Mondays are OK BACK INTO IT for me.  Let's talk about Pilates for a minute.

I go to an amazing private studio for my Pilates. There are a couple of reasons why:

1.) The instructors are AMAZING;

2.) If I am going to hire someone to help me with my limiters (flexibility) I hire the best and it is worth every friggin penny;

3.) I have never paid for a gym membership b/c I coach Masters and do stuff as a contractor for the gym here, so I "justify" the money that way (sounds good);

4.) It is walking distance from my house - on the RIVER in our cute little downtown - that is worth it right there.

Well, I take an Advanced Mat class for 1 hour every MONDAY. HOLY CRAP.  These Pilates instructors are amazing.  SUCH a different type of "being in shape"...ya know?  But very strong and I really enjoy it.  I am fine core -wise, but SUCK at any major flexiblity things - my hamstrings and just about everything limits me, so I go in all the time and stretch (YES I SAID STRETCH) and am working hard in this area.

Yea, and I started doing Ice Baths recently too.  I am lucky in that now my job can be sitting on the couch - recovering, eating properly and working...but, the workouts are HARD that I do and when they are HARD I need to nail them...and unless I recover properly, it is useless.  So, there I was:  Ice bath, stretching, protein drink (which I have usually done), Pilates (which I have done since my car accident in September), massage regularly(which I have done) and I am the NEW Jen Harrison!  I know what needs to be done - but I am one of those "do as I say, not as I do."

But, Miss Daisy is too old for that now and unless I start being smart I will be in trouble soon.

What threw me over the edge you ask?
RACING AND TRAINING for the last couple of months in VERY COLD and VERY WET conditions...it killed me.  I was a mess and was feeling those harsh conditions!  It is SO time consuming but I decided that it was time!  So, there....old dogs can learn new tricks too.  OR DO THEM! :))

Happy training and recovery!